Has anyone add any mods to their car? whats the additional HP

[italiantank26]

Has anyone add any new engine or exhaust modifications to their 128i yet? I know their are very few upgrades for the 128i, and new ones are soon to be out. But I am just curious to know what people have done to their 128i and how much HP your mods might have added. And do you think your car would have enough of power to keep up with a 135 with the mods you have added. As of now the only thing ive been able to put in my car is a K&N filter. My next step is going to be an exhaust when my warrenty is up, but that won't be for a while. One last question, has anyone every thought of supercharging their 128?

[topvega]

Originally Posted by italiantank26

Has anyone add any new engine or exhaust modifications to their 128i yet? I know their are very few upgrades for the 128i, and new ones are soon to be out. But I am just curious to know what people have done to their 128i and how much HP your mods might have added. And do you think your car would have enough of power to keep up with a 135 with the mods you have added. As of now the only thing ive been able to put in my car is a K&N filter. My next step is going to be an exhaust when my warrenty is up, but that won't be for a while. One last question, has anyone every thought of supercharging their 128?

I am not up on the cost of supercharging but I wld think doing that wld put the total cost of the 128 beyond that, or at least on par with a 135... oh and the 135 has a warranty...Wldn't make much sense:iono:

[italiantank26]

Yes it would make sense to not supercharge because of the warrenty and the price, but i was just curious if anyone would seriously consider it because there is no point in adding a turbo to a 128 since if u do this you should have just bought the 135, or i guess you could add a small turbo hmm.. anyways it was just an idea.

[Lester]

Adding any kind of a forced air system to a 128 makes no sense. You will easily spend the difference from a 128 to a 135 and more, and you will end up with un unsupported hybrid, with no warranty and a possibly much shorter engine life. If you really want more hp, trade your 128i for a 135i - then start the Dinan or JB3 Riss Racing mods etc.

Who knows, there may be someone with a 135i who wouldn't mind a swap plus some $$$$.

[topvega]

There are plenty of things you can do to the 128 to improve HP but when you mention it in reference to the 135 it does not make sense if what you want is a 128 that can catch up to a 135... after spending a lot of cash on upgrades like CAI and exhaust etc that same 135 owner can plunk down a cpl hundred for a new or used JB3 and you will once again be 80hp or so down to the 135.

[imported_erick]

Seriously?

I mean you have to be kidding, seeing how the 135i is a perfect platform for engine tuning and you want to start with a 128i.

If anything, the 128i will be most reponsive to handling modifications.

[italiantank26]

The only reason the 128 might be better for engine tuning is because its a little lighter I believe, but i'm sure it does not make up for the disadvantage of hp over the 135, i was just playing with the idea

[Intenseblue]

Originally Posted by italiantank26

The only reason the 128 might be better for engine tuning is because its a little lighter I believe, but i'm sure it does not make up for the disadvantage of hp over the 135, i was just playing with the idea

That's most likely attributed to the turbocharger and additional piping and hardware, and possibly wheels/tires.

[Qube]

The only mod you'd probably want to do beyond the 'flapper' mod... is some sort of nicer sounding exhaust.

[Yuzi]

COSMETIC FTW

[drgonzo]

I think a 128i with a supercharger might be a blast! Sure its not cost effective, it voids the warrenty just thinking about it, and you will probably blow the sucker up after a while, but if someone had nothing better to do than throw time and money at something... I mean it would be the only one of its kind, thats for sure!

[Lester]

Yep, a big supercharger sticking up out of the hood, and corvette style external headers, that WOULD be cool.....

[italiantank26]

lol I'd totally do it if i had some money to blow, anyone wanna be the first owner of a 128 supercharger and tell us all what its like!

[raceman]

I'm doing now 125i to 130i OEM spec re-tuning (actually to X3 specs with 272 HP) + modded exhaust without CAT + Injen intake.
Expected power 304-314 HP.
Further is automatic gearbox optimization.
No problem to elevate 125i/128i to 135i specs, but to go further will require some serious cash, for example adding supercharger for next 100 HP.
Anyway, 128i with 400 HP would not be long lasting engine (same as 135i), but if one like exotics it is achievable.
I like 125i non-turbo engine much more than 135i and it makes perfect tuning base.

[italiantank26]

raceman when u you upgrade your car to 272 hp do you think will be able to post some numbers up such as 0-60 and the 1/4? Id be very interested to see what this car does with 272 hp

[raceman]

Originally Posted by italiantank26

raceman when u you upgrade your car to 272 hp do you think will be able to post some numbers up such as 0-60 and the 1/4? Id be very interested to see what this car does with 272 hp

I'm ordering some parts now for exterior, as well as, exhaust.
When finished pics and facts will be posted.
Expectation is based on '09 325i tuning done recently and competent ECU cracker resolved some minor issues that appeared with post 11/2008 BMW's ECU software changes that made life more complicated to ECU manipulations.
Seems that only several tuners in Europe do it well and point is that last N52 (Euro spec)engine is perfectly ready to give 272 HP with only software mods (actually all mods is to use OEM algorithm for 272 HP, without ECU rejecting it, what is very GOOOOD thing indeed) and might require final touch on exhaust system that I decided to replace anyway.
Now we cope with de-cat/intake (next step that usually makes sense without drilling). On one 135i we noticed 32HP power improvement with de-cat/rear silencer replacement only (and it is instantly recognizable improvement), but it is known that turbos react better to de-cat in general, so I would expect de-cat/exhaust optimization+intake to bring around 30-35 HP.
Budget-wise, it would finally cost a bit more than initaially expected, but still within very reasonable frame.

[maxxfish]

As a racer who wants to own a 1-series one day, I'd like to chime in.

You have to ask yourself, "Why do I need more power?" If you're planning on tracking or racing your car, the only choice is the 128. The 135 won't last more than a few laps without going into limp mode. There is a reason that you don't see 135s and 335s at the track; they can't make it through a session!

But if it's a street cruiser you're after, the 135 is the better deal off the shelf.

Personally I would much rather have a reliable NA car with a chip, cams, intake, and exhaust. Sure, once you ad those parts/installation, the 128 would be as expensive as a 135, but it would be great on track. I'll be looking for a 128 to transform in the near future.

If only BMW would have put the S54 in the 1-series!

Max

[Alow]

Originally Posted by maxxfish

As a racer who wants to own a 1-series one day, I'd like to chime in.

You have to ask yourself, "Why do I need more power?" If you're planning on tracking or racing your car, the only choice is the 128. The 135 won't last more than a few laps without going into limp mode. There is a reason that you don't see 135s and 335s at the track; they can't make it through a session!

But if it's a street cruiser you're after, the 135 is the better deal off the shelf.

Personally I would much rather have a reliable NA car with a chip, cams, intake, and exhaust. Sure, once you ad those parts/installation, the 128 would be as expensive as a 135, but it would be great on track. I'll be looking for a 128 to transform in the near future.

If only BMW would have put the S54 in the 1-series!

Max

Why would you prefer the 128i? Is the overheating really an issue anymore? I thought several racing teams have successfully overcome this issue with another oil cooler or replacing the OEM cooler with a bigger one.

[maxxfish]

Originally Posted by Alow

Why would you prefer the 128i? Is the overheating really an issue anymore? I thought several racing teams have successfully overcome this issue with another oil cooler or replacing the OEM cooler with a bigger one.

If the overheating issue is truly remedied, that's great! Can anyone confirm?

[raceman]

All serious tuners told me same.
N52 is god-given engine for tuning, not N54 (that is overall better solution, if untouched, of course).
300HP 128i to me looks way more appealing than stock 135i.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264291

[morscode]

Throw some nitrous on it yo

[E92-Lighting]

add an injen intake, well worth the money