Can a BMW 330e be tuned? Suspension Downpipes Remap Exhaust Tuning Upgrades

The BMW G20 and F30 330e are hugely popular cars with tuning potential to surprise those who do not expect hybrids to be fun and quick. The BMW 330e with the B48 is a very capable car, combined with lowering springs / coilover suspension upgrades, a B48 downpipe and tuning, it will be a seriously quick car.

The BMW G20 and F30 330e have the B48 engine under the hood. It is not a slow car by any means, however, with a few upgrades, it will be capable of making fun of M cars at the traffic lights. Which BMW 330e upgrades should you go for to properly exploit the performance out of the BMW 330e?

Both the F30 and G20 BMW 330e are powered by the B48 engine. For a while the difference between the F30 and G20 330e's B48 engine was split between a B48B20A for the F30 and a B48B20B for the G20, however, according to information from well-known tuners, the BMW has also used the BMW B48B20A engine in the G20 330e. It is possible to find the exact engine code on the front of your engine, just underneath your engine cover. The BMW 330E can easily give M-Cars a run for their money, especially at sprints up to 120-150kph, it could be very difficult for rear wheel drive M-Cars to keep up. The instant torque of the BMW 330e adds an extra dimension by providing a kick in the back, while the B48 Engine gives the BMW 330e a more fun driving experience compared to a full electric car, especially with a downpipe and catback exhaust. 

The tuning potential between the B48B20A and the B48B20B are different due to slightly different components. The BMW F30 330e has 252HP and 420Nm stock and can easily be tuned to 340HP and 550Nm with a Stage 1 Remap and 365HP and 580Nm with a Stage 2, with some going even beyond 400HP and 600Nm with catless downpipe and a more aggressive tune. Our ex-demo BMW F30 330e ran on a dyno'd tune from BR-Performance with 408HP and 603Nm with a DCE Parts B48 Downpipe and K&N Intake.

Photo by BR-Performance

Like mentioned before, the BMW G20 330e has been supplied with two types of engines, the BMW B48B20A and B48B20B. The latter has more tuning potential and can be pushed further. The BMW G20 330e can easily reach 400HP and 700Nm with a Stage 1 tune transforming the car already. With a stage 2 it runs at around 420-430HP and 720-730Nm. While already a very capable car, the car really comes alive with an exhaust and intake. We installed the DCE Parts B48 Downpipe and Forged Carbon Intake on our BMW G20 330e and it runs at 450HP and 750Nm. 

We like to push the boundaries though, so we have the BMW B48 Hybrid turbos installed for the BMW G20 330e and we can't wait to see the dyno results after this. More to come! 

The BMW F30 and G20 330e can definitely benefit from a Catless or High Flow Catted 200 Cell Downpipe. With the aftermarket downpipe, you free up a lot of the restricted potential of the original exhaust. This allows the BMW 330e breath more freely and make more power. For the F30 330e with the regular B48 non OPF engine you will need the slip on type downpipes, however, for the BMW G20 330e you need to double check if you have the B48 OPF or B46 engine. 

For more information about the BMW 330e downpipes and the details you need to know to get the right downpipe, follow our BMW B46 B48 Downpipe Guide

The OE charge pipe of the BMW 330e B46 / B48 is prone to fail, especially with tuned engines, but also in a lesser extent on a stock engine. An aftermarket upgrade BMW 330e B48 Charge Pipe is made from aluminium and offers a much more durable solution compared to the OE plastic one. This upgrade will improve the reliability and maximizes performance for the engine. There are a lot of options for the BMW 330e, feel free to browse our shop. We installed the DCE Parts one on our car, but we recommend FTP and Masata charge pipes as well.

The BMW F30 330e and BMW G20 330e desperately need a suspension upgrade. While the stock suspension is definitely a comfortable setup, you will soon come short when you attack a corner like you'd in a lighter car like a BMW 320i. The added weight from the hybrid system's battery make the car roll and dive extensively. We offer suspension upgrades like lowering springs, height adjustable lowering springs and coilovers for the BMW 330e to improve the handling by a great margin. The reviews of these products are great.

Especially the BMW G20 330e sits incredibly tall. The BMW 330e is a car focused on practicality and not per se performance, but with a few mods, a BMW 330e will be a much nicer car to drive.

If you run OE wheels or if you want to get the perfect fitment with your BMW 330e, wheel spacers are a perfect solution for those who want to get the wheels flush with the wheel arches. Check out the spacers below

Adding a performance based BMW 330e intake will increase the performance of the BMW G20 330e by increasing the flow and durability. We have the DCE Parts G20 B48 Intake made from Forged Carbon installed in our car, however, we highly recommend the Eventuri B48 Intake as well. Either will improve the flow and increase durability due to being manufactured from stronger materials.