Its all about the BHP - or is it?
- Thread starter Gwest44
- Start date
Avityesboy
Member
It depends on what you personally want from the car…if it’s something for the missus to bumble around in or you are quite happy plodding around with the lovely looks then lower bhp is fine I guess…
Scottish Borders
Like a lot of specifically brain damaged engines the 18i feels really flat..the 28i was the truest reflection of the N20..
Quite a few of our guys have had their 18i re-mapped .chuckling all the way..
At 28i stock level or greater BHP its transformational..it just feels like a very different car.
Whining about boot space..get a grip..spend a week going to the IoM on a Ducati 900 Super Sport defines small luggage allowance.
A re-mapped auto was a great car..I'd have a post 2015 N20 auto again..if it was not for the fact that I never do the same thing twice..
Quite a few of our guys have had their 18i re-mapped .chuckling all the way..
At 28i stock level or greater BHP its transformational..it just feels like a very different car.
Whining about boot space..get a grip..spend a week going to the IoM on a Ducati 900 Super Sport defines small luggage allowance.
A re-mapped auto was a great car..I'd have a post 2015 N20 auto again..if it was not for the fact that I never do the same thing twice..
At the summit of the picturesque fens
Our first E89 was an unmapped 18i. It was truly terrible. The 18i was only introduced to try and rob sales from the MX5, at a similar price point (without any BMW options of course).
The N20 was not designed to be so gutless. It was designed to be 28i spec; 245bhp and 350nm (ish).
So BMW in their infinite wisdom mapped the car to get rid of ALL the boost pressure before it got anywhere near the inlet manifold.
This is borne out by the official fuel consumption figures. The 18i and 28i are officially exactly the same.
The complete lack of turbo boost made the 156bhp 18i feel more like 56bhp and there was no torque cos the turbo was redundant.
I bought our 18i as I did my research beforehand and was planning on a remap straight away. The few times I drove it before the remap were horrible. Flat spots everywhere, no pull. It seriously felt like there was a major issue with the engine (and it had done 22k miles).
Had it mapped, so instantly added 120bhp and 150nm. It was the best £300 I have ever spent.
The N20 was not designed to be so gutless. It was designed to be 28i spec; 245bhp and 350nm (ish).
So BMW in their infinite wisdom mapped the car to get rid of ALL the boost pressure before it got anywhere near the inlet manifold.
This is borne out by the official fuel consumption figures. The 18i and 28i are officially exactly the same.
The complete lack of turbo boost made the 156bhp 18i feel more like 56bhp and there was no torque cos the turbo was redundant.
I bought our 18i as I did my research beforehand and was planning on a remap straight away. The few times I drove it before the remap were horrible. Flat spots everywhere, no pull. It seriously felt like there was a major issue with the engine (and it had done 22k miles).
Had it mapped, so instantly added 120bhp and 150nm. It was the best £300 I have ever spent.
North West Surrey
It's funny how our expectations have changed over the years. My Capri 2.8i was a quick car back in the 80s, but only had a claimed 160bhp!
But there is no way I would have had it 7 years without getting a remap. 7 days would be a stretch.
But there is no way I would have had it 7 years without getting a remap. 7 days would be a stretch.
But a Crapi weighed about 3 ounces, an E89 weighs three tonnes!