Should you modify a non-M BMW E46?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
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While the E46 M3 is the superstar of the family, the other, more affordable E46 models have remained very popular with enthusiasts. Today I discuss what I believe is the best way to modify a base E46 and what to expect when you do so.
K&N Cone Intake
Magnaflow Muffler
Eibach Lowering Springs
Bilstein B8 Front Struts
Bilstein Rear Shocks
H&R Rear Sway Bar
Dinan Short Shifter
ECS Tuning 15mm spacers F&R
ZHP Shift Knob
buzzytheblue.com/
Yes.
The answer is yes.
this is exactly what i was looking for....
(i am looking for: things im willing to do behind the scenes to upgrade the car I already love)
(not looking for: visual mods, turning into a track car, trying to create an M3)
Thank you.
the value of car + upgrade is a one-way trip ..... p.s i have an individual bmw E46 with rare paint..... I plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off
Considering what this video is, it's surprisingly emotional!
Right he spoke so fluidly it was an experience 😂
This isn't just a video to encourage a non m e46 driver to modify the car. Its a manifesto of what the e46 can be and how elegant the car is even when it has less than 190hps. Its about the feel the car when you turn the wheel just right, apexing the turn beautifully. Pressing the throttle to here that amazing I-6 engine sound. Its a car you love because it puts a stupid little child like smile on a grown man's face. That is what make a BMW a BMW. It develops a soul. It becomes a person. It becomes, The. Ultimate. Driving. Machine.
You speak very well and this video flows, I am surprised you don't have way more subscribers! Thanks for the content
I actually chose a 325ci over an M3. It’s so much more elegant and timeless. The M3 body kit now looks dated.
that’s what i got the convertible kind
Just bought my 3rd BMW.. First was a 5 speed e39 528i, second was an Auto 540i, and now 2005 e46 330xi 6 speed.... Black on black, very clean yet approaching 200k miles. Absolutely love the car, 225 hp is just enough to have some fun, all wheel drive great all around weather in NE and 6 Speed makes driving funner. Def plan to upgrade the handling mods you mentioned. So far I have bought a ZHP M shift knob and a M style steering wheel.
Congrats on your car! As I’m sure you know, if you take care of it that engine will go for many more years to come. Always wished my 325Xi was a 330 haha, nice bump in power and torque. Thanks for watching.
Great video and professional explained! Keep it up!
I’m a beginner and I’m a huge fan of E48s, I’ve been looking into a 318i and just fix it up with the spare cash but I’m scared about the reliability factors and since it’s an old BMW it would probably be very expensive to constantly get things repaired
I messed up and am doing things backwards.
But I bought a supercharged E46 ///M3 and I am now realizing I want to leave it at home and have a daily.
I know someone with a E46 330i ZHP for a good price and think that might be a solid option for a daily.
You’ll certainly have quite the set of cars lol. Not many people that can say they have a supercharged M3 and then a ZHP daily, sounds like a pretty happy “mistake” to me.
Was very informational and helpful, good video man.
I keep telling them it is not the car. It is the driver 400k e46, still strong. No lights on other than the plate light. I think you know why I don't fix those lights.
loved the honest video
Gotta check that check engine light bro
Sweet video dude! I’m hoping to do some more mods on my e46 m3 soon!
Driver's Side Thanks man! What do you have planned for your M3?
BuzzytheBlue lots! I just finished installing most of the carbon fiber bits I wanted for it, now I want to do things like suspension, wheels, intake and exhaust
Driver's Side Awesome, what intake are you thinking? The Gruppe M and Eventuri are great choices.
BuzzytheBlue I was thinking eventuri because the sound is so great!!
Driver's Side Can’t go wrong with it, I almost bought one for my Z4M before I went insane and got the CSL style carbon box.
Noice Douglas Dakota picture.. nice car as well sound sweet as a nut,, although, I don't think I've ever seen a 4x4 model variant.. interesting. UK here.
I'll be inheriting a near-pristine BMW 528i SE (1998) e39 one day, grandad's car, 170,000 miles on it. It has to be seen to be believed, no rust, mint leather interior smells as it should and wheels not 1 scratch.. fun car to be in.. and it's a manwell!..
A friends family had one, 1 year newer! And it was totally fucked after nearly 20 years on the road, rust everywhere! Scrapped.
BuzzytheBlue I love your channel, keep up the good work!
I'm wondering if the 330xi is much better than the 325xi. I found a great deal on the latter, but an unsure if I would be better off waiting for a 330xi instead.
The difference is noticeable but by no means huge. The 330 will feel quicker but is by no means fast, neither really will be. If time isn’t an issue I’d probably wait to find a clean, reasonably priced 330. However, if you need the car sooner, you won’t be disappointed going with the 325 instead.
@@BuzzytheBlue Thanks for your help. I think I will go with the 325xi then. Plus, it's sitting on BBS rims :)
Subscribed, keep up the good work.
First of all, great video dude. But is tuning possible for my Non-M E90 320i?
I would be less inclined to mod an M car, because I risk tanking the value, wheras a 4k base model, that isnt a concern.
Doing suspension, m3 wheel and sport seats makes a huge difference
Yeah I would’ve loved to have sport seats in mine. With the suspension work I did, it was very difficult to keep yourself in place in the base E46 seats haha!
@@BuzzytheBlue it really makes a huge difference haha. allows you to focus on driving instead of worrying about falling out of your seat
Hey man just found our channel and i love it. Im byin a bmw 316i 2003 105hp. Do u recommend any mods to make it faster? Thanks a lot
Thanks man! I’d leave it completely stock power wise, chasing more power will be expensive for no real improvements. Focus on maintenance first, good tires next, and quality suspension upgrades after that. And be aware of how much money you’re putting into it, if you spend too much you could’ve just upgraded to a faster car.
Alright man appreciate your answer thanks a lot
Roughly how much were all the parts for these mods?
Well spoken thanks
now i dont know what to do, i have a automatic 325i, i thought of going all ebay on it, turbos, suspension (already installed) and swap for a manual transmission, after watching the video now im asking myself if i should invest in it or get a e90. but yeah i think i sell it and at least get a e90 to upgrade
If all you’ve done is suspension work so far then I’d DEFINITELY bail on the rest of those ideas haha. Find yourself a clean 335i as a starting point if you want turbos and more power. Much more cost effective. Or, alternatively, just enjoy your auto E46 for what it is, an awesome daily with sweet handling.
Do you have the stock intake and filter on your XI? Intro clip sounded amazing.
It's just a K&N cone intake, made a massive difference in sound.
Whats your exhaust setup on the 325? I have a 325xi and want to change my exhaust for a better sound
I’m thinking of running some upgraded fuel injectors
Then trying to tune the ecu
Was the sound in the beginning recorded in the cabin :O How does it sound so loud? I've watched other videos where inside the car there is almost no difference between the throttle with and without CAI. That's the main reason I still haven't put one in my car. Pls share if you've done sth different to sound so loud inside the cabin, or if the microphone was near the engine bay.
Madness Mic was in the engine bay haha! It wasn’t that loud in the cabin, BUT, the K&N cold air definitely made the induction sound much more noticeable in the car too. I was happy with it. For the $200 or so that it costed I thought the difference in sound was worthwhile in person.
Excellent take. How much oil does your E46 burn?
My two E46s (both M54) didn’t really burn any oil at all. Now LEAKS, that’s a different story haha!
@@BuzzytheBlue Thanks for the follow up. Btw, I've done a few Oil Filter Housing Gaskets and just discovered they can be replaced with viton synthetic rubber instead of the OEM which becomes brittle and cracks.
So I’m paying really close attention to the parts and setup you listed there. But my car is RWD, a 2001 e46 330i. Do you think the same setup would be good on my car even though it’s now AWD?
Yep, should still work perfectly, the AWD and RWD E46s fundamentally drive very similarly besides limit oversteer situations.
Hey this is gonna sound dumb but you think I can add a turbo on my 2001 325xi if not is there another way to make it a little bit fast.
“Easiest” way would be a supercharger kit but you have to pay to play. They’re like $5000. All that money and still less power than a stock M3. Doesn’t make a ton of sense.
i have a 04 325ci n for an 04 that thing moooooves n lowkey sounds good for stock. what should i add
Regular maintenance obviously but suspension is a good one, intake if you’d like. The interior is huge idk if yours has the wood trim but I would wrap those part
What type of rear sway bars can I get for the 330xi I already have the same lowering springs and suspension that you recommended
I did the H&R rear sway bar on mine, should work perfectly on a 330xi as well. I forgot the exact size of the one I chose but I can tell you when I installed it I set it to the firmest. I wanted the car to rotate more and it absolutely achieved that, in the rain the car even had some lift-off oversteer after the sway the bar. Far less understeer too. Overall it made as big or even more of a difference than the springs/struts, really handled beautifully.
@@BuzzytheBlue I tried looking it up for the 330xi and it doesn’t come up sadly
Doesn't lowering a 325xi mess with the awd?
Maybe if you slammed it or went really low but the springs I put on only dropped it to a regular 325i ride height. Never had an issue. Even beyond that I haven’t heard much definitive evidence that it’s bad for the system.
@@BuzzytheBlue thanks for the reply! I just ordered some !
What kind of exhaust modification do you recommend
Keep it simple and keep it fairly quiet. I'd leave everything stock and just go with a free flowing muffler. I had magnaflow on mine and it sounded great. They don't sound good when they're loud typically.
BuzzytheBlue 👍🏽
Woow I guess I should just sell my e46 328i
Not necessarily! As long as you accept it’s limitations power wise, hold onto it. But if you want a bunch more HP it could be time for something else.
Gotta change the depressing music
I’ll pass that along to 2019 me 😂
Just get the proper M3...
That’s not an alternative for everybody considering even my modified 325 was about a third or even quarter of the price of a well maintained M3. Before factoring in the drastically higher running costs. Non-M E46s are a good entry point for a lot of people.
Would be much wiser to driver a beater car while you save up on the side for a proper M than spending time/money on a non M, just saying. And a modified 325 is can't be compare to an M3
No one compared it to an M. I say right in the beginning of the video to just get a faster car if you don’t think the base E46 is enough. As I said, even with the “modifications” (it was really just a suspension refresh) to this car it cost 1/4th the price of a sorted M3. Its a completely different market you’re discussing.