Haven't done the track in a long time but figured it was worth a shot to see where it stands. It wasn't good. I know the conditions are not the greatest. Temps are around 52*F though the day started with rain and by the time I hit the track there was a good 10mph headwind with 30mph gust.
I admit my experience is a bit limited anymore as it's been years but what my concern though is that there is something else going on with the car that is producing such lousy runs.
Any advice? And yes I know BMW's are not designed for drag cars but that doesn't mean they can't do decent with their performance at the track.

 

Those times don't look bad. They're in the high 14's. Were you expecting low 14's or high 13's? Even some of the e60 m5 guys have trouble getting in to the 12's.

 

Have seen slips of these cars getting mid to low 13's at between 103-106mph. Granted didn't expect that myself but was at least hoping for mid 14's at least and at least to come close to the 100mph mark

 

Is your car bone stock, full interior, how much gas was in the tank? What kind of tires are you running with?

 

i think it helps to deactivate traction and stability control also

 

also, is your car manual or auto? How are you launching it? Are you also waiting for the green light on the christmas tree?

 

First run I left the traction control on by mistake but did shut it off on run two. Launch roughly about 1000 rpms and was easing into the throttle as on the street she spins really easily.

Car is all stock other then removal of the carbon filter on the intake. Though I do still have 4 of 8 of the original plugs. Was changing then the night before but had an er visit for my daughter so I couldn't finish. The ones I did pull though looked great.

Tires are khumo escta and are fairly new in the 275/30/18 I believe.

 

I hope you don't mess up the car by drag racing, I know these cars can take a beating, but parts and repair are not cheap.

Anyways, if you're going back out there with the same setup, try some of these tips.

1. Deflate the rear tires a bit down a few psi, I'll go -10psi first, then increment of -5 if it's not helping with traction ( bring a portable air pump with you) this will help with hooking the pavement.
2. Launch at a higher RPM - 2500-3000, hopefully you figure out what air pressure will hook the tires at best. Floor it until redline then shift.
3. Remove any interior parts, junk in the trunk, even the panels, remove them all then reinstall them once you get home.
4. This will be on you, but don't wait for the green on the xmas tree, your time to react on the last yellow light will be good enough. Just don't get too antsy and foul start yourself.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.

 

Sorry forgot to mention the car is an auto.

 

Unless you are running a SC like West you are not really going to get a significantly better 1/4 mile time. Doing the stuff that Boost7 mentioned will help a little however just a little. Just as a point of reference the other 535i guys I know who are pushing 430 whp/450 tq are trapping at 12.95-13.10 ave.