The best mods for £££'s?

[Lee_Coupe]

Basicly tomorrow I shall be completing my 2.5 conversion,

And yes it will feel loads more powerful than the previous 1.8

Just wondering,

Whats the best upgrades for the money...

I'm guessing

z3 short shift
-£30

BBTB
-£130

Zone chip
-£55

Any other ideas?

Ive got a piperX ready to bolt on (yes I relise I will most likey lose power! lol) but Im going to fit a decent air feed also put in a heat shield)


Would the zone chip make THAT much noticable difference?

And are the z3 shifters really worth it?

Must admit on my last car (Rover coupe) I had a short shift and it made it really nochy but was pretty sweet!

[SHAZ325iSPORT]

mate z3 short shifter is a must,i say z3 short ALL THE WAY MATE,its 100 times better than the stock standard.Fitted it to my 2.7 when i done my rebuild,id definately recommend it to anyone.

[Lee_Coupe]

Which z3 model did you fetch it off buddy?

Am I right in saying the bigger the engine the shorter the shift?

[SHAZ325iSPORT]

i bought mine from main dealer,if i can remeber it was the 2.8 from a z3 2001 model onwards.

[blingsta]

dont forget a high lift cam, that makes a big improvement too.. ive got 1 for sale if your interested.

[Lee_Coupe]

Ideal cheers for the advice Shaz

And blingsta,

Ive heard that cams make you have a lumpy idle? what are they like in heavy traffic,

Also whats the spec and price?

Cheers

[wullie325i]

hi

if you are getting a cam upgrade its beter to get it mapped and a 6 branch manifold would beef it up no end and put a smile on yer face.

wullie

[Lee_Coupe]

This is where it starts getting expencive (Spelling)

[blingsta]

cam i have for sale is a shrick 272/272, brand new never been used, still in box.. bought for £350, im will to take £280

[WerkdE30]

id say start with suspension as the 318i springs are different i just put m-tech springs in and new bilstien b6's and the improvement is huge. LSD with a more appropriate ratio would also be a good idea. i found a pod filter to be good for throttle response also.

[Lee_Coupe]

id say start with suspension as the 318i springs are different i just put m-tech springs in and new bilstien b6's and the improvement is huge. LSD with a more appropriate ratio would also be a good idea. i found a pod filter to be good for throttle response also.

Already lowered it on shocks and springs mate, that was the first thing I did

LSD will be on the cards once cash free's up a little.

cheers

[e30_Turbo]

Would the zone chip make THAT much noticable difference?

Yes, no more flat spots and much better all round performance.

And are the z3 shifters really worth it?

Yes again, I use the Z3 1.9 lever and it's perfect, the 2.8 one is much tighter and notchy, worth every penny imo.

HTH, Mark.

[jmc330i]

Z3 lever is a must. Fitted it to my 2.5 converted touring and now having used it, I cant believe I didnt fit it to my Sport when it was on the road. Great mod for the money.

I went for the 1.9 lever as it seems to be a good compromise for everyday road use - shorter change than standard, less notchy than the 2.8 lever.

[jamesc]

Does anyone have a part number for the 1.9 gear lever? Do you need to get any other bits?

Cheers,
James

[Turbo-Brown]

Does the standard gear knob (ooh er) fit the Z3 shifter out of interest?

[JazzMan]

Does the standard gear knob (ooh er) fit the Z3 shifter out of interest?

yup they all have the same push on fitment

[jmc330i]

Does anyone have a part number for the 1.9 gear lever? Do you need to get any other bits?

Clicky Clicky

Thats all the bits and how to do it. It tells you which bits you need and which bits you can replace if you feel like it.
I actually only replaced the gearlever - I re-used the shift bearing from my E30 because Im a tight git (and I forgot to order it ).

[maxfield]

ARBs from what ive read they make a massive improvment without losing ride comfort

[jamesc]

Thats all the bits and how to do it. It tells you which bits you need and which bits you can replace if you feel like it.
I actually only replaced the gearlever - I re-used the shift bearing from my E30 because Im a tight git (and I forgot to order it ).

Cool - looks like my next mod is this, at the same time as replacing the prop centre bearing.

James

[garyp_E30_325i]

Basicly tomorrow I shall be completing my 2.5 conversion,

And yes it will feel loads more powerful than the previous 1.8

Just wondering,

Whats the best upgrades for the money...

I'm guessing

z3 short shift
-£30

BBTB
-£130

Zone chip
-£55

Any other ideas?

Ive got a piperX ready to bolt on (yes I relise I will most likey lose power! lol) but Im going to fit a decent air feed also put in a heat shield)


Would the zone chip make THAT much noticable difference?

And are the z3 shifters really worth it?

Z3 shifter - excellent mod, best value for money too. I have the Z3 1.9.

Everything else you've listed is engine mods, I have them (and a few more) myself but the best thing you can do now (especially considering you've just jumped from a 318i so you'll have loads more poke anyway) is to improve the handling so you can use your new found power...

once the chassis, suspension & brakes are done then start on the engine...

ARB upgrade is good, but for less money you'll get more stiffness / less body roll from strut braces (I have Sparco upper front & rear, they're great and I noticed the difference immediately!

The list is endless... hence why £XX00 later I'm still not finished...

But if you want a fast car (everywhere, not just on the straights ) then do the handling & stopping first...