WTA: engine upgrade for e46 318i N42

[e46_UDM]

Dear all sifus, I bought an e46 318i (2003 CBU Europe Spec) from a nice uncle about a year ago and love every bits of it till today except 1 issue: engine performance i.e. underpower cos it's a 4 potter. After spending some money on all the wear & tear parts (100K mileage), it's time to think of the engine upgrade for the N42 in terms of the performance. I'm still new to the UDM and would like to seek for advice from all the sifus out there. What can I do to improve the engine performace of the ride apart from sale the 318 and get the 328 thingy.... Was told once by Ah Meng from MSpeed to add the spring booster the last time I serviced my car there. Anymore recommendation would be most welcomed. Thx alot. Cheers.

 

[e46_UDM]

BUMP... any suggestion would be very much appreciated. cheers.

 

[haywire]

Sprint booster is not a performance-improving method. It is merely an accelerator of the accelerator. You push in the pedal 20% and the sprint booster push in the accelerator 40% (example), so you feel 'wah acceleration damn good' while in fact you can do the same with your current pedal, only push a bit more.

 

[e46_UDM]

Sprint booster is not a performance-improving method. It is merely an accelerator of the accelerator. You push in the pedal 20% and the sprint booster push in the accelerator 40% (example), so you feel 'wah acceleration damn good' while in fact you can do the same with your current pedal, only push a bit more.

Noted with thx. That means the fuel consumption will likely be increase...

 

[pumpkin76]

any modification for performance definately will increase your fuel consumption.....

 

[e46_UDM]

any modification for performance definately will increase your fuel consumption.....

I agreed with you... If the increased of the fuel consumption can be offset with the increased of the engine performance, I'm ok with that.

 

[ichi82]

haha bro..we are in the same league..im N42 owner also..looking for any suggestion to enhance performance also but N42 is actually for easy driving n not for sport usage..but atleast for now my N42 is giving me 200-220kmh smoothly..that is after replacing my broken GB..did not know if N42 can be fitted with turbo/SC..

 

[Alex5522]

Waa..N42 can reach 220km/h smoothly arr so far i know top speed was 218km/h for 318ci year 2001 onwards.

 

[ichi82]

Waa..N42 can reach 220km/h smoothly arr so far i know top speed was 218km/h for 318ci year 2001 onwards.

my meter ringan kot bro..passed 200 to 215km/h coz i want to push the limit to see if the new GB is ok or not..at 200kmh the car is smooth..from 200 to 215++ kmh is quite slow to reach but engine didn't rumble..maybe it can go that fast because i turun bukit landai sket..a brader told me that he is able to go up to 230km/h on 318i.didn't asked if he has done some mod or not...didn't dare to go up to that..over 200km is enough for me as i can go back to my kampung faster hehe..

 

[Alex5522]

Drive safe bro and the ori spec of your udm info was here : http://www.bmwinfo.com/23480.html

 

[ichi82]

sometime didn't noticed going to fast..hehe..seldom drive that fast..

 

[LiteBulb]

please make sure your tyres are in great shape and is able to support such speed. you wouldnt want a tyre burst at such speed.

 

[e46_UDM]

haha bro..we are in the same league..im N42 owner also..looking for any suggestion to enhance performance also but N42 is actually for easy driving n not for sport usage..but atleast for now my N42 is giving me 200-220kmh smoothly..that is after replacing my broken GB..did not know if N42 can be fitted with turbo/SC..

bro, am not looking for sport usage as well. but for city driving, sometimes can feels the car is very heavy, pickup is not very good at the stop and go e.g. traffic lights. 220km with the N42! :77: I only tried once at the speed at 190km/h at the north south highway near senawang. :listen: still waiting for some useful suggestions from the sifus...

 

[noobsystem]

can anyone tell me does 1jz engine fit e46 328i? and where can i make it done if u guys know any.. tq..

 

[McFir7]

I think n42 can be improve..but not much causes this engine is sensitive to major mod..

I think u can improve on some basic bolt on parts such as
Air filter
Exhaust system
Spark plugs & ignition coil
Lightened pulley
Chips

I m driving n42 as well, did some mod as I mention above but haven complete as i listed.so far it does improve performance,better consumption & I believe is worth to spend on it.

 

[ay39]

bro, am not looking for sport usage as well. but for city driving, sometimes can feels the car is very heavy, pickup is not very good at the stop and go e.g. traffic lights. 220km with the N42! :77: I only tried once at the speed at 190km/h at the north south highway near senawang. :listen: still waiting for some useful suggestions from the sifus...

Sell ur 03 ride, use the money to buy an E46 328, you will enjoy the smooth and powerful engine of a straight six, no modification whatsoever can beat that, and perhaps u will have some money left from the sake of your 318 since its .03...

 

[ay39]

bro, am not looking for sport usage as well. but for city driving, sometimes can feels the car is very heavy, pickup is not very good at the stop and go e.g. traffic lights. 220km with the N42! :77: I only tried once at the speed at 190km/h at the north south highway near senawang. :listen: still waiting for some useful suggestions from the sifus...

Sell ur 03 318, use the money tp buy a nice E46 325 or 328 u will enjoy the smooth delivery of power from a straight six over a four potter, perhaps ur may have some spare money left from your sale if u are picking up an 328.....

 

[fabianyee]

The N42's cylinder head is not designed with performance as priority... I have seen the engine being displayed at AB Glenmarie, the intake and exhaust ports have small cross section. this is good for low and mid RPM torque but suffer in the RPM region...
BMW can and have made very good 4 cylinder engines in the past like the S14 in the E30 M3 and the M42 in the 318is.
The M42 cylinder head has bigger intake and exhaust port cross-section. As such, it didn't need a lot of bolt on mods to up the power.
The N42 is an entry level BMW engine mostly for those driving it because it has a roundel.. those who wants power, there are other engines to choose from...

 

[e46_UDM]

Sell ur 03 318, use the money tp buy a nice E46 325 or 328 u will enjoy the smooth delivery of power from a straight six over a four potter, perhaps ur may have some spare money left from your sale if u are picking up an 328.....

Bro, thanks for d suggestion but prefer more constructive suggestion like d one from McFir7. am not looking to sell my e46 anytime soon. Obviously u didn't read my 1st post b4 u comment.

 

[ay39]

Bro, thanks for d suggestion but prefer more constructive suggestion like d one from McFir7. am not looking to sell my e46 anytime soon. Obviously u didn't read my 1st post b4 u comment.

Sorry if it didn't help, btw I sold my E90 320 for an 46 328 cause of power and torque also, cheers.....