M3/M4 to Get Steel Driveshafts Beginning Nov. 2017. Sales top 68,000 to date.

[HPIA4v2]

This clearly, end-of-life model for M3/M4, BMW already agrees with the supplier to have x-number CF drive shafts delivered and will not renewed the order from the vendor, whatever in the pipeline is it.
BMW will save a few of those CF shafts for GTS/CS models, then when the supply depleted will switch to regular steel shaft (cheaper and maybe the same on that's in the regular 3-series), that's sad and clearly cheapen the M models.

[rakusak]

Originally Posted by Venere

Shafted? Ha. You'll have to wait until November for that sir.

Everyone getting an M moving forward should double check for the right 'shaft' underneath. I'll be getting mine Week 38 and will have a hard time taking delivery if the steel shaft is installed, though according to the Newsletter, I should be 'ok'

[JoeFromPA]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

Missing that modified bedplate though. Oh well.

Meh, ,I hear the modified bedplate introduced other issues.

[Gibson6594]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Meh, ,I hear the modified bedplate introduced other issues.

Like what?

[Jaymax85]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Meh, ,I hear the modified bedplate introduced other issues.

Like?

[Agamemnon]

:

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Meh, ,I hear the modified bedplate introduced other issues.

[JoeFromPA]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

:

Heheheh that was totally a troll move. Sorry.

As a more concrete statement: I'm tired of people referring to a modified bedplate as some sort of known improvement. All we know is it was modified; I've seen no information on WHAT those modifications were or why they are concretely better. Did the engine gain 10 pounds from a strengthened bedplate? Who knows.

The SMALL spate of spun crank hubs on tuned vehicles appears to have died out. People think that's bedplate related. Why? There are still a shit ton of cars produced pre-modified-bedplate that simply stopped having spun crank hubs at the reported levels we saw in 2016 (which were like ~6-10 unique cases total). Why? No answers.

There was the normal human reaction of: fear over spun crank hubs driven by tuned cars having issues ---> BMW modifies the bedplate for an unclear reason ----> after the modified bedplate almost no reports of spun crank hub = bedplate must have fixed it. But the vast majority of cars produced at that time were still on the original bedplate and reports still ceased. So was it actually a tuning issue? Who knows!

...

Anyway, end rant. On topic: Until I see an actual weight gain of the steel CF driveshaft I'm not going to seriously consider this a downgrade.

A narrower driveshaft means the polar moment of inertia is reduced and it is easier to spin than a wider driveshaft. If BMW decreased the width to a greater degree than the increased driveshaft weight impacts, then the new steel driveshaft would conceivably be more responsive than the CF version.

Do we have any of that information yet? No. So let's not react so negatively just yet.

[rr006rbc]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

...

Anyway, end rant. On topic: Until I see an actual weight gain of the steel CF driveshaft I'm not going to seriously consider this a downgrade.
.

Exactly. Who cares what it's made of. Will it perform just as well as the predecessor? Might even become an improvement..can't say anything till it's out.

[Gibson6594]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Heheheh that was totally a troll move. Sorry.

As a more concrete statement: I'm tired of people referring to a modified bedplate as some sort of known improvement. All we know is it was modified; I've seen no information on WHAT those modifications were or why they are concretely better. Did the engine gain 10 pounds from a strengthened bedplate? Who knows.

The SMALL spate of spun crank hubs on tuned vehicles appears to have died out. People think that's bedplate related. Why? There are still a shit ton of cars produced pre-modified-bedplate that simply stopped having spun crank hubs at the reported levels we saw in 2016 (which were like ~6-10 unique cases total). Why? No answers.

There was the normal human reaction of: fear over spun crank hubs driven by tuned cars having issues ---> BMW modifies the bedplate for an unclear reason ----> after the modified bedplate almost no reports of spun crank hub = bedplate must have fixed it. But the vast majority of cars produced at that time were still on the original bedplate and reports still ceased. So was it actually a tuning issue? Who knows!

...

Anyway, end rant. On topic: Until I see an actual weight gain of the steel CF driveshaft I'm not going to seriously consider this a downgrade.

A narrower driveshaft means the polar moment of inertia is reduced and it is easier to spin than a wider driveshaft. If BMW decreased the width to a greater degree than the increased driveshaft weight impacts, then the new steel driveshaft would conceivably be more responsive than the CF version.

Do we have any of that information yet? No. So let's not react so negatively just yet.

Am I reading that wrong? You don't like the new bedplate because it appears that the bedplate was not the issue when it comes to spun crank hubs?

The new bedplate came alongside the zcp, which was tuned for more power. Maybe the old bedplate had strength concerns, hence it's modification.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

A narrower driveshaft means the polar moment of inertia is reduced and it is easier to spin than a wider driveshaft. If BMW decreased the width to a greater degree than the increased driveshaft weight impacts, then the new steel driveshaft would conceivably be more responsive than the CF version.

Do we have any of that information yet? No. So let's not react so negatively just yet.

So you are saying BMW engineers didn't bother to check if a narrower steel drive shaft would perform better than a CF part that cost a s&*! ton more to design and produce? That is even harder to believe IMO. I'm guessing if this had been the case there never would've been a CF driveshaft in the first place.

[s1k0ne]

so the best of the best M3 will be .. the start of LCI 2.0 until November 2017 production? Just want to be clear as I have a production date in September.

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by s1k0ne

so the best of the best M3 will be .. the start of LCI 2.0 until November 2017 production? Just want to be clear as I have a production date in September.

Seems that way

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

Seems that way

Nope the best will be when there's a shortage of standard brakes and CCBs will be free.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

So far all US cars without Exec have gotten them standard. Do not know how much longer that will last. If your build sheet says 552 on it, you got them.

When you get the build sheet, can options still be added or taken away?

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

When you get the build sheet, can options still be added or taken away?

You can add and/or take away options all the way up to when your car goes into production (status 150) after that no changed can be made. If it is an individual color, the cut off date is much earlier and build specific.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

You can add and/or take away options all the way up to when your car goes into production (status 150) after that no changed can be made. If it is an individual color, the cut off date is much earlier and build specific.

ok, great! How soon after you put the order in, do you get the build sheet?

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

ok, great! How soon after you put the order in, do you get the build sheet?

Yes. You should ask for your VIR (vehicle inquiry report)

[BKM32017]

Originally Posted by minn19

So you are saying BMW engineers didn't bother to check if a narrower steel drive shaft would perform better than a CF part that cost a s&*! ton more to design and produce? That is even harder to believe IMO. I'm guessing if this had been the case there never would've been a CF driveshaft in the first place.

This is correct. Steel driveshaft is a huge downgrade. Cannot be rationalized.

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by minn19

So you are saying BMW engineers didn't bother to check if a narrower steel drive shaft would perform better than a CF part that cost a s&*! ton more to design and produce? That is even harder to believe IMO. I'm guessing if this had been the case there never would've been a CF driveshaft in the first place.

Or maybe steel technology made leaps and bounds in the past four years or maybe they knew they could make a smaller steel one for the same price but wanted to ride the CF gravy train since they announced the i8 and 7 series with carbon bodies around the same time frame. You will be surprised how irrational choices can be when marketing teams drive certain things.

I feel like the last decade there has been a surge in CF parts/tastes amongst the car consuming public.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

Or maybe steel technology made leaps and bounds in the past four years or maybe they knew they could make a smaller steel one for the same price but wanted to ride the CF gravy train since they announced the i8 and 7 series with carbon bodies around the same time frame. You will be surprised how irrational choices can be when marketing teams drive certain things.

I feel like the last decade there has been a surge in CF parts/tastes amongst the car consuming public.

Sure........I bet steel of 17/18 is super duper compared to the 13/14 stuff.

[Thescout13]

Originally Posted by minn19

Sure........I bet steel of 17/18 is super duper compared to the 13/14 stuff.

Hey man, it was just speculation. We don't know. We are all guessing here.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by Thescout13

Hey man, it was just speculation. We don't know. We are all guessing here.

Sorry dude, I really like your posts and I was just joking for the most part, but some of you guys are really grasping at straws here. Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one.