donny0m 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Hi All I joined this community days after I bought my E46 320i (2002) coz thats just what you do. I knew the power it had (168hp) when I bought it knowing that the 325s and 330s had more oomph, but I got a sweet deal original motorsport and low kms so took the dive. It drives great but if I had about 10-15 more pony's I'd probably be grinning ear to ear everytime I take it out, not that I'm not smiling now I've been reading bimmersport for ideas and theres a number of things you could do. Insulated air intake and exhaust combo ECU upgrade/tune Changing the differential ratio. Will compromise some mileage but probably worth it. Questions is, have you guys had any experiences and what worked best for you. And I guess whats best bang for your buck and not too strenuous on the engine parts, mileage etc.An open ended question, I know, so any feedback will be appreciated. Cheers Donny Edited March 29, 2011 by Donz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted March 29, 2011 Firstly welcome Donny, Air intake & exhaust will make little difference. Changing diff will upset ratios, speedo etc. Best option is probably a remap - maybe along with first two. Don't expect miracles though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Braeden320 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Spend your money on a decent set of springs and a good set of tires, you will enjoy it and notice it far more. Thats what I would do. Edited March 29, 2011 by braeden. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted March 29, 2011 Considering the E46s are quite a heavy car it's the torque that is lacking with these engines that comes into play more so than a lack of BHP, so unless it's got more capacity or you go FI, basic modifications are never going to really going to push the car along any quicker. Like what Hotwire says a Remap would probably be the best thing to do, but for the dollar/gain ratio it's still probably not worth it. Best to just accept what it is, is what it is and instead spend the money on something worth while, like a new stereo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donny0m 0 Report post Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for the info guys. I read about remapping. Its best done after certain modifications in order to get the most out of them. Could remap stocks as well, but there was some negative press about that. Says the car starts experiencing some trouble (perhaps since its operating at its boundaries) I cannot be certain, not in a hurry though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1878 Report post Posted March 31, 2011 A manual conversion should deliver the gains you're after. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donny0m 0 Report post Posted March 31, 2011 A manual conversion should deliver the gains you're after. Here's Tom with the weather How much do those cost? and what sort of gains? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1878 Report post Posted April 1, 2011 At a guess around 3 - 4k for the parts, and then labour and re-coding. Might be better to just go for a 325 or 330. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites