[NirDiwakar]

Hi fellow BHPians,
I purchased my G20 330i in Sept 21. Immensely satisfied by the purchase. However, I keep wondering had I spent the extra lakhs and got the M340i.
I love the fact that my 330i feels comfortable on potholes, doesn’t scrape and runs on normal fuel with a decent lifetime mileage of 10KmpL.
To spice up my drives, I am planning on going for a Stage 2 or at least Stage 1.
What I am wondering is, is it even worth it? If these mods will make it as fun to drive as a base M340i, I don’t see a reason to buy it.
I also am not sure that after buying M340i, I might feel I should’ve bought the M4
I only drive on city roads (lots of pot holes and ramps) and highways (30/70).
*I have a Jimny for bad roads.

I intend to understand what mods to get to make it as fun to drive as a M340i. Also suggestion for the place to get these mods from in the Delhi NCR area.

Thanks
Nir

[sunikkat]

Not sure, but from what I have read and heard you shouldn’t be running 330i in normal fuel. For this reason l am always using XP95.

Also don’t think it’s fair to compare tuned with stock car. I am sure a tuned 330i will bridge the gap with 340i, but then 340i has much more tuning potential.

So my suggestion is if money is not an issue, go ahead with 340i. But then you need to know that is the car you really want, as you don’t want to have buyers remorse of not going for M4. If not sure, wait, get 330i tuned and get that experience and decide on a change later.

[NirDiwakar]

In the manual it suggests we can use 91 Octane fuel. I used to use 95 octane earlier.
I understand that a M340i is a different car altogether and has immense tuning potential. If I had it, I wouldn't have thought about tuning ever.
I recently saw a Matter Watson video in which a tuned 330e performed as good as a M340i.
I am a complete noob about modifications and guidance will help me a lot. As to what mods to get, where to get in Delhi NCR.

https://youtu.be/V2Paod2vmSU?si=FPwcqCYlbjytFEdQ

[devilwearsprada]

While there's always a bigger fish in the sea, the 330i doesnt stand close to the 340i, the X-drive does change the dynamic driving feel a lot. A tune might help to make the car drive better but a stage 2 does come with its own set of woes, you'll need a good catless downpipe along with a good intake, the costs for a branded(Fi) would be between 70K-1.2L.

The total cost for the Stage 2 would be between 3-3.5Lakh and even then the car will feel a tad bit slower than the M340i.

Stock to Stock Horses, the M340i blows cars 2X its price from the competition and I recommend you sell the 330i and move to the M340i.

Also the manual suggests RON91, there's been some fair bit of discussion and 95 Octane should be the bare minimum.

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by NirDiwakar

Hi fellow BHPians,
I purchased my G20 330i in Sept 21. Immensely satisfied by the purchase. However, I keep wondering had I spent the extra lakhs and got the M340i.

I have a 330Li and took a longish test drive of the LCI2 M340i couple of days ago. The 330i is a fast car in its own right but the 340i is in a different league altogether. The instant acceleration, and urgent, relentless power delivery of the B58 is something else and kind of blew me away. I was expecting it to feel 20-30% different from the 330i but there is a massive difference and it is easy to understand why this car, with this engine, has become such a legend.

Also, more importantly, the chassis setup and drive feel is altogether different. The M340i feels super agile and changes directions almost telepathically - all the while keeping the ride flat with near zero body roll. Obviously this is not a full fat M but feels so so much like an out and out sportscar when you drive it. Had a massive grin plastered on my face the whole time.

Also, with the adaptive suspension, I dare say the ride quality in 'Comfort' mode is as good as my 330Li. Even the 'Sports' mode is supple and well damped - I left it in Sports for 75% of the test drive and was least bothered by road imperfections. Plus, this didn't scrape anywhere on the humps I tried it on either.

If I didn't have to worry about rear space for the family, I would buy the M340i eyes closed. No amount of stages on the 330 is going to give the drive feel of the M340i, apart from maybe narrowing the gap in meaningless drag spec numbers. Just my 2cents.

[Bsilver]

Tuning comes with its own pros/cons, and mostly depends on tuner to tuner, as to how well they know the vehicles they tune. For instance, I have seen Harmonixx to be the one for the 340i as they have done really impressive builds with the B58. But nothing comes close to a factory fitted/calibrated car, when compared to a tuned one. A thing to remember is there is almost 50 percent extra displacement in the 340i at 3L, compared to the 2L. But if you are a comfort oriented guy, would not suggest the 340i. Plus the extra 1L of displacement and the overall tuning, does make a big difference. When you tune, you will always feel the engine stressed, compared to the 340i, so if you are getting a good deal for the LCI one, better to go for it and enjoy the B58.

[NirDiwakar]

I'd like to rephrase my requirements. What upgrades would you suggest for making the G20 330i more fun to drive?
Reliability is a priority since, I live far away from the nearest BMW service center.
I don't mind it not being as engaging to drive as the M340i, since there is no comparison and also I won't be driving those back to back to remember how good the former is on a daily basis.
Please suggest modding shops in the NCR region too.

[Bsilver]

Originally Posted by NirDiwakar

I'd like to rephrase my requirements. What upgrades would you suggest for making the G20 330i more fun to drive?
Reliability is a priority since, I live far away from the nearest BMW service
Please suggest modding shops in the NCR region too.

A intercooler upgrade, cold air intake, an ECU/TCU tune from a reputed tuner, some good piping. You will be pushing some good amount of hp with these alone. Even more than this you may get an downpipe, auxiliary cooling, transmission oil coolers etc for even more performance.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by NirDiwakar

I'd like to rephrase my requirements. What upgrades would you suggest for making the G20 330i more fun to drive?

I am assuming you have the SWB 330i in the M Sport guise?

Originally Posted by Bsilver

A intercooler upgrade, cold air intake, an ECU/TCU tune from a reputed tuner, some good piping. You will be pushing some good amount of hp with these alone. Even more than this you may get an downpipe, auxiliary cooling, transmission oil coolers etc for even more performance.

Good suggestions. You can add a performance exhaust if you like. There are various options available from both BMW themselves (M-Performance Exhaust or 'MPE') or aftermarket from Armytrix, Dinan etc. I have the former.

[prnvaa]

Just curious if any of the experience was due to the sounds of the m340i?
Even though my TD was in fairly bad traffic I found the experience much more exciting due to the sounds of the turbo / exhaust.

[ssjr0498]

Since you mentioned that you wanted to make the car more fun to drive, I'd suggest the following

1. MPE or any branded exhaust with a valvetronic system.( I have an Armytrix exhaust on my 3).
2. Dinan, or any cold air intake swap (I have a GT momentum).
3. Bootmod3 tune ( allows you to switch back to your stock tune at your will and has multiple customizable options)
4. Switch over to better intake hoses than the crap plastic ones ( belive me will make a big difference)
5. Get rid of those RFT's if you haven't, plonk a nice set of Michelin PS4's or 5's.

That's it. The SWB is great fun to drive and the 3 mods above will most definitely bring a smile to your face.

Originally Posted by NirDiwakar

I'd like to rephrase my requirements. What upgrades would you suggest for making the G20 330i more fun to drive?
Reliability is a priority since, I live far away from the nearest BMW service center.
I don't mind it not being as engaging to drive as the M340i, since there is no comparison and also I won't be driving those back to back to remember how good the former is on a daily basis.
Please suggest modding shops in the NCR region too.

[NirDiwakar]

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

...
5. Get rid of those RFT's if you haven't, plonk a nice set of Michelin PS4's or 5's.

That's it. The SWB is great fun to drive and the 3 mods above will most definitely bring a smile to your face.

I replaced all PS4S RFTs with PS5. The drive is much smoother, almost no road noise. I have heard great things about these UHP tires. Since, I don't do track I won't know how much the sportier 4S were better. But the ride and road noise have improved a lot. Now in sport mode I can enjoy the exhaust note better.
As per the price, they costed me 1,18,000 for 4. They gave me 8k for one RFT which was new (2k driven).

Once again, one question remains. Please suggest a good modding shop in NCR.
I enquired about MPE but BMW isn't selling one for B48 right now. The service center told me maybe they're launching a new version.

Also, I test drove M340i LCI2. To be honest it's 80% more car than the 330i but with the skills I have and rules we have to follow, I'd hardly be able to extract 20% more car.
It accelerates like it'll never run out of breath. The exhaust note fills the cabin (lots of piped noise, but feels good). Looks stunning with those big M brakes and alloys. HUD adds to the factor of sportiness when you see the gear shift indicator. To be honest, if I can have the music system and HUD of the 340i, I won't feel like I am missing on something better (based on the fact I don't take my car to the track and for the expressway and city driving I do, 330i is sufficient).

[NirDiwakar]

Originally Posted by prnvaa

Just curious if any of the experience was due to the sounds of the m340i?
Even though my TD was in fairly bad traffic I found the experience much more exciting due to the sounds of the turbo / exhaust.

Yes, I test drove few days ago and feel it's the main reason. The Harman Kardon system is amazing and the piped noise feels so good. It makes the car feels sporty even below 100. After driving it and mine back to back, I don't see a reason to purchase 340i at the moment. I won't be able to experience what 340i is capable of in Indian driving conditions with the skills I have.

[ssjr0498]

Completely agree that the 340i is great, but please tune the 330i and see what it is capable off! I can guarantee you it will put a big smile on your face. I have personally driven the 340i for long enough to come to one conclusion, you cant carry 4 ppl with luggage and have a comfortable ride, the car's setup is more on the stiffer side and that makes it a little uncomfortable for drives on bad roads or when you travel more than 300-350km.

If BMW ain't doing MPE's for the 30i anymore, get yourself a Dinan or an Armytrix and you'll be sorted. Unfortunately, I don't have a personal experience with any tuning shops in NCR, but I have heard mixed reviews of shops like Auto Marc etc, who do deal in some of these brands but again, please proceed with caution as you must be aware of the general thing in Delhi, where everyone is "best" and "original"!
As far as the ecu tune is concerned, it is exactly this lack of proper places in NCR that I suggested the Bootmod3, it is completely reliable and is easy to live with, without any issues. Since, the G20's ecu is locked, you will need to unlock it most probably by Femto! You could contact Harmonixx or someone to have the ecu unlocked and then install the Bootmod3 by buying their license directly from themselves and then you could install it yourself using their phone app.

I would suggest once you're done with the ecu unlocking, you source the hardware yourself, and then I can recommend you to a place I know personally of in Delhi, who can help you install these.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by NirDiwakar

I replaced all PS4S RFTs with PS5. The drive is much smoother, almost no road noise. I have heard great things about these UHP tires. Since, I don't do track I won't know how much the sportier 4S were better. But the ride and road noise have improved a lot. Now in sport mode I can enjoy the exhaust note better.
As per the price, they costed me 1,18,000 for 4. They gave me 8k for one RFT which was new (2k driven).

Once again, one question remains. Please suggest a good modding shop in NCR.
I enquired about MPE but BMW isn't selling one for B48 right now. The service center told me maybe they're launching a new version.

Also, I test drove M340i LCI2. To be honest it's 80% more car than the 330i but with the skills I have and rules we have to follow, I'd hardly be able to extract 20% more car.
It accelerates like it'll never run out of breath. The exhaust note fills the cabin (lots of piped noise, but feels good). Looks stunning with those big M brakes and alloys. HUD adds to the factor of sportiness when you see the gear shift indicator. To be honest, if I can have the music system and HUD of the 340i, I won't feel like I am missing on something better (based on the fact I don't take my car to the track and for the expressway and city driving I do, 330i is sufficient).