Order of modifications

[William]

Lets just say for arguments sake that my car is all sorted out and working
perfectly, as close to factory condition as possible. I want to start modifying but I dont know where to start. The car ( a motorsport) is completely standard and has a CAT. The following mods are on my shopping list:

Zone BTB
Zone chip
6 branch manifold
Sebring exhaust full system
ITG induction kit
possibly a wilder cam at some point


My question is, are there any other mods that are worth doing on a reasonable budget (you get the idea of budget from the mods above, no dbilas throttle bodies etc), I've read about an m30 afm with bigger injectors etc, but dont know if they are really worth it. I'm hoping to get close to 200bhp with the list above, on the basis that stock bhp is 170. Once I get rid of the cat, add a manifold that has been proven to give at least 15bhp, and then add on the rest, I like to hope I might be getting close.

Secondly, in what order should I think about doing these as I cant afford to do them all at once, should I for example add the chip and TB together, or maybe the TB and induction kit? please advise me

thanks a lot

[Widge]

I thought with a CAT they were more like 161 BHP?

[panesar_e30]

m5 pilot, aka sal is your man.

[William]

I thought with a CAT they were more like 161 BHP?

you could well be right mate, i was thinking as i wrote that, "how can a stock figure of 170 be the same for all cars". Either the standard sport has more than 170, or i must have less. I guess you're probably right. Haven't checked my manual to find out.

[Widge]

TBH mate, those mods apart from the cam which is a biggish job, you can just do in the order they crop up in, if you find a BBTB or a manifold going cheap snap it up. I shouldn't bother about the order.

[chu346]

I got: Zone BBTB, Zone chip and 282/272 cam on my 2.7 motorsport, and if I knew then what I know now, I'd just turbo it

I think i'm going to turbo it anyway, but I shouldn't think there's much of a difference between a 2.7 turbo or a 2.5 turbo anyway, so it was kind of a waste me doing the 2.7 conversion

It'll cost you if all bought from shop:
Zone BBTB £120
Zone chip £55
6 branch manifold £650
Sebring exhaust full system £424
ITG induction kit £95
Cam £335
Total £1679 Also add extra parts such as head gaskets etc.

Then when you've done all that, you'll only want more if you keep it as a 2.5

[julianm40]

Your not gonna touch suspension or brakes?

[William]

Your not gonna touch suspension or brakes?

I dont think its worth it really, certainly not to start with. If I'm really lucky I will gain 30bhp max with all the mods listed, I think the stock suspension and brakes are more than up to coping. In time I will possibly upgrade the discs/pads and get braided hoses, maybe even an H&R cup kit. But at the moments its power I want

[aus325]

I kind of agree with Julian.. A nice suspension package will probably offer you greater 'driving pleasure' than a handful of extra horses.
That said, from my own experience, the BBTB and Zone chip certainly make a nice driveability upgrade that you will enjoy!

[Jhonno]

should always start with the chassis imo, can make more difference than power

[DieselMeister]

should always start with the chassis imo, can make more difference than power

Quoted For Truth.

[miniblob]

I've got pretty much the same list of mods i want to do, but I'm gonna kick it off with H&R coilovers and H&R anti rollbars!!

Then i'll add the rest off the list as and when!!

Brakes are high on my priority list (safety first ) but I dunno what to do with them yet!!

[William]

hmmm, everyone's made me think now. would i really notice a big difference between mtech setup and a new cup kit?

[M5pilot]

The difference bwteen a Cup kit and mtech setup is like night and day.

[William]

thanks sal, you must be sick of seeing my name pop up with all my comings and goings on all sorts of things. I know I want the exhaust because i want to decat and the exhaust I have is non-original so the tailpipes hang low which annoys me. And then i want the 6 branch because i need one anyway to make the 3 piece sebring work and the bhp is attractive as well. then I think i definitely want the chip and TB as they are relatively cheap mods. All this means I end up buying nothing because im constantly saving for the more expensive thing. Once my car is tip-top, I think the exhaust with a GSF manifold might be the temporary answer, then maybe attack the suspension.

So many decisions to be made when on a student budget!