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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > N20, N26, B46, B48 Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications > Budget friendly way to reach ~300hp?
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      10-27-2020, 08:56 PM   #45
j.f.leonard
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jared21927 View Post
Just read through this. Let me give you my thoughts. I'm in NC too.....catless downpipe, you will fail inspection. High flow catted downpipe, you will still fail inspection. NC is tough on that. There's ways around it, but it's much more complicated. I have a FMIC, and BM3 stage 1. Makes a big difference and i'm satisfied. Get your timing chain inspected before you do all this. It's probably fine, but just make sure. I haven't had mine replaced and don't plan on it. If it breaks it breaks.

Charge pipe would be last on the list to upgrade. N20 charge pipes don't break like that.....that's an N55 problem. You can do it for peace of mind, but i'd save my money and invest it elsewhere. It's like the timing chain, not necessary unless there's a problem. Aim for 1 step colder plugs, and a performance exhaust or muffler delete...depending on how loud you want things. Don't waste money on an intake unless you just like the sound. $2-300 for minimal HP gains and "whoosh" is probably not the best move.

I dk much about the diverter valve. I wanted to try it but based on how much of a pain it seems to install, im good lol. Cost to benefit ratio doesn't seem all that beneficial to me.

300 to the wheels is not easy in an N20, it's just not really made for that, but 260-280 is achievable and still pretty fun. A stage 1 tune and an intercooler are probably your best bets to start out.
Gotcha, good info. What are the benefits of 1 step colder plugs with only a 50hp-ish gain? I thought it went 1 step for every 100hp gained?? Also, do you have any numbers to provide with your setup? And Im assuming since you stated the charge pipe should be last on the list, you have all factory piping (i.e. bp, turbo inlet, cp) with no issues? And one last question, do you think the FMIC made a significant difference? The ones I've seen are quite expensive and Id prefer to spend the money elsewhere if the gains aren't significant.
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      10-27-2020, 09:13 PM   #46
jared21927
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j.f.leonard View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by jared21927 View Post
Just read through this. Let me give you my thoughts. I'm in NC too.....catless downpipe, you will fail inspection. High flow catted downpipe, you will still fail inspection. NC is tough on that. There's ways around it, but it's much more complicated. I have a FMIC, and BM3 stage 1. Makes a big difference and i'm satisfied. Get your timing chain inspected before you do all this. It's probably fine, but just make sure. I haven't had mine replaced and don't plan on it. If it breaks it breaks.

Charge pipe would be last on the list to upgrade. N20 charge pipes don't break like that.....that's an N55 problem. You can do it for peace of mind, but i'd save my money and invest it elsewhere. It's like the timing chain, not necessary unless there's a problem. Aim for 1 step colder plugs, and a performance exhaust or muffler delete...depending on how loud you want things. Don't waste money on an intake unless you just like the sound. $2-300 for minimal HP gains and "whoosh" is probably not the best move.

I dk much about the diverter valve. I wanted to try it but based on how much of a pain it seems to install, im good lol. Cost to benefit ratio doesn't seem all that beneficial to me.

300 to the wheels is not easy in an N20, it's just not really made for that, but 260-280 is achievable and still pretty fun. A stage 1 tune and an intercooler are probably your best bets to start out.
Gotcha, good info. What are the benefits of 1 step colder plugs with only a 50hp-ish gain? I thought it went 1 step for every 100hp gained?? Also, do you have any numbers to provide with your setup? And Im assuming since you stated the charge pipe should be last on the list, you have all factory piping (i.e. bp, turbo inlet, cp) with no issues? And one last question, do you think the FMIC made a significant difference? The ones I've seen are quite expensive and Id prefer to spend the money elsewhere if the gains aren't significant.
I went with colder plugs because it was time for mine to be changed and the difference in price was negligible. I changed coils, plugs and injectors together so my ride is really smooth. This isn't necessary at all but I was having an unrelated dme issue.

I'm still on all factory pipes. No issues at all. Pipes look good. I'm just under 80k. If a pipe cracks or breaks I'll look into upgrading but I really don't see a need to upgrade prematurely based on the boost I'm pushing.

I have no idea how much of a difference the fmic made. I purchased the intercooler because it's hot AF down here in the summer and I'm all for anything that helps cool lol. Plus it was an easy install and I got it cheap. I have noticed a difference there but hard to quantify how much because I did that right when I got BM3. It's bigger than stock and meant to help with performance so I assume it's doing that.

No idea how much power I'm pushing but if I were to guess, somewhere in the 260s to the wheels. I've clocked my 0-60 time at 5.5 if that helps. A downpipe and stage 2 would definitely open things up a bit more but honestly, I'm satisfied right now. It's a fun car.
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      11-25-2020, 11:03 AM   #47
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Update: the timing chain issue has me extremely paranoid as I believe mine has started to whine already, so I decided to hold off on performance upgrades. The car has an intake and muffler delete and I got a BMS Stage 1 tune for a steal so I installed that for now. Hoping to get my timing chain replaced soon and then I will start with more bolt ons and a flash tune maybe this coming summer and will hopefully be able to provide dyno results once completed.
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      11-25-2020, 11:14 AM   #48
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You're going to spend quite a bit to get to 300whp to be completely honest. FBO + tune for e30/e50 all things considered.

Also if you don't have timing chain issues it's something that can be monitored. You'll either get it or you don't. Open the oil cap every oil change and check the tension. It's also progressive and not an instant failure btw.

-catless Downpipe + aftermarket muffler (oem n55 is restrictive too maybe free 8-10 whp)
-Chargepipe + turbo boost pipe combo
-Turbo inlet
-Upper intake hose replacement (turner motor sports 110 option has been amazing from the stock pipe)
-intercooler
-tune (ots e30 is great, but a custom e50 tune will give you more)

If you want more than 310 you are going to need a bigger turbo. It's up to you to see if it's worth spending a total of 5-6k to do what the stock n55 block can do.
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