New to Forum, got a Z4 3.0i, need suggestions

Zero260

New member
Recently bought a Z4 3.0i and have had more fun with it than I can say. Beautiful car, handles great, engine purrs. That being said, it is a bit limited at 225 HP so I'm somewhat tempted to add more power. I'm not new to mods which means I'm far more cautious about mods than I used to be. A little history: I also have a 1996 Chevy Camaro 3.8L V6 that's been heavily modded (blower, intercooler, headers, ton of suspension stuff, etc.). At the time it seemed like a good idea, but living in one of the most prohibitive states in the U.S. when it comes to emissions, some of the stuff became "illegal" over the years. I stopped driving it and vowed that the next car I get, I'm never doing that again. I'll keep it stock. Well, here we are.... Like I said I don't want to repeat my mistakes, so I'd like to add a little more power the legal way and I would like to do that without compromising the Z's reliability on the road. This is a daily driver after all. Adding about 30 to 50 HP seems reasonable... no? Any suggestions? Links to products would be great. This is my first BMW, so I'm not familiar with all the good things available for this particular model.

Who knows.... maybe I'll change my mind about mods and just keep to my word to myself...leaving it completely stock. :P
 
Welcome!
Your engine is exactly the same as the 3.0si, so you'd think getting an extra 30hp would be easy. It would involve however, replacing the entire intake and exhaust, and remapping the ECU. Another approach is ESS makes a supercharger for the Z4, but it's rather expensive, and I'm unsure of the reliability.

IMO, you're better off saving your money and upgrading to an ///M at some point. In the mean time, enjoy the awesome handling! Acceleration is nice, but there's more to it than that. :)
 
Thanks for the reply. Yeah... price of the supercharger is quite something. That's the thing to adjust to when going from domestic cars to imports.... everything gets three times more expensive. Lol. I have a feeling I'm going to be enjoying the Z just as it is. :rofl: That's not a bad thing, though. The car handles great. It's no speed monster, but certainly a LOT of fun on curvy roads, especially with the top down. I've noticed it's hard to drive around without somebody trying to race it, whether on the freeway or from light to light. Just trying to mind my own business and stay safe (those days are behind me.... I feel my mortality slowly creeping in), plus I know when I'm outgunned. :) I'll take em in the corners! :driving:
 
Exactly! Racing on public roads is for fools. For me it's all about flying through the curves of a winding country road on a fine day with the top down. Doesn't matter if it's close to the limit or just half that, it's all good fun. In that environment, power doesn't matter much. Power is mainly good for getting around slow pokes on short straights. But if you time things right and use the right gears, 225hp will usually do the job just as well.
 
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