[Mike38]

What do you think about the possibility to increase the performance of the 20i to 30i version by chip tuning ?
Will this cancel the warranty on engine failures ?

[Balr14]

Originally Posted by Mike38

What do you think about the possibility to increase the performance of the 20i to 30i version by chip tuning ?
Will this cancel the warranty on engine failures ?

It is not difficult to increase the performance with a piggyback tuner, but serious performance gains require unlocking and changing the ECU. A piggyback tuner can increase boost and adjust some air flow and fuel parameters, which may not be all of the changes needed to bring a 20i to 30i specs. For that you would need to change the ECU and the lock is very difficult to break (depending on the model year). In the USA, the ECU has to be removed and sent to hackers in Russia (I believe). Just swapping for a 30i ECU may be possible and a better option. In any, it can be detected. It has been my experience that some brands and/or dealers are much more tolerant of tunes than others, with respect to warranty coverage.

These are just my experiences and I am not deep into the tuning and modding culture. In addition I live in an area that has very few shops that specialize in tuning German cars. Consequently, I'm stuck with mostly what I learn on my own. So, others are much more knowledgeable than I am. Your location may have significance as well. I believe there are more options available to the tuner in Europe than in the USA, for BMW B48/B58 engines.