What are the best engine mods to increase power in E30 325i

[JayB]

before you fit any performance parts to your car you should.
oil and filter change magnatec 10w/40
spark plugs
fuel filter
adjust valve clearences
the filter on the bottom of the fuel pump (in tank) can get cloged up with dirt.so it worth cleaning out.
make sure the throttle body is clean.
by-pass the crankcase venterlation pipe from the cam cover.
Use shell v-power fuel 99ron

[tubby17s]

lol sorry blatantarrogance...

Ill shut up if you want... i think you know what i mean though the odd subaru?

Josh

[march109]

before you fit any performance parts to your car you should.
oil and filter change magnatec 10w/40
spark plugs
fuel filter
adjust valve clearences
the filter on the bottom of the fuel pump (in tank) can get cloged up with dirt.so it worth cleaning out.
make sure the throttle body is clean.
by-pass the crankcase venterlation pipe from the cam cover.
Use shell v-power fuel 99ron

Agree with most of what you wrote but would you care to explain:

by-pass the crankcase venterlation pipe from the cam cover. - never heard of this one!

Use shell v-power fuel 99ron - this I'm sure is crap as E30's don't have knock sencors so can't advance timing to suit the extra octane. So no benefit would be gained.

and there are better oils than magnatec 10w/40, check with opieiols for a recommendation based upon car/engine/driving style and miles.

[orangecurry]

before you fit any performance parts to your car you should.
oil and filter change magnatec 10w/40
spark plugs
fuel filter
adjust valve clearences
the filter on the bottom of the fuel pump (in tank) can get cloged up with dirt.so it worth cleaning out.
make sure the throttle body is clean.
by-pass the crankcase venterlation pipe from the cam cover.

good stuff - of course BMW do most of this for you in a service.

Use shell v-power fuel 99ron

only a good idea if you are a holder of shares in Shell; pointless in a stock E30.

[orangecurry]

Hey members,
I got an E30 325i a few weeks ago and love it. I was wondering if anyone here might be able to help me with suggestions on engine mods to increase engine power and acceleration. I have fitted a power chip from e bay and will be ordering a full s/s exhaust system soon.

If there is nothing wrong with your standard (Boysen/BMW) system, don't replace it. You will simply lose low/mid-range torque for a few (and I mean a few) BHP at the top.
Spend your money on the tubular exhaust manifold.

Also, I saw a "power boost valve" on e bay which allows you to regulate the amount of fuel being pumped to the engine claiming to give approx 15% extra power. I know these increase figures are exaggarated but does anyone know anything about this type of product and if it would be damaging to my engine?

apologies if this has been answered - this just fools your engine into thinking it is still cold, and so it gets constantly overfueled. Not a good idea.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

lol sorry blatantarrogance...

Ill shut up if you want... i think you know what i mean though the odd subaru?

Josh

Mind you, there's so many scoobies on the road, you're probably not far wrong!!!

The breakdown of modern day car HP would be interesting, to see where the e30 falls in comparison!!

No don't shut up!! Debate is healthy, along with opinion, it is what makes this site interesting!!!

[oakey]

the e30 325i was never supposed to be a v.fast car. it was made to be able to keep up with the hot hatches and the fast small saloons of the time. Even by todays standards i wouldnt say that the 325i is slow. It is still quick enough to keep up with the same league of car today.
name me a modern car, that could be classed as bieng in the same league as an e30, that with cross the 1/4mile line in less than 15 secs???(ie faster than an e30)
They are not as fast as alot of modern day cars but even in their day e30s were far from one of the fastest cars around.

obviously if you put a powerful-ish engine in a Nova or any other featherlight car it will fly

[ed325i]

What would you go for with £1400??

I dont no what I would fit for £1400

But a zone chip £65
ITG filter £60
Cat cam £250
only comes up to £440
plus a 6 branch depends which one you get.

What about engine swap? Inc maybe a donor vehicle with some scrap/recycling/ebay tat value?

I would have to fit a Toyota supra twin turbo engine

[Jhonno]

whilst 190bhp isnt gonna set your pants on fire, it will make a healthy difference. A 325i could hardly be classed as 'slow' 0-60 in 7. something sec is quicker than alot of things, and with 190bhp it will be even more fun to drive

[ed325i]

Get a quote for the megasquirt

Would you get any agains from MS ?
I only thought to was only worth fitting if you had a turbo or throttle bodies.

[datonyb]

im with the old skool crew here

spend your money on
springs /shocks brakes and tyres and a lsd

car will be much faster a-b than all that money spent on engine alone
will drive far more satisfying
maybe will save you crashing it one night on a nice clear open road(eg a much safer car to drive)

i mean if your looking for a drag strip car
i doubt you would have brought an e30 in the first place

roll on the flamers here but come on your suggesting he adopts the yank muscle car approach

no one asked
is his 325 still wobbling its arse about on 20 yr old shock absorbers?

[datonyb]

ps for its weight
i think the stock 325 does pretty good for an old car.its still comparable power to weight as new cars of similar class

[pnd]

ok this one again first off get it right as standard(can cost a lot on its own) as has been said above then a really good 6 branch and chip, cam if you don't mind losing bottom end. As for bypassing the crankcase ventilation pipe never heard of it anyone? V power does make a small difference cos its better fuel and burns better, knock sensors would mean more benefit but it still makes a marginal difference. Best upgrade if it's a later car is fit an early engine that will make more difference than any of the above and lead to bigger gains with any of the above.

[ed325i]

As for bypassing the crankcase ventilation pipe never heard of it anyone?

I have heard of it but it will not give the engine more power.

[ed325i]

no one asked
is his 325 still wobbling its arse about on 20 yr old shock absorbers?

Thats because he asked how to got more power from the engine.

[snoops]

is the car lowered, modifed in any way?

if not get a good suspension, new pads, service and then 6 branch, zone chip, cam, etc

[oakey]

I dont no what I would fit for £1400

But a zone chip £65
ITG filter £60
Cat cam £250
only comes up to £440
plus a 6 branch depends which one you get.

What about engine swap? Inc maybe a donor vehicle with some scrap/recycling/ebay tat value?

I would have to fit a Toyota supra twin turbo engine

^ I can get my hands on one of these if you are interested??

[ed325i]

What about engine swap? Inc maybe a donor vehicle with some scrap/recycling/ebay tat value?

I would have to fit a Toyota supra twin turbo engine

^ I can get my hands on one of these if you are interested??

Not at the moment I am building a m20 2.8 but thanks for asking.
I think I would put the toyota engine in a e28.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I would have to fit a Toyota supra twin turbo engine

^ I can get my hands on one of these if you are interested??

Not at the moment I am building a m20 2.8 but thanks for asking.
I think I would put the toyota engine in a e28.

Do it, DO IT!

[keet81]

Hi.
Thanks for the info.
I won' t be doing the work myself. I can do only very basic stuff. I' d fit an induction kit or something like that. Wouldn' t really go messing with anything more complicated. Will fitting the high lift cam make it deader in low revs? What' s "ms (no afm)"? Engine swap is out of reach. I would probably prefer to keep the bimmer engine anyway even if i could afford a swap. What' s the m50b25 engine from?
Also, some guy called 320iSE left a message for me about 2 different chips he was selling for £35 each. Zone Mild chip and Alpina Wild chip claiming the Alpina chip will bring power from 170 to 192.. Sounds too good.. Anybody know of these chips?

[rich318i]

get a m5 3.6 or 3.8 engine

[keet81]

The car is lowered 40mm and is on 17" Alpinas. Has a K & N cone which i'm replacing. Car seems to be running very well with approx 125k miles on the clock. Is there any way of stopping tram lining on 17's? Also someone mentioned fitting close ratio gearbox and lsd from an IS model? I didn' t know there was a difference? What major difference would replacing these make and would it be worth the money it would cost?

Thanks.

[oldroydsr4]

wouldn't bother with the gear box but the lsd is a must. (you wont regret it)

[keet81]

I Know the car isn' t going to be a drag racer but a damn type R integra pulled away from me on acceleration the other nite. It would be nice to know it could beat those girls cars anyway. I know they are quick 1.8 engines n all but still. I looked at a R32 Skyline with over 300 BHP the same day I bought the 325i. I don' t regret buying the bimmer tho i think I may try to obtain somethin jap turbo also if i can hopefully.

[Simon13]

none of that will give good gains, a proper decent cam livens up a 2.5 the most.

Everyone forgets just how hard it is to tune an M20 properly it's hard enough with a 2.7 and the 2.5 is even harder.

I bet a proper standard engine and in rude health is quicker than most "tuned" 2.5's and cheap 2.7's

[ed325i]

none of that will give good gains

Which mods are you on about simon ?

[Simon13]

Ed i mean all the air filters and 6 branches all cost alot, then you have a cam for say £250 and it gives twice the gains a £700 6 branch does.

fse boost valves are a good waste of time. A member of the ring trip just gone had an engine fire because of one.......the second time he has had one too.....

bin the 17's making it a wobble bus!

Mate you need to decide what you want from the car, what's it being used for?

[orangecurry]

Ed i mean all the air filters and 6 branches all cost alot, then you have a cam for say £250 and it gives twice the gains a £700 6 branch does.

tubular manifold gives 10% increase? 18 BHP on stock?

Are you saying that just a cam will give you 20% increase, 36 BHP over stock?

fse boost valves are a good waste of time. A member of the ring trip just gone had an engine fire because of one.......the second time he has had one too.....

bin the 17's making it a wobble bus!

Mate you need to decide what you want from the car, what's it being used for?

what he said, especially binning the 17s - and being Alpina copies they will probably weigh an unpleasant amount.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I Know the car isn' t going to be a drag racer but a damn type R integra pulled away from me on acceleration the other nite. It would be nice to know it could beat those girls cars anyway. I know they are quick 1.8 engines n all but still. I looked at a R32 Skyline with over 300 BHP the same day I bought the 325i. I don' t regret buying the bimmer tho i think I may try to obtain somethin jap turbo also if i can hopefully.

Shitvic type r's are 2ltr mate.

Go for the M50!!

[oakey]

Ed i mean all the air filters and 6 branches all cost alot, then you have a cam for say £250 and it gives twice the gains a £700 6 branch does.

tubular manifold gives 10% increase? 18 BHP on stock?

not from my experience.

[reggid]

tubular manifold gives 10% increase? 18 BHP on stock?

Are you saying that just a cam will give you 20% increase, 36 BHP over stock?

not a chance in hell !!! I'd be getting a BTB manifold over a cam any day of the week.

[oakey]

I have tried 2 different 6branch manifolds and neither gave anything like that sort of increase. not even remotely close. I know someone who is fitting a btb next week so i'll see if that is far better than the ones i have tried.

obviously simon is exagerating slightly to make a point. I agree with him. a cam will give more of a power gain than a 6branch. IMO taken from my limited experience.

[reggid]

Go for the M50!!

much better to build an m20 2.7 with a whole life ahead of itself rather than have an engine that when at its best made 192hp and 181lb-ft which was probablty 100,000 miles ago.

[reggid]

I have tried 2 different 6branch manifolds and neither gave anything like that sort of increase. not even remotely close. I know someone who is fitting a btb next week so i'll see if that is far better than the ones i have tried.

obviously simon is exagerating slightly to make a point. I agree with him. a cam will give more of a power gain than a 6branch. IMO taken from my limited experience.

i gained an average of 15rwkw (~25hp) between 2800 and 6700rpm and a peak gain of 20rwkw (~32hp) at 4000rpm and peak to peak or 10rwkw (~16hp) on my engine and was far more than my 286/272 with 11.75mm lift gave but mine is not stock so don't expect the same
The BTB works and is the only manifold worth considering and any cam will be less effective without it

[Simon13]

bollocks, if you believe for 1 minute there is an exhaust manifold which will give 18bhp then your dreaming big time. If this was the case don't you think there would of been another manifold developed long before this?
The fact the btb2 is based heavily on the hartge, Racing dynamics manifolds say alot, don't you think?

Don't believe everything you read.

I've fitted and driven before and after a 325i with a btb 2 it made a difference but not 18bhp, maybe 5 brake. I also have just rebuilt the top end on my 325i and added a cam to it. A noticible increase in power.

If you want your 325i to fly then put it on a major diet, this will only cost you your time and creature comforts such as carpets and door cards

If you want to tune a 2.5 start with a cam and go from there, but it's gonna need remapping and £Â£Ã‚£ to get a solid 190bhp. The cam is the weak link in the engine and is seriously mild. The standard log manifold is alot more efficient than you may think.