200BHP from a 325i Touring....

[Morat]

I'm not an experienced car tuner, and I'm quite wary of stressing everything too much. So... would 200BHP be a reasonable goal using only reversable mods? Would induction, chip and a full exhaust (including the 6 branch kit) get me close to that or am I looking at headwork and more?

I reckon that if I can get 200BHP then I can flog my Fiat Coupe 16V Turbo which is currently eating its way through my wallet, and is FWD to boot.

Please feel free to insult me for owning two such opposite cars, as long as you have a stab at answering the question

[bigdek]

should be achievable especially if you get the new 6 branch from the zone shop which has a proven 18 bhp gain.

[dazleeds]

i agree it should be possible to hit 200bhp

not sure if just an exhaust and chip will do it tho??

mainly as most 325i,s nowdays arent putting out the 170 they did when new

but it is achievable
just depends on what your starting with

hth

Daz

[Motorhole]

Leave the induction standard, fit the chip and de-cat exhaust with BTB 6-branch manifold.

Converting to electric fan and electric power steering might release a few more bhp too.

And never neglect the effect of reducing weight! Besides, you'll want to strip out all that sound deadening to hear your now free-breathing M20

[Toby_Unna]

the numbers don't mean a lot though. 170 odd bhp in a bmw isn't going to feel anything like whatever a turbo 4pot fiat does. just have a go in one and decide if it's fast enough for you.

what i mean is, even if someone tells you you can def get 200bhp or whatever, it might still feel slow

[Morat]

Thanks for the replies. I guess the first thing to do is dyno the car and establish a baseline. Something for the summer methinks

edit: the 16VT does 190bhp on paper, its the integrale engine with a smaller turbo (in a nutshell). It can be tuned to insane levels, but in a FWD car its a waste of time - although there are plenty of insane coupes out there including a 20V (five pot) with a dyno'd 500 bhp

I've been very impressed with the feel of driving the 325 so far, it doesn't have quite the same juice in a straight line but the handling is loads more fun at lower speeds. The FIAT feels hard and flat, and gives you confidence for some high corner speeds, but there's nothing you can do once it starts sliding - all imo of course, I'm sure some FWD gods can do more with it than I can. And of course, I'm only on 14" 60 section tyres in the bmw, there's loads more to come.

[liam012]

pick up a cylinder head and port and polish it well - if you take your time and do your research you can do a good job even with non specialist tools - personally i think thats where you'd find alot of horses