Another Newbie

[jcross]

Hi Guys,

A couple of months back I traded in my beloved Pug 306 Gti-6 for an '01 330ci sport in orient blue.

I'm still trying to work out whether I made the right choice. I love the looks of the 330 but was expecting a big improvement over the 6 but haven't got it yet.

First of all, the handling on motorways is pretty unstable. I'm getting used to it but it still doesn't feel right. I've checked the tyre pressures (Dunlop SP9000s) and had a full alignment check but the car still feels 'floaty' above 80 (on private roads of course officer). I was wondering if Eibach Prokit springs might help or maybe Powerflex bushes? Can anyone recommend an independent garage in the surrey/south london area?

Next up, the power could be better. Is it worth getting a chip or remap? I want the car to appear standard so no big exhausts etc. Those supercharger mods look good but I'd prefer to upgrade to an M3 instead.

Lastly, the clutch biting point seems to be very loooong. I saw a post on here recommending a bypass of the CDV. Again, are there any garages in my area that could do this?

Love the site BTW. Any help would be appreciated,

J.

[lee330sport]

Welcome mate [hiya

Tbh the GTI-6 is a hard car to beat, one of the best handling fwdcars money can buy.

As for the unstable high speeds, mine feels solid and stable all the way off the clock so somethings not right there.

With regards to more power theres quita a few mods, filters exhausts, SC's. It all depends on your budget. When i got my 330 i too tought it was quite slow, but the engine is so damn smooth you dont realize how fast your accellerating. Its still the same with an SC installed. Its a point ive come to love about the car, so damn fast yet so refined at the same time.

No idea about the CDV im gonna get that done soon too.

[Chaos]

Hi and welcome. [hiya

Like lee says, the 306-6 is a tight car so don't expect massive gains, but the Beemer should be a much better all-rounder.

What rims are you running on? 19s? Dropping it probably won't change anything like tramlining, but it's still a good mod to do. If you're Surrey/South London then best bet is to speak to resident slammer Westside who is on the.... west side :D .

Power gains are not really had by doing one mod. You can add a CAI for a little extra noise and grunt, you can get a re-map for some better low-end, probably the most effective thing you could do short of SCing is throw in a 3.46 diff, but that's not cheap.

The CDV mod sounds like it's going to be a popular one. Speedway in Swiss Cottage is the shop of choice, and it's only a quick blat across the river on a sunny day!

By the way, expect to see the PICS smiley a lot if you don't comply with the necessary posting of colour photos lol ;)

[jcross]

I'm running on standard MV 18s at the moment. The car has done 45000 miles so far. Could the shocks be worn already?

I'll try and get some pics up tonight. ;)

[Chaos]

Could be if you've been unlucky. My last ride had MV 18s and it ran straight as a train. Another possibility is the tyres I guess, I ran Pilot Sport 2s but 9000s aren't a bad tyre so I'd be surprised. May be worth getting a 4-wheel alignment (you'll need that if you drop it anyway) to see if something's not square.. I'm sure Dr Nick will have a cunning idea as to what the problem is tho.. :cool:

[westside]

right you can remove the CDV i saw a post on the e46 fanatics site do a search and you should find it. Re mapping will release some extra BHP but your soon get used to that to lol. the pro kit will give u a nice drop i've lowered mine on that a few other members car on the same springs with no compliants its enough to stiff the car up without going to low my sig pic shows a my vert dropped on the eibachs pro kit but i may be changing my set up soon. go with the eibach pro there not gonna brake the bank

[Nickleback]

[hiya Welcome to the forum m8

Something wrong, the handling should be stable @ 80mph. Check the usual by process of elimination, tyres, wheels, shocks & geometry etc assuming no previous accident damage?

Is your a manual box, if so then a S/C & 346 diff will give the biggest boost otherwise save up for an M3 like me then !!

Best $tealer service I've found in South East is Vines of Redhill (Salford) PM me if you need details. :D

Hope that helps, Let's see some pics ? [cool

[Ali_]

Welcome mate. I cant comment on the big 6s personaly but afew of the boys have had SC work done and they love it, then again they say once you drive an M theres no going back...

Post up some pics mate ;)

[Afif]

welcome dude. Not to sure about the other issues mine feels fine on 'private roads' even when ive got it floored and doing 110-120. I havent driven any other car at the speed though so could compare [hmm.

On the biting point note try a clutch stop?

[peppernick]

On the biting point note try a clutch stop?
Yep, a clutch stop will solve your problem.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/interior/interior_uuc_cs.jpg

You can get one from Roy at CA Automotive.

[jcross]

Thanks Guys,

PM is being sent of to Roy. I'll let you know if I manage to improve the handling. [ok

J.

[mysticm3]

a late welcome from me mate :) 330 is a fantastic car to mod, have fun! [cool

[westside]

Yep, a clutch stop will solve your problem.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/interior/interior_uuc_cs.jpg

You can get one from Roy at CA Automotive.

that reminds me dude u ordered one for me yet lol

[peppernick]

Last week but no news yet. Hopefully it's not going to be like my splitters :mad: