Best bang for the buck for first mods?

[docrobot]

I see the same high profit taking in the BMW aftermarket that I see in the Japanese market (especially for JDM!!!). I used to own a 87 Mustang 5.0 LX, and proven power making parts for Rice and Euro imports are by comparison very expensive to the old stang.

I bought and had professionally installed a Flowmaster 2.5 inch Cat-Back exhaust for my '87 LX 5.0 with two mufflers and all the pipes past the cats for $250 US. I see adds in the car mags cat-back systems for our E36s with a lot less pipe for $400, $600, or $800...

In another recent thread on Chips, someone said a chip was too expensive for the BHp gains, and it was ~15 quoted BHp for $300, or about $20 per BHp. So by that reference, an Intake Kit and Air Filter is less of a good idea, based on info from another active thread here.


What are the best BHp and Torque gains for the buck on a non-M series E36?

Here are some of my personal suggestions for best bang for the buck:
(All prices and BHp gains are subjective, so don't bitch...)

Restore Oil Additive
$10 to restore most of the BHp you lost to lower cylinder compression due to wear and tear on your high mileage engine = PRICELESS!

K&N box Air filter & Oil Kit
$40 / 5 BHp = $8 per BHp

Synthetic Oil in Engine
$30 / 3 BHp = $10 per BHp

(All prices in US Dollars. Mileage and performance will vary. May cause male pattern baldness, sudden weight loss, excessive speeding tickets, raised fingers, drive by shootings, etc. Check with your physician before starting any exercise program. Not valid in California for some silly lame ass reason I won't get into here...)

[Kevin325i]

Go for a chip. I hate to rag on the old 5-0 but BHP was it's game, with the german cars it's all about the hp and torque curves more so than the peak numbers. I'd say get a chip if you had the money. The gains may only be 15 hp at the peak, but across the power curves there's a constant 8-10 gain and a smoother power curve.

Kevin

[Furious]

c.h.i.p

[dutchbmw]

Definitely go for a chip in combination with a K&N filter and maybe a sport header/exhaust system! (Is this good grammar?) lol.

[Kevin325i]

Wow, that was really good grammar dutch. You're getting better

Kevin

[dutchbmw]

IEspell doesn't check the grammar and docrobot is accurate with that

[docrobot]

Kevin regrets saying:

The gains may only be 15 hp at the beak, but across the power curves there's a constant 8-10 gain and a smoother power curve.

Oh yes, I have heard of beak horsepower too! It's really nice when you can increase beak horsepower on the cheep!

[harpax]

You guys have any links for us on those "chips"? I would love to get more information...

[eskiasu]

Well, you should have known what you were getting yourself into. Bmw parts are ridiculiously expensive. Don't believe just check out the prices for an M3 knob (about 45-65 for a real one). OEM or aftermarket, they are all expensive. It all comes down to just; A) should I save the money up and spend it on vacation/girl/etc or B) Your bimmer. If you do buy cheap products, its not always the same, although certain things are. One last little note, its not a dragster (seeing how you used to have a 5.0 mustang) There are cars that will beat you in a straight line . But if you ever encounter anyone trying to go through turns with you, its an easy win for you, at least it should be . Lastly, the best mod you could get is probably a chip. THat's because it gives you that hp increase all the time unlike CAI or exhaust which gives its best at certain rpms. I personally like to have an even amount of power and control myself so I try to do each one respectively. (ie; bilsteins this time, chip next time, stress bar this time, cold air next time,etc) You should also use synthetic oil and premium gas too. Its the only way to drive the car cleanly, efficiently.
By the way, what do you mean by "Restore oil additive." I have a feeling of what you mean but I'm not quite sure.

[///M Power]

The real modder goes for the uber good air freshener.

But if you must, chip all the way. They are safe, they are incredible, and they can be found as generic ones mapped liek turner and dinan for like $50 on ebay :wink

[docrobot]

Thx guys!

Here is a link to The RESTORE website. There is a thread about restore, just search for it...

[Mark31186]

Chip is nice... i have a turnermotorsport one and i luv it. CAI and exhaust are very nice too .

The three combined give ya good sound, pickup, and some kick in the gas pedal.

Goodluck

[Kevin325i]

There I changed it, wow the p and the b are really far apart. Must have been late

Kevin

[docrobot]

Well, you should have known what you were getting yourself into.

I did know, thanks for assuming I didn't check first...

My question is why is it so expensive? If the only reason is because then we are all suckers.

[Q_BMW]

hey
cant find any cheaper generic chips on ebay for an e36, 96 328i. Also would I need to update some software and get anything reprogrammed ? as I think the 96 328 i have an OBCII. not sure, some adive would be appreciated.
Q