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dyno results on real whp 325 vs 330 vs 328

63K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  nukeduster 
#1 ·
I always wondered if the extra $4000- $6000 USD the dealer wanted for the 330, was worth it. Well according to the autowerks dyno charts and AEM power dyno charts, that might not be the case, judge for yourself. According to autowerks mustang dyno a 2002 325i makes between 161 to 164 whp. A 2002 330i makes 188 whp, a 1999 328 i makes 159 whp. So all you 328 i owners that think your vehicle makes more actual hp than the 02 325 i, you are wrong. Even though 328i (1999) lists as making 190 + hp at the crank, it actualy makes less, than the 184hp rated 02 325i, at the wheels. And the 330 i thats rated at 225hp at the crank vs 184 hp (325i), in reality only makes 20+ more hp at the wheels. I dont know, it seems that $4000 dollar price tag on the more powerfull 330 ci is not really worth it. Why pay $4000 for 20+hp. You can make up the difference with a dinan chip, exhaust and an intake for less that $2000, or you could buy a supercharger for about $5000 and gain 90hp at the wheels. This just affirms the old saying that numbers are not everything. If you wish to confirm these results go to www.activeautowerke.com or www.aempower.com, please let me know what your thoughts are on this subject.

P.S
By the way the puny 325i makes more whp than the stock Acura rsx type s (rated at 200hp--- 164whp vs 165whp for 325i and only 5hp less that 200hp rated acura tsx )
 
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#2 ·
hmmmm... I may save some bucks with this new knowledge. However, can you give us some torque numbers? I know I may be able to find that info if I follow the links, but it is late and I am headed to bed.

I will make my decision based on acceleration for a stock car. I still think the 328 or 330 get up to 60mph fsater than a 325.
 
#3 · (Edited)
This is very interesting as I have been slightly confused about the claimed power claims. Sometimes I see the 325 listed as 185bhp and other times as 192. The figures below reflect the power and performance figures given from the BMW websites for the 2004 models.

When I was debating which model to get I tried a 330 vert and was a little bit suprised with the lack of performance coming from my previous Saab 2.0t which was rated at 175bhp. I expected the car to be significantly faster but it didn't feel so from the first impressions of the test drive. Of course the vert is heavier than the hard top models and it is hard to compare the low down torque of a turbo 4 pot engine against the 6 pot which which doesn't pull hard until the higher rev range.

I eventually settled on an 04 325i Saloon with sport pack. Initially I didn't think that anything less than the 330 would do but after the test drives combined with a perception of better fuel economy with the 325 I settled on the 2.5 litre as a reasonable compromise. It still doesn't feel any faster than the Saab I owned before but as I adapt my driving style it is not as slow as I first thought. Handling wise it is of course night and day.

325i
Cylinders: 6
Output (bhp): 192
Max torque (Nm): 245
Fuel type: Petrol
Engine Size (Ltr): 2.5
Performance
Top speed (mph): 147
0-62 mph (secs): 8.4

330i
Cylinders: 6
Output (bhp): 231
Max torque (Nm): 300
Fuel type: Petrol
Engine Size (Ltr): 3.0
Performance
Top speed (mph): 149
0-62 mph (secs): 7.5
 
#7 ·
'02 330i aftermarket brakes?

Lots of great info in here everybody, thanks a lot. I just decided to keep my '02 330i after the lease. I hate the thought of spending $1000 for front&rear brakes and am wondering if anyone in here has any advice for the aftermarket brakes/brake systems? I just spoke with a repair tech at BMW and he told me that aftermarket brakes are "always" loud...really? Just trying to look at the long-run.
 
#9 ·
I posted about 7-9 months ago about a kill on a 328ci. No one believed me, oh well.

The other thing to consider with the 3.0 is the hp gains with better breathing. With the same mods an engine that is half a (l) bigger will obtain around 25-40% better gains. Torque is also easier to come by with a larger displacement engine. In the end I guess it's a question of what you're planning to do with it.
 
#16 ·
Hi there
I see its an old thread but just a few days before i ve made a dyno to my 325ti and made it 168.1 whp.
You can also see the dyno with a 323 tuned (2.5 lt - 170 hp) which made 161 whp,but the curves are not better from a 2.5lt M54 engine
Also as i have made some tests with a 330,only at speeds above 190-200 km/h can make some different.Until there we go almost the same
So i think a 325 is a very good choice
 

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#17 ·
I'm gonna call BS on those graphs. everyone knows that hp and torque cross at exactly 5252 rpms, and that graph crosses at like 3k rpms.
 
#20 ·
No matter how many y axes, the graphs are all referenced to the same x-axis. Also, they hp and torque plots will cross at 5252 rpm because:

1 hp = 550 ft-lbs/sec = 550 (ft-lbs)x(rad/sec)
1 rad/sec = 60 rad/min = 33,000 (ft-lbs)x(rad/min)

1 revolution=2(pi)radians

1 rpm = 2(pi) rad/min

1 hp = 5252 (ft-lbs)(rpm)
 
#23 ·
I just noticed that those graphs aren't using lb-ft to measure torque. They instead use kg•m :dunno Must be how they roll in Greece (I am guessing these are kgf, i.e., kg-force). It still doesn't make any sense to me. Why not use N•m like normal SI people? Also, the power is shown in metric hp :shifty

I wasted too much time trying to make sense out of those graphs already. I'll say the jury is still out, but I am not wasting any more time being the devil's advocate. Perhpas we can have one of our euro members help us out here...
 
#24 ·
The graphs are real, the difference being that the graphs axis for hp and torque are different. One is measuring metric hp vs what we are used to (sae) hp. The calculation euros use to calculate KW is kw = nm*rpm/9549. The graph shown uses KG/m not NM (1kgm = 0.102 NM) so it further makes the graph look fucky. But its a legit graph just shown with like 4 different conversions and weirdly displayed. The final product is kosher, though.
 
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