performance cams

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:16 am

i have had my 316 for a wile now and im bored with the lack of power it has are perfomance cams worth fitting? or should i just fit a m40b18?
any one no the best cam to use? kent cam say i will get a 9 bhp increase so with a chip this mite be worth doing.
cam=9bhp
chip=6 bhp
so should give me 115 ish
the only worry i have is my car has done 170000 mils how strong is the 1.6 and how many miles are they good for? baring in mind i dont know how well its been looked after
thanks matt

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:24 am

For £ -> bhp there's not point to be honest fella.

If you want a good increase in power for not much work or money then look at fitting an M42 318iS engine. Spadge is selling on at the moment. Will give you 130 odd bhp and you only need to change the engine, loom and exhaust to get it going.

318iS did come with rear brakes and larger front struts which you may want to add later on?

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:27 am

to be honest £ for hp wise i doubt it would be worth doing (especialy to a 170000mile motor), bin the m40 and stick in a bigger lump m42/m20/m30/m50/m52 this imo the only cost effective way of gaining more power.

jon

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:30 am

You are going to struggle to get 'cams' in.

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:33 am

Jon_Bmw wrote:You are going to struggle to get 'cams' in.

lol ok cam!

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:34 am

If you fit the 1.8 engine, in a few weeks you'll be in the same position as you are now..craving more power!t It's really not a lot quicker than what you've got.
Most people will tell you to fit a bigger engine or buy a 325i/318is.
The main advantage to fitting a decent cam to a 1.6 will be a longer power band,and if your cam is worn,you'll gain a bit on that as well.
From what i've read, the bottom end of an M40 is very strong.
Maybe do a compression test to see if your rings are ok before you spend cash on it?

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:36 am

I found quite a big difference from a 1.6 to a 1.8.

Only way to get more power without spending silly money is put a different engine in.

And yes the M40's are certainly very strong!

Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:47 am

sihooker wrote:If you fit the 1.8 engine, in a few weeks you'll be in the same position as you are now..craving more power!t It's really not a lot quicker than what you've got.
Most people will tell you to fit a bigger engine or buy a 325i/318is.
The main advantage to fitting a decent cam to a 1.6 will be a longer power band,and if your cam is worn,you'll gain a bit on that as well.
From what i've read, the bottom end of an M40 is very strong.
Maybe do a compression test to see if your rings are ok before you spend cash on it?

would love a 325 but my car is clean an is a rare 2 door no sunroof model

Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:33 am

mattandjazze30 wrote: would love a 325 but my car is clean an is a rare 2 door no sunroof model

Sounds like you're more than half way to happiness!
Upgrading to a 1.8 AND sticking a cam and chip in might be a good,easy way to go for a half decent power increase. But it's relatively expensive for the extra horses.
At least it'll be less obvious to insurance companies if you dont want to declare...and the current brakes will be up to the job.
It's a tough choice us M40 owners have to face