I have 2001 M3 with the following modifications: Borla Cat Back exhaust, Delsa carbon fiber intake and an Autobahn Superchip. The car is running pretty good, but I want to take it a step further. Any suggestion keeping the car naturally aspirated ??
Typically for N/A cars, most improvements are pretty marginal unless you port the head. I don't know if that results in good gains for your car or not, but short of that, all you can do is On the intake side.... Filter/intake assembly. Throttle Body (bodies?) Ported intake manifold On the exhaust side Cat back system Exhaust header. High flow cats. On the head itself Cams Larger valves Porting/polishing ECU tuning After that, is time for a supercharger or turbo kit. Matt
Out of curiosity... What is an autobahn superchip (I know what the autobahn is, and I assume the superchip is some sort of software upgrade). But what does it do?
Chips change timing, fuel maps, shift points (for automatics) and the like to make the engine bias the engine management computer a bit more towards performance. Matt ps, on my list I forgot to mention boring the block to increase displacement!
It is basically what you stated, a software tunning upgrade. It remaps ignition timing and fuelling. I was very happy when it was installed in my car a couple of years ago, the change in performance was noticeable. This is their website, ( a few years ago in their brochure they mentioned autobahn superchip, or maybe that was the way they advertise here in the caribbean). http://www.superchips.co.uk/superchips.php
I have in mind, to change to a full header with a borla x-pipe and free flow cats,. But I am not sure if it will be too much exhaust and the motor tend to empty.
Work with a good shop that knows what they are doing... too big an exhaust will kill scavaging and you will loose power. Work with someone who has been down this path before with your engine, that way he (or she) will be able to let you know what to expect and you won't waste money and be dissapointed. But do a bit of calculations on this. All the bolt ons add up fast, and a very conservative blower set up can seem like it costs more (cause you pay at once) when it may be the cheaper way to go, all things considered. Matt
Limited slip... You could think about doing a limited slip differential. I have mine from dinan, I can't say how much power I get from it because I traded in my stock e46 m3 for a stage 3 dinan car with the lsd already done but it should increase torque and let you get over 60mph before you shift into third.
Thanks... I am trying to get quotes here for a 4:10 diff, but they are around $2,500. So I am giving a lot of thought to go straight to a supercharger kit and stop cutting corners. My car is running great, actualy I have'nt lost a race to any normally aspirated car, (including Carreras, Mustangs and 350Z) and even some 335i. But a few extra horses would sure be nice...
"My car is running great, actualy I have'nt lost a race to any normally aspirated car, (including Carreras, Mustangs and 350Z) and even some 335i. But a few extra horses would sure be nice..." You probably should blow most of those cars away stock, like the mustangs and the 350Z. The carreras are a diff story depending on what gear you start the race in. In my stock E46 I ran into a Carrera on the interstate and he whooped on me from 80+. As far as the 335i is concerned, if they put a chip in that you will almost definitely lose the race. I'm running a Dinan S3-R and I ran into a guy running 14.5 lbs of boost in a 335i who was a tiny bit faster than me in a straight line. The stock Dinan Vortec supercharger only runs 5.5 psi though so I know I could always crank up the boost if I had an ego problem and I really just had to win. Just to give you an idea, I've got the dinan S3-r which consists of S3-R supercharger, intercooler, chip, throtle bodies, Limited slip, full dinan exhaust, and some other stuff like brakes and suspension and they are still faster than I am. If you decide to do the blower, I'd love to hear about which set-up you end up with. I bought this car straight from the dealship as is and got one hell of a deal on it, but if I had to do it all over again, I might think about getting a supercharger/intercooler kit fom a different company for a whole lot cheaper than the 17k price tag that the dinan kits come with...
my 2 cents I agree with mdheller, That DINAN kit is awesome but HPF are the KINGS on E46 M3 power right now with there turbo kit. just do your math. I could have bought the HPF TURBO kit flat out as aposed to modding the hell out of my E46 M3 the way I did. -CARBONIO / DELSA CF CAI - POWER PULLEY SET - Xendo BBK FRONT & REAR - UUC STG2 LWFW W/ MULTI-PUCK CERAMIC CLUTCH - UUC SSK & DSSR - KONI SPORT ADJ SHOCKS - TEIN S LOWERING SPRINGS - DINAN THROTTLE BODIES - DINAN FREE FLOWING EXHAUST - EIBACH SWAY BAR KIT - TMS SUB FREAM REINFORCEMENT KIT - POLYURETHANE COMPLETE E46 M3 BUSHING KIT - POWER AGENCY FRONT TOWER BRACE - CF ENGINE COVER - BAV AUTO HP IGNITION WIRES - AND NOW AN AA GEN2 STG3 SC Not to mention all the cosmetic shtuff . the sound system does not count because i did not cut much corners but with the Time and Money Invested, I could have simply saved my money, sent the car to HPF and would have gotten a true unfucwitable BEAST
Best Upgrade! HPDE! High Performance Driver's Education. This will make you a better driver and you can take it to your next car. ~$400-$500 for a 2 day event. Fred
looking for consensus Can someone enlighten me and tell me who HPF are and if others agree they are "the kings on E46 M3 power"?
PS I'm also interested in what Dino Rascasse has recommended. Judging from his stable he's in a unique position to give advice on performance! Anymore info or advise on Veloce Performance?
Thanks. I did see the original post you quote... but I'm looking for some consensus among owners precisely because we have at least three different opinions posted here. Also, I should have mentioned what my purpose for modifications would be.... my M3 is a ragtop so I can't track it. All I want is performance improvements for street use. I do like the simplicity of the three mods you mention, but wonder why you say the car is running "pretty good", which isn't a great review. My car already runs better than pretty good
PS I do want to go to the BMW driving school where I can use their cars and get some good training. I've been through advanced rider training for motorcycles but would enjoy and benefit from an auto driving school to be sure. Maybe in the spring if I can convince myself it's a good use of 5 large that could also go to mods or CSL wheels.
