The first phase..

[//Aesthetics45]

So iam curious to know, what exactly i should buy for my first mods. I really DONT know any one else who has a BMW and to tell you the truth, iam lost.

Heres what i think i should buy:

1. Intake
2. Exhaust
3: Mod Chip


But which one is right for me?

Should I get exhaust from the cat back or get an after market manifold and the piping.

Mod chips is a whole new realm.... any thoughts?

 

[wood_e]

Chip, the intake is adequate as the BMW engineers know what they're doing. Same for the exhaust. You won't get much out of a 318, but a chip is the first thing I would get.

 

[tennesseebimmer]

Honestly IMO I think you should go with whatever suits you. Starting with a good intake and exhuast are how most enthusiasts begin. As for which brand or which setup to go with is pretty much all on you and would depend on what you plan on doing later on down the road. If you are planning to race or Auto-X, spending the money now for a good complete setup would keep you from having to splurge later on headers and such. Also you might wanna look at beefing up the suspension if you are going this route. You are right by saying that mod chips are a whole new realm. As you probably know there are a million and one companies that offer chips. I personally like BavAuto. Yes it's a tad more expensive, but I haven't had a problem with false gain numbers or product defects. Like I said before though, it's all about what you want to do with the car. My final piece of advice would be to do your homework on every product that you are looking at getting. Hope this helps. ~Joshua~

 

[Tom]

I agree that you wont see much in terms of performance gains in 318i just from bolt-ons. Force Induction is the way to go.

But if you are going to go with those three choices. I would start with intake, exhaust and then chip.

If you go with a professional tuned chip, you will need to specify if you have stock intake or aftermarket etc. They will then fine tune it so you get the best performance from your chip.

 

[sinisterE36]

my first mods would be
intake
header
exhaust
steel braided brake lines
drilled and slotted rotors

then next up would be
supercharger
suspension
18 or 19" wheels

 

[wood_e]

Ok, honestly, the intake and exhaust are well designd guys. A chip though will be more beneficial with the ADDITION of an intake and Exuaust

 

[//Aesthetics45]

Awsome. I cant begin where to thank you guys for the comments. Its just iam VERY curious about my car and i just want the best for it.

 

[B M W]

I dont know what exhaust systems are availible for the 318, but i wouldn' be surprised if most aftermarket options were the sameweight if not heavier than your factory exhaust, thus possibly becoming detrimental to your situation. My recomendation? Chip first (with premium octane), followed by a true cold air intake (this can either be one that dips near the fog light or a CAI that is in the engine bay with a heat shield). Then ehxaust if you want the tone (not the performance). After this is done and if you want mroe power and know you will be keeping your car for a long long time i'd start saving up for a downing atlanta supercharger.

It's not too expensive but one thing to consider is that this supercharger wil basically put you in 328 territory. So it might be more advantageous for you to do these small mods first, and then if you have the mod bug move back to aesthetics and save up, then sell the 318, combine with saved money, and purchase a 328 or even M3.