Humiliated on motorway, need more power!

[JB88]

just got back from a little night time spin... i really would like to add more power to my 1988 325i.

the previous owner upgraded the brakes and supension so some time and money saved there.

unfortunatly i havnt really got a grasp on the options so i dont know whats do able and what sort of money im looking at.

could somebody tell me of the most common engine swaps, expected power gains and cost?

would be very grateful.

James

[UweM3]

It's a 22 year old car, ever thought about that? It's not going to outrace modern machines unless you do something drastic like Turbo, engine swap etc.
A bit of K&N airfilter and freeflow exhaust will not transform it into a sub 14 sec drag racer.

PS watch out on the motorway, they have these little cameras everywhere and I have noticed a lot of unmarked police cars lately.

For a bit of fun take you car to Santa Pod. Full throttle and no fines.
just my 2p

[Jim320i]

Can you not just take it somewhere to be tuned slightly? As the engine stands? Also, have you serviced it? Cleaned it all out, checked all pipes etc etc... Generally changed things that need changing? That will help too...

[oakey]

I have a 2.7 engine for sale with a proven 215+bhp and a massive whack of midrange torque which is enough in an e30 to deal with most modern hatchbacks and keep up with e46 330i's etc

Got a set of itb's too...

[Speedtouch]

A chip may help liven it up

[leeparkes]

M30's are brilliant on the motorway

[JB88]

engine has been serviced reguarly no expense spared ever since it left the factory.

so just say i did wish to swap the engine, is there a ball park figure for labour costs?

[leeparkes]

Depends on what engine you choose

[JB88]

thats really what i wanted to know. im starting from scratch here.

i see m50's are quite popular and theres a few on ebay for £400.

i was beaten by a peugeot. i dont care what goes in there as long as it shifts!

[jmc330i]

M52B28 with the required M50 bits and a decent remap should be good for 240+bhp .

[rix313]

For a bit of fun take you car to Santa Pod. Full throttle and no fines.
just my 2p

+1

Race tracks are for racing.

[eta]

Chnaging the diff can make a big difference to and is alot cheaper. It all depends on what you have out back atm.

If you avoid racing on the road you can't get humiliated.

[MillRat]

The best tuned M20B25's (in standard form) only make around 100-110 rwkw (135-145 rwhp).

If you seriously want more power out of an E30 then you are looking at 1 of 3 things;
Stroked M20,
Engine swap (M30, M50, SR20, etc..), or
forced induction (turbo, supercharger).

Diff's are good and you will feel a difference if you get the right ratio, however in the end it still comes down to power.

I still don't see how being humiliated on a motorway is any reason to boost the engine power though. It will only lead to signficantly bigger problems later on....

[Kos]

there will always be some one faster than you

[doyley123]

M52B28 with the required M50 bits and a decent remap should be good for 240+bhp .

yeh maybe with a turbo conversion!

[ross_jsy]

i believe its DanThe who has around that figure with no turbo....

[jmc330i]

M52B28 with the required M50 bits and a decent remap should be good for 240+bhp .

yeh maybe with a turbo conversion!

Sorry, I miss typed, I meant 230+bhp. The M50 inlet and TB (possibly a modded one), a decent induction kit (Ive not looked into it for a year or two, but the one from E36coupe.com seems to give constant results), a decent exhaust and either a chip or remap (depending on the age of the car) will normally give around 230bhp on the 2.8.
Get some cams in there (US M3 ones etc) and maybe the exhaust manifold from the M3 and 240-250bhp could be seen.

i believe its DanThe who has around that figure with no turbo....

I thought it was him, but wasnt sure if there was a thread for his car - had a quick look but couldnt find it.

[FASTFREDDIE]

motor racing on the highway= instant ban!

how do i know this?

i got caught a few years back

racing motorbikes in london (chelsea bridge)

[Kos]

motor racing on the highway= instant ban!

how do i know this?

i got caught a few years back

racing motorbikes in london (chelsea bridge)

unless you are sensible , right place right time but even then i dont bother any more, track days sort my fix out.

[he30]

there will always be some one faster than you

listen up folks

though more power would be fun

[FASTFREDDIE]

exactly mr kos one must be careful .

stick to trackdays it works out cheaper