Infinitas Supercharged E46 330Ci

Indeed a very bizarre spec. I don't understand people who spend ten of thousands on a new car and then leave out relatively cheap options like cruise control :confused:
If I understand, all I need to change it is a wiring loom and a MFSW?

What does the resident OcUK BMW crew think of what's under the bonnet though?
 
hurfdurf said:
Get a UK M3 and figure out how to insure it reasonably... somehow?

There has got to be a loop somewhere? (I hope for your sake)
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I don't want M3 running costs!

There is no loophole. It's just a matter of not getting caught driving around on foreign plates.
The police, as useless as they are, are clamping down on this now.
 
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I don't know about BMW engines, but I looked into supercharging my 182... on them the supercharger bolts onto where the AC is normally. Wonder if it's something similar on the BMW hence no Climate?
 
Westyfield2 said:
I don't know about BMW engines, but I looked into supercharging my 182... on them the supercharger bolts onto where the AC is normally. Wonder if it's something similar on the BMW hence no Climate?
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No, the reason it has no climate is because standard fit climate on the E46 range was a UK market thing. Infact traditionally the UK spec cars have always been far better equipped than the European models.

It still has air conditioning.
 
The spec is a big turn-off for me, which is a shame because I've otherwise found the concept of a supercharged M54 quite intruiging. They are pretty popular in the USA. The trouble is of course one of the key advantages of an M54 it's ability to deliver genuinelly useful tank-range on longer trips and if a supercharger significantly compromises this you are left wondering what the point is over something with the S54. So for me its appeal would depend on the ownership costs.

If it's 330Ci costs but 340bhp, then it sounds great. If it's 340bhp but with the costs you'd expect from a 340bhp car then go and buy an Alpina B3 3.4S.
 
[TW]Fox;22409477 said:
The spec is a big turn-off for me, which is a shame because I've otherwise found the concept of a supercharged M54 quite intruiging. They are pretty popular in the USA. The trouble is of course one of the key advantages of an M54 it's ability to deliver genuinelly useful tank-range on longer trips and if a supercharger significantly compromises this you are left wondering what the point is over something with the S54. So for me its appeal would depend on the ownership costs.

If it's 330Ci costs but 340bhp, then it sounds great. If it's 340bhp but with the costs you'd expect from a 340bhp car then go and buy an Alpina B3 3.4S.
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Yeah, I came here hoping for answers regarding costs!

Retrofitting a MFSW isn't that hard though, so it's only no climate which I could live with I guess.
But I'll phone up he insurance broker and the tuning houses and see what I discover.
 
mjt said:
I don't want M3 running costs!

There is no loophole. It's just a matter of not getting caught driving around on foreign plates.
The police, as useless as they are, are clamping down on this now.
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I am pretty sure that, no matter how reliable supposedly, the SC is going to increase costs anyway...

Keep enjoying your current BMW until you find something you really want imo.
 
mjt said:
Cheers for the link. How would you describe the experience?
I'm not expecting it to be anywhere near M3 standards.


Haven't checked insurance yet. It's from a used car dealer so it should have a warranty for a year.
I know the place that fettled with the car, and I'll ring them tomorrow to see what they can tell me.
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Disappointing tbh. The car I drove had c. 320 bhp and standard box and diff. Pulled nicely but ran out of revs too quickly. If you are looking for a fast Motorway cruiser I think it would be great but I wouldn't like to be blasting one on A roads regularly.

Other thing to be aware of is that most people who did the conversion upgraded the brakes, suspension and clutch at the same time so I'd look to see if it is running on OEM parts or not.

The conversions were pretty reliable iirc and fuel economy was pretty decent too, not much lower than standard iirc.

Have a drive and see what you think but I would be wary of the insurance costs, like I said earlier, before you dive in.
 
The garage just phoned me with a p/x offer: €6000!
Must be joking. There's another one with more miles for sale from a BMW dealer for 15k!
Admittedly that one's well overpriced, but I guess this is their way of saying they don't want it :p
 
[TW]Fox;22409528 said:
I've not heard of this particular system but an ESS system seems common and is about £6k fitted...
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The ESS ones are the most popular from the research I did and certainly seem to be the most reliable. Also good customer service record and build quality etc. The twin screw gives full boost from 2k rpm so should retain the characteristics of the smooth power delivery (i.e. no big surge of power)

~4k would get a TS1
~£6k would be for a TS2 (an additional £2k would get you a TS2+)
~11k would get you a TS3 (but you can upgrade an existing TS2 or TS2+ setup to a TS3 for appox the same difference in price as most of the costs here would be labour)

mjt said:
Ways the consensus regarding running costs and MPG when it comes to superchargers though?
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Depends on the supercharger - the ESS ones claim superior mpg than stock when cruising (some sort of butterfly valve arrangement) and i've seen quite a few owners apparently getting 38/39mpg. Obviously, ragging it about will be worse than standard!
 
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