My car is sooooo slow!!!!!!!!

[DanJones]

Ive got a 316 (1800) auto...... that sums it up really..... doesnt go anywhere fast and its really annoying me now...

What can I do that doesnt cost too much that will improve performance that doesnt involve getting another car??

DAN

[Jesus325iTouring]

You can remove the front windscreen then it'll feel twice as fast!

[Davenotouring]

As Jesus says!!!



If the car hasn't been serviced for a while, do a full service and this could liven it up.

Is the kickdown for the auto working?

It's not a light car, and it's a relatively low-powered engine, so it's not gonna feel fast.

[DanJones]

it had a service and a chnage of the head gasket not long ago.....It didnt really liven it up much though...Its got 160000 miles on it so its burnin a bit of oil now....

I think removing the windscreen is a good bet...lol....shall be investing in some nice goggles...hehe

The kickdown is working but still feels a bit slow. If converting to manual would increase acceleration a noticable amount then i might be willing to pay a fair amount for it to be done but not sure if it would....Its going from a 3 speed to 5 speed so i imagine there would be a fair increase in acceleration but not sure..

DAN

[Davenotouring]

Three speed auto is gonna be slow with that engine, because the gears are so long and there isn't lots of power.

It would probably work out cheaper to sell the car, and buy a 325i Manual than convert the 316 (1. to manual.

Much more power/fun!

[DanJones]

Id love to whack a 2.5 in there but dont think that the insurance company would go near me (im 17). Ive got the policy under my dads name at the moment and its only just over Ԛ£500 but i dont think they would even bother with a 2.5.

I cant win....quite fancy an m42 in there but suppose the insurance will b pretty hefty on that 2....My mate has a corsa sri and he put a gsi in there....now his insurance is twice the price to what it would be if he had a normal gsi just because it is a different engine...

[CaesarBob]

If you can't get more power from the engine how about a bit of weight loss? Improve the power/weight ratio?

Get rid of all the non-essential trim. Should net a few kgs.

[320Touring]

DanJones-just chill dude

You've got an e30, which is one of the sweetest cars out there, and its running good!

just enjoy it for what it is for a wee while, and save the pennies for a year or so,then think about doing a engine conversion......

In the mean time maybe see ant for a chip and get a 'zone BBTB.

like guinness-good things come to those who wait!

[DanJones]

I did give that a go. Took the rear seats out, and the passenger seat and also boot carpets and the spare wheel. It did make a bit of a difference but just wasnt practical and would be in a bit of trouble if a tyre went pop....lol.

what sort of speed is your iS caesarbob??? I would love an iS sooo much but never seen one properly or been in one.... what sort of cars can you compare it to speed wise??

[DanJones]

i see where your coming from davetouring.....at least it looks good and it is the best shape beemer ever...

Cant chip mine or get a bbtb cos its carb so will just have to deal with a nice slow car...

It just annoys me when chavs in nova sr's can beat me!!! 1

oh well....life goes on...lol

[Davenotouring]

But they're driving Novas!

[320Touring]

i see where your coming from davetouring.....at least it looks good and it is the best shape beemer ever...

Cant chip mine or get a bbtb cos its carb so will just have to deal with a nice slow car...

It just annoys me when chavs in nova sr's can beat me!!! 1

oh well....life goes on...lol

DOH! forgot it was carb

look at it this way dude, a 1.8 rwd car is plenty dangerous to drive for someone even like me (24 driving for 6 years) if you're not paying attention to it! Prob best to get upto speed (no pun intended ) in the auto, and then make some mods!

plus auto's are ideal for cruising about and soooo much less effort to drive!

Nova guys may tear past but at least you know your car wont be f00ked the next day

[Zayyan]

As others have said, you've got an E30, you're paying peanuts to insure it, so just enjoy the looks and save up the pennies for a faster one and insurance for that.

Haivng a slower car should mean you have less of a chance of having an accident anyway, so think of it as an advantage as with no accidents it'll obviously be much cheaper to insure a faster E30 in the future

I'd say don't worry about a manual conversion or anything major like that, save the money for a faster E30

[amit325i]

You have to be patient, get experienced first before you get a faster car,
remember speed + inexperience is a lethal combination!

Back in the early 90's when insurance was cheaper, i knew quite of few peeps who severly injured themselves and even killed themselves in high powered cars when they just passed there test. Not worth it

[DanJones]

Looks like ill be keeping my little car as a slow auto for now then guys....

Ive never really looked at it the way you guys have but it certainly makes sense..

i spose its better to have a rwd car than not..especially in the rain

maybe i'll spend the money looks rather than speed then... im thinking tints or even lower..

DAN

[Toby_Unna]

it's a very cool car to have when you're 17!

my friend had the same thing when we were at college, 3dr 316 1.8 3sp auto in that orange-red colour, and it too was high mileage and using a bit of oil. probably the samer bloody car! although i think his might have been scrapped by now. but i was very very pissed off when he turned up in it the first time! it's a flippin bmw after all!

save up and get a 320i or something. not all that quick but six cylinders i remember going to look at a 320 with the same mate, it was the first time i'd been near a straight six bmw and when the seller had it idling on the drive and reved the nuts off it i was utterly speechless for about a minute! the noise!

bmws are sooooo cool!

[DanJones]

The looks i do get are quite good...and all my mates like it.

dont think my next move will be to a 320 though..think i'll probably go to an iS or a 325 sport...

its the badge thats important lol..

that pic of the drifting 5 series is quality..i want to get some photos of mine like that.. ended up facing the wrong way on a roundabout last time i tried it.. luckily didnt hit anything though.

[Jesus325iTouring]

Thers a lot to be said for driving a BMW.
My old 318i was an eyesore to look at,rust everywhere,however,a friend of mines son who is about 17 said "Cool car,you got a Beemer" I replied,"yeah but look at the state of it!" his reply was,"So what,it's still a BMW".
Yours might get beaten by the odd chav in his fibreglass piece of shit,but when you go to family functions and the like,your family'll be well impressed you got a BMW!
Wait for a few years before you start going for more power,the time will fly by,and then go crazy,drop a 450hp M5 V8 in it!

[stevo]

nova's cant fishtail!!
i remember being arse happy coming off a roundabout in the wet and seeing an RS turbo driver crane his neck watching me, try doing that in a hot hatch!
RWD roolz

[Russ]

You could drive it off a cliff, it'd be pretty fast then.

Only for about 4 sec mind.

[Andy_magic]

My first car (legal one that is) was an automatic BMW, my insurance was Ԛ£1100 TPFT ouch. This was back in 89.

528i in Metallic blue, I loved that car until I cracked the head doing silly things in it.

[hammoj28]

Right the way I see it is basically you should make your car look the muts nuts, that means you have a good base car for a 1.8is transplant or something in the future.I drive a manual 316i at the mo and to be honest its a perky little motor.More fun low down than a 318i and Iv managed to leave quite a few people behind in faster cars.Nuthing wrong with a 316i!!!Plus its a not only a bmw but an E30!!Arguably the best one made!!

[Moofles]

the only way a goddamn 4 pot is gonna be quick is if you drive it off a cliff as our wise man russ suggests. get a manly 6 cylinder for christs sake! and don't stop at a gay-ass m20...get an m50/52 conversion, way better. you don't wanna be stuck being laughed at for the rest of your life, do you?

[Jesus325iTouring]

the only way a goddamn 4 pot is gonna be quick is if you drive it off a cliff as our wise man russ suggests. get a manly 6 cylinder for christs sake! and don't stop at a gay-ass m20...get an m50/52 conversion, way better. you don't wanna be stuck being laughed at for the rest of your life, do you?

We won't mention Z Thr........

[Ziggy]

the only way a goddamn 4 pot is gonna be quick is if you drive it off a cliff as our wise man russ suggests. get a manly 6 cylinder for christs sake! and don't stop at a gay-ass m20...get an m50/52 conversion, way better. you don't wanna be stuck being laughed at for the rest of your life, do you?

Sadly, after you had one, the later lumps do have a bit of a reputation yaknow...

[Moofles]

lol, the m52 will whop any m20 thats the problem its not my fault its an evolution of technology - its a good 10-20 years newer!

don't rust, upgrade!



lol!

[6potWil6pot]

Ive got this joker going onto me about this kinda thing all day from work via email

And its having an effect, i no longer see my E30 in the same light i did when i first bought it, dammn m00fles....

All hail to modern technology, all hail to progress

[Ziggy]

My mates dad just swapped his 328i in for an e46 330i. I had a go in it the other day... 's a bit good! So I'll accept that the new engines ain't all bad ;)

[Moofles]

328i, 330i ain't so bad, especially when the 328i power is unleashed with a few mods

they are good cars indeed

i want to make a comment but the fact is the m20 is gonna be the only thing left from e30s

in years to come they will theorise what car this magical m20 used to be a part of!

[Andy_magic]

Just out of interest, what sort of 0-60's are you guys getting.

I've just done 3 runs, using the OBC timer and the average was 9.1 seconds (not minutes) with loads of tools and a big speaker in the boot and obviously my fat ass in it.

A mates 330 does it in about 7.5 so he says and it's a diesel.

[Jesus325iTouring]

@ the not minutes quote!!

Sounds good to me with all that cargo on board.

[DanJones]

i dare not even try a 0-60 time in mine.....havent got the time to do it lol...

I prefer 30-70 times neway because you rarely use 0-60 on the roads.

[6potWil6pot]

How is a 30 to 70 time taken? In the best gear?

[Moofles]

i've usually seen it rated in different gears when rated, so 3rd/4th/5th or so