Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Modifications & Accessories (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/)

-   -   Video: My BMW 328i with the Steinbauer Powerbox (Now 300+ HP) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/183988-video-my-bmw-328i-steinbauer-powerbox-now-300-hp.html)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvYQjzpWXY&t=391s

The video includes installation of Steinbauer powerbox & before / after dyno runs;



And initial driving impressions of the power upgrade;



The installation was plug and play and took about 15 mins. Steinbauer box & wiring / cable were of really high quality :thumbs up

The Dyno Runs were done at KS Motorsports, Mumbai & the Dyno reading was as follows;

Before;



The stock car with Intake & Exhaust at the dyno got 222 WHP.

So considering drivetrain loss with a modern ZF Gearbox of aprox 16%, we get aprox 257 hp at the Crank.

After;



^ 268.4 WHP & 312 HP at the crank.

The overlay chart looks as follows;



Total Gains were 46 HP in power & 55 NM of torque.

All this on Regular fuel (91 Octane)

Considering the above gains & installation time, We added 3 HP every Minute clap:

An excellent review on an excellent car. Couldn't have expected any less than you sir. :thumbs up

I think that the 328i is the most VFM offering by any manufacturer when it comes to performance and is amongst a dying breed of cars mainly due to FE addicts and poor resale value for the petrol.

The BHP/Rs value this car offers is truly unparalleled.

What exhaust are you using BTW?

Regards,
vishy76 :)

Wonderful review Karan :)

This tuning box looks like more advanced and the gains are impressive. It's as good as a remap, I believe. Also, the dyno has proved the gains. It would have been very difficult for the Butt dyno to judge the gains as the 328I is FAAST even on stock map :D.

Thanks Vishy :thumbs up

The car is running on the ///M Exhaust now.


Thanks Dr.Naren :thumbs up

Yes the gains are really good for a Powerbox, it also gets a potentiometer to increase the power output more (will post a pic shortly)

Also yes as you correctly said that the dyno results helped identify and quantify the gains.

Fantastic Karan, I think you've done up your car very tastefully and given us people sitting on the bench tremendous info on what would be most bang for buck. Now the real question, how much did the Steinbauer box cost? I've heard its Euro 1k+? Did you have to pay customs on it? How much did you pay for installation?

Man, your car must be awesome to drive! Compact, chuckable and now with over 300 horses - the perfect combination. This is the beauty of turbo-charged engines; extracting additional horsepower is so easy. Give me the 328i over the earlier 330i any which day. One of the rare cases where the downsized motor is preferred.

Steinbauer has a solid reputation internationally. Very important to choose a reputable brand for these high-end cars.

+1 to quickdraw. Please share cost. I believe this is among the more expensive powerboxes.

Thanks quickdraw !

Thanks GTO for your comments :thumbs up

Yes indeed the car is much fun to drive now. Filled 97 now & after a couple of tank fills i am expecting it to be much more fun. Also very well said that this is one of the few cases where the downsized motor is preferred because that old 330i was really lethargic in the low to mid range band & the mod potential was also low.

Yes, also they are very strong in the heavy engineering & agriculture sector. I had 3 choices to pick between the Hartge, AC Schinitzer or the Steinbauer. All of these are the most expensive options sadly. But Steinbauer was the cheapest of the lot and they also do supply their boxes to AC Schinitzer so i picked the Steinbauer. Safe, high quality box & cables + an easy install with no engine check lights whatsoever.

Yes, this is an expensive box & was priced aprox Euro 1,600/-

But i sourced the Steinbauer Powerbox through their Indian Distributor and paid aprox INR 1.1L landed including everything & with the fitting :thumbs up

Definitely an expensive powerbox. But on the other hand, 1 lakh for 46 horses is cheap when you consider we paid Honda the same amount for SIX horsepower 15 years back (1st-gen City Vtec vs City 1.5) lol:. Today, Maruti charges ~2 lakhs for ~30 horses in the S-Cross (1.3 vs 1.6).

Factory horses are always more expensive and reliable :D Tuned horses are way cheaper, I got 30 more horses on my S-Cross 1.6 for 36K :D

Hi Karan!

Great video review! Such simple installation and such great change in peak toque and BHP. You are becoming such a pro with your reviews! Your videos, especially the technically inclined perspectives, are better than the big shots out there.

But one thing I notice is, the box has moved most of the torque/power to the upper revs. Hence, till 4000 rpm, the torque and BHP in the modded car is actually lesser than the stock, with a distinct flat spot between 2900 and 3600 rpm . Did you find this noticeable while driving? Does this affect its drive-ability or make it less enjoyable to drive in the city, as compared to the stock?

Of course one buys such a sweet high revving petrol to enjoy that petrol engine sing at high pitch. But wanted to know if there is a downside at the low end?

Sorry If I sounded negative.

Also, any reason why you did not go for a remap? Is it because you wanted a plug and play?

Sorry no be negative here but I bought Steinbauer tuning box for a Toyota LC100 Diesel 3 years back and it was so poorly built for the price and failed within 6 months. The Company had zero response to questions.

For that kind of money you might as well got the DINANTRONICS.

OT: Anyone any input regarding DTE Tuning box from Germany? They are also relatively expensive.

Hello Karan sir, got welcomed into Team-bhp family a few days ago and just in time i guess. The video review was crisp and very interesting. The performance gains from a simple plug and play installation is truly astonishing. It was awesome seeing someone enjoy their car as much as they did when they first got it. And i have to say, the car actually sounds awesome with the M performance exhaust. Wish you many more happy miles.
Arun.

Hi ragesh, thanks for your kind words & appreciation :thumbs up

Well as i mention in the video that the performance remains same in the low rpms i.e. < 3k rpm like stock. Hence im not suffering any drivability issues at all, also thanks to the wonderful ZF 8 speed unit.

Well a box is a simple plug & play install which can be removed within minutes before a service. Where as a remap requires some professional expertise to tune. Specifically in India i have not seen a single remapped 328i so was not confident experimenting a remap.

Hi mura, sad to hear about your experience that the box failed within 6 months, but what about WARRANTY ?

Steinbauer has provided a 3 years warranty with this power module :thumbs up

I think they are only doing Diesels ? Not sure.

Hi Arun,

Thanks for your appreciation & comments. Well complimenting the ///M Exhaust is the Injen Performance Intake which helps making the car sound the way it does.

Welcome to TEAM-BHP :thumbs up