More Power

[scoobydawg04]

looking for a bit more power and havent done any mods other than intake to my 99 yet would be great to get 300 or just short of........any suggestions on the cheapest or most efficient.....and im not into nitrous. i was told by the person i bought my m3 from that chipping isnt a good idea that a few of his friends had done it and they said it wasnt worth it.....just let me know

[NakNak]

I'm guessing your talking 300 hp not 300 whp (cause thats not possible without major engine work or FI). You could make 300 hp to the crank with an M50 manifold, CAI, exhaust, HFM, chip tuning, etc. But don't expect it to be cheap.... I suggest you do a search as this topic has been discussed many many times.

[SoonToBeM3]

Yea 300 hp is a expensive path to take. I think a good bang for the buck would be the crank pully which some people dont like, but my buddy has it on his 99 and all seems good so far.

[shim]

boost = best bang for the buck

[BMWFanatic]

boost = best bang for the buck

+1:buttrock

[CABimmer]

BMW and Cheap dont mix.

Nest best step is a set of pullies and a m5 intake manifold.

From there it gets pricy. I have 300 at the crank and spent over $5000 to get there.

[332 RustBucket]

245 doesn't = 300 crank.

Do a search on cam kit. That is your best bet. :) There are TONS of posts out there about this just search and you will find all you need :)

[paul e]

245 doesn't = 300 crank.


Just curious what youre referring to. 245 * 1.21 (which represents close to the 18% drivetrain loss which is often used) == 297 crank hp. Are you going to claim you must use a constant rather than a percentage? While unproven, at least that argument has a shot.

Stock M3s often pull about 200 whp . 200 x 1.21 == 242, ie, close enough to being right. Besides, its commonly known that our cars' 240 crank hp rating is low.

So, I think a case can be made for using this multiplier.. Dont want to turn this into a debate of constants vs percentages, but to declare outright that the 300crankhp doesnt equal 245 whp, or close to it, I think, is made with a bit too much certainty.

[332 RustBucket]

Just curious what youre referring to. 245 * 1.21 (which represents close to the 18% drivetrain loss which is often used) == 297 crank hp. Are you going to claim you must use a constant rather than a percentage? While unproven, at least that argument has a shot.

Stock M3s often pull about 200 whp . 200 x 1.21 == 242, ie, close enough to being right. Besides, its commonly known that our cars' 240 crank hp rating is low.

So, I think a case can be made for using this multiplier.. Dont want to turn this into a debate of constants vs percentages, but to declare outright that the 300crankhp doesnt equal 245 whp, or close to it, I think, is made with a bit too much certainty.


I was mearly having some fun.;) If you want to get picky 245 * 1.21 = 296.42, not 297 WHICH STILL ISN'T 300 ;) Not really fair to round up to 297 if it isn't even at the half way point is it :D

Man, why is everyone in such a mood on here lately. :dunno

Here is something to chew on. Most M3's don't dyno at 200 on a dynojet stock. I would say 205-210 is more of a fair statement. Or atleast that is more inline with what I have seen. :dunno

[rcM3]

European car has a great write up on eurosport's obdII cam kit. I highly reccomend reading up. The kit is like 3000ish and comes with everything you need to make a stock m3 into a ~250rwhp m3.

The only hp based mods after this kit are:

Lightweight flywheel or crank pulley (DONT DO BOTH).

Full exhuast (headers, cats, muffler) supersprint has a full setup and now AA does too.

Some other minor stuff.

BOOST!!!!!

How long have you had your car? Is it already in perfect shape? Nothing to fix? What about suspension? Done some DEs already? IMO hp is not the first step, especially on these cars where hp/cost ratio is pretty bad.

IMO DEs are best bang for buck!

[Aradaiel]

Driving school. Period. Then mod.

[scoobydawg04]

already done driving school i am a professional racer however new to bmw and its like learning about cars all over again

[scoobydawg04]

i race scca at road america and everyone says crank pulley or flywheel i cant do flywheel because the biggest passing area is uphill and i dont want to lose any more power uphill i will do more research on crank pulleys though i dont know much about them as far as benefits. you guys all talk about whp and crank hp, realize that you have an m3 and we can take mustangs with 400whp and hp isnt relative to anything but weight and we have the PERFECT weight distribution u can get. 1 thing i do wish for though is either a tougher suspension or a easier street riding suspension. it doesnt do either tooo tooo well just above average on the track anyways. i have lots of work cut out for me on the bimmer i just have to find some real sponsors because right now im sponsoring myself. what about weight reduction as well.......whats the best things to remove while still being capable to drive with at least 1 passenger.

[JamesM3M5]

i race scca at road america and everyone says crank pulley or flywheel i cant do flywheel because the biggest passing area is uphill and i dont want to lose any more power uphill
How does a (edit) lightweight flywheel cause one to LOSE HP? Or be slower accelerating up a hill? :confused

Instead of a crankshaft underdrive pulley, use accessory underdrive pulleys. They replace the water pump, power steering, and alternator pulleys with larger diameter pulleys to slow them down, hence reducing the engine power to drive the accessories.

Reduce weight by getting lighter seats, removing interior, removing AC, lighter wheels (big difference), lighter exhaust (stock is huge and heavy), etc, all the standard stuff that you can do with any other car.

[332 RustBucket]

How does a flywheel cause one to LOSE HP? Or be slower accelerating up a hill? :confused


I didn't understand that one too. Heck, takes less powa to spin it and you are saving a good chunk of weight which makes it easier to move the car.. :dunno

[mobil1]

Cam kits can be spendy, I say go FI.

I wouldnt do a crank pulley on a street driven car. Risks arent worth the gains IMHO.

Suspension is what I would do first.

[red73911]

What scca class for the car? You're going to drive it on the street?

[scoobydawg04]

well i havent registered it yet but ive had it on the track for open races. maybe ill just keep it and race it showroom stock. lightweight flywheel DOES reduce your power while climbing a hill because youre reducing your centrifugal force so that means it doesnt take as much to slow it down just the same as it doesnt take as much to speed it up. hardly anyone does too much flywheel work if they do they just do stage 1. what i will do is drive it just back home and store it until the race next weekend. my uncle just sold his race trailer and not only is it expensive for a trailer but i dont have a vehicle to tow it with. im just gonna race showroom. if anyone wants proof on the flywheel theory ill find it.