Discussion
Someone I know is looking at selling their 2006 320si. It is on 90k miles & has a completely rebuilt engine (only completed 4 weeks or so ago), which has been fettled & remapped & is developing 230bhp. I don't know too much about the 320si, but have a suspicion it could be a good replacement for my Merc. Is £8.5k a good price for one of these & are there any pitfalls?
Edited by schmalex on Saturday 29th January 19:36
boredofmyoldname said:
£8.5 k seems cheap compared to most I have seen but not hugely cheaper than a AUC from BMW would be.
I would be interested to know how it has been worked on to produce 230bhp from a N/A 4cylinder lump, because a remap wouldn't make a huge difference.
the 320 is a 2.2 straight 6 isn't it? so wouldn't say immpossible, but not sure of the point, as it couldn't have been cheap.I would be interested to know how it has been worked on to produce 230bhp from a N/A 4cylinder lump, because a remap wouldn't make a huge difference.
also why would it need a rebuild at just 90K?
and i take it you mean CI, rather than SI?
R1 Indy said:
the 320 is a 2.2 straight 6 isn't it? so wouldn't say immpossible, but not sure of the point, as it couldn't have been cheap.
also why would it need a rebuild at just 90K?
and i take it you mean CI, rather than SI?
Older 320s were straight 6, the E90 has a 2.0 I4 the same as the 318i. The 320si is the homologation car for the WTC entry and has a worked version of the 2.0 producing just over 170bhp instead of the 150 the standard 320 produces. also why would it need a rebuild at just 90K?
and i take it you mean CI, rather than SI?
A 330 is quicker and more economical.
Lucas North said:
Yeah. It's not like Honda were easily able to produce 250bhp from an extremely reliable 2.0 I4. 
Honda had millions in R&D. Taking a duratec beyond 200bhp costs a lot of money, and taking a 170bhp zetec lump beyond 200 is also tricky.
Adding 60bhp to a NA I4 is a serious piece of engineering to then sell for £8.5k with a car that would be worth that standard.
boredofmyoldname said:
Honda had millions in R&D.
Taking a duratec beyond 200bhp costs a lot of money, and taking a 170bhp zetec lump beyond 200 is also tricky.
Adding 60bhp to a NA I4 is a serious piece of engineering to then sell for £8.5k with a car that would be worth that standard.
All depends on the engine in question, some are far better beds for tuning than others.Taking a duratec beyond 200bhp costs a lot of money, and taking a 170bhp zetec lump beyond 200 is also tricky.
Adding 60bhp to a NA I4 is a serious piece of engineering to then sell for £8.5k with a car that would be worth that standard.
If the 320si really is a homologation car, then surely it shares the same basic block and cylinder head and will have been designed from the drawing board for high power output. Even if the road car is de-tuned.
I'm not saying that it will be guaranteed fact it is 230bhp, but it doesn't seem as far fetched as some people in this thread think it is.
If I remember correctly, the engine was based on the older 1.6 engine and has got little in common with the 2.0 engine in the 320i of the same period. Though both are nominally 2.0 the 320Si engine has a totally different bore and stroke to the 320i engine and therefore has a slightly different swept volume 1997cc vs 1995cc. It also doesn't have Valvetronic system, which would otherwise limit the maximum engine speed. Dropping Valvetronic, howeverm is a contributor to the poor fuel economy. Officially, a 320Si does 31.7mpg compared with about 38mpg for a same age 320i, or 32.5mpg for an '06 330i
S1mon. said:
I used to have a 320SI, one of the worst cars i've ever had for fuel economy, this don't usually bother me as long as performace goes with it, This car how ever had neither. Couldn't wait to get rid. 
Although as nice a car the Si is, S1 MON is quite right. Terrible performance considering the fuel consumption. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff