[E90-320i-06]

Hi all!

I have always been on this forum and read all the useful threads but never had the time to register until now. I myself have a BMW E90 320i '06.

My biggest issue with the car is not really and issue but i will tell you guys anyway

The lack of power in the 320i is my issue. With only 150hp and 0-100 in 9.0 sec im really getting tired.....sometimes weirdo's who drive around in their small Peogeuts or hondas and etc. easily overtakes me and can pull away from me!!! and they arent even modified!

That's pretty annoying and my car is 5-6 times more worth in price.

Now the reason why Im posting this message is that I need to gain some horsepower, and i've searched around this forum and the internet and didn't found anything regarding modifying a bmw 320i with 150 Hp

Now i want to ask you guys, how can I gain hp? are there any other 320i owners which have the same issue and solved it? I wll be glad if you could help me out so i can get some more hp.

I understand that many of you guys will tell me that i just should upgrade to a 325/328/330/335 or something but thats not an option for me(a longer story i cant tell right now)

I hope you guys can help me out.

Thank you!

[Saintor]

Sell and buy a 330i. Forget mods.

[that dude]

Originally Posted by Saintor

Sell and buy a 330i. Forget mods.

or 335

[that dude]

Originally Posted by E90-320i-06

Hi all!

I have always been on this forum and read all the useful threads but never had the time to register until now. I myself have a BMW E90 320i '06.

My biggest issue with the car is not really and issue but i will tell you guys anyway

The lack of power in the 320i is my issue. With only 150hp and 0-100 in 9.0 sec im really getting tired.....sometimes weirdo's who drive around in their small Peogeuts or hondas and etc. easily overtakes me and can pull away from me!!! and they arent even modified!

That's pretty annoying and my car is 5-6 times more worth in price.

Now the reason why Im posting this message is that I need to gain some horsepower, and i've searched around this forum and the internet and didn't found anything regarding modifying a bmw 320i with 150 Hp

Now i want to ask you guys, how can I gain hp? are there any other 320i owners which have the same issue and solved it? I wll be glad if you could help me out so i can get some more hp.

I understand that many of you guys will tell me that i just should upgrade to a 325/328/330/335 or something but thats not an option for me(a longer story i cant tell right now)

I hope you guys can help me out.

Thank you!

[JFU]

Originally Posted by E90-320i-06

Now the reason why Im posting this message is that I need to gain some horsepower

Before you consider tuning or installing mods to increase your horsepower, are you prepared to sacrifice fuel efficiency? Any increase in HP will increase the amount of gas you need to drive around compared to before.

That said, last time I went to Europe, all the cars I saw had tiny engines in comparison to North America. Most people prefer the smaller engines in Europe because they are more fuel efficient, and these engines aren't available most of the time here in NA. The people in Europe who felt like they needed the performance and could live with a higher gas consumption opted for the 335s, the S550 etc. So what Saintor said above is what I'd recommend as the best path for more performance.

If you really can't buy a new car, your best bet in improving horsepower is probably through installing aftermarket exhaust system, turbo chargers, and maybe an engine software tune-up.

Good luck

[de lukke]

Hallo E90-320i-06 ,

I have a E93-320i , januari 2008 with 170 hp (standard for Belgium)

I find the power ok !

More power you must get a 6 cilinder ! 335 i or de M3

I have coming from Austia over de Deutsche Bundesbhanen (most no speed limits),

900 km in 7 hours ,never exceed speed : 220 km )

Greets, de lukke




ps In Europe are more "small " engines because the very high tax on the CC and the HP !

[ansch]

well I know the 320i is by no mean powerful (I have one). But beaten by stock pug and honda civics? no way!!

Bear in mind that most 4 cylinder engines needs to be rev'd hard to get on the power band. Whereas the bigger 6 cyl have more torque low down. Also the auto box, while very smooth, needs to be "told" what to do or you'll be bogged down. I assume you're already using DS mode if you want better response. Lastly, I find sometimes the fly by wire thottle doesn't give me wot even when i'm floored depending on steering angle etc.. not sure if this can be changed by turning off dsc but I've basically learned to drive the car in a way that the performance is there when I need it for overtaking etc. But then again it is no "performance" car so don't expect too much from it

[AMZ]

supercharger

[iheartsole]

yup 330i

[MenTul]

I'm assuming your issue is really acceleration and power is only one component of this. To improve performance you can do the classic intake, exhaust, underdrive pulleys, light flywheel, LSD route. But you can also reduce weight.

The biggest reason you get PWNd by 'lesser' peugeots and civics is that the e90 is a heavier car. Fortunately you can remove acceleration robbing weight such as passenger seats, interior, stereo trunk liners and replacing cast wheels with forged of the same size. Do this alone and you will improve fuel economy.

Combine this with engine/tranny upgrades and you can regain your honor against Trabants, Wartburgs, and the occasional Ford Transit.

[madman]

I've got the 170hp engine with a 0-100mph of 8.1 on paper. In real life I have hit 100kph in 7 seconds dead. I find this car quite responsive and relatively quick if driven right. You just need to know what gear to use and when.

Dont forget then when driving along at 100kph in 6th gear you can drop it into 3rd and the car will accelerate relatively quickly from 100kph to 130kph and so on in 4th etc.

If driven right this car is very good for such a large heavy car with a 2.0l engine. Although this is based on the 170hp engine not the 150hp.

[canucklion]

did you not test drive the car before you bought it? Why is it a surprise to you that the car feel slow to you?

[cstavaru]

I am sure PowerChips or Upsolute have software updates for the 320i. An ECU flash combined with a cone air filter and an exhaust may bring you an additional 15whp and you will surely feel it. But...don't expect very much...

You may also sell the car and get a 330i with more miles, or even a 330i e46.

[nicknaz]

get good tires and focus on chasing them down in the twisties. your car can fit a lot more tire in the fenders than a civic so definitely use that to your advantage.

as others have said, its not economical to try to get more power out of that motor

[PeKKeR]

got my 170bhp 320i 2 months ago, and i had the same issues...

although i owned a 130BHP , 250ft/lb torque VW Golf 4 TDI , i found this car SLOWER... , and thats because the true feel of accelleration came from grunt , ie TORQUE. It is torque which brings the car at the point of maximum horsepower, hence the non stop feel of accelleration. to cut the story short, youd be a lot happier if you had a 320Diesel, cos youd already had the diesel torque, plus you could gain additional 25bhp with a simple ECU reprogram.

theres not much you can do with an 150bhp 320i. just clean it up, and prepare to sell it , and either move to the 6 cylinder 325, or a 320D. period. you only live once and you need the extra speed...

TORQUE is LIFE!

[clark192]

Modding the enging will not be cheap!

To start, the 320i N46 is very similar to the 320si N45, the homologation special for the WTCC car. From what I understand, the N46 has Valvetronic, whereas the N45 does not. Deleting this system would be a good start, swapping them for the cams from the 320si. You could look at new headers and exhaust as well as intake for the car. You might be able to find a chip or reflash the ECU, but mostly what I have see are upwards of $1000 easy. I believe that on the 320si there is room in the engine bay for a turbo kit, but again that is going to cost serious money and probably require quite a bit of custom fabrication. In the end, I think the best things is to learn how to drive the car better. I had a 320i loaner from the dealer once and I agree that it is down on power. I only have the 325i and I wish it was a 330, but in the end there is a lot of power mid range for passing on the highway. Just wait, be patient, and in the end maybe sell your car for an older M3 (E46? E36?)?

That said, I think theres a thread floating around here somewhere about a guy who has a 320is or 320i who made it into a WTCC replica car, that might have some more insight as to engine tuning. I know he put straight pipes on the car, but anything else I have no idea.

[clark192]

This is a machine translation of a website dedicated to the 320si:

"Engine carries 4 cylinders of series of 2l. (1997 cc) of displacement volume. The place different from the engine of 320i of a standard model is that the performance in the high rotation region which uses it abundantly in a race is raised. Specifically, in order to increase the amount of inhalation, and the diameter of an exhaust valve are expanded, and the stroke may be 88mm of 2mm minus at 85mm of 1mm rise of a boa. Moreover, the compression ratio is raised to 11.0 from 10.5, and power is raised 23 ps by the normal ratio. Spec. is horsepower output 173ps/7000rpm and maximum torque 20.4 kg-m/4250rpm. It does not have a cylinder liner made of cast iron, but is changed into the liner (plating) which deposited silicone inside. Valve Tronick is abandoned, and while specializing in the performance in a high rotation region by adopting the usual valve system struck direct [ cam ], the all quantity of engine is stopped low. Furthermore, the cam cover made from dry carbon is adopted, and low center-of-gravity-ization is attained while forming engine into 10kg lightweight. This engine was altogether assembled by the hand maid at the BMW Landshut factory in the HAMUZU hole near British Coventry."

http://www.club320si.com/about_e.html

[noro]

Attempting to make a 320si out of an i is pointless in my mind. You will sink lots of money and at the end still have an 320i. If speed is your concern have you considered getting an older but faster BMW? I don't know how the taxing structure works there but you can get an E36 M3 for example. Or even an E46 330i.

[E90-320i-06]

Thanks for all the answers! Im happy to see you guys spend time on my issue

First of all im not allowed to change my car before 2011, because of my parents don't allow it.

After reading all the answers you have written i've decided to install a charger.

I talked with a garage which install some chargers and they have given me a price on how much it is going to cost.....the final price i got from them was ca. 9.000 USD....so im thinking about doing this. but then i have to upgrade some parts so they can manage the extra torque and hp....brakes, tranny and etc.....the mechanic said that i will get approximately 300 Hp....but i have to think about wheter the car can handle a double up in power.....

If you were in my position and the money wasn't a concern woul you do it?

thanks for the help

[blue2fire]

Originally Posted by E90-320i-06

If you were in my position and the money wasn't a concern woul you do it?

thanks for the help

If money isn't a concern, try an engine transplant.

[madman]

300hp?

What are they doing??

[noro]

+1. Increasing the engine workload by that much is going to dramatically shorten its life.

Originally Posted by Takashi

You can't go from 170 hp to 300 hp without doing some major work to the engine and all related items (brakes, transmission...etc). If money is not a concern, I would trade your car for a new car (same color ext/interior) and rebadge it.