Does 328i Exhaust need to be upgraded for M50 Intake?

[homertech]

So I've got a 328I Beamer that blew a cat recently and I'm getting new ones, in the future though I'd like to get an m50 intake and some s52 cams and was wondering what kind of exhaust upgrades are needed to get the most out of them. so here is a list of questions:

1. Are headers necessary?
2. Are headers enough?
3. Should I upgrade exhaust diameter though-out and get bigger Inlet/outlet Cats/Resonators/Muffler (stock is 2in diameter at points, is that a problem?)

[Eric93se]

Honestly M50 manifold is a total waste unless your getting it for free. You LOOSE low end power to gain a tiny amount at peak rpm, the low end power you use every time you press the gas. Its the dumbest mod that people get suckered into.

Make real power:
https://hydemotorworks.com/

[blckstrm]

An M50 intake makes more sense on an S52 than an M52. You can feel an S52 run out of breath up top, an S52 make a lot more torque anyway (so you can afford to lose a little for more power up top), and a tune will fill that loss AND extend your gains up top.

IF I had to guess - since I've never had an M52 - I'd guess that an M52 benefits far less - if at all. M52 and S52 already share intake and exhaust manifolds. If the same parts come on an S52 and an M52, that means it's over-engineered when installed on the M52. Happy to be corrected by someone who's done it to their 328 and beat an F80 at a stoplight, but I don't think that's the most productive way to spend your money.

[pbonsalb]

I be am surprised the M50 intake manifold is such a bad idea on a 2.8L M52 given that BMW installed it on a 2.5L M50. However, it is true that it trades some low end power for more top end power. The M52 cams are not very aggressive so they are not a good match for the higher rpm airflow the M50 intake can provide. S52 cams or reground M52 cams or aftermarket cams would go better. The S52 cams won’t trade much low end for more top end, unlike some aftermarket cams that are much more radical.

If you do find the bottom end softer than you want, consider a diff swap to a 3.23 from a 96-99 M3. You get an LSD and also a shorter ratio than the 2.93 in the 328i, for better torque multiplication.

You don’t need headers. The M3 uses the same ones. It also uses the same midpipe. So those parts are good for the 240 hp that a stock M3 makes. The 328i rear exhaust is a little smaller. Maybe you could find an M3 one. Or you can buy an aftermarket exhaust.

Have fun! The M52 goes great with a turbo, but that is probably a much bigger and more expensive job than the OP wants. I tried a couple of superchargers on my M3 before going turbo and much prefer the turbo. The Hyde positive displacement supercharger kits look interesting and inexpensive but I have not seen much in the way of tuning results — who sells a tune and what is the power?

[bluptgm3]

I have driven a 328 5-speed with a M/S50 intake manifold and M3 cams and there was more power everywhere.

The 1996+ E36 M3 muffler is a nice upgrade.

[MisterM52]

The M50 was a good bang for the buck back in the hay day when you could grab one for 50 bucks from the junk yard or even around here. I had it with some basic mods on my 328i and loved it. Stock cams too. If you can find a manifold for cheap, make sure its a 2.5L one and then get it I would say. Also the Differential would make a great difference, 3.45 or 3.64 LSD will put down power really really well. You wont be driving it at top speeds anyway, so your overall acceleration would be good.


I be am surprised the M50 intake manifold is such a bad idea on a 2.8L M52 given that BMW installed it on a 2.5L M50. However, it is true that it trades some low end power for more top end power. The M52 cams are not very aggressive so they are not a good match for the higher rpm airflow the M50 intake can provide. S52 cams or reground M52 cams or aftermarket cams would go better. The S52 cams won’t trade much low end for more top end, unlike some aftermarket cams that are much more radical.

If you do find the bottom end softer than you want, consider a diff swap to a 3.23 from a 96-99 M3. You get an LSD and also a shorter ratio than the 2.93 in the 328i, for better torque multiplication.

You don’t need headers. The M3 uses the same ones. It also uses the same midpipe. So those parts are good for the 240 hp that a stock M3 makes. The 328i rear exhaust is a little smaller. Maybe you could find an M3 one. Or you can buy an aftermarket exhaust.

Have fun! The M52 goes great with a turbo, but that is probably a much bigger and more expensive job than the OP wants. I tried a couple of superchargers on my M3 before going turbo and much prefer the turbo. The Hyde positive displacement supercharger kits look interesting and inexpensive but I have not seen much in the way of tuning results — who sells a tune and what is the power?

Hey you! Its been a while, hasn't it! :) Okay so from experience, the best tuner so far is TTFS Frank Smith (https://tuningtechfs.com/) That old fellow is literally the old godfather of tuning from what I have been told.
He even trained one of those blokes from Kassel before they went and started that business.

Downside with Frank Smith is, hes hard to get a hold of, so good luck to anyone trying to book a dyno season. :D However all in all so far Frank Smith, is simply the best, still has not sent us a invoice for his work last year on this tune! A real car guy.

So here is what 9 PSI from a roots blower can do on a E46 M3 (500RWHP) And we will be going with our own twinscrew blowers ranging from 2.1L - 3.2L soon enough.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLExoqgHDRY

[pbonsalb]

Ok. I will keep in mind TTFS and Kassel. Both are on the East Coast within a day’s drive. I still have a 75 2002 that I am planning to restore and will need to add some power, whether by turbocharging or supercharging the original M10 after rebuilding it or by swapping in another product as an M42 or M44 and turbocharging or supercharging it. For a 4 cylinder, I would not use a centrifugal since it adds power only at higher rpm. It would have to be a positive displacement blower and it looks like the common and cheap SC14 would work well.