BMW Announces Performance Power Kits for 135i and 335i

BMW has announced Performance Power Kits for the twin-turbocharged 3.0L 6cyl engines that appear in the 135i and 335i models and some X6 models. There will be two power kits, the Version 1 power kit, which involves an engine computer reflash, and then the Version 2 kit, which will add an auxiliary water cooler and bigger radiator fan to cope with the added heat, indicating that the turbo boost is likely turned up slightly as a result of the ECU reprogramming.

The company claims that the Performance Power Kit will add 20hp to the standard 300hp that the twin-turbo inline-six produces. Manual-transmission models will get a 17ft-lb torque increase from the standard 300ft-lbs, while automatic models will get a 32ft-lb increase. BMW says that the added power and torque will get the 335i to 60mph 0.2 seconds faster and from 50mph to 70mph 0.5 seconds faster. There will also be an enhanced 'exhaust burble' sound when the engine is running at its peak performance.

The premium German car maker says that the Performance Power Kit will cost $599 for the Version 1 and $1,199 for the Version 2. BMW says that the vehicle's original emissions certification, fuel efficiency figures, and drivetrain warranty all remain intact, and there will be no sacrifice in reliability either. However, BMW says that the Performance Power Kit should only be installed on vehicles with the S840 option which increases the top speed limiter, because such vehicles are already equipped with an upgraded oil cooler.