What can I do to a 325is(E30)?
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Spark plugs, air filter, e30 m3 springs, strut brace (www.bmw-2002.com) new diff gearing (that should be the most expenisive, getting close to $400), and lastly z4 shifter conversion
well i'm guessing you have 14" wheels right now, so try to find a nice set of 16's and then get some springs to lower it (too get rid of the 4x4 look), or a good shock/spring combo. but if ur concerned about ride quality/comfort then the M3 springs would be a good pick, and wouldnt require new shocks.
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The other guys basically already address the lowering springs, Sway bars, Shocks/strut inserts, intake, exhaust, better headlights, and so on! Need help call me at (859) 224-9551 anytime up to 2am EST if you truely are stuck or need places to get the best prices for parts and are seriously buying nt just wanting everything for free!
Jared Seymour
Jared Seymour
Johnny,
Or you could take a look into our shop at www.nikis-place.com
As long as we are talking the E30 do we have access to 100% of all original parts used in mint condition.
So if you are on a tight budget and lets say wants the M suspension kit - can we find it from German sources (Used) at good pricing.
Or you could take a look into our shop at www.nikis-place.com
As long as we are talking the E30 do we have access to 100% of all original parts used in mint condition.
So if you are on a tight budget and lets say wants the M suspension kit - can we find it from German sources (Used) at good pricing.
My 2c for what it's worth:
How about keeping it stock, or very slightly modified? I had an e30 325i at school and an e36 325i at college and in my opinion I over-did it. 17" rims, strut braces, Koni adjustables, full exhaust, airbox, cams, intakes, body kits, and more. At the time I thought they looked cool and were seriously quick but (after a couple of years) I came back down to earth. *It's a BMW 3 series*. After I sold the E36 I bought a 993 and realised that I'd wasted a lot of time and money. The BMs I modded were kind of fun on an open road but terrible in town or traffic - I'd compromised the package trying to build against what the BM engineers had designed. They'd put a lot of work into those two 325i models and when it came down to it I was trying to build an M3 on the cheap - it would've been better to have bought an M3 and been done with it.
It's easy to get carried away, hence the existence of a huge number of so-called 'tuners'...
Also, it's worth mentioning that those mods added a premium of about 5% to the book price of the car and they cost rather a lot more.
How about keeping it stock, or very slightly modified? I had an e30 325i at school and an e36 325i at college and in my opinion I over-did it. 17" rims, strut braces, Koni adjustables, full exhaust, airbox, cams, intakes, body kits, and more. At the time I thought they looked cool and were seriously quick but (after a couple of years) I came back down to earth. *It's a BMW 3 series*. After I sold the E36 I bought a 993 and realised that I'd wasted a lot of time and money. The BMs I modded were kind of fun on an open road but terrible in town or traffic - I'd compromised the package trying to build against what the BM engineers had designed. They'd put a lot of work into those two 325i models and when it came down to it I was trying to build an M3 on the cheap - it would've been better to have bought an M3 and been done with it.
It's easy to get carried away, hence the existence of a huge number of so-called 'tuners'...
Also, it's worth mentioning that those mods added a premium of about 5% to the book price of the car and they cost rather a lot more.
Well Fing said! Thats what i try to tell people around my school and stuff but they dont understand. Sure maybe try to improve on some of the cars weak points, like sway bars in a e30 or strut brace on e36. But dont go overboard. A bmw is a all around car. Not having an extreme on either side of good or bad. Just a well designed all around car.
Well said guys.
I spent thousands on my 5 liter mustang in my early and mid 20's and came full circle; in the end I wished I had left it near stock.
My $.02 on common modifications that I call downgrades:
-Lowering springs are for looks not handling. Strut/Trailing Arm suspensions don't do well with lowering as they have a narrower effective range of travel compared to A-arm suspensions. The end result is less traction, harder ride, and many broken air dams and under carrage parts.
-Many owners under-shock their cars to save money. They buy a new set of lowering springs that are 20-30% stiffer but cheap out on the dampeners. You get what you pay for.
-Those loud and shiny aftermarket mufflers are just that, loud and shiny. Unless you are going to build up your engine (ported heads, new cam - not simply a K&N filter) and pull or upgrade your catalytic converter, spending hundreds on the muffler is only going to give you and others a headache.
A 325is is a great car right out of the box. The only upgrades to mine are Bilstein HD shocks/struts (the stockers needed replacing anyhow) and a new CD/amp/speaker system.
I spent thousands on my 5 liter mustang in my early and mid 20's and came full circle; in the end I wished I had left it near stock.
My $.02 on common modifications that I call downgrades:
-Lowering springs are for looks not handling. Strut/Trailing Arm suspensions don't do well with lowering as they have a narrower effective range of travel compared to A-arm suspensions. The end result is less traction, harder ride, and many broken air dams and under carrage parts.
-Many owners under-shock their cars to save money. They buy a new set of lowering springs that are 20-30% stiffer but cheap out on the dampeners. You get what you pay for.
-Those loud and shiny aftermarket mufflers are just that, loud and shiny. Unless you are going to build up your engine (ported heads, new cam - not simply a K&N filter) and pull or upgrade your catalytic converter, spending hundreds on the muffler is only going to give you and others a headache.
A 325is is a great car right out of the box. The only upgrades to mine are Bilstein HD shocks/struts (the stockers needed replacing anyhow) and a new CD/amp/speaker system.
Welcome Ron101 B)Originally posted by Ron101@Jun 15 2003, 12:34 AM
Well said guys.
I spent thousands on my 5 liter mustang in my early and mid 20's and came full circle; in the end I wished I had left it near stock.
My $.02 on common modifications that I call downgrades:
-Lowering springs are for looks not handling. Strut/Trailing Arm suspensions don't do well with lowering as they have a narrower effective range of travel compared to A-arm suspensions. The end result is less traction, harder ride, and many broken air dams and under carrage parts.
-Many owners under-shock their cars to save money. They buy a new set of lowering springs that are 20-30% stiffer but cheap out on the dampeners. You get what you pay for.
-Those loud and shiny aftermarket mufflers are just that, loud and shiny. Unless you are going to build up your engine (ported heads, new cam - not simply a K&N filter) and pull or upgrade your catalytic converter, spending hundreds on the muffler is only going to give you and others a headache.
A 325is is a great car right out of the box. The only upgrades to mine are Bilstein HD shocks/struts (the stockers needed replacing anyhow) and a new CD/amp/speaker system.
thats a good point with the lowering springs but with bilstein sports or koni dampners the handling would be greatly improved, and at that point a set of H&R sports (1.3" drop) would help looks as well as increase perfromance slightly further. but that is a pretty expensive route to go if you just want your car lowered.
exhausts are pretty much just expensive noise makers, but some like supersprint and stromung produce a very good powerful bmw sound, and arent terribly loud.
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