[renazilla]

I just bought a 06 330I with a n-52 motor.
Im looking to do a few things to increase the power a little.
I just sold my 2009 Corvette (436 HP) So Im used to the American Mussel if you will.
I know Im not going to get power like that out of the 330I but I really don't know were to start!
All the things that I've looked at have said that simple things like cold air intake and exhaust will make the car loss power! Mabe Im looking in the wrong places. I hope some of y'all can steer me it the right direction!

Thanks,
Bennett

[Juan.sidarta]

Originally Posted by renazilla

I just bought a 06 330I with a n-52 motor.
Im looking to do a few things to increase the power a little.
I just sold my 2009 Corvette (436 HP) So Im used to the American Mussel if you will.
I know Im not going to get power like that out of the 330I but I really don't know were to start!
All the things that I've looked at have said that simple things like cold air intake and exhaust will make the car loss power! Mabe Im looking in the wrong places. I hope some of y'all can steer me it the right direction!

Thanks,
Bennett

Well, you can wait for the supercharger Craven is making, but for an NA engine there isn't much u can do. Another simple thing is called the BMS Powerbox.

If you're really complaining about speed you should have got a 335i, that would have been the best bet for u.

[Schm]

There is not much you can do for the N52, as it is an engine basically already close to fully optimized for power output. You can get the BMS powerbox, cold air intake, downpipes, performance exhaust and I think that about sums it up. 335i has much more options because of the turbos, however, your 330i will last years after the 335i fuel pumps die

[renazilla]

To tell you the truth, I knew nothing about BMWs three days ago. I just knew they were really nice cars! When I when to sell my Vette there a trade in that just got there. It was a white 2006 330i with 50,000 miles on it in almost perfict shape. I walked out paying $17,000 out the door for it. To me I think it's a good deal but could be wrong?

I guess I'll just have to make this on a good looker insted of a good performer!

Oh by the way is this a pretty good model?

Is there any know issue that I should look out for with the car? Like the auto transmition, lubrication issues, stuff like that?

Thanks for any advice!

[jfisher160]

You can get a Gintani tune, intake and MMW Exhaust. That is about all you can do for now. . But if you want alot of power just wait for Craven's Supercharger which will be worth every bit of HP.

[Wlew]

do the MMW exhaust with a res delete, get an afe intake, and the gintani tune. then youll be good to go.

supercharger soon, but thats significantly more money.

No known problems that are serious. few things here and there but nothin like failed fuel pumps.

also, focus on weight reduction. Lighter rims, tires. get a new suspension kit. I recommend eibach pros and koni yellows.

[renazilla]

Thanks for all the help guys, I think the supercharger is a little much as far as $$$ going into a 6 cylinder. Ill always be a V-8 guy at heart! LOL

But this is good stuff!!!

Question for Welw...
I see you recommended the gintani tune but you have a BSM power box.
Is there a reason?

I like the stuff I read about the power box, like getting rid of the "Dead Petal" when you initially push the gas.

[AllydNYC]

Originally Posted by renazilla

Thanks for all the help guys, I think the supercharger is a little much as far as $$$ going into a 6 cylinder. Ill always be a V-8 guy at heart! LOL

But this is good stuff!!!

Question for Welw...
I see you recommended the gintani tune but you have a BSM power box.
Is there a reason?

I like the stuff I read about the power box, like getting rid of the "Dead Petal" when you initially push the gas.

AFE intake, well really any intake but this one has the best sound, gives a lot more throttle response.

[e90pilot]

To answer your question about whether the 330 is a good car, yes, it is. It has one of the lightest 6 cylinder engines ever built and has a pretty good power to weight ratio (the engine). It's reliable and get decent gas mileage.

As far as power, 255hp stock isn't bad and with a few mods you can get 275 out of it. No one has been able to get big gains primarily because the marke on N52 isn't very big. Just us enthusiasts. Craven is your best bet for large gains. Otherwise, focus on handling. There are plenty of good suspension mods out there.

[ray_futbol]

i have a 328xi, just recently put in a BMW performance intake with an Active Autowerke tune with a sprint booster. Man, the car is so much faster!
The AA tune is another alternative to the BMS powerbox.
IMO i think the AA tune is better.
Im putting in a BMW performance exhaust in next month, and i heard lots of positive things about this exhuast! You should think about these mods

[dme330i]

Save your money. The minimal power gains are not worth the cost IMO.

[renazilla]

Originally Posted by dme330i

Save your money. The minimal power gains are not worth the cost IMO.

You know the more into it I get the more this makes scene!!!^^^^!!!!!
I think if I up grade some stuff it might be more into the appearance like some brighter angle eyes (lux 5.0) some amber deletes and some wheels!!

Thanks, for all the input guys!!!

OH one more question!!!

The dead spot when you give it the gas is driving me crazy!!!
Is the BMS Power Box the only way to fix that?
And If so when is the cheapest place to but it?

Thanks,
Bennett

[Wlew]

the reason I have the powerbox is because I have had it for a while now. Gintani tune did not come out until after. It is a pretty new tune. I am waiting for the EZ flash module to come out so I do not have to send my ecu in. Once it is available i will do that and take my pbx out. should be available around xmas time.

all pbx's are about the same price everywhere. Mike@n54tuning might have the cheapest, Craven328 might as well. Best bet i to buy one used.

dont buy the LUX. You pay way to much for them. Go with Mtech V2 and fogs... its a lot cheaper and they look the same. definitely get some new wheels. the style 162's look great, but I love my new wheels. also, get some good tires that are non-run flat.

[Wlew]

also, the MMW CS is pretty much the same thing as the BMW PE...all you gotta do is delete your res. So why pay double? just do the MMW one and call it quits. it sounds great. I love mine.

[renazilla]

Originally Posted by Wlew

also, the MMW CS is pretty much the same thing as the BMW PE...all you gotta do is delete your res. So why pay double? just do the MMW one and call it quits. it sounds great. I love mine.

Thanks Man, this ready helping me out!!!

Im really just learning all the names M3----E90---- and so on, so its kinda hard for me to find stuff that will fit my ride!

[NYC 135i]

wait let me get this right...you sold a 2009 corvette and still had to pay $17,000 for a 330i??? if you wanted power you definitely should have went 335i, m3, etc.

[renazilla]

Originally Posted by NYC e92

wait let me get this right...you sold a 2009 corvette and still had to pay $17,000 for a 330i??? if you wanted power you definitely should have went 335i, m3, etc.

I sold my vette cuz I never drove it, and I just bought a new truck for my wife. It's kinda hard paying two $800.00 notes when ur trying to save for a house!!

The dealer payed what I owed on the vette($36,000)
Hope that clears stuff up!!

I've been driving the 330i for about a week now and although is not a "beast" it a very strong running car!

[spdy330]

I love my 330i. Hopfully will upgrade to an E90 M3 in 2 years.

[dre_2ooo]

A great mod is the BMW performance (OEM) exhaust! Gains 5hp & loses 10lbs of weight....slightly noticeable.

However, the REAL gain is the awesome sound

[csupernova]

^^ what he said. the sound that the PE makes is pure bliss !!!! you will want to rev the car more to hear the sound!

[spdy330]

+1 Sound is perfect. Not too loud and not so low.

[TSM330i]

Hello and welcome.
I too came from a Corvette to the BMW330. I had a C6 Z06 pushing about 535hp with intake and exhaust on it.
I have to admit, I was pretty bored with the 330 after I got it, but am very happy with it now. You can see from my sig that I've done plenty of upgrades to my car, but you don't have to do a lot to these cars to make them a lot of fun.
I always say, it's more fun to drive a lower performing car to the limits than to under drive a higher performing car. I owned a Porsche Boxster (2001, non-S) and it was such a sweet car. It was fun at 7/10ths and 8/10ths because it was constantly involving. The sounds and feel of the car just made it so much fun to drive. I have a 2000 VW Golf that I've had since new with 190K on it. It's a lot of fun to really push the car and to try to extract as much out of it as I can. Yes, it's stick too and makes a world of difference.
That being said, you're situation looking for more performance out of the engine will be limited as I'm sure you're aware. I went with the 330 on purpose because I usually keep cars a long time and didn't want the hassle of turbo maintenance/replacement.
For power adders, I went with simple and well engineered parts. Yes, they cost more, but I know that the R&D was done because they're Dinan. I have the CAI, throttle body and exhaust all from Dinan. My car should be putting out about 270hp (no dyno yet). I know, that's about half of what my Z06 was putting out. On the track, my car is more of a "momentum" car. I'm faster through the turns and brake later so I'm able to set up higher hp cars when we hit the straight.
I don't know what kind of money you have to spend, but I'll give you the mods that made the biggest difference in driving appeal.
Coil-overs: You feel these every second you're in the car - in a good way. The handling went from pretty good for a 4-door sedan to wow, I have my sports car back. A well tuned suspension makes a huge difference. Contrary to popular belief, the ride is firm, but no where near as shuttery over bumps as the stock set up. The c/o's react so much quicker than stock. At the track I've pulled 1.06g turning left and 1.08g turning right - on street rubber.
Short shifter: Every time you shift a gear you feel it. They usually have a more positive gate so it's easier to find gears/know what gear you're in by feel. Much more engaging.
LSD: HUGE DIFFERENCE in the way the car feels. This is not a power adder, but I increased the rear gear ration from 3.15 to 3.38. Not a huge difference, but the car definitely pulls harder. Having power to both wheels also allows you to balance the car better through the turns.
Exhaust: No, we're not going to get 10 or 15hp out of an exhaust, but the car sounds so much better. I went with Dinan because it weighs about 30lbs less than stock, doesn't get rid of the resonator (read: no drone at all) and looks really nice.
Light weight wheels and wider tires: I had the same 162 wheels on my car as yours. I went with the Advan RS because they are very strong for a flow cast wheel and much lighter than the stock wheels. I upsized the fronts by 1/2" and the rears by 1" (sticking with 18" diameter). With wider tires, the combo ended up being an average of 12lbs per corner lighter. In lower hp cars, you can FEEL the difference in the way the car accelerates, brakes and handles (especially over bumps).

Hope this helps and by the way, I seriously considered putting an M3 engine in my car (I like something different and lighter weight) until I saw just the parts of a wrecked M3 would put me back $25-30K. Then I thought about transplanting an LS7 (505hp stock and MUCH cheaper to obtain). Probably not going to happen.

Below you can see my old car and my current car on the track. My car is VERY flat in corners. I know it doesn't look like I'm going fast, but if you look at the right front tire, there is just a little light coming from under the inner edge of the tire. It's hooked in the corners and very forgiving.