BMW F30 LCI 318i Performance Upgrade

[BMW555]

Hi,

What options are out there to increase power on a F30 318i 3 Cylinder engine without affecting motorplan?

I know AC Schnitzer is an option but that's like R40K odd.

Further how does the BMW i8 push around 170Kw on the same engine. There is very little information on this.

Thanks.

 

[rsgordini]

Good questions

 

[Bernard///M3]

Sell it and buy a 340i:rollsmile:

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Leave the car as it is, or trade it in for a bigger model car.

MP save options is going to be extremely costly, and not worth the gains.

 

[tman]

Sell it and buy a 340i:rollsmile:

^this

Dont bother with anything else. It's going to cost too much and leave you disappointed.

Sent on the move via Tapatalk

 

[rsgordini]

I wouldn't touch purely because of warranty and mplan..

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Personally I think the 318i is good for what it is. It was never intended to be a powerhouse. You bought it for a totally different reason.

If its more power you crave, trade up to a bigger model.

Its like the owners of the e36 316i, e46 318i or e90 320i, looking at more power. The entry level BMW is there to give you the BMW driving experience, if you the person that is not too concerned about robot to robot battles, or quick overtakes, etc.

The problem usually with smaller motors in the same heavy body, is that you usually need to ring its neck to get anywhere, but the sort of people that usually buy these are in most cases aware of its power to weight, and buy it to be in a premium branded car, at a lower cost, and is comfortable with its performance.

Personally I would rather buy a second hand bigger model, in my preference a diesel, as I do long distance driving, and would prefer effortless overtaking, and low fuel consumption.

 

[Straight six]

The guys have said it all boet...

If you looking for roughly 170kws....a 328i will you that stock, even slightly more (with Mplan intact)

316i is point A to point B..not in a hurry

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Must say, I have not seen any members on the forum with a F30 316i or 318i.

Wellcome

 

[FerdiBotha]

The guys have said it all boet...

If you looking for roughly 170kws....a 328i will you that stock, even slightly more (with Mplan intact)

316i is point A to point B..not in a hurry

328i's are severely underrated cars.

They move down the road incredibly well for a vehicle with "only" (by today's standards) 180kw.

The way they rev up is crazy as well.

 

[tman]

The problem usually with smaller motors in the same heavy body, is that you usually need to ring its neck to get anywhere, but the sort of people that usually buy these are in most cases aware of its power to weight, and buy it to be in a premium branded car, at a lower cost, and is comfortable with its performance.

The REAL problem is, okes usually buy these entry level BMW's which looks the part, but are left embarrassed when a Gti stops at the robot, looking for a quick fix to suit their pocket. *

*No offence to the OP that has a 318i. I am sure its a great car, its just not designed to be a performance vehicle.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

The problem usually with smaller motors in the same heavy body, is that you usually need to ring its neck to get anywhere, but the sort of people that usually buy these are in most cases aware of its power to weight, and buy it to be in a premium branded car, at a lower cost, and is comfortable with its performance.

The REAL problem is, okes usually buy these entry level BMW's which looks the part, but are left embarrassed when a Gti stops at the robot, looking for a quick fix to suit their pocket. *

*No offence to the OP that has a 318i. I am sure its a great car, its just not designed to be a performance vehicle.

I agree, and R500k for a base model 318i is not exactly cheap.

 

[BMW555]

lol thanks guys,

The main reason behind this but was to have full motorplan and they indeed are R500K + despite being entry level. I guess they do come with more standard features being the 07 July 2016 upward ZA model Enhancement.

It's actually got pretty decent power through all gears from low down so it's good as a daily runner and for work in horrific traffic

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

Must say, I have not seen any members on the forum with a F30 316i or 318i.

Wellcome

Have a LCI 318i .. Okay car for moving around in :fencelook:

Engine sounds interesting I must admit, the F20 118i was still a Way Better car IMHO.

@OP - The i8 is running higher boost. It's quite easy to get power from a Turbo engine, just up the Boost pressure. Makes me think of the M12 Racing engine..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M12
Top end version pushed over 1000kw. :clapper:

But as with all the smaller engines, it is yet to see how long they shall last at Max Boost pressure.

Long story short, buy a M240i that is the car to have at the moment! 340i/440i is too big IMO again. :rollsmile:

 

[Lizzard]

Dont understand why BMW sells these x18's and x20i's when people are complaining about power and fuel consumption in these. Suppose it is a marketing thing and they want to compete with the smaller hatchbacks on prices and performance.

BMW should in all honesty start the range from x20d and up. x18's and x20i's should be scrapped from the production line. But some smart people have started asking about modding a 320i to 328i specs due to thinking of buying cheap and up the boost, you get some special people these days.

OP, I hope you find the answer you looking for and good luck. The i8 most probably has better engine components and can handle a higher boost, but that is just my opinion.

 

[LukeHawk]

Dont understand why BMW sells these x18's and x20i's when people are complaining about power and fuel consumption in these. Suppose it is a marketing thing and they want to compete with the smaller hatchbacks on prices and performance.

BMW should in all honesty start the range from x20d and up. x18's and x20i's should be scrapped from the production line. But some smart people have started asking about modding a 320i to 328i specs due to thinking of buying cheap and up the boost, you get some special people these days.

OP, I hope you find the answer you looking for and good luck. The i8 most probably has better engine components and can handle a higher boost, but that is just my opinion.

I disagree with you on the 320i. I've never felt like mine was underpowered at all, and my consumption hasn't been too bad. Not like what some of the others say they're getting.
I fitted a JB4 because I got one on the cheap, and it really does provide a nice power boost. But it was done for fun, not out of necessity. The 320i (F30 anyway) is a pretty good car. I don't quite think being sarcastic about people that enjoy playing around/modding cars as a hobby, 320i or not, is called for here.

I do agree with the 118i and lower though, save those for the lighter hatchbacks. I've never driven one, but maybe they do feel underpowered. My previous 118i F20 was pretty zippy.