[romeo26]

hmm...to tell you the truth if dinan gets things right i think they might/could make there own three stage intake manafold and chip for the 325 and youll still keep the warrenty(dinan warrenty is same as bmw)!!!

[skimo]

Doesn't the 325i have the same engine as the 330i (with few differences)? Maybe thats why the 325i has more room to grow through mods than the already "maxed out" 330i.

[Tierfreund]

Originally Posted by Femme

BHP Motorsport in Germany is also offering chip tuning for all current E90 models:

320i (150 -> 168hp)
325i (218 -> 244hp)
330i (258 -> 290hp)
320d (160 -> 199hp)

Those numbers are (There, finally proper use of that icon)

It´s impossible to get those gains with chip only out of N/A engines. On the turbo-diesel they´re possible, but they´ll seriously compromise longevity, emissions and consumption.

IT´s so damn easy to claim perfomance gains. But IRL they´re really difficult to achieve. The N52 engine is pretty strung out. Without changes to the hardware, there´s little to be gained from tinkering with it. The only version that might be "tunable" is the US 325.

[YYimports]

I agree those numbers seem much too optomistic! No chip for the e46 was ever to get those increases.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by lost8found

I agree those numbers seem much too optomistic! No chip for the e46 was ever to get those increases.

That was my recollection......
which is why I remain clueless about all of this
"Hey, let's turn our 325s into 330s!" hoopla.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by romeo26

hmm...to tell you the truth if dinan gets things right i think they might/could make there own three stage intake manafold and chip for the 325 and youll still keep the warrenty(dinan warrenty is same as bmw)!!!

That's great, but BMW already developed a 3 stage manifold, and it's in the 330i. Plus with the 330i, you get a lot more standard equipment. I have to believe the 255 hp in the 330i would be more cost effective than 255 hp in a Dinan 325i.

I'll be honest and say that I love Dinan's stuff, and will probably get some of their stuff for my car, but if you couldn't afford a 330i, you wont be able to afford a Dinan 325i with 255 hp.

I bought a 330i, and I can't afford a Dinan 325i!

[blackE90]

sorry this is a lil off topic but I'm curious how much will the 335i cost and what kind of numbers will it be putting up. In my experience with bmw you have to pay to play, i.e. more hp more dinero

[HRC]

Originally Posted by blackE90

sorry this is a lil off topic but I'm curious how much will the 335i cost and what kind of numbers will it be putting up. In my experience with bmw you have to pay to play, i.e. more hp more dinero

You mean the Dinan 325i? We don't know yet b/c Dinan hasn't released any engine products yet. Cherck the website dinanbmw.com

Danny

[Athos]

Originally Posted by CC 330i

While we are on the subject, one often overlooked thing that will make your car faster is high performance driving school. That is probably the best bang for your buck in terms of enjoying your car and being able to drive faster more safely. My friend reminded me of this lately.

I know none of us like to admit it, but the weak link for most of us when it comes to "performance" is us!

You know, this is really an excellent point that CC 330i makes. The truth is a really skilled driver in a 325 would outperform a pretty good driver in a pumped up 330. The best mod you can make is improving your skill level (bonus--it's transferrable) The passion for gear often outweighs the passion for driving.

[noflash]

Originally Posted by CC 330i

That's great, but BMW already developed a 3 stage manifold, and it's in the 330i. Plus with the 330i, you get a lot more standard equipment. I have to believe the 255 hp in the 330i would be more cost effective than 255 hp in a Dinan 325i.

I'll be honest and say that I love Dinan's stuff, and will probably get some of their stuff for my car, but if you couldn't afford a 330i, you wont be able to afford a Dinan 325i with 255 hp.

I bought a 330i, and I can't afford a Dinan 325i!

I got a chip and CAI from Dinan installed for $1000 for my 328i. Air intake and engine management are the main performance differences b/t the 325i and 330i. It could be cheap. Even if it isn't cheap from Dinan, there are certainly comparable tuners who do similar mods for substantially less cost than Dinan's.

I am optimistic, but at this point it is all speculation.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by noflash

I got a chip and CAI from Dinan installed for $1000 for my 328i. Air intake and engine management are the main performance differences b/t the 325i and 330i. It could be cheap. Even if it isn't cheap from Dinan, there are certainly comparable tuners who do similar mods for substantially less cost than Dinan's.

I am optimistic, but at this point it is all speculation.

You may get to 255 hp for less than $4-5000, but then you don't get bigger brakes, wheels, Xenons, etc.

One more time:

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COST EFFECTIVE TO MAKE A 330i OUT OF A 325i

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by CC 330i

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COST EFFECTIVE TO MAKE A 330i OUT OF A 325i

Soo true!!

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by CC 330i

You may get to 255 hp for less than $4-5000, but then you don't get bigger brakes, wheels, Xenons, etc.

One more time:

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COST EFFECTIVE TO MAKE A 330i OUT OF A 325i

I still want to install a modified clutch-delay valve, though.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by RichReg

I still want to install a modified clutch-delay valve, though.

Me too. I think the CDV mod is a great idea.

And I think mods are cool, but I am just tired of the whole "make a 330i out of a 325i" debate. Sorry if I got too excited.

[ogrady]

I mostly agree with you guys, but think about the case where a 325 owner puts a supercharger (assuming a supercharger will be available) in the car for $4-5k and gets performance better than a 330. Sure he just spent more than he would have on a 330 but he gets better performance and he can sell the supercharger and recoup a lot of the cost of modding when he sells the car. I don't plan on doing much engine-wise to my car (have a 330) but just thought of that situation where it's not so cut and dry "it's not going to be cost effective to make a 330i out of a 325i.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by ogrady

I mostly agree with you guys, but think about the case where a 325 owner puts a supercharger (assuming a supercharger will be available) in the car for $4-5k and gets performance better than a 330. Sure he just spent more than he would have on a 330 but he gets better performance and he can sell the supercharger and recoup a lot of the cost of modding when he sells the car. I don't plan on doing much engine-wise to my car (have a 330) but just thought of that situation where it's not so cut and dry "it's not going to be cost effective to make a 330i out of a 325i.

So lets say that the 325 owner spends 6 grand making 270 hp out of his 325i. That means a 330i owner only has to spend 1 grand to match the 270 hp which is easily done. (15 hp can be made with an exhaust in some cases).

When you say you can sell the supercharger and recoup the cost, sorry, but I have to disagree. You will RARELY if ever recoup what you spend on a mod, and most likely you will also hurt the value of your 325. Most of the time the price paid for mods disappears at the time of the car sale. I had an opportunity to buy a used 2005 S4 with $4000 in downpipes and exhaust and labor for the same price as another 2005 S4 with the same number of miles. The guy was having a terrible time selling it because it had downpipes which can void the warranty of the engine. (yes, trust me when I say downpipes CAN void your engine warranty).

I would never even buy a heavily modded car. And I shudder to think what a used supercharger kit would bring on ebay.

Let me put it this way: In 4 years, would you spend $6,000 more for a used 325i with a supercharger (knowing it had been basically torn apart and then likely driven hard at every opportunity)? Or would you rather spend $3000-4000 more on a 330i with the same horsepower and CPO warranty?

[CC 330i]

While we are on the subject:

OK, I get where everyone is getting all these ideas of turning a 325i into a 330i. Since they have the same block, everyone thinks they will just have to bolt on a new top end and voila, they just "pulled one over on BMW".

The reason I think we never heard this one before is that the 325 and 330i used to have different displacements. As if that is some barrier to horsepower or something! A WRX STI makes 300 horsepower with 2.0 liters. So it isn't about displacement, it's about tuning. It was always possible to make an E46 325 faster than a E46 330i, and it still is, but so what? Speed costs money. Now how fast do you want to go? (in other words, how much money do you have?).

While you are thinking about all this, think about reliability, drivability and longevity of the engine, and what the "costs" are there.

It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory. It's cheaper to buy the horsepower from the factory.

[CC 330i]

More supporting evidence:

That's just it - no-one will pay a $5,000 premium for a heavily-modified 323, and in fact, if he tries to sell his car with extensive modifications, there's likely to be a price penalty, as buyers sensibly speculate as to what sort of muppet did the work, and the number of miles before the car grenades on them.

Now consider that a 323 with $5,000 of engine work is worth either no more - or a lot less - than a stocker. Aside from people who want a dedicated track car (and maybe not even them, since they want to pay for new tires, not new engines), and 17 year olds from Pasadena backed by their parents' bank accounts, how many potential buyers will want to roll the dice on someone else's Rude-Boy-mobile?

After asking my mechanic so many many many times about how to find more horse/Torque out of my 323ci, I am kind of give up on that. I have put into a Conforti CAI, Shark ECU ugrade, Turner light weight flywheel, and the light wheel pulley set. A slight improvement is found but not significant. About cat-back or exhaust, it will improve the exhaust note, but not really on engine power. Putting a turbo/supercharger is the most effective way, but I can't (at least for myself) believe myself driving a Non-N/A Bimmer.

Most efficient method, without being trite about it, is to sell the 323ci in spring and buy a 330ci or an E36 M3 coupe. Probably cheaper than a s/c kit installed, and less likely to go pop. Also a better investment since the 330/M3 will retain part of whatever additional value you put in to do the trade, whereas a s/c kit isn't likely to retain much or any of its value.

From this thread:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...=Exhaust+Valve

[ward]

WRX STI has a 2.5 liter engine, not 2.0

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by ward

WRX STI has a 2.5 liter engine, not 2.0

That's right, sorry. I forgot Subaru cheated and dropped in a 2.5L to stack the deck. The euro versions get almost 300 hp out of 2.0L though. The Lancer Evolution is about 270 out of 2.0L. Either way, 2.5L is still smaller than the new 325i engine, and that was my point.

[HRC]

CC 330i - Just take a deep breath!! I agree with you re alot of mods. I did it and now I'm having a hard time trying to sell my car even though I take excellent care of my car. Other people don't know, don't trust me and some don't care. I respect the help your trying to give others to try to save the money and do something else with it, but I learned long ago that people will do what they want. What else explains some of the cars you see on the road? I mean my god, some of these cars look like they have wings fit for an airplane to take off and a muffler with an opening the size of a grapefruit!

Danny

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by HRC

CC 330i - Just take a deep breath!!

Here's me...