E30 Zone

as the title suggests. what are the best small power upgrades to get? air filter check. chip check. next?

would help if you said what car/engine it was

Air filter = NO
Chip Yes.

Proper service to get it running as BMW intended.

Anything else will start costing you ££££

GEt the car well serviced, plugs, leads dizzy cap, fresh oil and filters fist.

If it's an M20, best to just go for a panel filter, ITG or K&N work fine as I recall someone on here doing back to back tests against a cone, and found the cone dropped off bhp by a few.

Also if it's an M20, Speedtouch is well worth asking for his chip upgrades, gives both a few extra horses, and improved MPG

try word of mouth motorsport, he programs the chip to your requirements etc, can supply bigger injectors to match the chip, which i should be receiving in the post tomorrow.
www.wordofmouthmotorsport.com

cheers people

I think it being a normally-aspirated engine........
a good proper service Inspection I (or Inspection II if cambelt/coolant pump) need changing will pay big dividends

sounds from other people on here that chipping is the way to go

I think you might get bored of the power increase after a week ?!
you could try stripping the car as an different approach to trying to increase power
just a thought

acceleration = force / mass

if for an e30 then an m20 lightened flywheel to around 6.7kg is the best thing i've fitted, before the m50 engine of course

it's even fitted to that

i've only really needed a chip and the flywheel to keep me happy.

not looking to strip the car want it looking genuine. cheers for the advice.

magpie wrote:if for an e30 then an m20 lightened flywheel to around 6.7kg is the best thing i've fitted, before the m50 engine of course

it's even fitted to that

i've only really needed a chip and the flywheel to keep me happy.

ahh i gota find a flywheel anyways for my 'to-be' manual haha.

The first thing (and the best return per £ of anything) is to get the engine running as BMW intended. Check TPS, temp sensor, valve clearances, injectors, plugs, AFM, distributor cap, rotor arm, air leaks, etc., are all running and adjusted exactly as they should be.
After that, a 'chip' will give small, but just about noticeable gains in power and drivability.
Lightened flywheel won't give any increase in power whatsoever, but will enable the engine to 'spool up' faster, as a result of reduced rotational mass.
'Performance' air intakes and exhaust systems will do nothing.

no one can see a lightened flywheel ,when/if you do the manual conversion to your 320i you will be buying a fly wheel anyway so before you fit it have a machine shop lighten it for you to 6.7kg.it makes things happen quicker with no bhp gain.

Brianmoooore wrote:'Performance' air intakes and exhaust systems will do nothing.

But a decent exhaust manifold will.

Brianmoooore wrote:The first thing (and the best return per £ of anything) is to get the engine running as BMW intended. Check TPS, temp sensor, valve clearances, injectors, plugs, AFM, distributor cap, rotor arm, air leaks, etc., are all running and adjusted exactly as they should be.
After that, a 'chip' will give small, but just about noticeable gains in power and drivability.
Lightened flywheel won't give any increase in power whatsoever, but will enable the engine to 'spool up' faster, as a result of reduced rotational mass.
'Performance' air intakes and exhaust systems will do nothing.

this dude knows what he is talking about

follow his advice and you will benefit, I did

Lightened flywheels cost how much? Or how much was it to be done?

bss325i wrote:

Brianmoooore wrote:'Performance' air intakes and exhaust systems will do nothing.

But a decent exhaust manifold will.

an X pipe will work as well, more torque to be had

BBTB helps as well

TheHeap wrote:Lightened flywheels cost how much? Or how much was it to be done?

i was lucky enough to buy mine all done and ready to fit .

^^ And it spools up like a 1100cc engine? Albeit with 6pot grunt

i asked a mate about fly wheel fitting- he said gear box etc has to come out, and if you do the flywheel then you really should put a new clutch in whilst its all out ?

As previously stated, get the car running right with a thorough service (remember 02 / lamda sensors are service items) check hoses, clean icv - have a look at your bentley manual

You could also get the injectors ultrasonically cleaned?

I found my e30 ran smoother when using the 99 octane petrol (some people on here will tell you there is no difference )

magpie wrote:no one can see a lightened flywheel ,when/if you do the manual conversion to your 320i you will be buying a fly wheel anyway so before you fit it have a machine shop lighten it for you to 6.7kg.it makes things happen quicker with no bhp gain.

is there a specific flywheel to go with the gearbox im buying off you? (btw payment will be with you shortly, i havent forgoten )

Brianmoooore wrote:The first thing (and the best return per £ of anything) is to get the engine running as BMW intended. Check TPS, temp sensor, valve clearances, injectors, plugs, AFM, distributor cap, rotor arm, air leaks, etc., are all running and adjusted exactly as they should be.
After that, a 'chip' will give small, but just about noticeable gains in power and drivability.
Lightened flywheel won't give any increase in power whatsoever, but will enable the engine to 'spool up' faster, as a result of reduced rotational mass.
'Performance' air intakes and exhaust systems will do nothing.

yea i was surprised at how much smoother my car ran after i done the valve adjustments, new plugs new rotar arm. ran so much mroe smoother it was amazing the difference. will buy a new dizzy cap soon aswell.

easiest way to performance heaven- if you believe the hype: invest in an IS

bigwinn wrote:easiest way to performance heaven- if you believe the hype: invest in an IS

IS?

All 'is' owners believe their cars can outrun anything from an astramax (see top gear circa 1992) to a veyron.

the 'is' is the 16v version of the E30- the M42 engine

lol im a total idiot... i read it as is and not IS ha.

dissertation getting to my head!!!!

do the dissertation on E30's- you know it makes sense

i can walk quicker

bigwinn wrote:do the dissertation on E30's- you know it makes sense

HAH!!!! if only.. .then education would be fun!!

i just handed my disso in today... let the car mods and construction begin!!!!

what was your disertationn in?

pony wrote:what was your disertationn in?

effects of regular aerobic exercise on cognitive function, memory, and learning.

OT
Shushrut: Very interesting. Is it finished? What results?

MartinSE wrote:OT
Shushrut: Very interesting. Is it finished? What results?

haha. yup all done just handed it in earlier this week so no result yet... maybe after a month or 2 i guess... is predicted A/B.... lets hope for the best

a lightened flywheel allows more engine power to the wheels as such, you just get more of it to the road as your lightening its internals as such. So it doesn't have to work as hard.

Its a very good little mod, but only makes sense if you need a clutch

Adjusting the tappets on an M20 is always the first job!