Upgrade , Modification...

[Veda]

Salut j'ai une bmw 325i E36, j'aimerais savoir par quel modification commencer pour avoir un gain de performance.

Hello, I have a bmw 325i E36, and I like to kwow which modifiacation I must do at first to have an horsepower upgrade of my engine. (sorry for my poor english)

Thanks. Veda

[Andrei]

The easiest things you can do are intake, chip, and maybe pulleys. If you can spend some more money you could do exhaust and headers. But don't expect your car to turn into a tiresmoking monster.

[Veda]

AndreiThe easiest things you can do are intake,

Intake, I have a K&N, that's right or I must put other ?
And for the chip

[Andrei]

I am not an expert on E36's. You can go to www.roadfly.com (http://www.roadfly.com) and look for the message board dedicated to your car. Search there.

[Veda]

okey, thx

Veda

[Emre]

Hello, I have a bmw 325i E36, and I like to know which modifiacation I must do at first to have an horsepower upgrade of my engine.Hi, Veda. You should talk to Club member Lee Vuong. He really knows a lot about the E36 325...and he speaks French ;)

The bottom line is that you should not expect massive horsepower gains on your M50 engine without a serious financial investment. An intake and exhaust will make the car sound VERY nice, and they might improve the throttle response slightly, but they will only add a little power (maybe 5-15 hp max).

If you want more than that, you might consider adding cams from the S50, which is the 3.0 liter engine from the E36 M3. I think that's the biggest "bang for your buck" engine modification you can do. Of course, if you do cams, intake, headers, exhaust, and chip you will spend so much money that you'd probably be better off just selling the car and buying a used 1995 E36 M3!

If it were me, I would leave the engine stock. Spend your money on some basic suspension mods (like the Ground Control "coilover" kit with camber plates), buy some high-temp brake pads, flush your brake fluid, and put on some sticky tires. Then hit the track and enjoy your car! Even better: don't waste any money on mods except for good pads and tires. Use the money you would throw away on useless engine mods and put it towards a couple of high performance driving schools. You'll be amazed at what a stock E36 325 is capable of.

The E36 325 will never be a power monster...but it is a very sweet handling car that can be turned into a slotcar. Take advantage of your car's natural handling balance to maximize your cornering and you'll get much more pleasure than you would from an extra 20 hp.

Emre

[Veda]

Thanks a lot Emre, where a can talk at Lee Vuong ?

[Olivier]

salut Veda,

la meilleure modification que tu puisse faire a une 325i est de lui mettre une suspension sport. tu vas trouver une toute nouvell auto qui se cachait. pour quelqu'un qui n'a pas encore eu l'experience d'une transformation de suspension c'est difficile a comprendre mais ca change tout. ca te redonne la puissance qui etait absorbée pas une suspension faite pour te détacher du vehicule au lieu de te transmettre une expérience sportive.

Lee est mon tres bon ami, mais il n'est pas encore inscris sur ce site je crois. je vais lui dire de passer ici car on le trouve plus souvent sur les sites de BMW 2002.

[Lee]

Salut j'ai une bmw 325i E36, j'aimerais savoir par quel modification commencer pour avoir un gain de performance.

Hello, I have a bmw 325i E36, and I like to kwow which modifiacation I must do at first to have an horsepower upgrade of my engine. (sorry for my poor english)

Thanks. Veda

Best way to start (but anyway you won't go too far in terms of power gain) is to install a Jim Conforti chip. You will gain a few ponies but will have to run on premium fuel. A slight gain is achievable with a pulley kit if you run your motor at high RPM most of the time. Do not expect ANY gain with a cone filter, even a heat shielded one. It is only noisier and makes you think there are more ponies. Headers are good only if you run your motor at high RPM ALL-THE-TIME.

If you are serious about increasing power, then start with a set of M3 cams (usually sell for $350usd used) and (again) a special Jim Conforti chip for M50 motors equipped with M3 cams. This will be all you can do, short of making a race engine or swapping to an e36 M3 motor which sells usually for around $4k cdn + installation.

You did not mention what year was your 325. In 1992 they had Vanos-less motors that had a tad less torque. For driving around town, you do not need power, you want torque. so, let us know what your project is.

BTW Learning how to drive also improves speed... This is why we offer driver schools.

[Veda]

Hello Lee, thx for your Reply.

My Bmw is an 1992 and your right, I want more torque than power..
A chips will upgrade my torque too ?


Salut Olivier, Merci aussi pour ta réponse...
Je pense que tu a surment raison pour la suspension sport, je crois que je vais investir un peu ds sa aussi. J'ai présentement 4 shock au gaz et les mags 17pouces ne manque que les coils...

[Emre]

My Bmw is an 1992 and your right, I want more torque than power...A chip will upgrade my torque too?Yes, but the difference is pretty small. Maybe 10-15 lbs/ft tops.

Emre

[Lee]

Yes, but the difference is pretty small. Maybe 10-15 lbs/ft tops.

Emre

My feel is that for around $4kcdn, you can have an e36 M3 motor swapped into that early e36. The US spec 3.0 and 3.2 motors are torque houses. The grunt is incredible. Maybe it is time to do the big jump.

[montreal_bimmer]

intake, exhaust, s/c or turbo(for bigger gains), chip...... the list goes on

[Emre]

intake, exhaust, s/c or turbo(for bigger gains), chip...... the list goes onThe question is whether all those mods are worth the cost (and, in the case of forced induction, the potential lack of reliability). The alternative is just selling the car and buying a good, used E36 M3.

Emre

[montreal_bimmer]

The alternative is just selling the car and buying a good, used E36 M3.

Emre

or do that