E30 Zone

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. I can stretch my budget to between £1,000 - £1,400 after these mods are done.
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?

Thanks to anyone in advance .

hi

6 branch exhaust manifold

higher lift camshaft

big bore throttle body

induction kit

and the boost valve is good for adjusting your fuel pressure.

you should come in around your budget especially if you fit the parts yourself

Cheers wullie. Do you know what BHP these mods will get me up to?

hi

check out the zone shop for more info but any figures stated are just an estimate and are not exact as it depends on things like overall condition of your engine ect.

wullie

hi again

i would say with all the mods stated minus the crap ebay chip 200bhp is a realistic target.

wullie

Why minus the e bay chip? I know it can' t be brilliant for £25 but do you think it would actually lesson power? I fitted the chip today. Can' t really notice a difference.

hi

the ebay chips are usually crap copys of a good map and if you cant notice a difference that tells you something.

the best way to go in my opinion is put all your mods on the car then have it re-mapped on a rolling road.it will cost a bit to do but you will get the maximum effect from all your mods.

if you dont do that i would buy a chip from the zone shop.

wullie

hi

i would also consider getting a lsd and close ratio box from a sport also.

wullie

BTB 6 branch, Shrick cam, BBTB, and a MAF maybe possible for the £Â£ should see close to 190bhp depending on choice of cam and current health of the engine.

FSE or whatever is a pile of shit, leave well alone

FSE = power boost valve btw

hi

the boost valve on mine seems to do the job?

wullie

Is replacing the chip the same as remapping? I heard about some guy around my area that can plug a laptop into the car and remap it. Would he be programming the chip in it already or programming a new one for it? Would this be similar to the rolling road option? Obviosly wouldn' t be as good but a lot cheaper..

I did some research on the big bore throttle bodies there and a lot of comments are saying it' s a waste of money??

hi

on some chips like the standard one you can re-write the map on it but you will most likely find that the one off ebay cant be re-written.you would have to put the standard one back on the car and use it to re-mapp but i wouldnt let some dodgey geezer with a laptop near my car as you really need to know what you are doing with this stuff and its worth the money paying to get it on the rollers and you will get a print out with near enough your exact bhp.

trust me the big bore throttle body is worth every penny

wullie

Make sure you engine is running prefect before you start any mods.
Fit a zone chip (e bay one )
ITG air filter.
6 branch exhaust manifold.
Fit a cat cam.

I have read that the big bore throttle body is a waste of time to. They arent that much bigger.

£1500???

Get a bigger engine.

blatantarrogance wrote:£1500???

Get a bigger engine.

What he said.

munky30 wrote:

blatantarrogance wrote:£1500???

Get a bigger engine.

What he said.

Which engine ?

I'd say a btb 6 branch, cat cam and zone chip will see you a healthy increase if you didn't want to do an engine swap.

If you were considering a swap, Maybe go for a m50b25 for an instant 190bhp and a smoother drive due 24v technology.

£1400 may not be enough to do the conversion depending on how handy you are with the spanners.

unless you can do everything yourself- you will struggle massively to do an engine transplant for £1500

ed325i wrote:

munky30 wrote:

blatantarrogance wrote:£1500???

Get a bigger engine.

What he said.

Which engine ?

What would you go for with £1400??

just a example (from the expensive end of the scale) Bexleys can fit a camshaft and remap the car for just under £1500.

If it were me. I would get ms fitted (no afm), camshaft, and maybe a 6branch manifold. although that alone may be going over your budget.

blatantarrogance wrote:

ed325i wrote:

munky30 wrote: What he said.

Which engine ?

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.

keet- will you be doing the work yourself?

6 branch MAF/megasquirt BBtb remap (cam if you want top end power)

(cam if you want top end power)

It depends which one you get.

interesting budget that falls between two stools...
Get a quote for the megasquirt from Ant. Then see what you've got left for the six branch manifold and a cam. Ask Ant to put it all on for you and then map it. You'll have to pay for his time, but your engine will benefit more from his time than it will from being the engine you learn on!

I would leave it alone... with that budget you wont achieve much for your money.. extractors, chips, cam and induction mods wont see a massive rise in power. (i have tried and failed as i imagine many other people have.)

as has been said before...make sure the engine is in good order and start saving for an engine swap or small turbo on your current engine.

Im probably going to get flamed for this comment but i have seen it many times

Josh

(p.s. just work on a nice suspension set up and a nice brak system. its not a powerfull engine so dont try waste money on making it powerfull.)

ed325i wrote:

blatantarrogance wrote:

ed325i wrote: Which engine ?

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?

tubby17s wrote:I would leave it alone... with that budget you wont achieve much for your money.. extractors, chips, cam and induction mods wont see a massive rise in power. (i have tried and failed as i imagine many other people have.)

as has been said before...make sure the engine is in good order and start saving for an engine swap or small turbo on your current engine.

Im probably going to get flamed for this comment but i have seen it many times

Josh

(p.s. just work on a nice suspension set up and a nice brak system. its not a powerfull engine so dont try waste money on making it powerfull.)

GGRRRRRRR

That's a fair point. Reducing weight, uprating brakes and suspension give a great equivalent to increase in power.

Left over money could be used to ensure your lump is tip top so maximise the benefits any future mods may bring.

tubby17s wrote:I would leave it alone... with that budget you wont achieve much for your money.. extractors, chips, cam and induction mods wont see a massive rise in power. (i have tried and failed as i imagine many other people have.)

as has been said before...make sure the engine is in good order and start saving for an engine swap or small turbo on your current engine.

Im probably going to get flamed for this comment but i have seen it many times

Josh

(p.s. just work on a nice suspension set up and a nice brak system. its not a powerfull engine so dont try waste money on making it powerfull.)

you certainly are not going to get vast gains for the money but you will get to about 190bhp (flywheel) and a useful increase in torque

how will the brakes and suspension make it go faster...reducing the weight will...I had better go on diet!

DaveD wrote:

tubby17s wrote:I would leave it alone... with that budget you wont achieve much for your money.. extractors, chips, cam and induction mods wont see a massive rise in power. (i have tried and failed as i imagine many other people have.)

as has been said before...make sure the engine is in good order and start saving for an engine swap or small turbo on your current engine.

Im probably going to get flamed for this comment but i have seen it many times

Josh

(p.s. just work on a nice suspension set up and a nice brak system. its not a powerfull engine so dont try waste money on making it powerfull.)

you certainly are not going to get vast gains for the money but you will get to about 190bhp (flywheel) and a useful increase in torque

how will the brakes and suspension make it go faster...reducing the weight will...I had better go on diet!

Better brakes = reduced braking times therefore higher average speeds.

Better telemetory means higher cornering speeds.

Hence the car overall will be quicker without affecting top speeds and acceleration.

You're quite right about weight reduction. Improves power/weight ratio.

My idea was that an E30 is a great car to drive in the twisties... but its not going to beat any drag races with the engine he has. personally i beleive you will get more gain out of a set of bushs to tighten the chassie up a set os springs a sway bar and maybe a set of adjustable shocks.

Replace the pads and fluid....

Stripping interior is a great idea but not everyone ones to drive around ina bare chassie with no interior..

you can spend thousands on building a N/A m20 that will scream... but you will still be even in straight line speed with a modern day car....

Sorry if i offend anyone but i have been through the process

Josh

I agree.

The 325 in my sig pic had the usual mods;

K&N Panel filter
FSE uprated FPR
Piper fast road cam fitted when head completely overhauled
Scorpion full system
Remap

the car did 192bhp on the rollers after that lot was done

I put it down the drag strip and it would only manage 15.9 down the 1/4, which I thought was pisch poor.

For the £1500 mentioned, you could go the M30 route but fuel bills are a bit steep or turbo what's in there. No offence, but even S50 engined E30's at santa pod last September didn't look quick up the strip. Especially annoying when hooligans can throw a red top into a sh1t-box nova and be straight into the 13's

Chassis

The 'modern day car' statement was a bit generalistic.

I'd like to see a breakdown of 'modern day car' hp claims, divided into above 200bhp and below 200bhp. Would be a fair comparison to a pumped m20?