323i versus G35 Coupe.. possible?

[Gr8ful]

Hey all,

I was recently smoked and/or teased by a G35 coupe. It wasn't off the line or anything, it was actually going up a hill at about 40mph. The driver of the G35 would be barely ahead of me and as I would race up to try and pass him he would simply step on it and always be about 1 - 2 car lengths ahead of me.. then speed up even more and wait for me to catch up then stomp on me again. This was the 3rd day of having my car and I think I could of done a lot better if I wasnt as afraid to rev my engine higher etc.. Anyways, after that I started to really like the G35 coupe.. it is a very nice car and the performance seems rather impressive. However, I love my bmw and wouldn't think twice about giving it up for anything else.

Anyways, my goal is to be able to beat an infinity G35 coupe both off the line and at mid-range as well in my 2000 323i (manual transmission). First of all, is this even feasible with modifications?? I mean, I'm sure it is if I dump tons of $$ in on it, but from an economical stand point as well.. considering I'm not extremely wealthy.

So far I put a Sebring performance exhaust on it (just the muffler) and an AEM cold-air intake. I can definitely notice the performance increase but not too significantly. Next I was considering replacing my ECU ROM Chip which I was told can add a significant amount of performance. Another upgrade would be maybe to super-charge or turbo-charge it.. but that costs about $5k that I don't have

Anyone have any suggestions for modifications that will improve the performance that doesn't cost an arm and a leg??

With some more modifications, you guys think I will be able to stand a chance agains the G35 later down the road?

Thanks!

 

[flashinthepan]

Forced induction is your only bet, add 60-80 HP min.

Them G35's are nice and fairly quick ! according to what I remember reading it would take at a min. a 330ZHP to run with em, naturally an M3 would blow em. Mr Ellusive has a nice G35, check with him on performance ideas.

There is always a faster car, enjoy your 3 !

 

[Average Jae]

hmm... add a blower, lose the ac, seats and other "unnecessary" weight baring items and you might come close

the first formula nissan/infinity put in their midship plat and g35 esp as a bimmer beater was their kick ass engine. it's hard to out run that thing in a straight, but at least you have the bmw driving experience.. which i assume would be hard for anyone else to surpass even in their next gen iterations.

but i doubt you'd be faster than a g35 coupe, esp a 6mt w/ your car.. even w/ a 60-80 hp blower you'll still have less horses.. but again, you didn't get a bimmer to live 0-60 at a time, so enjoy the bimmer exp, and take it easy

 

[Gr8ful]

Thanks guys!!

If I were to install a turbocharger, would this alter the life of the engine at all? I plan on keeping this car/engine for a long time, probably up to at least 200K miles. Of course, I will stay on top of the scheduled maintainance.

 

[mikev]

with low(ish) boost 200k is about what you'll get reliably. up the boost up the strain on the engine and it'll pop sooner. save your cash and upgrade to a faster model in a few years rather than spending a few grand making your car as fast as that 330i anyway!!!

 

[PuShAkOv]

Sell the car... add the money you would have spent on Mods.. and get a BMW/other car that can beat it. You know they are making cars nowadays in mid $20K that can beat M3s.... you can consider that.

 

[ODM33]

hold on hold on, what car can u buy in the mid $20 range that will take an M3?? The Americans dont have one and neither do Japanese. Just wondering??

 

[mikev]

hold on hold on, what car can u buy in the mid $20 range that will take an M3?? The Americans dont have one and neither do Japanese. Just wondering??

well the closest i can think off would be caterham :

R300: 1.8 litre XPower K Series.
16 valve DOHC
Max Power: 160 bhp @ 7000 rpm
Max torque: 130 lbsft @ 5000 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.7 secs
Max speed:130 mph
1.8 litre 165bhp K-Series power unit
15" Alloy wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
Anti-cavitation oil system
Carbon front wings

Factory Build £23,950
Self Build £21,700

R400: 1.8 litre XPower K Series.
16 valve DOHC head
Max Power: 200 bhp @ 7500 rpm
Max torque: 150 lbsft @ 5750 rpm
0-60 mph: 3.9 secs
Max speed:140 mph
15" Alloy wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
Carbon pack including nose, wings and wing protectors
Stack instrumentation
Limited slip differential
Carbon nose and wings


Factory Build £27,700
Self Build £29,950

R500: 1.8 litre XPower K Series.
16 valve DOHC
Max Power: 230 bhp @ 8600 rpm
Max torque: 155 lbsft @ 7200 rpm
0-60 mph: 3.4 secs
Max speed:150 mph
13" Magnesium wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
Carbon pack including nose, wings and wing protectors
Magnesium upgrade pack including sump, bell housing and oil tower
Stack instrumentation
Limited slip differential
Carbon nose and wings


Factory Build £36,200
Self Build N/A



dunno if there available in the US but there a home grown balls out race car for the road. (but mostly used on track!) still doesn't do what an M3 will but then again it doesn't cost anywhere near as much. Oh Fyi in this years 0-100-0 test in a magazine the ONLY car to beat the R500 was the Radical SR3. (and they had a Zonda, Murchalago etc!!!)

 

[MrElussive]

It would be tough to beat a G35 Coupe. The differences in numbers are signficant; 0-60 in 5.5 for the G35 Coupe 6MT and 0-60 in 7.2 for the 323i 5-speed. But what you have going for you is BMW's flat torque curve. I think that next time you wanna race a G35 Coupe, you should give it your best shot. If you do better driving than the G35C driver, you should be able to take him/her.
But if you just wanna know that you can take a G35 Coupe, that's a different story. I just checked out ESS Tuning's web site and a supercharger boosts power output to 265hp, giving it a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds. The kit costs $5,500 (which does not include installation)...if it installed properly it won't affect reliability and engine longevity much at all...only your fuel economy will take a hit.
Here is the web site:http://www.esstuning.com/

 

[donmbmw]

If speed and handling are your only concerns, you would be much better served by the WRX. It's fast as hell, holds the road like a rallye champion and is reasonably priced. Of course you would be missing out on the qualities that truly define the bimmer, i.e. the feeling of oneness you get with the road and by extension the universe.

 

[MrElussive]

The WRX is fast up to 60mph. But because it is a smaller 4-cylinder enigne and a rally car (not really designed to go insanely fast), it runs out of steam real soon. There are lots of BMW owners who WRX's in a 40-70 or 40-whatever race. I believe frolf has taken a WRX once or twice before without a problem in his 328is.

 

[Coldduk]

Yes but consider the Subaru looks like a square pile of &***&^///Ca ca. Pick up girls in a Bimmer or a Box with a hood scoop....you be the judge!!!

 

[Section_8]

Plain and simple:

Not happening w/o FI.

There really 'aren't' any good E46 turbo kits in production.. There are a few being developed, but nothing that is cut-and-dry and not a homegrown system. That means I hope you know someone, otherwise $$$ to have your car shipped all over to be worked on, then it's gotta be tuned continually. E36's and the older cars are much more Turbo-happy cars than the new ones - reprogramming the ECU itself is the reason turbo kits aren't yet as common as supercharger kits (For E46's). That and the psi needed for decent turbo kits, wreck havoc on engines (any brand not just BMW's). Stronger internal part upgrades are needed, and they aren't cheap for our cars.

Superchargers are fairly safe for our cars (most brands stage ones are built to run on stock internal parts for the most part) and aren't half the trouble to install or maintain vs a turbo (The AA SC is considered 'plug-and-play' for the most part, after 12-14 hours install of course!). When you start getting into Stage 2 SC's, you need to do some serious internal engine parts ungrades or you'll have a failure sooner or later. Stage 1 SC's give about 70-90 HP and 60-80 TQ gains depending on your model car (and what brand kit, AA, ASA, ESS, etc). There are Daily drivers with 40k + on superchargers after 2-3 years that are fine w/ no issues - and there are some that just have no luck at all with them and murder engines time after time. I wouldn't FI any sort of daily driver myself, unless I had the pockets to pick up the pieces on a moments notice. (not quite yet - the reason I want 2 cars!)

With a Stage 1 SC, you can roll with E36 M3's respectively and take stock ones.. That equates to.. Making a pull with a G35 Coupe a drivers race.

A SC, with some other good mods (exhaust, shreik cams, LTW flywheel, etc) will alter things even more - possibly to the point of making it a consistant pull for you. That's a good 10k all said and done I'd guess-timate. (I'm lining up the same myself so don't think you're nuts for thinking it). I'm closing in on this one's retirement from daily duty, and granting her a 'weekend warrior' track life.

The argument of - just get a newer faster car, don't bother upgrading this one, isn't a well thought one. If everyone had pockets like that we'd all be driving M's and AMG's anyhow.. Fact is, a large aftermarket 'market' exists because folks want to make what they already have, better.. Having the car and having it paid off and yours (and knowing it's condition) is volumes better than shopping for another unproven vehicle (and possibly making darn payments..). If you get too mod-happy just build an extension on your garage, go find a beater car, and play with your toy..

 

[sinisterE36]

honestly i'd just add a header and a small shot of nitrous ( 50 hp) and that should do it,but really if you had a 330i coupe/sedan beatin a g35 shouldnt be a problem at all.
and also maybe the reason you lost was because your car was new and didnt wanna beat on it.

 

[William330]

With some more modifications, you guys think I will be able
to stand a chance agains the G35 later down the road?

My advice, which you can take for what it costs: do nothing and simply
enjoy your BMW. You have a beautiful car, don't live your life worrying
about some loser in an Infinity.

 

[tazza0712]

Agreed.