[chencho760]

Hey guys (and gals if any)! Great stuff on here I love it! Just got a 07 328i sedan manual. Really dont know that much about them. But love learning things from here. Any tips? (Other than "should've gotten a 335i" lol)

[GMe90]

Originally Posted by chencho760

Hey guys (and gals if any)! Great stuff on here I love it! Just got a 07 328i sedan manual. Really dont know that much about them. But love learning things from here. Any tips? (Other than "should've gotten a 335i" lol)

Congrats! Be sure to rev the engine and drive past 3,000 RPM if you want the car to move. It's pretty quick in the higher RPMs. And replace the runflats.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by GMe90

Congrats! Be sure to rev the engine and drive past 3,000 RPM if you want the car to move. It's pretty quick in the higher RPMs. And replace the runflats.

It's got good power throughout the rpms as long as you shift nice. Getting rid of the runflats is a good start. Op what are you looking to do? Cosmetic, handling, power?

[Dan Bilzerian]

Originally Posted by chencho760

Any tips? (Other than "should've gotten a 335i" lol)

Start reading threads.

[Bimmer 808]

Originally Posted by STR8-6IX

It's got good power throughout the rpms as long as you shift nice. Getting rid of the runflats is a good start. Op what are you looking to do? Cosmetic, handling, power?

Don't take the bait from this member OP. You'll see why soon enough...

[Bluewater328iT]

Best mod you can do is the 330 intake upgrade.

[YasF80_SLO]

Getting rid of runflat tires! Throw some Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's on there and thank me later

[Torgus]

What you 'should do' depends on your goals are for the car.

[chencho760]

Originally Posted by Bluewater328iT

Best mod you can do is the 330 intake upgrade.

Originally Posted by Bluewater328iT

Best mod you can do is the 330 intake upgrade.

Any one in particular?

[Joebie]

Based on the dyno graphs I see floating around it seems like the car will actually be the fastest if you keep it between 2500 and 5500rpm. That's what my feels like with my butt dyno, too.

For some reason people around here seem to think that the N52 should be driven at high RPMs if you want it to get up and go but I'd have to say that's untrue!










Oh and OP, I used to have a 135i and I do very much miss the power, but I'm not made of money and so the 328i was a more practical choice for me. Less to worry about stuff breaking! The 328i is a great car, especially when equipped with the 6 speed, and hopefully the sport package.

Here's a couple more tips!

-Your water pump WILL fail on you around 70-130k miles. Be ready to be towed or replace it preventatively
-Theres a couple common sensors that fail on the engine, eccentric shaft sensor and crank position sensors are prone to failure more than others
-Change your spark plugs on time, and be aware that your ignition coils are also more prone to failure than in other vehicles. Easy fix, but worth knowing.
-There are a couple gaskets that are prone to leaking, namely the valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket. Sometimes the rear main seems to weep but its not as common as the other two.


The 330 intake manifold mod suggested above is done by using the intake manifold from a 330i, which was the predecessor before BMW slapped a couple turbos on the e90 and called it the 335i. This intake manifold had some flaps inside that direct air where it needs to go and upped the output by 30hp if i remember right. You can sometimes find the manifold for cheap and then get your car tuned and its supposed to really wake up the motor. Mines stock though, so I wouldn't know, but 230whp sure sounds better than 200 to me!

[Bluewater328iT]

Originally Posted by chencho760

Any one in particular?

First, make sure you have the N52 engine and not the N51 SULEV engine, which already has the manifold, but is choked up with other emissions goodies that take up much of the power. You can go to realoem.com and type in the last seven of your VIN and it will tell you if you have an N51 or N52.

There are plenty of posts on this mod in this forum. Here is a link to my experience with it:

http://forum.e90fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1095889

[chencho760]

Originally Posted by Bluewater328iT

First, make sure you have the N52 engine and not the N51 SULEV engine, which already has the manifold, but is choked up with other emissions goodies that take up much of the power. You can go to realoem.com and type in the last seven of your VIN and it will tell you if you have an N51 or N52.

There are plenty of posts on this mod in this forum. Here is a link to my experience with it:

http://forum.e90fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1095889

Originally Posted by Bluewater328iT

First, make sure you have the N52 engine and not the N51 SULEV engine, which already has the manifold, but is choked up with other emissions goodies that take up much of the power. You can go to realoem.com and type in the last seven of your VIN and it will tell you if you have an N51 or N52.

There are plenty of posts on this mod in this forum. Here is a link to my experience with it:

http://forum.e90fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1095889

Its the N52N manual

[n55jb4]

1. get rid of run flat tires, if you still have them or keep them as a spare set (for emergency situations). The ride is a lot better with normal tires (not as bumpy and more planted)
2. buy a waterpump kit and keep it in the trunk. When it will fail - it will save you down-time and money if you already have it: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...11517586925kit You can skip it if you are short on money, but at least consider buying it when you get a chance
3. n52 engines are barely tunable. All you can really get is a 3 stage intake from 330 (that was mentioned above), chip tune and catless downpipes. I would go for first two and avoid catless downpipes as you will get more noisy exhaust and smelly car on cold startups and issues with emission inspection when you'll need one. It won't add that much power anyway, so skip it. 3 stage intake and a tune can give you 15-25hp more - which is noticable but cost money, so it's up to you. Maybe you can do it down the road when you'll want more power, but remember n52 is aimed toward reliability more than power, so try to stick with it
4. Depending on if you got Sport package or not - you may have sport suspension (lower and a bit stiffer) and sport seats and sport steering wheel. If you don't - you can always consider swapping non sport parts for sport ones. Sport seats are more comfortable and give better side support and thigh support. Swapping steering wheels are also common. Suspensions are more complicated. Probably best way is to choose either a set of shocks with matched springs or coilovers - that will give you less body roll during cornering and ability to lower your car (lowered cars look a lot better)
5. Consider doing black grills and tint and blacklines on rear taillights - just looks better
6. Biggest improvement is when you swap some good rims and tires - costly tho
7. Also, you can consider changing trunk for CSL trunk - looks good for sedans, or put a spoiler - looks good on coupes. A front bumper lip is also a good choice to improve the looks of the car
8. You can also consider installing Angel Eyes - those famous BMW white halo rings. If you have Bi-Xenon - then you can just buy LED bulbs like LUX 180W
9. You can wrap the trim inside your car to any color choice or carbon fiber style
10. If you care for exhaust sound - you can consider buying a Performance Exhaust - best exhaust for e9x series, but costly. Gives deep sound without drone
11. You can install Cold Air Intake - like AFe, but gains are minimal, but it chnages a bit sound of engine tho - which is good
12. MAINTENANCE (you are lucky you don't have n54):
a. oil/filter
b. coolant
c. brake fluid
d. spark plugs (if you are over 100k miles)
e. buy some coils to have them as a spare when you'll need them - they are cheap anyway
13. You can change shift knob (shifter) to a M sport or Performance
14. Bu ya Carly adapter with Carly App - to be able to check error codes, clear them and code many functions in your car
15. You can do Clutch Delay Valve delete - search forum or google it
Too much stuff to list really, but decide what you want to do first - there's not enough time and money to do everything anyway

[Efthreeoh]

If you plan to keep it a long time, just keep it stock and save the money for maintenance. This is even more important if you do not turn your own wrenches. If you don't DIY, then take the car ONLY to a qualified BMW-trained (certified) mechanic. Non-certified mechanics will fuck up a BMW royally. Do not buy parts from AutoZone, O'Reilly's, or Advance Auto Parts, etc. Only use BMW genuine parts or the same parts from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of BMW parts. Don't over maintain the car, it doesn't need it.

[335udm]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If you plan to keep it a long time, just keep it stock and save the money for maintenance. This is even more important if you do not turn your own wrenches. If you don't DIY, then take the car ONLY to a qualified BMW-trained (certified) mechanic. Non-certified mechanics will fuck up a BMW royally. Do not buy parts from AutoZone, O'Reilly's, or Advance Auto Parts, etc. Only use BMW genuine parts or the same parts from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of BMW parts. Don't over maintain the car, it doesn't need it.

+1
____

My car is stock; I put money into consumables, e.g., tires, etc., and gas. You gotta be moving quite quickly to drive such a car 'flat out' . . . also blessed with BMW Specialist - all BMW trained Master Techs. I gladly pay them for work I cannot / will not do.

[Bluewater328iT]

Originally Posted by chencho760

Its the N52N manual

N52 is the candidate for the intake mod when you are ready for it!

[Built My Way]

Originally Posted by n55jb4

1. get rid of run flat tires, if you still have them or keep them as a spare set (for emergency situations). The ride is a lot better with normal tires (not as bumpy and more planted)
2. buy a waterpump kit and keep it in the trunk. When it will fail - it will save you down-time and money if you already have it: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...11517586925kit You can skip it if you are short on money, but at least consider buying it when you get a chance
3. n52 engines are barely tunable. All you can really get is a 3 stage intake from 330 (that was mentioned above), chip tune and catless downpipes. I would go for first two and avoid catless downpipes as you will get more noisy exhaust and smelly car on cold startups and issues with emission inspection when you'll need one. It won't add that much power anyway, so skip it. 3 stage intake and a tune can give you 15-25hp more - which is noticable but cost money, so it's up to you. Maybe you can do it down the road when you'll want more power, but remember n52 is aimed toward reliability more than power, so try to stick with it
4. Depending on if you got Sport package or not - you may have sport suspension (lower and a bit stiffer) and sport seats and sport steering wheel. If you don't - you can always consider swapping non sport parts for sport ones. Sport seats are more comfortable and give better side support and thigh support. Swapping steering wheels are also common. Suspensions are more complicated. Probably best way is to choose either a set of shocks with matched springs or coilovers - that will give you less body roll during cornering and ability to lower your car (lowered cars look a lot better)
5. Consider doing black grills and tint and blacklines on rear taillights - just looks better
6. Biggest improvement is when you swap some good rims and tires - costly tho
7. Also, you can consider changing trunk for CSL trunk - looks good for sedans, or put a spoiler - looks good on coupes. A front bumper lip is also a good choice to improve the looks of the car
8. You can also consider installing Angel Eyes - those famous BMW white halo rings. If you have Bi-Xenon - then you can just buy LED bulbs like LUX 180W
9. You can wrap the trim inside your car to any color choice or carbon fiber style
10. If you care for exhaust sound - you can consider buying a Performance Exhaust - best exhaust for e9x series, but costly. Gives deep sound without drone
11. You can install Cold Air Intake - like AFe, but gains are minimal, but it chnages a bit sound of engine tho - which is good
12. MAINTENANCE (you are lucky you don't have n54):
a. oil/filter
b. coolant
c. brake fluid
d. spark plugs (if you are over 100k miles)
e. buy some coils to have them as a spare when you'll need them - they are cheap anyway
13. You can change shift knob (shifter) to a M sport or Performance
14. Bu ya Carly adapter with Carly App - to be able to check error codes, clear them and code many functions in your car
15. You can do Clutch Delay Valve delete - search forum or google it
Too much stuff to list really, but decide what you want to do first - there's not enough time and money to do everything anyway

16. Gaskets, gaskets, gaskets! Enjoy your sports car

[335udm]

Originally Posted by chencho760

Hey guys (and gals if any)! Great stuff on here I love it! Just got a 07 328i sedan manual. Really dont know that much about them. But love learning things from here. Any tips? (Other than "should've gotten a 335i" lol)

Chencho, Congrats! What is the spec of the car? If it is Sports package / suspension, my testimony will be get off the Run Flats as soon as practical. No rush, just when budget allows. - and please do "advanced search' on BimmerPost re "RunFlats" because your further questions have probably already been answered.

[chencho760]

Originally Posted by 335udm

Chencho, Congrats! What is the spec of the car? If it is Sports package / suspension, my testimony will be get off the Run Flats as soon as practical. No rush, just when budget allows. - and please do "advanced search' on BimmerPost re "RunFlats" because your further questions have probably already been answered.

Everything is stock bro. I keep reading and everyone says the dame thing about the run-flats.

[Ali-E90]

Ditch the run flats. See my signature for what I did to my car, may inspire your own path.
PM if you have any questions for me.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

[chencho760]

Originally Posted by Ali-323i

Ditch the run flats. See my signature for what I did to my car, may inspire your own path.
PM if you have any questions for me.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

How bout lowering it? Any recommendations?

[Dan Bilzerian]

Originally Posted by chencho760

How bout lowering it? Any recommendations?

Ohlins Road and Track