318's Potential

[MPower3]

So I looked into BMW's and decided I want one, I gotta ditch rice burners sometime.

Anyways, I won't be able to afford M3 for another 3-4 years (college student) so I'll have to buy something relatively cheap like 318.

So what potential 318 has? Any parts out there to make more ponies?

What parts can I buy for 318?

Please help your BMW noobie.


Thanks

Alex

[Silencer]

im also actually interested in this. get a 318is is all i can say 4 now

[Shudogg]

well if you were in the import tuner workd then you already know what will be a good idea for these cars. start with the basics intake, exhaust, underdrive pullies, lightened flywheel, stiffer clutch...you konw

[Silencer]

for sum reason the ppl i talk to here at the plant tell me not to lighten the flywheel. never really had a chance to get the details from them. i wanna see what the story is

[BlantonG13]

yeah, find that out cause I would like to know as well...

If you want maximum performance, Autotechnica is the man to talk to with a 318...suspension is the best thing to work on for perfomance aside from helping the cars breathing. 318's are incredibly gifted with handling because they are much lighter than the 6cyl 3's.

However, if performance is what matters, think about the 4 door 318i. It has been popular belief that it is actually lighter than the 2 door IS model. The IS supposedly has a reinforced frame because not having all the same pillars as the 4-door frame causes it to be less rigid and less stable, giving the reason for the reinforcement. This reinforcement adds extra weight.

Also, you might want to look for a 318 that is a 95 model or older so you can get the OBD-I computer system, which is easier to tune, allowing for better performance when upgrading parts...

However, if you are a patient person, you will be able to find a 325 for similar prices as a 318, its just a matter of searching and the performance increase and power difference is worth it. High mileage isn't a huge deal so long as the car is taken care of. These cars are bulletproof if you take care of them...many people on this site have Bimmers that have last 20+ years with over 200k miles on the clock, and still running strong as ever...

Thats all just some insight, but in answering your first question...there is plenty of stuff out there for the 318, but the gains aren't all that significant until you start putting serious money into it (FI, engine internal work, engine management software swapping, upgrading, etc)

[Delmarco]

Egads!!!! Already...If you guys want M3 power don't buy a 318i when a 325i cost almost the same if not a $1000 more!

Look a 96 or 97 318i may cost $7000-8000. But a 1993-1995 325i will cost between $4000 to $8000.

Main Reason: Buy a 318i like I did and you'll find yourself spending more money to make it go faster like a 325i I6 cycl. car when you could just have bought a 325i to begin with!

[Autotechnica]

I'm too lazy to list my mods, just check out my website in my SIG.

Basic mods will dramtically improve performance on the 4 banger. It seems to be a lot more restricted than a 325.

Intake, catback exhaust, chip, throttle body, ltw flywheel, electric fan conversion. That should already make the engine quite zippy.

I think what they meant when they told you not to get a lighten flywheel was that it's not a good idea to resurface and lighten your existing flywheel, that's a major no no. You should replace it with an lighter aluminum one.

[Cruzin 323is]

if u buy a 318.. your gunna be spending money to get more hp's... your better off saving a few more bucks and getting a 325 or 328....