Downfalls of fitting a Supercharger to a auto E46 330

Sparky

Sparky

Sparky

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Looking at having a play with my 330 and the route i am looking at is a supercharger fitted [by Evolve]. The unit is a G-Power supercharger that they claim produces 286BHP and 345lbft torques[stage 1]. A few lads at work have said "trade the 330 in and buy a M3".

I can see where they are coming from but, im very tempted to go with the upgrade just because in my opinion a SC 330 will be a bit of a sleeper.

I've watched numerous videos on youtube where a supercharged 330 kills a M3 on acceleration and top end but, in your opinion is it a waste of money?
 
Depends how much money it costs I suppose, I can see where you are coming from with it and I can see where they are too.

Bear in mind if those figures you give are accurate it will make the same power as an E39 540i and 20lbs/ft more torque, so very similar figures, the 540i wont kill an M3 for acceleration, now I know the 330 is lighter but only by 120kg or so in the case of a 330CI Sport convertible, so I doubt that it will do quite what you hope ...I really don't know though.

As I say, depends just how much it costs.
 
TBH an E46 M3 is hardly that different to the car in your signature, kind of negating the sleeper thing.
 
CS||nuTs said:
Looking at having a play with my 330 and the route i am looking at is a supercharger fitted [by Evolve]. The unit is a G-Power supercharger that they claim produces 286BHP and 345lbft torques[stage 1]. A few lads at work have said "trade the 330 in and buy a M3".

I can see where they are coming from but, im very tempted to go with the upgrade just because in my opinion a SC 330 will be a bit of a sleeper.

I've watched numerous videos on youtube where a supercharged 330 kills a M3 on acceleration and top end but, in your opinion is it a waste of money?
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A sc that gives only 55hp gain would be a waste of time.
 
CS||nuTs said:
I've watched numerous videos on youtube where a supercharged 330 kills a M3 on acceleration and top end but, in your opinion is it a waste of money?
Click to expand...

Yes, because there is far more to a car than acceleration and top end, an M3 handles much better than a 330i despite the M badges and Sport in description, the 330i will never be a decent handling car in comparison to the M3 and other performance focused cars.
 
You also need to consider the resale value. A modified car will sometimes be worth less and will certainly cost more in insurance. A standard car, even an m3, might be cheaper to insure (yes I know it sounds nuts).
 
Whilst it might improve the straightline performance, it's not going to add the additional suspension tweaks, brakes and other enhancements that you'd get with an M3.
Now whilst it could be argued that the M3 will be more expensive to run, personally I'd be dubious about the longer term reliability of stuffing a supercharger on the top of an NA engine and expecting it to have zero problems.
Unless you need the 4 doors and autobox, go with the M3.
 
hurfdurf said:
Yes, because there is far more to a car than acceleration and top end, an M3 handles much better than a 330i despite the M badges and Sport in description, the 330i will never be a decent handling car in comparison to the M3 and other performance focused cars.
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Yes, because a 330i is a totally different car. Oh wait..

Agree its pointless though, its hardly a sleeper, most people cant tell a 330Ci from an M3 anyway.
 
MrLOL said:
the M3 is about 310 ish or around that mark isnt it
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No, it's 343.

WRT the supercharger, it's an interesting prospect and something I'd quite like to do to my 318. However, you can do all the sums and convince yourself now that the supercharger will be the cheapest route but it won't be. The M3 will be the cheapest 'fix' and will be a lot less hassle. Fitting the supercharger (even if it's done by Evolve) will likely see some irritating teething issues - which unless you have a lot of patience, might turn the whole experience a bit sour. This will be particularly true if you need the car every day or are doing the conversion on a budget.

That said, G-Power are well established and seem to have done BMW kits for a few years now, so it might be the case that it just gets bolted on and you see years of trouble free motoring afterwards.

My main concern would be whether or not the gearbox will be able to take it - certainly worth reading up on how much they can take.

I would be surprised if you couldn't get a supercharged 330 to be quicker than an e46 M3.
 
I think its only worth it if you want something the M3 wont offer - I get the idea behind a supercharged 330i Saloon or Touring but if you've got a cab I'm firmly in the 'Buy an M3 Cab' camp.
 
You know what I would do though, buy an Alpina B3 :) ...it's more like a muscle-bound 330 in many ways but not too much like one.
 
NickXX said:
I would be surprised if you couldn't get a supercharged 330 to be quicker than an e46 M3.
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It is possible but requires a lot of work. Evolve have said that the standard internals can take upto 7psi without any additional work and that in their experience the gearbox is more than capable of taking the added power.

This one has had a stage 3 ESS twinscrew fitted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mwIAcnf9-w&feature=related
 
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