Performace Mod Recommendations

[perk73]

I'm taking delivery on a 328i sedan this week and was wanting to get some advise on performance mods. I was looking at a cold air intake and performance chip. I was wanting to know A. The best chip for the money and B. One that won't void my warranty. Any other recommendations will be considered.

Maybe I should have not been so cheap and dropped the extra 5 grand for the 335 but I figured for that money I could get more out of the 328 and maybe a body kit to boot.

[ra2fanatic]

um....if u're moddin for performance, i think u're the first i've heard thats tryin to mod his 328i. i honestly dont think they even hav piggybacks for a 328i, its all for 335i. sorry yo, the only thing u can do is prollie cosmetic changes to the car, but as far as performance? not too sure...

[E92!Dreier]

Ummm...I doubt he is the first person trying to make performance modifications to a 328i. I also have just a 328i.

It is very, very slow, and a complete POS. It is largely a worthless vehicle, considering that it is such a slow poke. I wish I had a 335i so bad, then I too could be on top of the world. Or wait, isn't the M3 on top of the world? Or is it the GT3?

Some people have this sort of attitude becasue they believe their 335i is much much faster than any Lamorghini or Ferrari or Viper. This is inaccurate and stupid.

NO BMW, including the M6, M3, and 335i, is made to win a drag race. That being said, it is expensive and fairly difficult to extract more HP from an NA engine, particularly a BMW engine. There is a world of turbo tuning that is open to anyone with a 335 (or 535 for that matter) that is willing to sacrifice a warranty. I am nto willing to do so.

Therefore, as a driver of the lowly 328i, you have to consider that a 3 stage intake manifold and a performance chip will set you back thousands of dollars, and only yield 30 or so horsepower, and similarly rsik your warranty coverage. However, Dinan (and many other "tuners") offer performance accessories -- Intake, Throttle BOdy, Exhaust, Suspension, LTW wheels, and I'm sure some sort of ECU tune is coming soon.

If you want to modify your car, it is up to you how to do it. As a two time inline-6 owner, I recommend doing everything else besides power modifcations first. THen see if you still need them. BBK, Coil overs, SSK might be much more practical mods.

Good luck...try not to be discouraged. Just remember that your car is junk, because it only has 230 HP.

[Takashi]

I won't put money into modding a 328i. It's like modding a 130 hp civic when you know in heart that anything you put in will only be a 5 - 10 hp gain. You should've forked over 10K (CAD) for a 335i.

[E92!Dreier]

The only problem with Takashi's statement is that there are plenty of "mods" to be done that don't revolve around HP. The 335 and the 328 have identical bodies, identical suspension geometry, identical interiors, etc. Some people do not have 10K for "just" HP. I certainly don't.

My 328 has some mods already -- check my signature. NONE of them are for HP. That would be largely a waste of time. I have spent about $300 total for all of my "mods." When I go to the dealer and my mechanic is like, "it's apleasure to work on such a clean, well maintained car. BTW, where did you get your foglight Laminx? Did you paint the grille yourself? Can I take a picture?" I don't say, "sorry sir. This car only has 230 HP, and it's not a 335i." Instead I say, "of course. Thank you for noticing. It's the little things that keep us happy right brother?"

(Borat voice) Itsa nice. High 5.

[Babagnush]

Yeah I'd start with the chasis upgrades first. Suspension to be specific. Sways, springs, and shocks should do the trick. Your not gonna get alot more power out of the car so just make it handle like a champ and you'll be happy.

[TMack]

I'm always puzzled when dudes on site like this act like you're an idiot for wanting to upgrade you car. Isn't that what we're doing here? Having fun with our cars, tricking them out, sharing experiences. Please don't bother with unsupportive (and arrogant) posts!

That said, Dinan has a RAM uptake unit for the 328i. It only gets you a few ponies, but I hear it gives a throatier sound on acceleration as well.

They also make a free-flow exhaust for the 328i which, again will get you a few HP, but will also create a sportier sound.

For me, I think these would be fun mods. You'd definitely notice a bit of performance bump, but I'd REALLY enjoy the "acoustic" upgrade. There's nothing like a great sounding (but not obnoxious) sports sedan!

Good luck.

-TMc

[fun2drive]

Since you list your location as K-town you should be able to get mods that are not hp but areo ones from your BMW dealer there. You have access to a significantly larger pool of mods then the US market. I would go get an accessories catalog at your local BMW dealer and see what they have.