Best performance chip for the M30?

[jtk86]

Looking at installing one within the next few weeks. So far I have looked into EAT and Miller. Which one is more preferred/better in your guy's oponion? My car is completely stock and just looking to get a little more out of her. Right now I am leaning toward Miller but just how simple is the mapping and install? Is it something that can be done from home or am I going to have to take it into a specialist to get it tuned? Also if anyone can shed some light into coilovers, ive been searching around and so far not really coming up with much. Ive looked into the usual vendor I use for my E90 but they dont offer much if anything at all for my E34. TireRack has next to nothing as well

Thanks

[bblazen]

maf maf maf you will not regret it. Took about 10min to take out old chip and afm and put in new chip and maf.

[JesterMX6]

miller. hands down.

[jtk86]

I already received a PM in regards to the situation. I was told just to go with the MAF and the base tune they send with it. Does everyone agree with this? Or would I be better going with the MAF/W.A.R. combo? Also can anyone lead me in the right direction with coilovers? Also I know I will get flamed for this but will a CAI benifit me if I run the upgraded MAF?

[googone20]

I haven't tried the Miller MAF, but I do love my EAT chip. I have never heard anything negative ever about the EAT chip.

[bblazen]

I already received a PM in regards to the situation. I was told just to go with the MAF and the base tune they send with it. Does everyone agree with this? Or would I be better going with the MAF/W.A.R. combo? Also can anyone lead me in the right direction with coilovers? Also I know I will get flamed for this but will a CAI benifit me if I run the upgraded MAF?

If i was to do it again I would have gone with the war chip/maf just because of how you can always upgrade the war chip. But yeah get the maf do not waste your money on a chip the stock afm is an old pos. Coilovers Nex or ground control would be your options and nex are under 1k and ground control are close to 2k. CAI ppl will tell you its bad but I have one and does not fell slower but who knows.

[jtk86]

I have tried the Miller MAF, but I do love my EAT chip. I have never heard anything negative ever about the EAT chip.


Can you give me some more feedback on the EAT? I was on the site and all I read is how it increase your Rev limit. Will it give me a noticable increase in HP? Also is it simple? Plug N Play?

[jtk86]

If i was to do it again I would have gone with the war chip/maf just because of how you can always upgrade the war chip. But yeah get the maf do not waste your money on a chip the stock afm is an old pos. Coilovers Nex or ground control would be your options and nex are under 1k and ground control are close to 2k. CAI ppl will tell you its bad but I have one and does not fell slower but who knows.


I do not plan on doing anything further with my car after this. Its more my wife's car and I was kicking around the idea of FI but she is not crazy about it. However in the near future I will be buying another E34 hopefully a iT in which I will be doing everything possible to make it a monster. Just got to rid myself of my E90 first. Thanks for the advice on the coilovers, do you go with the Nex? How is the reliablity? Overall performance?

[googone20]

With the Eat chip you just plug and play. Very easy to do and you will notice a big different in throttle responce and the powerband will be much more linear. The Miller MAF is a great mod but nobody has been able to prove that it actually produces more hp/tq then the EAT chip and it is a lot more money. I bought my chip for $60 off a board member and he admitted to me that the EAT may fell slightly more torquey then his Miller MAF. Who knows, but I do know I saved hundreds going the route I did and my car has the same hp output as the MAF guys.

I actually also have the NEX coilovers and I have been running them for about a year now. I paid $707 shipped for them and they are probably my favorite mod I have done to the car. They completely change the look and feel of my car. If you are thinking of suspension work, go with the NEX system. They also come with a 1 year warranty if anything goes wrong.

[jtk86]

With the Eat chip you just plug and play. Very easy to do and you will notice a big different in throttle responce and the powerband will be much more linear. The Miller MAF is a great mod but nobody has been able to prove that it actually produces more hp/tq then the EAT chip and it is a lot more money. I bought my chip for $60 off a board member and he admitted to me that the EAT may fell slightly more torquey then his Miller MAF. Who knows, but I do know I saved hundreds going the route I did and my car has the same hp output as the MAF guys.

I actually also have the NEX coilovers and I have been running them for about a year now. I paid $707 shipped for them and they are probably my favorite mod I have done to the car. They completely change the look and feel of my car. If you are thinking of suspension work, go with the NEX system. They also come with a 1 year warranty if anything goes wrong.

Thanks! I will look more into the EAT now. Which chip did you go with I see they have three different options? Do you think the EAT in conjuntion with the MAF would work??? Also I already checked out the NEX and probably gonna order them tonight. Do you think you could send me some pics of your car? We are the same my friend and I wont copycat but just to get some ideas. joshkocher@yahoo.com is my email.

Thanks

[TGreene]

Go with the Miller MAF and the chip that comes with it.

It is a dyno-proven +20RWHP/RWTQ and really improves the throttle response because the MAF does away with the barn-door AFM.

[jtk86]

So I take it I would not be able to run the MAF and EAT together??? JW Im still new to this tuning stuff and trying to get the best bang for buck. So far what I have gathered is the EAT is just as good as doing the MAF, however I am wondering what about the MAF and EAT together???? Would this work? Also with the MAF I will have to do the 24/28 pin upgrade? Right? How hard is the install for this? I see they have the option of sending in your ECU but its 70 bones and if it is a easy DIY well I would like to save the money if at all possible.

*Thanks for all the replies. Im sure this has all been discussed before but I have been researching this for sometime now and since Im ready to buy just wanted a little more insight. Sorry if this aggravated anyone, I myself hate it when people post a thread about a topic that seems to be discussed on a daily basis. So thank you for your patience

[K Fox]

So I take it I would not be able to run the MAF and EAT together???

This is correct. The EAT chip is calibrated for the stock flap style AFM, so it won't play well with an actual MAF. Sadly, you have to choose between them. MAF combo costs more, but offers more options in the end (like the ability to eventually go turbo).

Fox

[Psykick5]

Now I want to know more about the EAT chip... I need some torque on my M50.

[K Fox]

Now I want to know more about the EAT chip... I need some torque on my M50.

I'm sure there are several threads about them, do a quick search on 'M50 EAT' - then you'll have an evenings entertainment of research and anticipation. :D

Fox

PS, here's a quick few, but I haven't really dived into them myself tonight to know how relevant they are.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1542868&highlight=M50+EAT
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1545787&highlight=M50+EAT
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1129501&highlight=M50+EAT

[jtk86]

With the EAT will I have to do the 24/28 pin upgrade?

[googone20]

No, EAT is plug and play.

[bblazen]

Go with the Miller MAF and the chip that comes with it.

It is a dyno-proven +20RWHP/RWTQ and really improves the throttle response because the MAF does away with the barn-door AFM.

This you should not even be thinking about eat chip... The afm is not used for a reason anymore...

[whiteghost1]

Having had both, I'll give you my comparison between the 2 options/2cents:

Mark D. pros
- slightly stronger midrange & topend pull than Miller
- plug and play,
- butter smooth power delivery + idle
- cheaper
- and the biggest one for me is I could get away with 90 octane fuel; even though it was rated at 91 octane

cons
- using the stock 20 yr old AFM

Miller pros
- stronger off idle torque
- instantaneous throttle response; feels like a more modern engine
- new technology
- upgradable if you heavily mod your car in the future = WAR

cons
- rough idle after startup especially when cold
- needs a little more effort to install (more of a pain in the ass to revert back to stock)
- more expensive to buy
- minimum 91-92 octane of fuel required in my car
- in summer I must run 94 octane to prevent detonation = expensive

Looking back, I would have like to try one of Shogun's chips first. His price is 1/3-1/4 the price of a Miller MAF conversion, has an excellent feedback rating from his customers and you can still use regular 87 octane gas so it is the cheapest option all around. With today's gas prices it is very appealing.
It is profiled more for low-mid range improvement (DD duty) and not so much top end power, where most spend very little time.

[bblazen]

Having had both, I'll give you my comparison between the 2 options/2cents:

Mark D. pros
- slightly stronger midrange & topend pull than Miller
- plug and play,
- butter smooth power delivery + idle
- cheaper
- and the biggest one for me is I could get away with 90 octane fuel; even though it was rated at 91 octane
- butter smooth power delivery

cons - using the stock 20 yr old AFM

Miller pros
- stronger off idle torque
- instantaneous throttle response; feels like a more modern engine
- new technology
- upgradable if you heavily mod your car in the future = WAR

cons
- rough idle after startup especially when cold
- needs a little more effort to install (more of a pain in the ass to revert back to stock)
- more expensive to buy
- minimum 91-92 octane of fuel required in my car
- in summer I must run 94 octane to prevent detonation = expensive


What maf did you have? I had the rough idle but I replaced my cap/rotor plugs and wires and that went away. As for fuel with both the eat and maf dont you have to use the highest grade gas? I always used 93, but by me we only have 87,89,93. And why do you have to run 94 in the summer?

[whiteghost1]

I have the Miller Gen III MAF conversion kit. The rough idle came immediately after swapping to the MAF and nothing else was touched so it has to be the cause. I have read from other Miller MAF customers that this problem has come up - some have it, some don't.

The min requirement on both Miller & Mark D. is 91 octane. Unless your car is heavily modified, there is no benefit in going to a higher octane gas than required.
The reason I have to go 94 octane in the summer is it will detonate on anything lower. My guess is because my car is a heavy automatic and the Miller chips are mapped for 5spd M30's. The timing/fuel requirements are slightly different which is probably why I am having detonation issues, especially in summer.

[jtk86]

Does anyone use the TMS Conforti???

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-4121-e34-535i-turner-motorsport-conforti-performance-chip.aspx

[Psykick5]

Do EAT chips remove the limiter?

[JesterMX6]

Having had both, I'll give you my comparison between the 2 options/2cents:

Mark D. pros
- slightly stronger midrange & topend pull than Miller I found the top end was stronger with miller but the midrange was stronger with EAT
- plug and play,
- butter smooth power delivery + idle Also found on the miller
- cheaper
- and the biggest one for me is I could get away with 90 octane fuel; even though it was rated at 91 octane war chip does one step better allowing you to run whatever octane you want.

cons
- using the stock 20 yr old AFM

Miller pros
- stronger off idle torque On the m30 it also really helps out above 4000rpm
- instantaneous throttle response; feels like a more modern engine yes. almost a no brainer when looking at it this way
- new technology
- upgradable if you heavily mod your car in the future = WAR

cons
- rough idle after startup especially when cold never once experienced this with my MAF/WAR combo
- needs a little more effort to install (more of a pain in the ass to revert back to stock) true. a few wires is all though
- more expensive to buy its also a MAF conversion. not just a chip
- minimum 91-92 octane of fuel required in my car WAR chip removes this, and is well worth the added cost. being able to run cheap gas during the week is great
- in summer I must run 94 octane to prevent detonation = expensive never ever dealt with this. 100+ degree days in summer and i never had a single detonation issue.

.

i've also had both so let me share my findings as well. my comments in red.

all in all, ditchign the EAT for the WAR/MAF combo was the best thing i ever did for my m30 (besides starting the turbo build). there's just no way the EAT would have been enough on that car. If you don't want to bother with the MAF conversion id still get the WAR chip because you'll see better gains and more versatility for a daily driver with it than with the EAT. The ability to run on the stock map and run cheap gas for your daily commute, then put a few gallons of high octane and switch to a performance map on the fly pays back for every penny in my opinion

[jtk86]

At this moment im leaning on just doing the MAF, since I will not be doing any more performance MODs other than this (for the time being) Im am going to hold off on the WAR chip. However after doing some more research I came across the TMS and Dinan chips, they claim awesome results however havent found any reviews. The Dinan also seems great value for being $200. Any thoughs on the TMS/Dinan???

[Sam Son]

this is a non-discussion...just get a miller maf for an M30 or any afm equipped car there is nothing else...just do it..

[JesterMX6]

if you're going to do just a chip on the m30 you might as well hit up ebay and get whatever cheapest chip you can find.

as stated above me, there should be no question on the AFm equipped bimmers. MAF or don't bother.

[DTMkarnage]

Miller Performance WAR chip FTW!!!

[jtk86]

Miller it is