Upgrading - BMW Forum

chicoBMW325IS · 01-27-2004, 10:45 PM

I want to make my car faster in all ways. i have about a grand to burn and i wasnt sure what would be the best mod/s for the price.[size=12]

Brownboy · 02-02-2004, 12:12 AM

I'm in the same boat, just Got a 87 325is, well I should stay stold it, but anyway after I fix the power antenna, tint the windows, get some floormats, find a center cap and detail the crap out of the car I'm going to try to get some more ponies out of the motor.

Here's what I think I'll try first.
1. Chip
2. after market high flow air filter

after that it gets stupid, but who knows, anybody have anyluck straping a turbo on a 2.5 L motor or putting this thing on a little bottle?

will the motor handle it?

bmwmakesmepoor · 02-02-2004, 03:07 PM

Find a shop to get a custome cam made.. just might give you a little more horsepower then that little bottle w\o ruining your motor.

MrM3 · 02-02-2004, 04:09 PM

a chip is really the onyl "bolt on" mod that is worth your while, although you only gain 3hp at peak hp and about 9-10hp gain in the powerband. another thing that will make your car accelerate faster are the tires. the stock 195's or 205's really rob a e30, especially a 325is, of off-the-line acceleration. look for some decent 225's (215's will cut it but you probably wont find them for a stock rim) and your acceleration will be much faster, not to mention the all around improvement due to the extra grip. another thing is a 4.10 LSD, this will help acceleration from a standstill and help top speed, but you'll have a even shorter 1st gear and will lose gas mileage. the 4.10:1 LSD, however, probably wouldnt do crap without good tires.

dont waste your money on aftermarket exhausts or intakes in search of power. Cam's are another thing, and will help put the power were you want it. and if you wanna go almost all out with internal work, a 81mm crank (from a 325e), some headwork, and 1mm oversize pistons will give you a torquey 2.8L M20 engine

e30m50BimmerMan · 02-03-2004, 04:11 PM

it really depends where you want to go with the car in the longterm. If you plan on keeping the car for a while, I would do some suspension stuff first, until you decide where you want to go performance wise. You have a few options. You can stick with the m20, or upgrade to an m50 or s50 motor.

spiff325is · 02-03-2004, 10:39 PM

Quote:

dont waste your money on aftermarket exhausts or intakes in search of power. Cam's are another thing, and will help put the power were you want it. and if you wanna go almost all out with internal work, a 81mm crank (from a 325e), some headwork, and 1mm oversize pistons will give you a torquey 2.8L M20 engine

Mr M3. you were talkinga bout Cams, and bigger piston head, where would i be able to find a new and better cam? or bigger piston heads? what kind of money are we talking about here?

what can I do to expand my powerband?

MrM3 · 02-04-2004, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spiff325is@Feb 3 2004, 11:19 PM

Quote:

dont waste your money on aftermarket exhausts or intakes in search of power. Cam's are another thing, and will help put the power were you want it. and if you wanna go almost all out with internal work, a 81mm crank (from a 325e), some headwork, and 1mm oversize pistons will give you a torquey 2.8L M20 engine

Mr M3. you were talkinga bout Cams, and bigger piston head, where would i be able to find a new and better cam? or bigger piston heads? what kind of money are we talking about here?

what can I do to expand my powerband?

the best thing to expand the power band is displacement. you can bore out the existing cylinder head an extra 1mm and buy a ETA or 524td crank to get a high compression 2.8L, but you will also need custom pistons. there are other things involved, especially if you wanna do a full rebuild, but those are the main upgrades. as far as i know concerning cams (which isnt alot) theyre used more for moving the powerband to better suit cars like those that are track driven which is usually more power at top end and less in low end. i dont think they would be a good improvement for a daily car searching for more hp, but i really can't say for sure. though depending on how you drive, slightly hotter cams may be worth it to you.

dubumb · 02-04-2004, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brownboy@Feb 2 2004, 12:52 AM
putting this thing on a little bottle?

whats that mean?

llll1l1ll · 02-04-2004, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dubumb+Feb 4 2004, 08:50 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (dubumb @ Feb 4 2004, 08:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Brownboy@Feb 2 2004, 12:52 AM
putting this thing on a little bottle?

whats that mean? [/b][/quote]
yeah, what does that mean?

Brownboy · 02-04-2004, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by llll1l1ll+Feb 4 2004, 10:52 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (llll1l1ll @ Feb 4 2004, 10:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Quote:

Originally posted by dubumb@Feb 4 2004, 08:50 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-Brownboy

Quote:

@Feb 2 2004, 12:52 AM
putting this thing on a little bottle?

whats that mean?

yeah, what does that mean?[/b][/quote]
I was wondering if a stock 325i motor could handle a small nitro kit? anyone here have a E30 with nitrous?

spiff325is · 02-05-2004, 06:19 PM

No, but some kids at my school(the stupid bitch ass spoiled rottin ones) do. They say(even though they dont have BMW's), they say that nitrous is okay, but you have to let it sorta warm up, like, it own tjus tbe instant, you have to sorta prep it, and you have lossen the nossle, then wait like 2-3 min in order for it to be fully functional, they say 'yeah it helps and gives a lot more power', but it also can run your car down on acount of reving it extra higher and really fast, which some small BMW's wouldnt be able to handle, unless possible an M or somethin.