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      10-19-2005, 08:25 PM   #1
spitfire6000
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Will there be a point in getting a 330 in a few months?

From everything i have read and heard, the only difference between 325 and 330 engines are different ECU, different intake, and different exhaust. The price difference is over 6k.

It seems this time around bmw has only differentiated their engines' power through secondary engine systems rather than actual displacement.

Now, if you were to get top tuner (ac shnitzer/Hamann) intake, exhaust, and ecu, would the 325 not be much faster than the 330?

And wouldnt that 330 with the same tuner parts installed be identical to the 325 with the tuner parts?
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      10-19-2005, 08:51 PM   #2
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For about the zillionth time on this forum:

1. If you want to get your car tuned, it may be worth getting a 325 and waiting for tuner parts to come out. (North American cars only.)

2. If you do this, you will probably end up spending more than the difference between the 325 and the 330 on tuner parts, and will not get the standard features of the 330, such as upgraded breaks, etc. You will also void your warantee, be subject to the unreliability of aftermarket parts and be taking large risks.

3. Therefore, if you want the power of the 330 and the stuff the 330 comes with, get the 330. If you are into modding your ride, and feel that the rewards from this are worth not having a warantee, you may be better off getting the 325 and spending the money on mods such as big brake packages, aftermarket rims, etc. and just waiting for the tuners to release their turbos, RAM intakes, superchargers and ECU upgrades. The tuner route will eventually result in a much faster car.

Pick what you want. There is no correct answer for everyone. And please search the forum for previous ramblings before starting threads that mimic 5-10 existing ones. We all think we're original, but generally people have asked the basic questions before.
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      10-19-2005, 11:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Abulia
For about the zillionth time on this forum:

1. If you want to get your car tuned, it may be worth getting a 325 and waiting for tuner parts to come out. (North American cars only.)

2. If you do this, you will probably end up spending more than the difference between the 325 and the 330 on tuner parts, and will not get the standard features of the 330, such as upgraded breaks, etc. You will also void your warantee, be subject to the unreliability of aftermarket parts and be taking large risks.

3. Therefore, if you want the power of the 330 and the stuff the 330 comes with, get the 330. If you are into modding your ride, and feel that the rewards from this are worth not having a warantee, you may be better off getting the 325 and spending the money on mods such as big brake packages, aftermarket rims, etc. and just waiting for the tuners to release their turbos, RAM intakes, superchargers and ECU upgrades. The tuner route will eventually result in a much faster car.

Pick what you want. There is no correct answer for everyone. And please search the forum for previous ramblings before starting threads that mimic 5-10 existing ones. We all think we're original, but generally people have asked the basic questions before.
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      10-20-2005, 02:16 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spitfire6000
From everything i have read and heard, the only difference between 325 and 330 engines are different ECU, different intake, and different exhaust. The price difference is over 6k.

It seems this time around bmw has only differentiated their engines' power through secondary engine systems rather than actual displacement....
Are you sure that's less difference than in the e46 3.0 vs 2.5? What did they have different apart from cams/shafts? Would like to hear from anyone who knows the answer to this.
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      10-20-2005, 07:11 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spitfire6000
From everything i have read and heard, the only difference between 325 and 330 engines are different ECU, different intake, and different exhaust. The price difference is over 6k.

It seems this time around bmw has only differentiated their engines' power through secondary engine systems rather than actual displacement.

Now, if you were to get top tuner (ac shnitzer/Hamann) intake, exhaust, and ecu, would the 325 not be much faster than the 330?

And wouldnt that 330 with the same tuner parts installed be identical to the 325 with the tuner parts?
You're forgetting about all the add'l equipment that comes standard with the 330.

You will NEVER get the same amt of power from a 325 without spending more money that it would've cost you to get the 330.
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      10-20-2005, 09:48 AM   #6
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offcourse its worth getting a 330i
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      10-20-2005, 10:03 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inline6
Are you sure that's less difference than in the e46 3.0 vs 2.5? What did they have different apart from cams/shafts? Would like to hear from anyone who knows the answer to this.
The E46 had different displacement (engine is different) one is a 2.5 liter, the other is a 3.0 liter indicating a larger bore and/or stroke combination of pistons and crank shaft. The E90 models have the same engine, the difference is intake, exhaust, and software!
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      10-20-2005, 10:25 AM   #8
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intake and exhaust DEFINITELY wont void any warrantee. i dontk now about the ecu. it might be possible that you can switch the ecu back to stock if you have a problem, then take it to the dealership.
its possible that with very good intake,exhaust, and a good ecu upgrade, the car will LOOK better, SOUND better and be much quicker then a stock 325. i think i would perfer a 325 with these mods over a stock 330, even if the 330 was slightly faster. but who knows, its possible that the modded 325 could be faster. i really dont know how many horsepower the ecu upgrade gives. im sure you can get 5-7 from intake, 10-15 from exhaust, 20-30 from headers MAYBE. i have no idea aboout an ecu. how many horsepower faster is the 330 now?
im guessing good intake would be like 300 bucks tops
good exhaust would be like 1,000 bucks tops
and headers could be like 1,000 bucks tops
how much for the ecu usually?
just giving some ideas. dont wanna upset anyone that disagrees or already has a 330.
oo. and of course. adding intake, exhaust and headers to a 330 would be a good idea.
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      10-20-2005, 10:51 AM   #9
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Like the other person said, if you are going to mod the 325 to achieve 330 power, the only reason I see for doing this is because the person likes to mod cars. The price difference, once the options are all leveled out is about 3k. Sure, you can take a stock 325i with no options and POSSIBLY get a better deal after all the mods...but you'd be missing some nice items in your car like:

1) xenon
2) logic 7 radio
3) sunroof (good thing in my opinion)
4) bluetooth
5) power seats
6) big brakes
7) better rims
8) warranty

In addition to the items listed, ecu, intake, exhaust...other differences i believe are the flywheel and brakes.
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      10-20-2005, 10:53 AM   #10
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Like everyone said, it's worth getting 330i because many of the options come standard with it. If you can afford it, get 330i IMO
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      10-20-2005, 11:33 AM   #11
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definitely get a 330!
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      10-20-2005, 11:53 AM   #12
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Exhaust is actually 98% the same

330i also has different brakes, driveshafts and diff
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      10-20-2005, 12:06 PM   #13
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330 sucks!!

Just kidding.

Can I go paste an old thread in here to stop my deja vu?

330i owners will say it's worth it.
325i owners will say maybe I can get a CAI and software from Dinan for $1000 to get 35hp.

The fact is -- it is all SPECULATION!!

We won't know until the tuners have figured it out.

And if you pay a little more and go with Dinan you will NOT void one iota of your warranty.

TBD!
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      10-20-2005, 12:18 PM   #14
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On the other hand, if don't go with any options, a base 325 is lighter because of all the standard equipment on the 330. If you buy parts with a keen eye on weight (especially unsprung) it's concievable the 325 will be quicker and handle better.

But real lightweight parts (ie. floating rotors with aluminum hats instead of the fer sho' bbk's with massive iron dinner plate rotors; real forged multi piece wheels like fiske and kinesis instead of 20' chrome baller wheels; etc) cost a LOT of money. With just a set of real performance wheels alone you'll eat up the cost difference between the 325 and 330.

If I were putting together a weekend track car that I could drive everyday the 325 would be it. But since I'm not, I'll spend the 3k extra (price difference with real world options included on the 325) for the 330.
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      10-20-2005, 12:20 PM   #15
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Quote:
And if you pay a little more and go with Dinan you will NOT void one iota of your warranty.
That's really up to the dealer you take it to, and how much you're willing to fight for your rights. Technically no mod can void your warranty unless they can prove it caused the damage per the Magnusson act (that's one right?).

But if the dealer won't fix it and bill it as warranty work the burden is on you.
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      10-20-2005, 12:23 PM   #16
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330 is great! But how many months are you talking here??? if its 6+ months, these threads will be talking about 330 vs 335 etc....

Its all based on what fits into your budget. If the pocketbook says it is ok...then get the most you can. For now...I would get the 330 anyday over the 325. Best of luck!
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      10-20-2005, 12:25 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obLu
That's really up to the dealer you take it to, and how much you're willing to fight for your rights. Technically no mod can void your warranty unless they can prove it caused the damage per the Magnusson act (that's one right?).

But if the dealer won't fix it and bill it as warranty work the burden is on you.
No, Dinan mods do not void BMW warranties. They are in agreement with BMWNA, much like Alpina is in Europe.
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      10-20-2005, 12:46 PM   #18
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What's the point in getting a 325, is more like it...

From everything i have read and heard, the only difference between 325 and 330 engines are different ECU, different intake, and different exhaust. The price difference is over 6k.

It seems this time around bmw has only differentiated their engines' power through secondary engine systems rather than actual displacement.

Now, if you were to get top tuner (ac shnitzer/Hamann) intake, exhaust, and ecu, would the 325 not be much faster than the 330?

And wouldnt that 330 with the same tuner parts installed be identical to the 325 with the tuner parts?

Um, did we forget the Stereo, fuel economy, chrome grille, and the list goes on and on and on... Geez, you're such NOOB!
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      10-20-2005, 01:01 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jomamma
Um, did we forget the Stereo, fuel economy, chrome grille, and the list goes on and on and on... Geez, you're such NOOB!
Umm do u really think the difference in stereo systems is even noticeable? Wow i have 10 speakers in my car...and u have 13. We have the same number of woofers and u might have a little more wats. Big freaking deal.

Fuel economy? What about it? its exactly the same in both cars.

Chrome grill? I can pay $6.99 and make my grill look exactly like yours.

Wheels? I dont like either of 3 series rims currently. I think buying aftermarket wheels would make the car look light years better.

What else? Brakes? umm do u really think the difference in breaks makes any difference what so ever? I can guarantee you that noone but the most informed car enthusiasts will even feel the slight difference.

Someone else mentioned sunroof...and i dont know wat they were referring to, but both the 325 and 330 come standard with sunroofs.
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      10-20-2005, 01:29 PM   #20
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Intake, exhaust and ECU will not give you 40 hp gain. BMW is using varialbe intake, timing and different fuel mapping to achieve the 40 hp gain.
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      10-20-2005, 02:19 PM   #21
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Timing and Fuel mapping IS ECU!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimmer_2
Intake, exhaust and ECU will not give you 40 hp gain. BMW is using varialbe intake, timing and different fuel mapping to achieve the 40 hp gain.
Timing and Fuel mapping IS ECU!

duh.


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      10-20-2005, 02:42 PM   #22
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i think its possible to get 40 hp! not to the wheels. but is the 40 hp difference on stock bmw's to the wheels?! i doubt it....
the aftermarket headers on my last car alone added 33 horsepower to the flywheel....
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