Hey everyone, n00b here with some questions.
I am about 2-3 days away from getting my 1st BMW in a 328xi sedan (thats the E90 right?) and I wanted to find out from some of you what is available in regards to upping the hp/tourque with upgrades for the car (without using forced induction). I've done a few searches on here and come up with nothing, also searched a few websites with no luck either. Please forgive me if I missed some of the info.

I wanted to know what you guys might recommend that isn't permanent, so when I'm done with the car I can remove the mods to bring it back to stock... also stuff that won't void the warranty.

thanks for the help and I look forward to posting more in the future.

-Badger

The best (and maybe only seriously realistic) upgrade for the 328 is the 335. No kidding. It's stock, it's got a warranty, and there's nothing to remove for service. Some people have tried to fit the 3-stage induction from the 330 to the 328, but it's all hassle and no real benefit as far as I can see.

The best (and maybe only seriously realistic) upgrade for the 328 is the 335. No kidding. It's stock, it's got a warranty, and there's nothing to remove for service. Some people have tried to fit the 3-stage induction from the 330 to the 328, but it's all hassle and no real benefit as far as I can see.

well thats about a $6000 upgrade that i cant afford or else i totally would have done it.
nobody does little things to the car like cold air intakes or ecu reflashes or anything that I can buy for a few hundred bucks to up the power? I've only seen one online CAI so far made by dinan for $299.

well thats about a $6000 upgrade that i cant afford or else i totally would have done it.
nobody does little things to the car like cold air intakes or ecu reflashes or anything that I can buy for a few hundred bucks to up the power? I've only seen one online CAI so far made by dinan for $299.
The hp improvements are probably not worth the money or trouble. The engineers are pretty much extracting every ounce of HP from that NA engine. You could do intake, exhaust, reflash, and all and maybe end up paying more than 6k overall without gaining more than 20hp at best, still way below the 335. I'd say if you can't afford upgrading to the 335, try to be satisfied with your 328, it is still pretty fast (a 6.x car a few years back was almost in supercar territory).

ok good stuff... thanks for the info guys.

wish I could afford the 335xi :cry but I'm already stretching to get the 328xi as it is.

Ever consider buying a pre-owned 335i? I did, and would do it again. Mine only had 4K miles and I saved about $5500 off MSRP. You just have to make sure it hasn't been wrecked or flooded through CarFax and BMWNA.

I just did a search and found 30 used 335i's with less than 15,000 miles for less than $39,000. The 4 year / 50,000 mile BMW warranty and service go with the car.

I went in to get a 328xi...they didn't have any and I didn't want to wait any longer, so I ended up with a 335xi...glad I did, its an amazing car, but in the same breath so is the 328xi, you just, pretty much, need to be content with the power it comes with. The 335xi is an entirely different story...quite a few, very affordable, upgrades that turn it into a car that will smoke just about anything you roll up on...and all in a nice little civilized sedan that is respectable.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 328xi though, if they had one I would have gotten it. A nice set of wheels, debadge it, add a fake second exhaust pipe and no will be the wiser! Seriously though, the 328xi is a great car...don't kid yourself it's plenty quick for most people...including myself!

yeah i think it is a VERY nice car... although I would love the 335xi, I just know I probably couldn't afford it right now. How do most people go about getting rims and whatnot? I don't MIND the 16's the 328's come with but I would love some BMW 17 or 18's. Any suggestions there? Not crazy about spending more than $1000 since I'd need new tires with the bigger wheels, I'd probably keep the 16's as a winter set.

yeah i think it is a VERY nice car... although I would love the 335xi, I just know I probably couldn't afford it right now. How do most people go about getting rims and whatnot? I don't MIND the 16's the 328's come with but I would love some BMW 17 or 18's. Any suggestions there? Not crazy about spending more than $1000 since I'd need new tires with the bigger wheels, I'd probably keep the 16's as a winter set.
I am using my 16 wheels for winters and plan to get 18" CSL replicas from modbargains.com in the summer, for just 700 or 750 (non-staggered/staggered). Tires will cost twice that much though :(.

jeeze... what kind of tires??? I figured I could get some rims on there for about $1000 and some nice all season performance tires for $450

jeeze... what kind of tires??? I figured I could get some rims on there for about $1000 and some nice all season performance tires for $450
If you go 18" ultra performance summer RFT staggered setup, you'll find no less than 1200 a set. Non RFT may save you a couple of hundred but then you need to buy a spare or some sort of emergency kits, so all in all the same. All season performance may not be that much cheaper, but I haven't checked. No need for them here, I use dedicated snows in the winter and high performance tires in the summer for ultimate grip/handling.

The best (and maybe only seriously realistic) upgrade for the 328 is the 335. No kidding. It's stock, it's got a warranty, and there's nothing to remove for service. Some people have tried to fit the 3-stage induction from the 330 to the 328, but it's all hassle and no real benefit as far as I can see.

Typical wankerish statement -- always found online.
There are realsitic handling upgrades like sway bars or plus sized wheel/tire packages that can dramatically enhance your 328i.

True -- Modifications for power will be expensive, and largely pointless, especially within the parameters of "warranty safe" mods -- The 335i has the power and if all you want is a faster version of the 328i, by all means go ahead and get it. If you want to limit your available power/insurance premiums/exposure to turbo related longetivity issues/first-run engines....and you want a tasteful few upgrades to your "slow" vehicle that will increase its already hgih drool factor, look at reputable tuning company's (ie Dinan, Turner Motorsport) packages. Aside from anything else, don't be discouraged by internet wankers from doing something you enjoy.

Typical wankerish statement -- always found online.
There are realsitic handling upgrades like sway bars or plus sized wheel/tire packages that can dramatically enhance your 328i.

True -- Modifications for power will be expensive, and largely pointless, especially within the parameters of "warranty safe" mods -- The 335i has the power and if all you want is a faster version of the 328i, by all means go ahead and get it. If you want to limit your available power/insurance premiums/exposure to turbo related longetivity issues/first-run engines....and you want a tasteful few upgrades to your "slow" vehicle that will increase its already hgih drool factor, look at reputable tuning company's (ie Dinan, Turner Motorsport) packages. Aside from anything else, don't be discouraged by internet wankers from doing something you enjoy.
The OP was asking for power enhancing mods (not handling mods which I agree there is lots to be done depending on budget/taste):
I wanted to find out from some of you what is available in regards to upping the hp/tourque with upgrades for the car (without using forced induction).

and you just answered with the same response as the person you are criticizing! :dunno :shifty

True -- Modifications for power will be expensive, and largely pointless, especially within the parameters of "warranty safe" mods

Oh Mrakan...not again....
Read up above...are wheels and tires discussed in t his thread, prior to my original statement? Yes
Is the statement about the only upgrade available for the 328i being the 335i wankerish? Yes
Warranty safe parameters make upgrading the HP largely impossible...True. Still. But the post didn't say that, it says "The best (and maybe only seriously realistic) upgrade for the 328 is the 335."

I criticized the tone of the other gentleman's response, and his statement that the only upgrade available for a 328 is a 335i. Balogna. Short of forced induction, any motor can be modified to extract more horsepower. There are hundreds of options available from porting and polishing, boring cylinders, NO2 (taboo), lightweight pulleys, intakes, exhaust, headers, fuel mixture, etc. But that is not the op's interest.

I counsel the op thus: HP mods for your 328i are expensive, void your warranty, and will leave you with a heavily modified vehicle that will still probably have fewer ponies than a 335. Instead, consider spending your money on mods that are more potent and/or dramatic -- ie suspension, aero, lighting...and on and on. If you NEED the HP, yes its true, the 335 has more, is stock, and is basically the same exact car.

I hope this clears things up. I take excpetion to comments like "well the only upgrade available is really just getting an M3." Sorry for the confusion -- my advice was not enunciated clearly enough I suppose.

Oh Mrakan...not again....
Read up above...are wheels and tires discussed in t his thread, prior to my original statement? Yes
Is the statement about the only upgrade available for the 328i being the 335i wankerish? Yes
Warranty safe parameters make upgrading the HP largely impossible...True. Still. But the post didn't say that, it says "The best (and maybe only seriously realistic) upgrade for the 328 is the 335."

I criticized the tone of the other gentleman's response, and his statement that the only upgrade available for a 328 is a 335i. Balogna. Short of forced induction, any motor can be modified to extract more horsepower. There are hundreds of options available from porting and polishing, boring cylinders, NO2 (taboo), lightweight pulleys, intakes, exhaust, headers, fuel mixture, etc. But that is not the op's interest.

I counsel the op thus: HP mods for your 328i are expensive, void your warranty, and will leave you with a heavily modified vehicle that will still probably have fewer ponies than a 335. Instead, consider spending your money on mods that are more potent and/or dramatic -- ie suspension, aero, lighting...and on and on. If you NEED the HP, yes its true, the 335 has more, is stock, and is basically the same exact car.

I hope this clears things up. I take excpetion to comments like "well the only upgrade available is really just getting an M3." Sorry for the confusion -- my advice was not enunciated clearly enough I suppose.

melting snow below the undercarriage (or water under the bridge) :D. You make much more sense now. Good response.

just picked up the 328xi last night blk/blk 6 speed manual with heated seats.

the power is pretty good, better than i what it felt like with the AT.

glad to finally be a bmw driver

Wilkomen!

wow this car is a lot of fun to drive!


maybe i should have gotten 15k/year