Beginner mods for a beginning modifier

[B3M2W5i]

hey i have a '92 325i sedan and i was wondering if anyone knew of what i may be able to buy and install on my car. im not trying to go all out i just want more from my car. i want my car to be completly street legal and i was wondering if you whould know what modifications i would be able to put onto my car. i just need some help so i can decide what i will be buying and installing onto the car. this is not limited so please feel free to suggest whatever you might find suitable. i am looking for performance mods and interior/exterior enhancements. i want brand name things and nothing i will have to worry about.

thank you

[Kevin325i]

Go for a performance chip. So far my Dinan one has been great. It's smoothed out the torque kick at 3k a little bit, good and bad at the same time. It also windes out the last 1000rpms much better.

You could do it yourself. I flew through it and did it in like an hour when it's supposed to take you quite a bit longer I think.

M3 catback, intake, the list is endless the aftermarket is huge for the e36

[skawful]

start off with doing the free stuff, then move up to intake, chip, exhaust... then bigger stuff like throttle body and headers... then on to the big stuff: turbo, s/c, internals...

[Mark31186]

start with the first big three..... exhaust chip and intake..... those three are the nicest

[BmrOwnr96]

B3M2W5i (cleaver) Anyway, I'm in a similar situation as you. I bought my Bimmer (96' 328is) last Fall, and now i'm starting to research upgrades. I've just recieved my Jim Conforti intake, I'm now considering the Conforti "Shark" injector which is a software upgrade for the bimmers. The 3rd thing will probably be a Free-flow exhaust. These 3 additions are around $1500.00 and will get you 20 to 30 HP at the wheel, and similar numbers for torque. I know it sounds a bit steep, but in the 328, I'll be starting to approach stock U.S. M3 numbers now. I've researched and asked many questions. Dinan is probably the premier BMW performance Co. because they do performance upgrades on engine, suspension, but they are pricy. If you shop around you can find very similar (Conforti for instance) for a few hundred less. Anyway, that's my take on it all, there's definately a bunch of stuff to go through, be careful what you buy, when it comes to bimmers you really do get what you pay for.

[Osinyou]

A good start would be an intake, strut tower bars and chip; thoughs are the cheapest mods that make the most for the money. After that go for exhaust keep things balanced. i wouldn't put in a turbo because the engines of bmws are made to stay N/A. Nice choice for the car.

[B3M2W5i]

thanks guys i have been thinking about the chip, intake, and exhaust but what do struts and stress bars really do? and do wheels make a big difference? i have been thinking about getting 17's. i want to keep the stock look of my car. do you think i should consider a painted bumper? take a look

[B3M2W5i]

another

[RIBEMR26]

On that car I would do a full M-Tech body kit painted to match the car before anything else...check it out at bavauto.com , then wheels, then whatever...I'm into cosmetics first though...a lot of others here aren't..

[EuroBeem]

I have the same exact problem as B3M2W5I has. I got 1300 dollars and what to spend it on something for my car.

I got a 97 328i.

I was thinking 17's wit springs but then i wont have enough for shocks
O R
I get shark injector and exhaust.

[RIBEMR26]

I have the same exact problem as B3M2W5I has. I got 1300 dollars and what to spend it on something for my car.

Those are the [/I]good[I] kind of problems to have!!!

[EuroBeem]

haha it is but its driving me crazy!!!

ghead

[robbins6103]

Its all about what you really want at the moment. I am all engine right now on my 328i. For your car...definately get the side skirts and bumper painted. It wouldn't be too much $$ then start with intake, exhaust, chip, etc... If you go with light weight 17's (23 lbs or less) you will notice a huge difference in accelaration. I personally went with 18's cause I think they look better. Definately stick with brand name stuff for major components...Dinan, Active Autowerke, AC, Conforti. I would go to BavAuto for little shit like tail lights, corners, signals, stuff like that.


Thats my 2 cents for the day....TGIF!!

-DR

[komodo]

Originally posted by EuroBeem@Jul 30 2004, 06:31 PM
I have the same exact problem as B3M2W5I has. I got 1300 dollars and what to spend it on something for my car.

I got a 97 328i.

Same here, I have a 1997 328i. My first mod was the lights. That makes it sexy looking and you want to do more after that. Conforti shark injector was my next step, making a HUGE difference in performance. After you have those two done, you'll be at a delima. The outside of the car looks nice, so you'd want to continue with that, but when you floor it, it's nice too, making you want to do more work to the engine. Solution: Both. Following that, I did halogen lights all around (inside and out) and a dinan intake/front strut brace for the engine. I'm probably in a few grand now, but I feel like I'm driving a completely new car. It performs amazing, and looks very nice.