[bornwithrage]

Car: 2016 320i (F30 N20 auto) with 25k miles.

Goals: Improve power and reduce 'jerkiness', while maintaining or improving gas mileage and with absolute bare minimum risk to engine/car damage, even when pushed.

Do not intend to track it. Would like as many of the upgrades as possible to be diy. I can handle a wrench but I am short on free time. So if it's something a shop can do in 2 hours that would take me 5, I would happily make that trade.

Budget: $1200... for now (famous last words, I know).

I've done some research and still can't decide what mods I should do and in what order. I like the ease of piggy back but am worried about how seamless the power will be. Have no desire to remove the cat. Unsure if upgrading turbo or the intake would be a more efficient upgrade, as I dont think i'll be able to do both + a tune in my budget. Unsure how necessary fmic would be.

So if you could, list the order of upgrades you would do in my shoes! Thanks!

[alohasurftoad]

1) bootmod3 or MHD flash tune
2) fmic. wagner competition evo1(used), cts turbo, phoenix racing, active autowerke
depending on the fmic cost it, these two mods will approach your $1200 budget limit

intake is a lot of money for sound, so forget that

since you're not doing downpipe, stock turbo is adequate

maybe a gfb dv+ upgraded diverter valve if you have extra

[bornwithrage]

thanks. with or without the charge pipe to the fmic? I live in FL, but that seems like a decent hit to the budget as well.

[alohasurftoad]

changing the charge pipe is a preventative measure for the oem plastic one that often cracks. it will not add any power. most recommend changing it at the same time, since disconnecting it is required to swap the fmic, however it is not mandatory. FTP has a cheaper one if you don't want to spend much on an ER.

found this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FTP-F2X-F3X...oAAOSwGhxbmHYt

personally, i have a cts turbo fmic($380shipped) and FTP charge and TIC pipes ($350shipped)

[BunkerJ]

If $1200 is your budget (for now, let's say), go with BM3 (I don't think MHD maps are out yet for N20) and use a Stage 1 OTS map. Those are made to run on a stock car. You could go with something like Dinan Sport+ or JB+ but I would just get a flash tune from the beginning. You'll get more power and smoother power at that, plus you can pay the $50 for the map pack (to move to stage 2 and other maps) vs. selling your piggyback and then going to BM3. Then if you want to get the preventive parts out of the way, change out the CP.

Once you're looking to move to Stage 2, then you will need to have an FMIC and aftermarket downpipe (I recommend catless). In Florida, there's definitely no way of skimping out on the FMIC like some of the guys up north can during the winter. In terms of preventive parts at this stage, you'll want to look at changing your spark plugs to NGK Laser Iridium (LI) SILZKBR8D8S ones. Stage 2 runs much hotter and these will help reduce the chance of misfire or cracking. Another one would be the DV+ upgrade from GFB. While DV failure is less common, it's higher up on the list than others.

In terms of manufacturer, that depends on what you prefer. Most of it comes down to cheap, questionable quality parts vs. more expensive, sound parts. Now I'm not saying that cheaper parts HAVE to be lower quality but that's the trend. For example, I personally went with ER for all of my boost (and DP) related parts. I appreciate the higher quality (laser cut to OEM specs) and structurally more sound than other parts, on top of great QA and the FMIC was the size I wanted. If CTS and FTP seem to be pleasing a lot of people with zero issues, go for those if you want! VRSF is in sort-of a questionable phase right now but I'll let you form your own opinion based on research. ER and Wagner will be your more expensive parts but you know they will hold up including performance expectations. Dinan is a great choice for those under a factory warranty (CPO doesn't count) but that's about it. They're amazing products but not worth it for those out of warranty.

Take the time to research the forum when you have time. We have talked about more than I could cover in a single post and will be a good source of information. There are also a ton of guys on here willing to help and have gone through a lot of different products and can provide our opinions on them.

[rjd_F30]

What I would do with a $1200 budget: Bootmod3 Flash tune, Catless Downpipe, FMIC, axel-back exhaust (as catless DP and stock exhaust sounds no-good IMO). That might be more like $1500 but... whatever. There's really no power to be had with the stock downpipe unfortunately, even with bigger a bigger turbo. Do lots of research and figure out what parts are right for you: catless vs. hi-flow catted (I recommend catless), how big of an FMIC you want and from who etc. Research the flash tuning as well, but I'll save you some time and just say that Bootmod3 is the best and most complete tuning platform for the N20 right now. Everything else just boils down to personal preference. In doing those things, which is largely considered full-bolt on, I'd recommend changing to NGK Laser Iridium SILZKBR8D8S as recommended above.

That's the quickest and dirtiest run down I think I can deliver Ultimately, research brands thoroughly before making any purchases, but those are the mods I'd recommend. There's a ton of stuff on this forum already too, so use that wealth of knowledge to your advantage.

[Steakpizza]

Hey! I have a '15 320i! The engine we have is pretty subpar compared to the 328i but we can close that gap easily. My current car is:

Bootmod3 Stage 1
Injen Intake
Visual mods


That's all I have currently and it's such a step up from the base model. I 100% recommend getting a catless downpipe if you can. The gains are really good for our engine. The issue involves around emissions inspection (Yearly in Pa). There are shops around me that will "nudge" the inspection to pass with catless downpipes, but I want to be sure before I throw one on. If emissions inspection is lenient in FL then by all means throw a downpipe on. Also, would recommend an Injection Intake. It is for sound only, but I did notice my throttle response shot up. It also makes my day a bit better after hearing the loud whoosh. Definitely add visual mods! There are a bunch but you can really make your car feel your own.

After that, an FMIC and the smaller additions are basically the last pieces. You can go Stage 2 at this point with Bootmod3 and you're probably close to max what you can get. I'd shy away from pushing the 320i too far. It's a great car, but for the money you'd put in getting high horsepower, I personally would save for a 335i at that point. Anything above Stage 2 is putting the car at risk imo.

[bornwithrage]

Surprised to see so many in favor of going catless? I find the exhaust sound of cars that ripped the cat unbearable. How much power increase are we talking here by doing it to a 320?

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by bornwithrage

Surprised to see so many in favor of going catless? I find the exhaust sound of cars that ripped the cat unbearable. How much power increase are we talking here by doing it to a 320?

With a proper tune to go along with it? At least 30whp.

"Catless cars don't sound good" is a pretty broad statement. I and lots of others will tell you that the N20 sounds pretty darn good catless DP and a good exhaust behind it.

[bornwithrage]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

With a proper tune to go along with it? At least 30whp.

"Catless cars don't sound good" is a pretty broad statement. I and lots of others will tell you that the N20 sounds pretty darn good catless DP and a good exhaust behind it.

okay, thanks for the reply. I agree sound preference is very subjective

[JG_Coupe88]

What everyone in here said, is %100 with bootmod3. As for that thing you said, "gas mileage" lol. You're not going to maintain that.. Well you can on the free way.. Sort of.. But not only will the new map consume more fuel cause you'd be making more power, but you're also going to want to get on the gas more. I run my tank down WAY faster now but that's me. More gas = more smiles 😎.