[lux.sh]

Sell my 2006 330i with 58k miles for 20k (KBB, GOOD rating value, private party, part-out profit not included).
+Buy a 2007 335i with 55k miles for 21k (Autotrader)
+Spend $4,000 *assuming I saved up for it ($4400 for this camshaft mod + shipping + installation = $5000 - $1000 = $4000) on 335i. Get wheels, ecu tuned, CF here and there.

= You have one beautiful 335i with whp/wtq that an average N52 will never see.

Did I hear someone talking about camshaft on 330i?

In reality though, I know selling/buying a car involves more financial hit than one would expect. There are different fees and costs associated with it. Not to mention the infamous HPFP problem you might have to deal with. Even after all that calculation, this camshaft package is still ridiculous considering its price and hassle. They advertised 289hp which I assume BHP at the flywheel. That is 34bhp increase, probably netting us ~28whp optimistically speaking (generally bhp advertised gains aren't very reliable). Given, better throttle response and higher redline will benefit the performance of the vehicle along with power increase, it's still not enough to justify the cost and effort you have to put through. Don't get me wrong though, I certainly appreciate tuning companies not giving up on N/A crowd and OP for sharing such interesting information. Just not the most ideal stuff for us poor 330i owners. Why spend 4k when you can spend $900 on gintani tuning for 20whp.

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

The current system for sure can generate more power, but your duration is capped. I think the current system can increase lift to the point where the valves hit the pistons. But once the cam rolls past the valvetronic rocker the valve will close. With cams for the N52 you probably don't need to increase lift, just duration. Yes, valvetronic does increase duration a little as it increases lift but you can increase its limits way beyond what it can do in stock form. If these guys did their research and reporgammed the engine map to take advantage of it, this could yeild some good gains not just in peak numbers but all through the power band.

so what are the specs for max lift and duration on the factory system vs RD's cams?

[e90pilot]

Yea... Good luck getting good KBB value. Most cars are going for $4k back of fair KBB. The car market is awful right now. But given that you could get 335i cheap too.

The only way to get power out of an NA car is to mod the internals which are expensive. I'm a firm beleiver in "you get what you pay for," so if someone made cheap cams, I'd be really careful about buying them.

I have no idea what the lift and duration values of the RD Sport cams are or even what stock specs are for that matter. I'll shoot them an email and find out.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

Yea... Good luck getting good KBB value. Most cars are going for $4k back of fair KBB. The car market is awful right now. But given that you could get 335i cheap too.

The only way to get power out of an NA car is to mod the internals which are expensive. I'm a firm beleiver in "you get what you pay for," so if someone made cheap cams, I'd be really careful about buying them.

I agree with you. That is exactly why I added "In reality" paragraph. I just wanted to mention how unrealistically priced that package is. If you think about it though, camshaft + full exhaust system + specific tuning optimized for cams/exhaust for $4300 is actually not that ugly. Like OP said, full sprint exhaust system is $2500. Hell Eisenmann muffler is $1k+.

And yes, you have to get into internal parts and serious tuning to squeeze extra juice out of naturally aspirated engines. You definitely don't want cheap parts especially when you're messing with engine parts. When I say unrealistic price, I'm trying to say that maybe 1% of N/A 3 series owners might consider it since 335 option is always available. Why bother with cams and all the headache for 20 something whp.

[TommyK]

but i will say their stuff is great quality though. but still expensive. but at least its out there. i think for the european market where the 330 is still considered to be pretty nice car so it might be more practical over there than it is here.

[michaelthepsycho]

The price is just about right IMO... It's not just the camshafts for 4.3k.

Cam = 1.5k
Exhaust = 2.0k
Tune = 0.8k

[IB6UB9ok]

Hey guys,

I totally agree with all of you. Yes, $4K is a lot to add to an old car, but as you all know and may agree "you pay to play". RD Sport or better known as Racing Dynamics has been around for more than 20 years. Their products are made with high quality. For $4K, you're not just buying material objects, you're also buying the branding, image and proven craftmanship. Don't forget, I'm pretty sure that most of that price is for R&D, tooling and QC. From a marketing standpoint, RD Sports most likely priced this package to maintain their corporate image as a highend tuner. If they priced it much lower they'd just be slapping themselves in the face and ruining what they've worked so hard for all those years to achieve. Let us not forget, this is a well engineered European sports sedan and not an import. Don't get me wrong, I love my Japanese cars but tuning a BMW is totally different and more challenging.

Originally Posted by michaelthepsycho

The price is just about right IMO... It's not just the camshafts for 4.3k.

Cam = 1.5k
Exhaust = 2.0k
Tune = 0.8k

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by IB6UB9ok

Hey guys,

I love my Japanese cars but tuning a BMW is totally different and more challenging.

it's really not when you break it down. getting into the electronics might be a bit more of a pain, but with the current reflashes and piggy-back tunes, I think that is going to be much less of an issue now. The biggest issue I can see is that the percentage of bmw owners that mod their cars is a lot smaller than other makes, so it's a lot harder to recoup costs on aftermarket parts when volume is so low. So for many companies, it's just not worth it for them to get into the bmw market.

Though I guess it's more "challenging" because there isn't a whole lot to choose from for aftermarket parts, heh.

[sachal007]

i was planning on doing this to my car but couldnt justify the cost. Yes they are high end and spent few extra dollar, but they have to show some proof to justify their cost.

do you guys really know whats the limit on our stock engine? i keep reading why supercharger is bad but have not seen some core evidence why its bad?
someone wanna shed some light ?


now one thing u guys keep talking about is the n52 swap, what is tht? are u talking about taking a n52 engine and throwing it in your cars? is it that simple?

can i just buy a n52 engine with tranny and ECM and ECU and thats it?

sorry a new guy here

[5erman]

I want this soo badly-to me this is my dream engine-a 7500 redline on this sweet valvetronic n52 3.0l. I may have to save for this as the sound alone would be heavinly at that high RPM. This would rival teh e46 m3-within 30hp but a much more advanced and smoother engine that is .2 L smaller.

How hard is it to change a cam shaft-is this something any indy shop could do?

[Wlew]

Originally Posted by sachal007

i was planning on doing this to my car but couldnt justify the cost. Yes they are high end and spent few extra dollar, but they have to show some proof to justify their cost.

do you guys really know whats the limit on our stock engine? i keep reading why supercharger is bad but have not seen some core evidence why its bad?
someone wanna shed some light ?


now one thing u guys keep talking about is the n52 swap, what is tht? are u talking about taking a n52 engine and throwing it in your cars? is it that simple?

can i just buy a n52 engine with tranny and ECM and ECU and thats it?

sorry a new guy here

You mean N54 engine?

[sachal007]

Originally Posted by Wlew

You mean N54 engine?

thanks for the correction,
yes the N54 twin turbo engine

[AlpineSwift]

I know this is an old topic but I'm curious if anyone pulled the trigger on this yet or got more info?

[BlackBimmer1991]

+1

[AlpineSwift]

If no one wants to check into it I'll give them a buzz.

[Gavin@MMW]

Calls were made at one point, but they have no info or test results to back it up. that was a few months ago though, maybe its changed.

[Wlew]

Originally Posted by AlpineSwift

If no one wants to check into it I'll give them a buzz.

Try it out and let us know. (calling them that is). If it sounds legit, I hope someone will pull the trigger.

would love to see some dynos or proof or something. I am interested to see what comes of it.

[TommyK]

i would do it but i don't see the point in spending the money on my engine in a daily driver 3 series that i put 80 miles a day on. so im buying another car w/ more hp instead