Words by Nick George, photography by Nick George, Chris Morrison, and Ted Ziemba. The BMW 3 Series has always been known as the ultimate sports sedan—a car that can be driven to work during the week and driven to the track on the weekends. From the original E30 to the current generation F30, the 3er spans three decades of spirited, yet practical driving. However, when the F30 was released in 2012, BMW was criticized for softening the car. Everything from the steering to the ride and even the powertrains, while brilliant, were just not as driver-focused as 3 Series owners from the past would expect. I’ve owned my F30 328i for just over a year, and have spent most of that time modifying the car to bring back the driving dynamics that the 3 Series is known for.


The Initial Mods: BMW M Performance Parts

My car has the M Sport package, which is almost entirely cosmetic on the F30 328i, aside from slightly lowered suspension (10mm from stock), an M steering wheel, and a pair of fantastic sport seats. I decided to stay as OEM as possible, in order to preserve my warranty, so I loaded the car up with BMW’s own line of M Performance parts, starting with the exhaust. It’s a simple axle-back setup that adds a nice 4-cylinder growl and subtle pops on full throttle upshifts. Next were wheels and tires: a set of gloss black 19” VMR V710 wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Getting rid of the standard run-flats made a massive difference in grip and improved NVH (noise, vibration and harshness).


Suspension was next, and this was the tricky part. BMW only offers M Performance suspension on the 335i variant, not on the 328i, and it’s essentially a replacement set of four shocks and springs. Given the significant weight difference on the front axle between the two cars, the front springs for the 335i setup would be much too stiff for the tiny four cylinder. After a bit of research, I discovered that BMW sells replacement M Performance springs for the 328i, but they don’t make it obvious. The shop that did the install swapped the front springs out on the new shocks, and it was perfect. Overall, it’s a 20mm drop from stock, and the handling has been improved to the point where body roll (one of the biggest complaints about the stock F30) was almost eliminated completely.


With the suspension settled, it was time for a brake upgrade. Again, I went for the M Performance kit, which includes massive dimpled and slotted rotors, four-pot Brembo calipers in the front, and two-pots in the rear. My one complaint was the lack of feel from the US-spec pads, so I opted for the Euro-spec pads, which increase bite but also give off tons of dust. They also squeal if you’re too easy on them! The Austin yellow-like calipers also look fantastic when paired with Estoril Blue. To complete the look, I added an M Performance front splitter, black kidney grills, as well as a carbon fiber spoiler and mirror caps.

Ready For The Track

With this setup, it was time to hit the track. I attended three track days, two at the iconic Laguna Seca and one at Thunderhill in the five mile configuration. Here’s a video from Laguna Seca, showing a few clean laps with a best time of just over 1:54. Pretty good for a family sedan!

Completing The Package With Dinan

At this point, the car could now handle and stop like you’d expect from a 3 Series… and then some. But there was one thing that was lacking, and that was the power. Don’t get me wrong, BMW’s 2.0 liter four banger can deliver quite a punch, sprinting to 60 in five and a half seconds very comfortably (240hp, 265ft-lbs). However, it’s no 335i. This is where Dinan comes in, and if you’re reading this article, you probably know exactly who Dinan is and what they do, but to keep it brief—they make BMWs faster. I was hesitant to tune my car, worrying too much about warranty this and resale that. But the temptation was so strong that I pulled the trigger on Dinantronics Stage 1, a full performance tuner consisting of both hardware and software. Dinan is legendary in this business, so the high cost is offset by the peace of mind that everything would (or should) be fine.


Dinan’s Stage 1 adds 72 horsepower, bringing the performance numbers up to 312hp and 330ft-lbs, and shaves half of a second off the 0-60 time. Acceleration in sport plus mode is brutal, with wheelspin at the first and second gear shifts. Even in comfort mode, the car has woken up, with better throttle response in all gears, and perceivably less turbo lag. The Dinan specialist at the dealership made a great comment, in that the car now has the power and response of a 335i with the better weight distribution of a 328i. All-in-all, Dinantronics has completely changed the character of the car, and has completed the car’s transformation into what a 3 Series should truly be. Now to get it back on the track to see if the tune translates into lower laptimes...

PS… Want to know what the best part about all of this is? The cost of a CPO 328i with all the mods mentioned above, is still cheaper than a new 335i/340i with no options.





Clubstrada is a collaboration of three car enthusiasts bringing you original automotive content from around California, curated by Chris Morrison, Nick George, and Ted Ziemba. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.