The TS2 kit from ESS is easily the best supercharger for the E46's so far, but it's a bit pricier than your budget would allow. If you could save up a bit longer, it will definitely be worthwhile.

Also, our engines were NOT designed for F/I so the answer is yes, it will stress your engine and reduce individual parts & overall longetivity.

 

Also, our engines were NOT designed for F/I so the answer is yes, it will stress your engine and reduce individual parts & overall longetivity.

but i heard from some ppl that are s/c that the motors were pretty strong...?? were they just BSing??

 

No no no. What I meant by your engine not being designed to handle forced induction is that it will require TONS of maintenance and probably wont last as long as they normally do. It's not going to blow up on you right away, but then again it probably wont make it to 200k without a rebuilt.

 

I have a ASA SC in my E46 325i and been tracking (now competing in NASA TT) for the last 4 years.

I will be honest with you right off the bat. It's quite a bit of work to maintain a SC setup. It's not a bolt-on and forget it kind of modification. There were glitches along the way. But nothing to do with engine or supercharger issues. Most of the glitches have to do with not tightening hose clamps, aged hoses and such, which are simple to fix. But for those mechanically challenged, it can be a nightmare.

Regular maintenances apply, ie spark plugs, oil change and such.

 

You can definitely a run a supercharger and get the same longevity out of the engine as stock. I'd recommend the VF Engineering E46 Kit which we have run on our own 328ci for the past 2 years. It's really a daily driveable kit that maintains the stock feel but gives you that added power once you hit the throttle. I highly recommend this upgrade, definitely something we don't regret with our car.

 

does that require upgrading the brakes? besides maybe the suspension too so the car can handle the extra power...

 

cool, thanks for the advice =)

 

ASA SK1 Stage 2 A friend of mine had it on his 330ci. Effin nice:thumbup:. Really Pricy though

 

well, in this case, you wanna gain some power and keep your car still good, i think you better save up some more money and then buy a M3. deal done.

 

I understand and your point is valid but I am going based on personal experience with our own VF kit and VF's recommendation. I'd like to clarify that I'm not saying everything will be fine and dandy if you purchase the kit just to sell another supercharger. The kit sells itself on its own merits and reputation, I surely don't need to blow smoke in order to sell a kit. I am just relaying what I have learned both through experience and after my personal tour of the VF manufacturing facility and talks with the engineers. Seeing and hearing how the kit was developed and built (the E46 kit was developed on our 328ci coupe), I have a lot of confidence in VF's ability to produce a solid and reliable system. Sure VF wants to sell the kit, but given their track record in the VW and Porsche world, I do know that they design their kits with daily driveability and longetivity in mind. Furthermore, their engineers are not out there to push a kit that produces monstrous power. The reason their kits take so long to come out for new vehicles is that they perform extensive long term tests on the vehicle to ensure reliability and functionality. I do have confidence that if taken care of properly, a VF supercharged car will last as long as a non-supercharged car. Again, regular maintenance and care is a must, but if given the proper treatment, I see no reason why it should not.

 

ComPRAYshun

330ci is 10.2:1 not 11:1. Avoiding detonation has much to do with controlling timing advance and intercooling as it does with compression ratio anyway.

 

330ci is 10.2:1 not 11:1. Avoiding detonation has much to do with controlling timing advance and intercooling as it does with compression ratio anyway.

Agreed. But 10.2:1 is still pretty high. Most blower friendly motors are 8:1 or so. Does the VF kit in question come with an intercooler? Nope. So then the risk is still very real of premature damage. One slightly bad tank of gas, one over zealous driver with new found power, and a new RPM limit of 7000 RPM's might just equal a blown head gasket (or worse). But somehow I am supposed to believe that this is somehow as reliable as the stock setup.....Doubtful......

To the OP, just think about stuff like that. If you want to do it, nobody is saying the car will blow up tomorrow, next week, or next year. But it DOES add extra stress on parts that weren't designed for it, just understand that. It won't ever be as reliable as a stock system, no matter what else you are told. I've been there, I've done it, I know of whence I speak.:thumbup:

 

Go to www.my330i.com and look around. He put an ESS kit on his 330i and even has a full pictures run of the installation.

He highly recommrnds it!!!

Cheers! TS

 

Be careful!

You'll shoot your eye out!

 

It's been a while since first posted, from experience supercharging is a waste of money and time, will eventually cause engine failure.

 

Sez the guy who`s posting to a thread that`s been dead for *five years*... :rofl:

 

depends on the setup, boost and how u drive ur car, and of course a stock engine will not withstand the power surge as a tuned one cuz it was not designed to support F/I, so it's more likely to fail faster...
but anyways, if u'r a calm driver and know how to drive ur car without takin it to hell every single time, it's safe to F/I a 330 with around 6psi, which is what i have in mind in case i didn't leave the country this summer