Graphite vs Titanium Silver

[woods1966]

Would love to hear real world experiences from people that considered both and bought one or the other.

Am particularly interested in which color shows off the cars lines better.

Getting to see both here in Seattle is next to, no it IS, impossible.

Thanks!

[Rippy087]

I don't have either (Yet...), but I'll give you my opinion on this, as I was also deciding between Graphite and TiAg.

Graphite shows lines of the car better. [Father's car is Black]
TiAg is easier to maintain/Keep clean. [Brother's car is Silver]

In general, darker colors show off the lines of a car better than lighter colors. The lines will 'blend' in with the ligher colors, while the light reflecting off of the dark paint on the lines will make more contrast.

Jake

[Rippy087]

^^^ Forgot to mention, I am going to go with the Titanium Silver.

Jake

[shawshank772]

I went with SGM. I am not sure what really shows the lines better but SGM just looked better to me. Dont get me wrong I have ALWAYS wanted a SILVER BMW (Germanys old racing colors if im not mistaken) and they look AWESOME in silver. For some reason though the 1 just doesnt look right in it. Dont ask me why.

[asv]

I had a car order with TiAg, then I started to take a survey of the various 3 series I see every day on my way to work. Every other car was silver. Silver is a great color, but its just seemed a bit boring. SGM seemed like a nice choice between silver and black. A little more interesting than silver, yet without all the BS of black.

[gregthegr8]

Going into getting mine I was dead set on Sparkling Graphite, hands down. But, when I went to the dealer and saw some cars in that color for the first time, I thought it was too dark for me, didn't have enough grey in it, and looked too purpley/brown.

By the same token, I thought the Titanium Silver was a little light for me and in pictures it tends to look very dull and flat for some reason. So, I labored over the color choice to no end.

I then debated long and hard over jet black, too, thinking that the SGM is so dark, I might as well just get black, AND save the $475. But, I didn't want to deal with the hassle of keeping it perfectly clean as I can be anal and just don't have the time and energy I once did when I was 16-21 to wash it every week and all the imperfections would drive me nuts.

So, in the end, here's what I decided. That SGM is a bit of a schizophrenic color. There is one in the parking lot at work I see every day, and depending on the light, that car literally takes on so many different shades, some I like, some I hate. I'll always see that purple and I just couldn't ever pull the trigger on it.

I ultimately chose the silver perhaps not cause I thought it LOOKED the best in that color, but because it was the "safe" choice. Like some others have said, I do think the dark colors do tend to show off the lines just a little bit more and make the car look more aggressive and bold. I think the silver though contrasts with the black in the grill and front very well and has a very clean, elegant and simple look to it. I also wanted the aluminum trim and thought the silver, with the black interior and aluminum trim would be the perfect blend of sport and luxury for my particular tastes.

My advice then is to try everything you can to see the colors before ordering/deciding. If you can't find some at the dealer, try to find someone on here or drive down to Portland if you have to. But, I think you should figure out what kind of a look you want as well. And realize with that metallic paint, those colors look vastly different in different light. But, I have seen a 135 in person in silver now (was the one I test drove) and I do think it looked much better in person because trust me, I was REALLY worried I'd made the wrong choice. It's a very clean and simple look, practical, and easy to maintain. Yet, when I see that montego blue in the showroom at my dealer, I do question whether i made the right choice. Hmmm....does it ever end? Picking up my TiAg 135i this weekend, so hopefully it will soon and I'll have more insight.

[wenyong88]

I personally like the Graphite more compares to the Silver, that just my personal taste. I saw the 135i SGM in person before and I like it, but I haven't seen a Silver yet.

[MerlinMc]

Wife's E92 is Monaco Blue. It looks great when its clean, but never stays that way very long here in PNW. I ordered my 135i in TiAg -- it won't look as dirty.

[JAMS 135]

Don't ask... I am a little biased.

[AdamG1164]

I got the same as gregthegr8: Silver / Aluminum Trim / Black leather i just thing that is the coolest most sporty and modern combo out there. It's Oakland Raiders colors after all, how bad ass is that.

[S54dan]

I personally love Graphite. It'll look great with smoked corners and nice tint!

[mistermojorizin]

i think it comes down to whether you prefer light or dark. Dark will hide some of the lines, light will show them off. So its really a question of whether you like the lines of the car. I know on the darker colors, for example, you don't see the intricacies of the front ground works in a lot of lighting situations. some might like it, some might not. either way, you can't go wrong

[PrimoM3]

Lighter colors show the lines of cars better than dark ones. I personally think the best two color choices for the 1 series are TiAg and Alpine White.

[Spook]

Silver is a practical choice. How could half the cars on the road be wrong? It's safe because the cops will think it's just another Corolla.

SGM looks like a giant grape.

Jet black means you and Zaino get to be close personal friends. However, if you head over to the car detailing section you will see photos of freshly prepped and polished JB 135's that will make you smile and see that it really is worth it.

-Spook

[defcon1racing]

Originally Posted by shawshank772

Germany's old racing colors if I'm not mistaken

Germany's "National Racing Color" is actually white if the legend is true. At some point a Mercedes race (grand prix) car was weighed and determined to be overweight. It was painted in the German national racing color of white. To get the car underweight, they stripped the paint down to bare aluminum. The car passed inspection and silver became the new de facto national racing color.

I've heard this story many times including not long ago on SPEED during Formula 1 coverage (by Varsha, if I'm not mistaken). So, this is not my source, but does repeat the aforementioned story:

http://www.fastlinesinternational.co...ons%20Cup.html

The national racing colour for Germany is White! Legend has it that, in the early Thirties when the Grand Prix Formula was governed by the weight of the cars, the famed Mercedes GP cars were found to be a number of kilograms overweight by the Mercedes Benz technical team. Team supremo Alfred Neubauer determined that the overweight was because of the lead based White paint. He ordered that the cars be sanded down to their basic silver aluminium bodies! The cars made weight and Silver was adopted as the national colour-sort of.

Regards,

[defcon1racing]

Not that Wiki is any better a source, but they have the same story...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._racing_colors

Due to the weight limit for GP cars introduced in 1934, German Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams did not apply the traditional white paint in order to save weight, and the bare sheets of metal gave rise to the term Silver Arrows. When aluminium was replaced by fiberglass materials in the 1960s, some German teams (like Porsche and BMW) returned to white paint. Others German manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi used silver paint when they returned to international racing in the 1990s.

[atr_hugo]

Do a search on Gordon Bennett races, you'll see that Germany was assigned white for racing at the turn of the twentieth century. Silver was first used on the Auto Union cars in the 1930s, then adopted by M-B also in the '30s. There's some controversy about the fact that the had to strip the white paint and the body filler (since M-B finished their race cars to fine standards). It was painted silver subsequently to removal of the white, but without the filler. There was a maximum weight limit at the time, 750 kg.

BMW's pre-WW II 328s raced in silver, IIRC.

[TP 135i]

OK...I was also considering SGM vs TiAG and went with SGM.
Of course I love it. The Purple tint comes out in certain light and IMHO is very subtle and I have no problem with it. Search for "Purple pot bellied Pig" for more discussion on that topic.
Now..as far as dirt, I'm amazed at how well SGM DOESN"T show dirt. It's the perfect color for not having to wash it every 2 days.
The Silver is a classic color and, I believe, does show the lines of the car better than SGM. As far as keeping it looking clean, I can't believe that it is better than SGM......as good maybe but...
Bottom line, See them in person if you can...if not there are about a zillion pictures on this forum to review.
The other consideration is what interior do you prefer....that may help your exterior color decision.
Have fun and good luck choosing.

[BMW Dreamer]

I wish Space Grey was offered from the 3 series. A light silver-grey color.

[gregthegr8]

I wonder if future model years might have better color options. I would have killed for some kind of grey/silver that was a few shades darker than titanium.

[OzF16]

If you're leaning towards silver but don't want to be like "half the cars on the road," you might consider Blue Water. It looks like silver in low light, and even in the sun, the blue is very subtle.

[JAMS 135]

Cool Water Blue is very, very nice.. saw it a few days ago.