[rogahen]

Hello BIMMERPOST Community,

I have seen how knowledgeable and helpful you guys are and decided to make an account yesterday to ask for suggestions. I have a bone stock 2011 328i xDrive with a manual transmission and about 31,000 miles. I want to upgrade its performance, handling, and exhaust (a must for manual transmissions) but don't really know where to begin. What parts could I install that will increase horsepower, torque, and improve the handling? If you can, please list the exact name/brand of the parts along with an estimated price. NOTE: I want to stay on the factory warranty to keep the BMW "peace of mind."

Thank you very much!!

Henry

[CombatNinja]

Trade you car in a 335i. Done.

Seriously

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

Trade you car in a 335i. Done.

Seriously

Lol thats what I did

Here is what I did to my old 328.
Eurointake with k&n cone
BMW perf. Exhaust
3 stage intake manifold
Eurocharge tune
H&r suspension kit
Spent well over $2k to still be slower than a stock 335

[Taskmaster]

Well, from what I've seen so far - injen intakes and manifold swaps and OE tunes work best.

[smellthebeans]

3IM & tune....everything else is just conjecture.

[avocet]

How much do you want to spend???

I would start with chassis(actually, this is what I did).

335i brakes. A nice aesthetic upgrade that also had a noticeable improvement in performance.
M3 front control arms, m3 subframe bushings,bilsteins and sway bars. Ridiculous difference.
Had a bms powerbox for awhile which helped the throttle response but ended up with an aa tune with 3 stage manifold and aa signature exhaust. 3 stage is a great mod, and with tune is very satisfying. Exhaust.... 90% of the time it is awesome, but working through some droning issues. It is essentially a muffler delete with a sound chamber. The chamber is not the correct length to be useful for drone.

[AlpineSwift]

If its your daily driver and you don't care about power, do things you'll be able to live with everyday like a K&N drop in/wheels & tires. Don't waste your money on trying to make it faster because you'll spend over $2500 to make 40-60whp less than a stock 335.

It seriously isn't worth it to drop that kind of money on mods when you can use it to swap cars.

[Rival]

koni + swift springs 1100
3 stg IM + aa tune 1250
KN filter w/charcol delete 60
PE or custom exhaust 650-1200
18/19 wheels, non run flat tries 1500-2500

[.fLip.]

yea just looks for me and prob performance or AA exhaust for a little sound. itll never be fast, but its a fun car and goes when I tell it to without having to redline to 9k like my old Honda.

[Dylanize]

K&N Drop in and charcoal delete - $50
Active Autowerke Exhaust - $499 on sale now i think.
Openflash Tablet - $399

Honestly that's all I think is worth it.

Exhaust - nice sound, weight reduction.
K&N - better air flow.
Openflash - Tune/data logger/code reader.

[rogahen]

Thank you so much everyone for the insight and suggestions!!

From reading your comments it sounds like most of you recommend that I focus on handling rather than power which would be most beneficial to my daily drive.

I still have to do a lot more researching and I'll look into all the parts that were suggested.

Who knows...you guys just might see a build thread from me soon :thump:

Any more advice/suggestions please feel free to share!

Thanks a ton,

Henry

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by rogahen

Thank you so much everyone for the insight and suggestions!!

From reading your comments it sounds like most of you recommend that I focus on handling rather than power which would be most beneficial to my daily drive.

I still have to do a lot more researching and I'll look into all the parts that were suggested.

Who knows...you guys just might see a build thread from me soon :thump:

Any more advice/suggestions please feel free to share!

Thanks a ton,

Henry

Honestly, performance wise all you really need is a AA or Eurocharged tune and a BMW performance exhaust. Those mods are like a night and day difference compared to stock. If you want to take it up another notch then also add a 3-stage intake manifold. This should give you a decent HP boost. Handling wise you can go with Eibach, which is the cheaper route. And by cheaper I mean cheaper than a full coilover kit but still quite effective.

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...lar=Base+Model

[rogahen]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Honestly, performance wise all you really need is a AA or Eurocharged tune and a BMW performance exhaust. Those mods are like a night and day difference compared to stock. If you want to take it up another notch then also add a 3-stage intake manifold. This should give you a decent HP boost. Handling wise you can go with Eibach, which is the cheaper route. And by cheaper I mean cheaper than a full coilover kit but still quite effective.

Thanks for the suggestions my friend! The BMW PE is very nice but at $1200 it is quite a hefty cost for an exhaust. My friend Zack suggested I install a rear sway bar (~$200) and camber plates to reduce understeer around corners. He also suggested new struts and springs that are firmer...what do you think?

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by rogahen

Thanks for the suggestions my friend! The BMW PE is very nice but at $1200 it is quite a hefty cost for an exhaust. My friend Zack suggested I install a rear sway bar (~$200) and camber plates to reduce understeer around corners. He also suggested new struts and springs that are firmer...what do you think?

There is a trade off with getting a firmer suspension. Sure you get a nice drop and better cornering but your ride will suffer. You will feel every bump on the road to the point where people riding in your car will be asking if there is something wrong with it.

[Volasko]

My 2 cents of the best bang for your buck mods after a few years of experience modding my 330i:

-3 Stg intake manifold (my car came with it but for $1000 you get +20HP/TQ)
-AA Tune: $400-500 for another 10 HP (absolute must, get it after you do the IM though)
-CDV Delete $50-100 makes the 6spd MT easier and more satisfying to drive
- BMW PE - $1000-1200 makes one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard, worth every penny IMHO, probably good for 2-3 HP.
- Charcoal delete with K&N drop-in, maybe good for 1-2 HP at MOST.
- Eibach prokit with Koni yellows - $1000, mild drop from sport and drives as smooth as stock with better handling
- M3 Front control arms $300 + install. Increased camber and more aggressive turn-in.

I DD my car and haven't regretted a thing.