[McNuggetz]

Where are all the performance parts for the N20 on X3 chassis?? N55 is already faster! Give us 4 bangers a chance to catch up.

[najnad]

https://www.racechip.us/shop/bmw/x3-...-255lb-ft.html

its a start at least

[McNuggetz]

I just purchased a DINAN sport tuner. Will give my feedback once I get it installed.

[Scout10]

power to weight ratio is leaning to just a driver, off balance.

[Barbera335]

Originally Posted by McNuggetz

Where are all the performance parts for the N20 on X3 chassis?? N55 is already faster! Give us 4 bangers a chance to catch up.

Why not just get an N55? I haven't understood why someone would buy the base engine and then spend money just to make it comparable to the upgraded engine.

[McNuggetz]

Isn’t that the whole point of modding?

[Riick]

The N20 gets better MPG and is more reliable (This is coming from a former N55 owner, fuck that engine and that water pump, shitty coils, carbon buildups, 18mpg, etc).

When I got my X3 I specifically wanted the N20. It's almost 5-8mpg better on average and only 35hp less.

Toss in a Burger Stage 1 and you get back that 30-40hp and it puts an X3 in the low 14s (high 13's if you can drive) and yet still retains the 5-8mpg better than the 35i.

Problem solved.

If for some reason you want your N20 to run low 13s high 12s? Upgrade the intercooler, there's people who make catless downpipes for the x3 n20, JB4, exhaust, etc. The best intake system is the factory, don't install a "cold air" bullshit. Upgrade the turbo http://www.bimmerworld.com/Exhaust/B...-F22-228i.html

Fully upgraded running high 12s cheaper than the premium of buying a stock 14 second 35i

[McNuggetz]

Installing Dinan sport tuner today

[McNuggetz]

Installed tuner and loving the difference it made. Drove to work on sport+ and loved it. You can hear the turbo spool up and vent! The bump in power is awesome too! I noticed it when I chirped the tires leaving a stoplight. N20 is a great little engine that lacks support on the x3 chassis. Let’s hope companies will retro some parts from the f30s to fit this chassis.

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by Riick

When I got my X3 I specifically wanted the N20. It's almost 5-8mpg better on average and only 35hp less.

My 2016 X3 35i has averaged over 23 mpg in the 2+ years that I have owned it. My range is routinely over 400 mpg on a tank of gas. Do you honestly believe I would get 28 mpg or more with a similarly equipped X3 28i? Were you thinking of the X3 28d?

Most sources I have read suggest the X3 28i might get 1 to 3 mpg better fuel economy than the X3 35i. EPA fuel economy only reports 2 mpg difference between the 2016 X3 28i and 35i in both city and highway driving and 3 mpg overall. In Car and Driver tests a 2015 X3 35i achieved 20 mpg compared to 23 mpg for a 2012 X3 28i with the turbocharged 4 cylinder engine.

The improved and smoother performance of the N55 engine relative to the N20 engine is worth a perhaps 10% reduction in fuel economy to me.

I am also mindful of what Mike Miller, Technical Editor for Roundel magazine of the BMW Car Club of America, said in the July 2018 issue regarding turbocharged 4-cylinder engines: "The overarching concern in the technical community is that these engines are under built, under maintained and overworked." YMMV

[Scout10]

my best mileage in a x3 x28i has been 28.3 highway, springtime
worst mileage in a x3 x28i has been 18.2 city, winter

it a nice 4 cylinder with a turbo on it. Reality is that the more you drive it with your foot in the turbo, it will proportionately reduce longivity.
And if you check the curb weight of the x3 . . . . its no skinny mini.

But bottom line is ITS YOURs . . . . drive it like ya stole it,. . . . . . . . . . . or not

[Riick]

It's the internet, people will always act like the world is ending. First off, the N20 is in millions of vehicles with zero issues. BMW is aware there was some early issues with production and extended the warranty on all N20 engine timing chain failures to 75k. I average 28mpg on my 2013 N20.

There's everything you could ever want in the aftermarket for the X3 N20. Downpipes, larger turbo, tuners, exhausts, intercoolers, etc.

There's no reason why an N20 X3 shouldn't run mid-high 13s with nothing but a JB4 stage 2 map. A 328i AWD BMW with nothing but a JB4 will run low 13s. The 328 Xdrive is only 300lb lighter than an X3 28i Xdrive which in the real world should only make the difference of about .1 second slower.

[MichiganMike]

Originally Posted by Riick

I average 28 mpg on my 2013 N20.

Averaging 28 mpg on a X3 28i with the N20 engine appears to be an outlier.

The link below contains a discussion of X3 gas mileage with various engines by several X3 (F25) owners. Gas mileage in mixed driving in the range of about 18 mpg to 22 mpg appears more typical whether the engine is the N20 or the N55. There are also outliers for the X3 35i as one owner of a X3 35i reported 26.8 mpg over 28,000 miles.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=830378

An additional comparison may be made from fuel economy data for X3 vehicles compiled on Fuelly.com.
Model Year - 2013 34 vehicles with the 28i averaged 21.16 mpg 17 vehicles with the 35i averaged 20.95 mpg
Model Year - 2014 33 vehicles with the 28i averaged 21.76 mpg 13 vehicles with the 35i averaged 21.65 mpg
Model Year - 2016 18 vehicles with the 28i averaged 22.39 mpg 6 vehicles with the 35i averaged 19.98 mpg
Model Year - 2017 26 vehicles with the 28i averaged 22.02 mpg 18 vehicles with the 35i averaged 21.98 mpg

For three of the four years from 2013 to 2017 on Fuelly.com, the difference in the reported fuel economy is less than 0.25 mpg between the X3 28i and X3 35i. Combining the data for these four model years representing more than 160 X3 vehicles, the 28i averaged 21.74 mpg and the 35i averaged 21.35 mpg for a difference of less than 0.4 mpg.

There appears to be little evidence to corroborate that the X3 F25 28i (N20) routinely gets 5 to 8 mpg better fuel economy than the X3 35i (N55) as was suggested in post #7 of this thread.

[Riick]

I defaulted my ECU to eco-mode and drive the speed limit with my 2013 28i X-drive and don't take off like an asshole from red lights. 25 on average is the norm, sometimes higher.

[Scout10]

So is it a drag racer too ? or isn't it.
I got the speed stuff out of my system years ago.
But go ahead and run what ya brung !

I'll watcha n'run the clocks.

[Riick]

?

This thread was about some dude complaining there is no aftermarket parts for the X3 N20 when there's everything under the sun produced. To be honest, just a JB4 stage 2 map will be sufficient for most people as it will put the X3 28i in the upper 13s with TCS off and a decent driver. A BMS JB+ might even get you in the 13s if you're running non-run flat performance tires at sea level with ideal weather. Just removing the runflats is a major performance upgrade in every aspect (accel, brake, cornering) that should be the first performance mod every X3 owner does with some General AS-05's. Just a tire swap to non-runflat is .1 - .2 off the 1/4mi.


If you're looking for low 13's you'll need a catless downpipe with that JB4: http://evolutionracewerks.com/node/215

Want 12s? You'll need a larger bolt in turbo and upgraded intercooler. Don't waste money on crap like cat back exhaust, cold air intake, or whatever tomfoolery the aftermarket sells that does absolutely nothing for performance other than making your wallet lighter. You need horsepower to move a X3 not a loud intake or rumbling exhaust.

The N20 is a strong engine with a long history of making some really fast cars. The extra 500lb the X3 adds over the 328i only slows it down about .1 or .2 in the 1/4 over a equally modded 328i.

You don't need an N55 to be fast. All the mods required for a daily driven 12 second X3 28i is cheaper than the added premium to buy a 14 second stock 35i. Think about that.

[Aspen235]

Riick, you are funny with all your conjured up stats.

The N20 get a whole 0.5 MPG better FE in the real world according to Fuelly averaged over thousands of fill ups. It is slower, it doesn't sound good, doesn't feel good and has timing guides that self-destruct. I would rather change a water pump every 100k miles vs. the timing guides at the same interval.

[Riick]

First off timing chains don't break on N20s that is super rare maybe 100 cars ever. To ease the false rumors BMW extended the warranty to make people feel better.

Second I don't know or care what Fuelly is.

[Aspen235]

Originally Posted by Riick

First off timing chains don't break on N20s that is super rare maybe 100 cars ever. To ease the false rumors BMW extended the warranty to make people feel better.

Second I don't know or care what Fuelly is.

Another conjured up stat, thank you.

Fuelly.com is a site where people can log their fuel economy. It has thousands of entries for just about every car and every year. It is a wonderful source of real data so you can see what cars can really do for FE vs. reading about what one person managed to do under ideal conditions that one time they drove with a tail wind at 90km/h. I am surprised that you don't care because you do appear to enjoy statistics.

Thanks MichiganMike for looking up the data.

[Riick]

I get around 21-22mpg towing my yamaha waverunner otherwise I average 25+ with normal daily driving.

According to the EPA the X3 28i gets 21 city and 28 highway. Average is 24. The X3 35i gets 19 city 26 highway average 21.

So according to scientifically tested data, the X3 28i gets 3mpg better on average or about 50 miles longer range per fill up.

Better fuel consumption, lighter weight, and comparable power with a tuner I don't see any disadvantages of the N20 compared to the N55 other than it's probably the worst sounding engine ever developed. Considering the fact that you save on average $5000 buying a 28i over a 35i and it only costs $1000 for a JB4 and catless downpipe to make the 28i run low 13s one second faster than a stock mid 14 second 35i, for $4000 less... it's a no brainer which model to buy. Put that $4000 in the bank and laugh at all the 35i's you beat with your diesel sounding 4 banger (which goes away with a cat back exhaust if you're into loud annoying exhaust).

[McNuggetz]

I had a mazdaspeed 3 so I’m familiar with ticking sounds of DI, this car sounds just like it!

[Aspen235]

EPA numbers are done in a lab under lab conditions not the same as real world data.
If you tune your n20 to make n55 power you will need to run 91 octane while the stock n55 is happy with 89. The extra fuel cost eliminates any FE advantage for N20

Edmunds and Automobile have the 35i at 14.1 in the 1/4 mile. Please show me a time slip for a 13s 28i with only a tune and down pipe. Low 13s will need close to 400hp crank, I doubt the n28 injectors have that much capacity nor will the stock turbo flow that much air

The price premium for a used n55 X3 is about $2k vs an n20.

On my last road trip I got 26 mpg US with a ski box and a bike on the roof. I have a waverunner too, cheers.