[ruriostegui7]

Hi Everyone,

First time BMW owner here. I purchased my car about two weeks ago. It's a 2015 320i. As someone coming from a Toyota Corolla, I love this car! It has everything I need in a nicer, less expensive, BMW except the speed, go figure.

I have already purchased the BM3 tune for it and will be flashing to stage 1 after work today and also plan to couple the tune with the following mods and go stage 2 next month:

VRSF Intercooler - $380
VRSF Catless Downpipe - $250
Chargepipe - $250

All in, I'm looking at around $900 more which is very reasonable. My goal is to get 250-300 HP out of this vehicle to keep it fun.

Here's the kicker. Knowing myself, I'm probably going want an M3 in 3-4 years, so I don't want to throw a bunch of money into this car. However, I am obviously willing to spend a little more to make it something I can truly enjoy as a first step.

Two Questions:

What would you all recommend I add, in addition to the listed mods, to enhance the performance and move me closer to my sweet spot in terms of HP?

Am I asking for too much power out of this car? I know it's only a 320....

[rjd_F30]

Congrats on the new car

If you're looking for 250 to 300 wheel hp, then yes, you're expecting too much. However, you should be around 250-260 crank hp with the mods you listed. Speaking of which, I think you've got a very good list going. Brands notwithstanding, you've hit all the big ones that I would recommend. Some other things to think about if you're interested, are: Axle Back exhaust (AWE, MPE), GFB Diverter Valve, and perhaps some additional turbo piping (turbo to intercooler etc.)

I've had my 328i for 3.5 years now. I was plenty happy with the power when I first picked it up, and over the years I've slowly upgraded to the point where I'm at now (mods in signature). Currently, I'm more than happy with it power wise, plenty to hold me over another year until I can get into a 340i. I think you'll be happy doing the same. Go for the mods you listed, and you should be satisfied until you get your M3

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

Congrats on the new car

If you're looking for 250 to 300 wheel hp, then yes, you're expecting too much. However, you should be around 250-260 crank hp with the mods you listed. Speaking of which, I think you've got a very good list going. Brands notwithstanding, you've hit all the big ones that I would recommend. Some other things to think about if you're interested, are: Axle Back exhaust (AWE, MPE), GFB Diverter Valve, and perhaps some additional turbo piping (turbo to intercooler etc.)

I've had my 328i for 3.5 years now. I was plenty happy with the power when I first picked it up, and over the years I've slowly upgraded to the point where I'm at now (mods in signature). Currently, I'm more than happy with it power wise, plenty to hold me over another year until I can get into a 340i. I think you'll be happy doing the same. Go for the mods you listed, and you should be satisfied until you get your M3

Thanks for the detailed response. 250-260 HP isn't too terrible for a car pushing 180 now. I think I will be happy with it too. I appreciate your suggestions. I will definitely be looking into an exhaust, may slap it on if I can find one for a good price.

Glad to hear you are having a good experience with your 328i. In retrospect, I wish I would've picked it up too, but it cant be helped now.

I'll post an update after I tune it to see how it feels. My guess is that it will be a pretty noticeable difference.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by ruriostegui7

Thanks for the detailed response. 250-260 HP isn't too terrible for a car pushing 180 now. I think I will be happy with it too. I appreciate your suggestions. I will definitely be looking into an exhaust, may slap it on if I can find one for a good price.

Glad to hear you are having a good experience with your 328i. In retrospect, I wish I would've picked it up too, but it cant be helped now.

I'll post an update after I tune it to see how it feels. My guess is that it will be a pretty noticeable difference.

No problem. And no you're right, 250hp is plenty for a car that came with 180. Definitely enough to have fun with.

The tune should make a big difference. Stock to stage 1 is a pretty huge jump, I'm guessing you'll enjoy it

[MONSTAR]

Better tires when yours wear out

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by MONSTAR

Better tires when yours wear out

Thanks! Tires didn't even come to mind to be honest. I am not too car saavy. How much of a difference do good performance tires make relative to acceleration?

[CandyRedRC46]

The 320i has a relatively small 60mm mid pipe (compared to 75mm for the 328i and 80mm for the 335i) and a single exit muffler. I would add a 3" catback of your choice or a 3" custom exhaust, to that list. Even a factory 328i or 335i exhaust would be an upgrade for you.

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by CandyRedRC46

The 320i has a relatively small 60mm mid pipe (compared to 75mm for the 328i and 80mm for the 335i) and a single exit muffler. I would add a 3" catback of your choice or a 3" custom exhaust, to that list. Even a factory 328i or 335i exhaust would be an upgrade for you.

Thanks! I didn't realize that 328i/335i exhausts fit into my car. Are these parts typically interchangeable?

[CandyRedRC46]

It is not a bolt on. You would need an exhaust shop to do some cut and welding. And you would need to do some bumper trimming.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by ruriostegui7

Thanks! Tires didn't even come to mind to be honest. I am not too car saavy. How much of a difference do good performance tires make relative to acceleration?

Acceleration wise, not at all. The 320i in any reasonable form of modification will not have traction issues enough that tires would make any difference in acceleration. Handling wise, good summer tires will be a huge improvement however.

Keep in mind that good tires alone don't make the car "faster". They just help higher horsepower cars put the the power they have to the road.

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

Acceleration wise, not at all. The 320i in any reasonable form of modification will not have traction issues enough that tires would make any difference in acceleration. Handling wise, good summer tires will be a huge improvement however.

Keep in mind that good tires alone don't make the car "faster". They just help higher horsepower cars put the the power they have to the road.

Thanks! That makes sense since not a lot of horsepower is going into the car. Living in AZ, I would hope that summer tires help with the handling. The weather is crazy out here. The car came with brand new tires, so it'll be another 30K miles before I have to worry about that, thankfully.

I should be flashing soon - it's so exciting!

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by ruriostegui7

Thanks! That makes sense since not a lot of horsepower is going into the car. Living in AZ, I would hope that summer tires help with the handling. The weather is crazy out here. The car came with brand new tires, so it'll be another 30K miles before I have to worry about that, thankfully.

I should be flashing soon - it's so exciting!

Yah, get your money's worth out of those tires and switch to something better when it's time.

If you have questions or problems after the first flash, we're here to help

[Steakpizza]

With Stage 2 you should be hitting around 270hp which is plenty for a 4 cylinder. These cars really pick up and are fun to drive. All of your mods are perfect. With the 320i, I find it’s more satisfying adding mods because you can really feel any changes in HP. Once you get over the initial “I need more “ itch, you’ll be fine. I’m only Stage 1 now but I love my 320i, I get complements and people love driving and riding it. My only suggestion would be to not go too big on mods. Like spending 1500$ on an exhaust or 1200$ on a better turbo. That could be put into just buying a better car. GOod luck and enjoy it.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats!

For more power you can add methanol injection or Pure Stage 2 Turbo

I would also get REMUS or Active Autowerke exhaust to improve the sound

With these mods installed, you'll enjoy your car for 3-4 more years before moving to the M3/M4

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by Steakpizza

With Stage 2 you should be hitting around 270hp which is plenty for a 4 cylinder. These cars really pick up and are fun to drive. All of your mods are perfect. With the 320i, I find it's more satisfying adding mods because you can really feel any changes in HP. Once you get over the initial "I need more " itch, you'll be fine. I'm only Stage 1 now but I love my 320i, I get complements and people love driving and riding it. My only suggestion would be to not go too big on mods. Like spending 1500$ on an exhaust or 1200$ on a better turbo. That could be put into just buying a better car. GOod luck and enjoy it.

I appreciate your comment. I tuned my 320i to stage 1 this afternoon, and I am speechless! While driving home from work I felt that the car was very sluggish. The BM3 tune completely erased that. The car is quick to pick up as soon as you press the accelerator. It's great! I'm so excited to see what stage 2 can do! I also really appreciate how helpful everyone's been!

[CandyRedRC46]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Congrats!

For more power you can add methanol injection or Pure Stage 2 Turbo

I would also get REMUS or Active Autowerke exhaust to improve the sound

With these mods installed, you'll enjoy your car for 3-4 more years before moving to the M3/M4

A stage 2 turbo on a 320i/ high compression n20? Has that been done before?

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by CandyRedRC46

A stage 2 turbo on a 320i/ high compression n20? Has that been done before?

Stage 2 turbo sounds like a ~$3-4K investment, correct?

[floridaorange]

As a 320i owner running stage 2 - I rarely get to use the power it now has - usually it's open backroad highways in Lakeland. I'm curious what a larger exhaust would do - my dp is 4" catless and my axle back is 3" - I need to change midpipe but I've been taking a modding break lol.

[ruriostegui7]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

As a 320i owner running stage 2 - I rarely get to use the power it now has - usually it's open backroad highways in Lakeland. I'm curious what a larger exhaust would do - my dp is 4" catless and my axle back is 3" - I need to change midpipe but I've been taking a modding break lol.

That's encouraging to hear. I am very satisfied with stage 1 right now, but I am curious to see what stage 2 can do. Should I expect the same scale of improvement from stage 1 to stage 2?

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by ruriostegui7

That's encouraging to hear. I am very satisfied with stage 1 right now, but I am curious to see what stage 2 can do. Should I expect the same scale of improvement from stage 1 to stage 2?

In my experience (328i not 320i) the jump from stock to stage 1 is about proportional to the jump from stage 1 to stage 2.