E30 Zone

So quite a broad topic here..

How could one get the best out of their e30 in terms of-

(CAR IN QUESTION IS A 325i Sport in standard guise - not lowered or 'massive exhausted')

1. Increasing ENGINE POWER and torque without S/C or Turbo. What would be the best parts to use for good gains without making the car loud- i.e an exhaust that is not loud when pottering along.
ECU remap/chip without rough idle.

2. HANDLING!!! - MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT FOR ME. Simply because if I wanted out and out straight line performance I would just buy a turbo charged car.
What are the best handling upgrades. I don't agree with dropping the car massively. Again quality parts here.

I have read the wiki on the above but would like some advice and feedback from members who have experience in using certain parts and employing different techniques.

How big is your budget is the most important question here. Any decent gains engine wise will cost a fair whack. If it were me and I was keeping the m20 I would build a decent 2.8 stroker with a nice cam and full BTB running standalone management.

Handling, Billie B8's and decent springs.

eccentric lollipops help with sharp corners, strut brace, h&r arbs, polybushes, new subframe bushes,

ive got a standard m20, with all of the above, and focused more on the interior/comfort side... upgraded the sounds, heated leather interior, tech 2 wheel and m3 steering rack, obc, illuminated m knob, and probably one of the best interior mods ive done put in an e46 armrest, which completely changes the e30 and is very very useful especially on long journeys, or dreary days where you just wanna kick back!

And I should add refresh all the bushes with OEM ones and fit uprated antiroll bars and upgrade the steering rack

engine : building an M20 stroker will take mauch time and money if you cant do it yourself. easier to buy a better 2.8 as in an M50/2 B28 and have 210-220 hp for probably less then a grand all in.

as for your standard 2.5 M20 there is not really mush you cna do cheaply to it, a big exhaust only changes the sound despitye what ebay/etc tell you, it does not add 5hp uless you work on the inlet side too. a chip may change the power delivery and raise the rpm limit but also does not add much, perhaps a chip and full exhaust (not just a back box) will add 3-10hp on a good day, and the 10end will be high end exhausts and cost probably half what it costs to drop an M50 2.8 in there.

handling : cheapest way is to buy new shocks and springs..they start at 2-300 quid and go upto 2-3000 quid for coil overs...cheap are cheap for a reason but even cheap stuff will make your car feel stiffer,lower and thus more sporty than the original soft set up - downside to cheap ones is a harsh ride and they may only last a year or two.

as already mentioned a good sorting of suspension bushes front and rear will also need to be done. OEM stuff is enough rather than spending loads on polybushes and loosing your fillings.

also dont ignore brakes, if you spend anytime racing you will know a fast car with good suspension is totally useless unless you can stop it. better pads and disks plus a good service for about 300 quid, bigger brake conversions for 500 upwards

so really it depends on your budget and what you want the car for.

sub 500: leave the engine alone, do a good service/change bushes and fit some lower springs and better shocks
500-1500 better suspension - mid range springs /shocks, chip and exhaust
1500-2500 engine swap and cheap-ish suspension work
2500++ engine swap and good suspension

As Top Gear pointed out on the Renault Avantime, which is another unaerodynamic block, the best thing to do to your car is get it back to the condition it left the factory. Refresh all the bushes, refurb the injectors and give it a full service. Doing that will eat up the best part of 500 quid, so you can budget any "upgrades" from what's left over.

bmw9818 wrote:eccentric lollipops help with sharp corners, strut brace, h&r arbs, polybushes, new subframe bushes,

ive got a standard m20, with all of the above, and focused more on the interior/comfort side... upgraded the sounds, heated leather interior, tech 2 wheel and m3 steering rack, obc, illuminated m knob, and probably one of the best interior mods ive done put in an e46 armrest, which completely changes the e30 and is very very useful especially on long journeys, or dreary days where you just wanna kick back!

Have you got a pick of the fitted e46 armrest you can put up?

i've got billy stein b8 dampers all round with eibach 35-40mm springs,eibach adjustable arb's with eibach poly bushes,m3 eccentric lolly pop bushes ,lemforder front top mounts ,control arms,trailing arm bushes and rear beam bushes with DanThe rear void fillers ,rouge engineering rose jointed rear top mounts with turret strengthening plates and an e36 rack with tech1 370mm s/wheel and 225/45/16 toyo proxies on the arse end with mk1 295/45/16 goodyear eagle F1's on the front..............


pretty much sorted