My M3 needs a boost !
Discussion
Delimiting will give you about another 10-15mph. AMG de-limited a M5 a while back and I recall the engine blew up up 167-172ish (back issue of Evo).
Not sure if any of the chips are any real good. Been a lot of discussion on this on BM3W.co.uk web site in the past which may be of interest to you.
The overall view is:
The engine is in a very high state of tune (E36 slightly less so than E46).
A lot of money spent will give you only 10-15 extra bhp. Are you going to notice this? Probably not.
When you look at the extra bhp and loss of weigh when comparing the E46 and E46 CSL, the speed difference on the road is minimal. People have tried it out and no car was any faster. On the track it's a completely different story of course.
The best and cheapest way of getting an increase in power is to dump the normal air filter and fit a better one. Can't remember off hand which one is recommended. Check on the web site above.
Not sure if any of the chips are any real good. Been a lot of discussion on this on BM3W.co.uk web site in the past which may be of interest to you.
The overall view is:
The engine is in a very high state of tune (E36 slightly less so than E46).
A lot of money spent will give you only 10-15 extra bhp. Are you going to notice this? Probably not.
When you look at the extra bhp and loss of weigh when comparing the E46 and E46 CSL, the speed difference on the road is minimal. People have tried it out and no car was any faster. On the track it's a completely different story of course.
The best and cheapest way of getting an increase in power is to dump the normal air filter and fit a better one. Can't remember off hand which one is recommended. Check on the web site above.
I have an E36 M3 GT and agree that it is not easy to get much more power from them. Contact Joe at www.hyperturismo.com as he really seems to know his stuff with regards to all things M3.
Guy (Bluesatin) from here has an E46 that West Tuning chipped and delimted, and they managed to get almost 30 dyno-proven BHP from his car.
Guy (Bluesatin) from here has an E46 that West Tuning chipped and delimted, and they managed to get almost 30 dyno-proven BHP from his car.
I haven't changed the brakes yet. If I was going on the track, then this is a definite change to make. For road use it makes a difference, but how much? You'd have to ask someone who's done it to find out.
Only done 9,000 miles so far, so it will probably take another 5,000 or so before I make any changes, if any.
If I were, it would be brakes and air filter first.
Only done 9,000 miles so far, so it will probably take another 5,000 or so before I make any changes, if any.
If I were, it would be brakes and air filter first.
I have just fitted Koni coilovers to my GT (supplied by Joe at HTR) and they have 100% transformed the car - not cheap at around £1k all in, but it now handles like a big caterham!
The engine is the cars strongest point as standard, so I would advise to upgrade the suspension (don't just change the springs as IMHO the factory dampers are pretty cack) and brakes first (AP Racing for track use, or Black Diamond disks and Pagid pads for fast road use).
The engine is the cars strongest point as standard, so I would advise to upgrade the suspension (don't just change the springs as IMHO the factory dampers are pretty cack) and brakes first (AP Racing for track use, or Black Diamond disks and Pagid pads for fast road use).
tricky, there are several areas that merit improvement in the M3 and you will notice a difference.
Brakes have already been mentioned by hughjayteens and the best idea is to upgrade the front to a set of six-pot AP calipers and discs, these are around £1850 plus around £300-400 for fitting. The problem with the standard brake system is the single-pot sliding caliper, so it's best to change the caliper rather than just messing around with harder pads.
The exhaust system is already pretty well designed and there's little or no benefit to be gained in upgrading the manifolds or rear box, you can gain some additional HP by replacing the 200-cell cats with higher flow 100-cell items. These will set you back around £1000 + fitting and the ones that work are the Supersprint race items, although I've heard that Miltek might have developed a competitive product.
Finally a set of Eibach springs or perhaps the Koni items mentioned by hughjayteens will provide a similar benefit. I can't remember the price but I suspect that the Eibachs are a little cheaper than a grand. Intake manifold changes are mainly cosmetic unless you go for something sophisticated like that on the CSL (which meters fuel and air differently), but some of the products on the market (i.e. Gruppe M can help provide a nicer induction noise).
Some people claim to have benefitted from an ECU re-mapping but most mapping changes are very unsophisticated and being one of the first owners in the UK to experience the early engine failures with the S54 engine, I for one would be reluctant to tinker around with it.
Brakes have already been mentioned by hughjayteens and the best idea is to upgrade the front to a set of six-pot AP calipers and discs, these are around £1850 plus around £300-400 for fitting. The problem with the standard brake system is the single-pot sliding caliper, so it's best to change the caliper rather than just messing around with harder pads.
The exhaust system is already pretty well designed and there's little or no benefit to be gained in upgrading the manifolds or rear box, you can gain some additional HP by replacing the 200-cell cats with higher flow 100-cell items. These will set you back around £1000 + fitting and the ones that work are the Supersprint race items, although I've heard that Miltek might have developed a competitive product.
Finally a set of Eibach springs or perhaps the Koni items mentioned by hughjayteens will provide a similar benefit. I can't remember the price but I suspect that the Eibachs are a little cheaper than a grand. Intake manifold changes are mainly cosmetic unless you go for something sophisticated like that on the CSL (which meters fuel and air differently), but some of the products on the market (i.e. Gruppe M can help provide a nicer induction noise).
Some people claim to have benefitted from an ECU re-mapping but most mapping changes are very unsophisticated and being one of the first owners in the UK to experience the early engine failures with the S54 engine, I for one would be reluctant to tinker around with it.
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