| A More Engaging Drive
This past week, a friend of mine approached me with some questions. His E90 was totaled in an accident and the car with which he chose to replace it was an F34 328GT with the N20 engine. After some time with the F34, he decided it didn’t feel quite enough like his old E90. Not one to just abandon a car, especially one with as many conveniences as the F34, he asked me what I would recommend to make the car handle and behave more like the older, sportier, more ‘fun’ BMWs he missed. This lead me to realize there is a wonderful opportunity for Turner Motorsport to step in and give you the road map to a more fun N20 platform and convince you N20 owners why the following list is full of mods you should probably make.
My friend specifically referred to the handling as ‘like that of a minivan’ (his words, not mine) and wanted to hear what I would suggest in the suspension department that would keep it comfortable as a daily but sporty enough to have some fun behind the wheel in the twisties. For this, I gave him specific instructions: H&R Sport Springs and Koni adjustable dampers.
The H&R lowering springs are perfect for achieving a lowered center of gravity and sportier driving feel without adding bouncy harshness associated with most lowering methods. Really, ride quality is more determined by the dampers, but the H&R Sport Springs will certainly not reduce ride comfort. Plus, you have the added benefit of inspecting other suspension components while you have your springs off the strut assemblies. Things like strut tower mounts, shock tower mounts, sway bushings, end links, and so on.
Since you have to take off the springs, which is an involved process to most DIYers, and your lowered ride height might shorten the lifespan of your factory shocks/struts, we suggest you change those out with Koni adjustable dampers. The biggest benefits of these dampers are that they have been designed to work with lowered vehicles, are damping adjustable for comfort or sport settings, and carry a lifetime warranty through Koni. I personally use an H&R/Koni combination on my BMW and have praised it for years.
Bilstein sport dampers are a fantastic alternative. Bilstein may have more weight in their name with certain BMW owners, and we definitely know that is important in the buying decision process. Their equipment is found on factory sport model BMWs for good reason, and are perfectly capable of working with lowered cars. The benefit of a fixed damper force is that you know it is precisely set to balance handling and comfort, the downside is you are making some sacrifices in both departments by not having the ability to select between the two extremes. |
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| Wheels make a noticeable difference in how your car looks, but can make a marginal difference in how it feels on the road. With a lowered ride height, you will undoubtedly want to run more aggressive wheels to fill out the fender gap and give your BMW a beefier stance. APEX wheels are lightweight, affordable, and perfectly sized for impeccable fitment on your BMW. We highly recommend these wheels, but ultimately your decision should rest on what wheels make you happiest. Do that, and you can’t go wrong. Except if you put Daytons on your F3X. We might take offense to that.
In the power department, forced induction four cylinders have plenty of room for improvement. The N20 is by no means a slouch, but it could definitely benefit from more power and responsiveness. With old cars, the recipes for more power are fairly endless, unique, and often conflicting with other theories. With these new turbo fours, it’s pretty cut and dry. We’ve taken all the guesswork out of the equation for you and offer you three easy solutions: |
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| Stage 1:
For modest gains, improved throttle response, and some whooshy induction noises, the Turner Motorsport Stage 1 kit is your perfect initial upgrade package. It may just be an intake and a tune, but the beauty of the N20 engine is that these simple modifications make a huge difference. Up to 39hp and 62ft-lbs of difference. That’s no laughing matter and only works out to a few dollars per horsepower, which is fairly rare in the motorsport world, especially in an ‘economy’ oriented car. | |
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| Stage 2:
For a little more umph than the S1 package, the S2 kit includes our Turner Motorsport Front Mount Intercooler and gives you the cooling performance needed to prevent heat soak. The addition of a performance muffler, not included in the kit, with the S2 package yielded 45hp and 66ft-lbs. We highly suggest you also get a high-flow muffler or full exhaust to take full advantage of the intake, intercooler, and tune, but the intercooler by itself will be a welcome addition with the upcoming hot months. | |
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| Stage 3:
On top of everything in the S1 and S2 packages, (that’s an Injen intake, intercooler, and tune for those following along), the S3 kit includes the Wagner Tuning high-performance down pipe. With all that, and a high-flow muffler of your choice, the kit can help your N20 make up to 56hp and 82ft-lbs over factory power output. This is no laughing matter when you consider the dollar-per-hp figure. | |
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| | | Mufflers are, again, up to you. We know sound is a big deal when it comes to tuning your car, and we firmly believe it is a personal choice. However, we absolutely love Supersprint Exhaust and used their high-flow performance muffler in testing the power output of our upgrade packages. Their muffler comes with high praise from those of us at Turner Motorsport, so definitely consider Supersprint when you go to modify your BMW.
With more capable but still comfortable suspension, APEX wheels, and a performance upgrade package from Turner Motorsport, your F3X or F2X N20-powered BMW will be a new car. Well, new to you, anyways. The biggest takeaway should be that, with little effort and relatively low-cost investments, you can take your F3X or F2X to a new level much more in-line with BMW’s traditional sporty values. Of course, there are many more ways you can upgrade your BMW, but we think these are the perfect ways to bring back some of the sheer driving pleasure to your daily driven BMW powered by the N20. |
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