RaceChip effects on drivetrain etc.

[Just-ify]

Hi all

I recently had a bit of a debate with a friend who owns a 320i (F30 - 2013) and if he would consider having a RaceChip*TM installed. They claim up to 25% performance increase.

My friend however said he won't ever chip, since in his opinion the drivetrain won't be able to take the added stress. His reasoning is that apparently the 328 is known to have drivetrain issues and that has roughly 20-30% more power than the 320i - and that they share a common drivetrain, difference being the 328i has lighter piston heads and different firmware.

What is your opinion on the matter?

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

obviously its going to add more stress to the drivetrain and will add to premature wear of some components down the road. will the gearbox explode? most like not but anything can happen over a long period of time.

 

[Just-ify]

obviously its going to add more stress to the drivetrain and will add to premature wear of some components down the road. will the gearbox explode? most like not but anything can happen over a long period of time.

Is it then safe to assume that the up-rated version of a motor

eg:
N20B20 in a 320i vs in a 328i
and
B48B20A in a 320i vs in a 330

will always be more unreliable, or do they improve all the internals to compensate?

 

[tman]

Hi all

I recently had a bit of a debate with a friend who owns a 320i (F30 - 2013) and if he would consider having a RaceChip*TM installed. They claim up to 25% performance increase.

My friend however said he won't ever chip, since in his opinion the drivetrain won't be able to take the added stress. His reasoning is that apparently the 328 is known to have drivetrain issues and that has roughly 20-30% more power than the 320i - and that they share a common drivetrain, difference being the 328i has lighter piston heads and different firmware.

What is your opinion on the matter?

Best advice I can give you is that that 25% increase claim is just that: "a claim"

 

[husaindindar]

obviously its going to add more stress to the drivetrain and will add to premature wear of some components down the road. will the gearbox explode? most like not but anything can happen over a long period of time.

Is it then safe to assume that the up-rated version of a motor

eg:
N20B20 in a 320i vs in a 328i
and
B48B20A in a 320i vs in a 330

will always be more unreliable, or do they improve all the internals to compensate?

When a manufacturer updates a motor, they will only do so if the internals can handle it. Propper endurance testing and aging of the motor is done to ensure reliability.
The last thing the manufacturer wants is an influx of motorplan claims.

What also needs to be noted is:
the 320i has a much higher comp ratio compared to the 328/330i, hence the ability to feed higher boost to the 328/330i motor.
Many people assume the 320 and 328/330 is exactly the same and the 320 can be chipped to 330 power.

Personally I think chipping a 320i can end in premature failure as the engine might run very close to knock.

 

[Dewald Basson]

This looks like an interesting read(click) :smilebounce: