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2004 BMW 330Ci
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The aFe silver bullet throttle body spacer is the most popular one on the market and the one I see the most installed. Allegedly its good for about a 10HP gain at the crank.
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I just can't seem to find one for the 330Ci
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43,186 Posts
Be realistic. Benefit from the experience of the thousands of guys who went down this road before you. For all intents and purposes, there are no worthwhile, affordable performance mods for these engines. Seriously.... :tsk:
Take care of all the routine maintenance stuff first, that`s what`s really important !
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I'm a freshman in college. I'm not looking to take my car into the thousand horsepower range.. Just wanting a few little things here and there to give it a good feel behind the wheel
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OK....once more, in plain English....it ain`t happening ! You can easily spend 3 to 4 thousand dollars on "Speed parts", and wind up with maybe a 15 RWHP increase. A piss-poor investment by any standard.
You really want a noticeable difference ? Forget about trying to squeeze more power out of it, and concentrate on the chassis. Replace all the rubber bits, upgrade the swaybars and shocks. A 3.46 rear diff will give it more grunt out of the corners. Maybe put a set of Plus-One sized wheels & tires on it.
At that point, you`ll be ready to sign up for an HPDE class or two, after which, you will really appreciate what you have under you....
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7,658 Posts
Agree with Fast Bob. Best thing you can do is make sure some non shiny parts on your car is in tip top shape and that some commonly neglected maintenance/ wear parts are refreshed. How old are the spark plugs? Does it have fresh filters? Any vacuum leaks? How fresh are VANOS seals?
Taking care of these items if they've never been done will bring it back closer to the power it had when it left the factory.
Taking care of these items if they've never been done will bring it back closer to the power it had when it left the factory.
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18,319 Posts
+2 on FB's posts. You won't gain much from a lot of money that will need to be put down to get it. Just make sure the maintenance is up to par and do some nice visual modding. Other than that you can dot some weight savings such as lighter wheels (when upgrading your wheels)
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OP, modern BMW engines are highly tuned from the factory. The engineers try to squeeze every bit of power from these engines without negatively impacting either emissions or economy. That's why the ZHP option (2003(?) and later) is so popular. But that option (different cams and ECU tuning) doesn't produce huge power gains. If you're looking for more power buy an M3. Or maybe a Honda and then spend thousands of $$$ to make run somewhat like a BMW!
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1,601 Posts
But do consider what Bob said about this mod: swapping in a 3.46 differential is not that costly, and makes a very, very noticeable difference in the feel of the car. I love mine; it makes a huge difference in how powerful the car FEELS in the lower rpms. It doesn't increase the power, but makes more of that power available in lower rpms. You can pick up a used 3.46 differential in a junk yard for around $200 or less.
That's because no company makes one for the 330Ci/i
*********************
Assuming that your Bimmer needs no current maintenance items and everything is perfectly up to date; You give me a Real World Budget & I'll give you a few HP ideas.
Rob43
PS, also mention if you have any mechanical skills, or if you'll need a shop to do install work for you.
The premise is always the same:
Young kid between age 17-24.
He can afford the car, and not much more.
He has no real concept of "cost of ownership"
Usually has some minimum wage job and/or is a student.
His real career not yet begun.
He's often in school (which means big debt these days)
The person is basically broke, yet wants to drive a BMW or Benz, because he thinks he's a special snowflake.
The kid buys the car....Car has 100k-150k miles and sometimes has has little work yet done to it (Or the service history is unknown)
If the kid does have money to burn, the new owner immediately focuses on spending thousands of dollars to pimp out the poor car.
(wheels, "slamming", headlights, bumpers, trim, spoilers, tinting, etc)
Here is my response to these guys:
Spending on cosmetic mods vs. budgeting for real mechanical issues!
You sound like a customizer. This forum's true value is that it provides you an opportunity to learn real mechanics vs. just bolting on accessories. I never understand how people tell a new owner to spend (big) money on nonsense like lowering the car and new rims. Where do these people go when the real repairs come? How many miles does your car have? 100k miles can be a ticking timebomb. Can you please post the service history? A used BMW is a car that could require $3k to $10k worth of repairs, to make it DRIVE as good as it looks.
I'll say this for the over 35 crowd: Spend money and time on real repairs, not wheels & accessories.
1) Learn about your car. (sounds like you've been doing this....)
2) Fix the common maintenance items!
Engine:
Things you can replace before they fail:
Set aside money for these possible failures:
3) THEN...........
Once that stuff is done,
and you've spent $5k to $10k to have a good running car,
AND still want to spend money,
THEN blow some money on wheels and crap.
All I am saying is that you should save some of your money, and have a budget. Everyone here has a different financial picture. I am just advising you not to blow your entire wad on "looks", and then have no cash when real problems come up. In other words, keep a warchest of money. Save that for repairs. Don't spend ALL your money on accessory stuff. In theory, you could have $5k to $10k of repairs if everything that can go wrong DOES on a used BMW. Odds are it won't, but don't you prefer to be prepared for the worst? Maybe that's just me....
Anyone else think a college kid shouldn't buy a BMW? Even an old cheap one. You can't afford a car hobby at that age. One major repair can wipe you out. Your uncle is right. What is your major, anyway?
Why not a Honda until you are an adult with a career and some real money saved. It really is the best advice for you. This is not to be taken as an insult.
In fact, here is the advice your dad should be giving you:
This is just one guy's opinion.
You'll do what you're going to do..
Young kid between age 17-24.
He can afford the car, and not much more.
He has no real concept of "cost of ownership"
Usually has some minimum wage job and/or is a student.
His real career not yet begun.
He's often in school (which means big debt these days)
The person is basically broke, yet wants to drive a BMW or Benz, because he thinks he's a special snowflake.
The kid buys the car....Car has 100k-150k miles and sometimes has has little work yet done to it (Or the service history is unknown)
If the kid does have money to burn, the new owner immediately focuses on spending thousands of dollars to pimp out the poor car.
(wheels, "slamming", headlights, bumpers, trim, spoilers, tinting, etc)
Here is my response to these guys:
Spending on cosmetic mods vs. budgeting for real mechanical issues!
You sound like a customizer. This forum's true value is that it provides you an opportunity to learn real mechanics vs. just bolting on accessories. I never understand how people tell a new owner to spend (big) money on nonsense like lowering the car and new rims. Where do these people go when the real repairs come? How many miles does your car have? 100k miles can be a ticking timebomb. Can you please post the service history? A used BMW is a car that could require $3k to $10k worth of repairs, to make it DRIVE as good as it looks.
I'll say this for the over 35 crowd: Spend money and time on real repairs, not wheels & accessories.
1) Learn about your car. (sounds like you've been doing this....)
2) Fix the common maintenance items!
Engine:
- Air filter
- Cabin air filter
- New wipers
- New Battery
- New tires
- Change all fluids: Differential oil, transmission oil, flush power steering fluid
- Cooling system; water pump, radiator, thermostat and housing,
- Sepentine belt, tensioners, pulleys, fan, fan clutch
- Oil leaks: Oil Filter Housing Gasket leak, Valve Cover gasket leak.
- Replace broken headlight adjusters
- New brake pads and rotors
- Bleed brake fluid
- Replace all vacuum lines
- Spark plugs & boots
- Fuel filter
- Replace power steering reservoir and hoses
- Replace entire front suspension: Struts, control arms, thrust arms, sway bar bushings, etc.
- Change DISA value (flap breaks)
- SAP valve (Secondary Air Pump)
- Engine and transmission mounts
- Replace VANOS seals
- Fix cluster pixels
Things you can replace before they fail:
- MAF Sensor
- O2 sensors (pre-cat)
- Intake boots
- Alternator
- Fuel fump
- Replace coils
- Camshaft and Crankshaft Position Sensors
Set aside money for these possible failures:
- Fix ABS Module
- New Window Regulators
- FSU (Final Stage Unit) Errant blower motor
- CCV - Gets clogged. Rough idle
- Center support bearing (CSB)
- Guibo
- Rebuild transmission
- Catalytic Converters
- New exhaust
- A/C compressor
- Broken sunroof
3) THEN...........
Once that stuff is done,
and you've spent $5k to $10k to have a good running car,
AND still want to spend money,
THEN blow some money on wheels and crap.
All I am saying is that you should save some of your money, and have a budget. Everyone here has a different financial picture. I am just advising you not to blow your entire wad on "looks", and then have no cash when real problems come up. In other words, keep a warchest of money. Save that for repairs. Don't spend ALL your money on accessory stuff. In theory, you could have $5k to $10k of repairs if everything that can go wrong DOES on a used BMW. Odds are it won't, but don't you prefer to be prepared for the worst? Maybe that's just me....
Anyone else think a college kid shouldn't buy a BMW? Even an old cheap one. You can't afford a car hobby at that age. One major repair can wipe you out. Your uncle is right. What is your major, anyway?
Why not a Honda until you are an adult with a career and some real money saved. It really is the best advice for you. This is not to be taken as an insult.
In fact, here is the advice your dad should be giving you:
- Get a beater Honda
- Finish your education
- Start your grown up career
- Save up a 1 year emergency fund
- Start your investing portfolio
- Pay off your student loans
- Save for a house/condo
- Buy a used BMW
This is just one guy's opinion.
You'll do what you're going to do..
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43,186 Posts
^^^^^^^^^^^^WISDOM ! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The old saying "There`s nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW" springs to mind....
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6 Posts
I worked my ass off and got on a full ride Soccer Scholarship so there are no college payments for now. I'm with a landscape company making just about 500$ a week. Not a ton, but it's more than enough right now not having any payments really to make. Car is in excellent shape, not a single mechanical problem, or ever have had one, and the car is right at 90k miles.
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