318is tuning - worth it?

[lanng91]

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[ERICKBOTIC]

dont buy the car to try it to make it fast it wont get there - coming from a 318 owner~!

[Jman328is]

+1^^ Don't really expect any power gains. Maybe put an LSD on it and it'll feel a little better.

[318bud]

just get a nice stance,nice exhaust, and cruise
or save for a m3

[Okin]

I disagree......
































Turbo'd AND Supercharged.

[killaM3]

^^ lol for he money he put in that 318 he probably could of afford e46 m3 but than its very original, and unique

[318bud]

I disagree......
































Turbo'd AND Supercharged.

damn thats fucking sick, very nice.....its def a dream of mine
more pics of turbo? how much hp you pushin?

[SkrolZ]

Don't waste your money tuning the 318is. It may not be a speed demon, but I still LOVE my 318. It's got a nimble feel to it and I've tastefully customized it's looks. Great to look at, nice sound system (aftermarket, ofcourse), and awesome gas mileage, Oh... and you still get bragging rights that you drive a BMW. lol

[Okin]

damn thats fucking sick, very nice.....its def a dream of mine
more pics of turbo? how much hp you pushin?

That's not mine!

That was a car that i snapped a pic of at this past Bavarian Auto Show And Shine. That member is from NY, and built it himself. A bit overkill for me and my daily activities, but very unique.


I agree that that set up is very expensive, but goes to show that anything is possible with a dream and enough $$$$. However, you're gas mileage will definitely suffer

[Ryan M3]

With the 4 cylinder e36s the best mods you can do involve the supsension IMO

Give it a good, nice looking stance, better brake pads, and a nice sounding exhaust.

[wbarfels]

Unless your ready to Dump $5k at least, I wouldn't bother trying to make it faster, you could buy an M3 for the price of the mods. But Gas prices are through the roof, and people are asking about mods to get better mpg....Well a 4 banger is good way to do that.

Bottom Line, If your looking for performance, and you dont want to buy another car later, Then don't Touch it. Its the wrong car for you.

If your looking for MPG, or your going to buy a a 2nd e36 to Fix up to go fast, then hell yes go for it. you can fix it up, make it look and handle nice, but don't mess with the motor

Besides My Experience has been that if your looking for performance, then your car is going to have alot of down time while fixing / upgrading etc. Especially since Most E36 cars have 100k + miles.

[shlalaw]

Depends on what you want it for. Mine is a daily driver, 5-speed, and I love to drive it.

[318bud]

Depends on what you want it for. Mine is a daily driver, 5-speed, and I love to drive it.

+1
hey wbar imo i would take that bra off, white should be shown

[Okin]

+1
hey wbar imo i would take that bra off, white should be shown

Should white also be chipped to high heck if you put a lot of miles on it?


That Bra (I'd prefer a Colgan) has functionality to it, IF it's used only on long trips and day to day highway driving. Otherwise... I agree with you.





OP.

Tune your car and complete ALL the maintenance, then maybe upgrade your brakes and suspension.

Go for some proper wheels with quality rubber


Then try Intake/Header/exhaust

Maybe some electronics tuning there after.

Who knows.... you might be surprised at what you end up with.

[Windsma]

Tune it for fuel efficiency, bc thats all we get to brag about here.

[dieselbro]

Exactly what most people are saying, if you want a fast car and wanna brag about how quick you accelerate then the 318 is not for you UNLESS you slap on a DASC (supercharger) but those go for around $2000 used. If you want a daily driver that is nimble and fuel efficient then go ahead and buy it, but stay away from the automatics they are even slower then their 5 speed counterparts.

[Vividkid82]

No....If you want something "Fast" Don't get any E36....unless you want to pour 1000's of dollars into it...

I love my 318, don't get me wrong, and I've been in PLENTY of tuned m3's including blown/turboed/bottled S52s and they we're quick but still not 'fast'; at least not for the amount of money they had into them...I mean you're working with 3(ish) liters.

The only e36 that really made me go "WOW" was a 96ish 325 converted to a blown/built LS1 here in Houston. That guy went through I don't know how many M3 Diffs and finally stuck a ford 9" out back. 900hp in an E36, Now we're talking.

[fast84gti]

I got my car for free, and put most of the money into parts that can be used on an m3 or 325/8is. Only the chip and lsd are not usable on other cars. If I change my mind, No biggie BUT most people don't do what I did to my car, on a street car (gutted to hell with no heat or ac, rear polycarbonate side windows). So with my weight savings, the car is not only quicker in a straight line compared to before, but the weight is considerably lower than you could get with a 6 cylinder. So in the corners, I can really hurt people's feelings. Additional weight hurts as much in corners as it does a straigh line. In straight line, WHO CARES? My last car had similar HP to my chipped 318, but weighed 500 lbs less than my GUTTED 318!!!! Ironically, it would only go to about 115 mph due to gearing. Plus it was FWD and could not get traction like the e36. It's lower weight was only saving grace But imagine the looks on people's faces when my car could keep up most v6's up to 90 MPH. My old car would kill any v6 in autocross, with exception to LTW m3's and well set up m3's. With the mods that I have I will no longer be in a class I can compete with. But damn, it will be fun to drive.

Driving is more important than winning, right? Get the car you can afford or have access to, and modify it to how you want it to perform. F everybody else and thier opinion

[lanng91]

Thanks alot for the feedback guys, really appreciate it.

One more question, would buying a carbon fiber hood & boot lid make a noticeable difference with the cars performance? Or should i just go to a wrecker and pick up regular panels. And can carbon fiber be painted professionally?

Thanks again!

[wbarfels]

Should white also be chipped to high heck if you put a lot of miles on it?

That Bra (I'd prefer a Colgan) has functionality to it, IF it's used only on long trips and day to day highway driving. Otherwise... I agree with you.

What He said oh and tell me more about this colgan?
How would a car work that's been supercharged and turbo charged? Dosn't make much sense since with the money the guy spent, The Turbo / Supercharger would surely be able to provide more than enough psi (Boost)

No....If you want something "Fast" Don't get any E36....unless you want to pour 1000's of dollars into it...

I love my 318, don't get me wrong, and I've been in PLENTY of tuned m3's including blown/turboed/bottled S52s and they we're quick but still not 'fast'; at least not for the amount of money they had into them...I mean you're working with 3(ish) liters.

The only e36 that really made me go "WOW" was a 96ish 325 converted to a blown/built LS1 here in Houston. That guy went through I don't know how many M3 Diffs and finally stuck a ford 9" out back. 900hp in an E36, Now we're talking.

I dunno I mean the Euro M3's have 300 HP and with a few choice mod's(Intake with Euro MAS sensor, Chip, & 1 more) an american m3 would be in the same area. And to me anyway, 300HP in an E36 is pretty damn fast

But yeah, More to the point, The way gas is, get this one, and save for an M3, best of both worlds

Thanks alot for the feedback guys, really appreciate it.

One more question, would buying a carbon fiber hood & boot lid make a noticeable difference with the cars performance? Or should i just go to a wrecker and pick up regular panels. And can carbon fiber be painted professionally?

Thanks again!

It would make a Difference, but were talking a 100th of a second, So no not really. And take it from someone who has a carbon fiber fetish, they look like complete ass when painted.