Ok guys...help me shop! I have a small budget, but let's just say that's not an issue at this time. I want to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for. There are SO MANY CAI on the market, it's scary! Unfortunately, Cobb doesn't do anything for my non-speed 3. Punks...

Anyways, what I'm hoping to do is gain a little HP, but also make my car enjoy those curves more! My body roll is good, so I'm thinking strut/sway bars with lowering springs.

What manufacturers do you guys trust? I don't want to buy something then have it snap while I'm going around that kick-ass curve at 80MPH!

Well you saw the dyno from my MS CAI on my old 3.... Pretty much zero whp gain, and what, 5wtq gain? Good improvement in throttle response from it, and the awesome sound.

There are tons of sway and spring options for the 3's out there. I had the Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs and loved them; the perfect drop imo. Not sure on sways for the 3 though.

In my opinion you don't need to buy anything for your car b*tch! You already kicked my ass on 6th Ave. I really don't want to be embarrassed any more!!! GRRR!!! Oh dang... I better get off now... I am hyperventilatingjust thinking about it!

Even though I only have sways from them at the moment, I've always liked the stuff from Racing Beat.

bmwzoom wrote:In my opinion you don't need to buy anything for your car b*tch! You already kicked my ass on 6th Ave. I really don't want to be embarrassed any more!!! GRRR!!! Oh dang... I better get off now... I am hyperventilatingjust thinking about it!

LMAO Bree!!! You crack me up!

Thanks for the info Andrew! Sounds like I'll be working more on my suspension than I will on the CAI...don't want to spend money on 0 gain. I remember you being a bit tiffed when I did my dyno and we compared numbers.

I was also going to say skip the CAI the only thing it will do is the look and sound.

get a good progressive rate spring or you will hate yourself. Also upgrade the struts. I'm not sure about companies though.

Edit: The RB stuff may be the way to go for you.

Suspension and tires will give you way more return on your money spent because those pieces are constantly influencing you as you drive.

Do you want to go for maximum handling improvements or more for just the eye candy appeal? Usually, those are 2 different things when it comes to lowering springs. Lowering TOO much can be bad. Which springs do what on the 3- I have ZERO clue though.

If you stick with the name brands- Eibach, H&R, Racing Beat.... you should be fine. And keep in mind that a spring upgrade may also benefit from a strut/shock upgrade at the same time.

Installation should be easy. All you'd need to pay for afterwards is an alignment after you drive around for a week or so letting the springs settle in on themselves and the spring seats.