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Comments
Best Regards,
Shipo
I ran 50 in front and 30 in the back
I am unable to decide between
325ci +SP+PP+HK+AUto
330ci +SP
I can forgo Auto( that depends if I can convince my gf, She does not know manual). Does wood myrtle and auto dim mirror really that make a difference?? And moonroof? How many of you guys really use it? I am in Boston. If these three are not an issue, I would love to go for an 330. This is my first car. SO I am stuck with these minor issues also.
1. Did BMW stiffen up the suspension and steering on the 330 and/or 325 last March, or are they going to do that on the '02 models?
2. Can anyone recommend a reputable dealer in the greater Chicago or downstate Illinois area?
3. How much below sticker (if at all) can one get on a 2002 330i or 325i?
Many thanks for your help.
The wood trim is nice because it is real wood (unlike plastic fakes by other car manuf.) and it really gives a luxurious look to the car.
Yes it wasn't as bouncy as I thought it would be. I feel the car being much looser today after being tossed around yesterday.
I learned a couple of neat things that I will be trying out.
The only down side was that my brother ran over pylons a couple of times and I guess one of the tie-wraps holding the plastic plate under the rad broke off. By the time we got home it was dragging on the ground. I know it didn't drag for too long because it wasn't scraped at all. We just heard it as we were turning into our sub-division.
So this morning I had to go to the local Speedy and have the tech fix it. Took him 10 mins. and it was gratis, which was nice.
Used your feminine charm I see. ;-)
Whatever gets the job done.
Thanks.
I'm guilty of liking plain cars to a fault,But i really don't like any of the above questioned options,and avoided them as much as I could when I bought two cars this year.
A sunroof,espically on a low roofed coupe,can rob needed headroom(I'm 6' and like to sit very upright).It also is visually distracting(when beholding the car),and I think the 3-series coupe a particularly handsome car.It is a lot of sun on your face,too.
The wood I find archaic,way too old-fashioned.It is stagecoach trim,very unharmonious with the youthful design of the exterior.
As far as an armrest,as comfortable as they may be,they usually foul one's shirting elbow if you opt for the manual trans.
2) After installing my Universal Garage Door Opener and seeing the extra wiring up in the roof for other goodies, I strongly suspect that all E46 cars are pre-wired for the self-dimming mirror, regardless of whether they were shipped from the factory with that option installed.
3) Along with MANY of our fellow contributors here, I have a manual transmission and an armrest, BMW has designed said armrest with a notch cut out of the leading edge of the left side of the cover specifically to clear the drivers elbow when shifting. Unlike my test drives in a 528i a few years ago, the armrest in my 328i has NEVER gotten in the way of a shift. In the unlikely event that an individual is VERY long of arm, said armrest can be pivoted up and back to completely remove it from the area where the elbow is busy rowing back and forth.
Best Regards,
Shipo
i would imagine that they ARE pre-wired for the self-dimming mirror, but i've never seen the mirror itself on anyones site... perhaps an email to circle bmw might clear that up...
-Chris
Anyway, I wanted to ask if anyone had experience with modifications. I looked into Dinan (too expensive). Now I'm checking our Conforti CAI + Chip at turnermotorsports.com. The graph shows an slight increase in torque and horsepower, especially at the low end. What has been your experience--worth it? Not worth it? What difference did you notice on your vehicle? I'm assuming that the BMW 325Ci is pretty much optimized at stock. I don't want to spend $1000 and get only 5-10 more lb feet. I also don't want to lose torque at certain speeds. Any advice would be helpful.
that being said, 10 ft/lb isn't anything to sneeze at, and jimc is THE MAN when it comes to engine management software...
-Chris
What's funny though is non-BMW owners are shocked when I tell them the car's never been in the shop for mechanical problems.
http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/obdii.htm
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
ECIS Intake $299.00
+6-9hp
+8-11lbs. ft. torque
AA (Active Autowerkes) exhaust $675.00
(Not much louder just breathes better)
+8hp
+8.5lbs. ft. torque
Total: $975.00
+14-17hp
+16.5-19.5lbs. ft. torque
Averages out to $65.00 per hp. $54.00 per lb. ft. torque
Not that price is driving this decision, just found it interesting.
Any thoughts?
The link that I am still looking for was to a site created by an individual who is some kind of a Dinan dealer or shop that does aftermarket modifications to BMWs. He takes each of the mods offered by Dinan (and others if I am not mistaken) and analyses them one by one in a very objective manner. He even makes mention of the fact that the Dinan folks have admitted that there is not too much that can be done with a late model BMW equipped with ODB II. The end result, he returned his E46 engine to stock and kept the suspension mods on the car.
I too have heard good things about the CAI (just ask Guru about his), all I am suggesting is to look before you leap.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks
I am familiar with the adaptive nature of ODBII systems. In fact Dinan states that the software upgrade for the new E46's basically does nothing except raise the rev limiter and remove the speed govenor. The point with these upgrades are that no matter what the ODBII system reads, you are delivering more HP and Torque to the system. On my previous car ('00 Z3 2.3) I installed the Dinan Software, CAI & exhaust. It made a noticeable difference but it is very expensive for the results compared to what I am planning this time around.
dave330i,
It's a 325 and I agree that if I had stepped up to the 330, I would not be pursuing the power upgrades. Hindsight is a great virtue!!
1. The richer the mixture, the better the acceleration. So pushing the car consistently would give you a faster car over time compared to someone who is taking it too easy on the car.
2. The richer the mixture, the more fuel consumption will go down. I've noticed that the way I drive, my average fuel consumption is still dropping even though I drive pretty much the same routes every week.
3. I looked at the new dyno chart that ECIS put out for the 325 CAI. What's interesting is that with the CAI, they measured peak HP at the wheels at 200 for the 330 and at 175 for the 325. Any idea what would cause the 41 HP difference in the engine HP rating to shrink so far?
We all want to believe that we're "great" drivers, but there's a lot to be said about spending the time to really learn how to handle 9/10ths of what the basic car can do, before trying to 'Spinal Tap' yourself to an "11". In the end, 9/10ths will beat 7/11ths every time.
All it takes to really humble yourself is one Autocross and watch some guy in a stock Neon thoroughly beat your lap times...don't ask :-)
-hh
please read and memorize shipo's post and huntzingers' post... then go back and read them again...
chipping does do you some good on a obd i car... sometimes more than some...
however...
if you really want to do it on a obd ii car, you should do it as "the whole kit and kiboodle"... cai, exhaust, and software that is programmed for that particular breathing arrangement...
as dave and huntzinger pointed out, money spent on tires, suspension and driving school will go a lot farther than "nickle and dime" breathing mods... the ONLY way to significantly increase the output is to add forced induction to the engine... regardless of what you read...
an analogy... if i bought every golf product that was "guaranteed" to add 10 yards off the tee and lower my handicap 5 strokes, i'd be whipping tiger's butt right now...
-Chris
Since I have not seen the source of the numbers, I can only speculate, so, here goes:
Assuming both cars were tested in the same shop on the same dyno, and both cars had a manual transmission
IF the 325i was driven like at 9.5/10ths for a week or two and then tested on a cold, dry day with high barometric pressure it would very likely produce very high numbers at the wheels. So, that might explain why the horsepower at the wheels was only about 5% below peak factory spec HP at the crankshaft.
On the other hand, IF, the 330i was tested after being driven for a few weeks by my Grandmother, and then dyno’ed on a hot, humid day with low barometric pressure, there is every chance that that car would not come anywhere near its horsepower potential. So, that might explain why the horsepower at the wheels was down over 12% when compared to peak factory spec HP at the crankshaft.
If you can find out the climatological conditions at the time of the two tests, and how the two cars were driven prior to their being subjected to the dyno, that would certainly help in the analysis.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I believe that the difference is due to the fact that ALL manufacturers quote HP at the crank as opposed to the drive wheels. Hence the loss of power noted is due to the drive train. As noted some time ago, BMW's rear wheel drive seems to be much more efficient in terms of drive train loss as compared to most FWD systems.
The ECIS dyno shows the stock 325 at 170hp. BMW claims it is rated at 184. the 14hp difference shows what I believe to be a 7.6% drive train power loss.
Does this sound reasonable?
What do you guys think?
huntzinger,
I agree with the comments re driving schools.
ccotenj,
You are right the only way to "significantly" increase power is through forced induction or a stroked motor. All I am looking for is a little more punch. While the 325 is certainly not anemic, there are times when I wish I had a little more ooommph in every day driving situations particularly since I have a step.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
1. The 325's official HP rating is understated
2. The 325 is more efficient at transferring power (not likely)
3. The tests were done on different days and are not meaningful. It is likely that the results were not obtained under perfect comparison conditions but still, 13% loss vs. 8% loss in otherwise nearly identical cars is mind-boggling... Again, I am assuming that ECIS may be overstating BOTH or NONE of the CAI gains or understating BOTH or NONE of the stock numbers and the 325 numbers should behave approximately the same PERCENTAGE-WISE as the 330.
some things to think about...
what's the difference in the clutch assembly between the 2 cars...
what's the difference in the transmission in the 2 cars (don't know that there is, there might be)...
and so on...
things aren't always as they seem on the surface..
-Chris
I also agree with your statement that it's best to do the triad mod (if any at all) so breathing can be optimized everywhere. Makes a lot of sense. However, are you inclined to believe that just the CAI would produce at least a small gain?
adding hp just ain't as easy as it used to be... used to be you could just drop a big ol' 4 barrel holly on something and ZOOM ZOOM!! (or in the case of a bimmer, side-draft webers)...
brave1, actually, i would think the 325, just because i'd be willing to bet that the clutch assembly itself is lighter and has less friction... i agree that 5% difference would seem like a lot, but without analyzing the whole drive train, it's hard to say whether it is or not...
-Chris