BOLD RIDE
By and large, few customers of BMW’s M division will be left wanting for horsepower and performance. On the lite side, the lauded BMW M235i grants 320 hp and dashes to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds, while heavy-hitters like the BMW M6 wallop a gargantuan 560 hp.
The aftermarket firm recently turned its attention to the slender BMW M235i, and the end result is an “S3” package which cranks the 2-series up to a maximum of 445 horsepower and 455 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s uncharted territory beyond the all-new BMW M2, in fact, it even surpasses the BMW M4 coupe. Better strap in.
There’s no engine swap trickery at play here. According to Dinan, the S3 package pulls its power from a combination of “Stage 4” plug-in tuning hardware, a new free-flowing stainless steel exhaust, a carbon fiber cold air intake, and a dual core intercooler.
The biggest pull however comes from a Dinan reengineered BMW turbocharger, which cranks the pumped-up 2-series to infinity, and beyond.
Though not contributing any horsepower gains, the S3 package also includes uprated sway bars and new front and rear springs, which lower the vehicle by around half an inch and increase suspension stiffness by between 10 and 15 percent.
Notably, one of the biggest benefits of the package is that it can be applied to both rear-wheel drive and xDrive models, whereas the top-step M2 is strictly rear-drive only. However, there is a noteworthy drawback.
Much of the S3 pack’s wall of power is unlocked via Dinan’s Big Turbo upgrade, which is currently a “racing-only” addition, though it is awaiting emissions approval. That means these 445-horsepower M235i monsters will have to stay on the track… at least for now.
Not content to keep it off the streets? Dinan also offers a P2 power pack, which ratchets things up to a heady 399 horsepower. Either way, the M235i just got a lot faster.
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