Is E34 "old man" car?

[jmile46]

They are very boring below 3000rpm, but vanos mainly helps out only a little bit in torque below that and has less aggressive cams above that. They are slow compared to modern cars, but fast enough for the modern slow traffic/drivers. My roads are filled with huge suvs or small econoboxes and 2L engines which may be potentially quicker but the drivers don't use them to that effect anyway. If you're the slowest car on the road either everyone there drives like I wish people would here, or there's something very wrong with your car.
E: I think you mentioned yours was a manual trans too. IMO the worst thing about mine was it's an auto, so slushbox power losses on a heavy car with no low down power or torque is the worst thing. Trying to get the gearbox shifting down when at low speed and econ mode takes forever and is underwhelming. It's not bad at highway speeds at downshifting and moving, just absolutely terrible from 0-40km/h

I think my NV 525 is slow compared to more modern cars; but I'm always stuck behind drivers with modern cars driving very slow anyway.

I think my thing here is that I simply don’t rev it out. Not that I drive like an old man... huh fitting to topic, but I tend to shift at like 3-4k because everything above feels like its straining the car lol.

[jmile46]

My understanding is the factory auto diff is a 4.10 and most swaps go to lower gear ratio like 3.23. I'm pretty sure the latter is what's in my car. The 4.10, if I'm understanding this correctly would allow quicker acceleration but would rev higher than a 3.23 and top out quicker. I assumed top end slow was your issue. Even the E34 M5 is not a 0-60 ace. One of the more mechanical fellas can correct me if I'm wrong or elaborate.

My 525iT with a 5 speed swap is fairly responsive, but I do have a Dinan chip and run premium fuel as recommended. After the chip was installed the engine is much happier revving above 5000 RPM than it was before. The E46 M3 has 150 more HP and 500 lbs lighter so that is a bit rough.

You are correct about a 4:10 diff and its characteristics. My e34 at about 80 mph sits at like 4k. Can you even chip an m50 without vanos?

[fo3]

I think my thing here is that I simply don’t rev it out. Not that I drive like an old man... huh fitting to topic, but I tend to shift at like 3-4k because everything above feels like its straining the car lol.

I'm in a NV 525 and it has a large cam, it should start pulling about 2500 if the engine is in tune, things start to work well after about 3500rpm and by 4000rpm it should be flying to redline. At least that's how it works in my car with 300,000km on it and auto - the killer is the weight, low torque down low and in my case 5spd slushbox so it's dead off the line.
My other drive is an aussie ford falcon barra I6 4L in a ute, it hardly needs to be revved above 2000rpm and is a low down torque beast so you are really moving at 3000rpm. Different machines but I really really want a m5xb30 and maybe a supercharger. I bought my e34 for the looks, for my love of inline sixes in general and the reputation of ease of maintenance and fixes for the m50, but the m50b25 definitely needs some improvements in this modern world. I'm still waiting for a m54b30, or some cheap supercharger kit, or a manual car for trans.

[jmile46]

I'm in a NV 525 and it has a large cam, it should start pulling about 2500 if the engine is in tune, things start to work well after about 3500rpm and by 4000rpm it should be flying to redline. At least that's how it works in my car with 300,000km on it and auto - the killer is the weight, low torque down low and in my case 5spd slushbox so it's dead off the line.
My other drive is an aussie ford falcon barra I6 4L in a ute, it hardly needs to be revved above 2000rpm and is a low down torque beast so you are really moving at 3000rpm. Different machines but I really really want a m5xb30 and maybe a supercharger. I bought my e34 for the looks, for my love of inline sixes in general and the reputation of ease of maintenance and fixes for the m50, but the m50b25 definitely needs some improvements in this modern world. I'm still waiting for a m54b30, or some cheap supercharger kit, or a manual car for trans.

I also bought it for looks. Trust me Im not worried about it not being a fast car lol. I agree with your rev explanations. I drove the car harder today and after 4k it does pull. Its weird because on the e34 5k is just past 12 o clock where as the m3 thats like 7k so I always think Im way higher in revs than I am lol.

[Kingpin025]

You are correct about a 4:10 diff and its characteristics. My e34 at about 80 mph sits at like 4k. Can you even chip an m50 without vanos?

I didn't drive mine to work to double check, but I'm pretty sure I can cruise 100 and be in the 4k range. I'd bet you still have the 4.10 in your car. I don't remember feeling as if I was taxing the car while cruising at 85 back and forth to Vegas from SoCal.

As far as the chip goes, you need to check your ECU and you should be able to find a Dinan chip for it on eBay. You could also call them directly as the E34 is no longer listed on their site. They had no problem sending me a chip for the '93 M5 though. You could also try the Miller "WAR" chip. I've not tried one in any of my cars, but I'd give them a shot if I'd have had an issue finding Dinan chips.

[jmile46]

I didn't drive mine to work to double check, but I'm pretty sure I can cruise 100 and be in the 4k range. I'd bet you still have the 4.10 in your car. I don't remember feeling as if I was taxing the car while cruising at 85 back and forth to Vegas from SoCal.

As far as the chip goes, you need to check your ECU and you should be able to find a Dinan chip for it on eBay. You could also call them directly as the E34 is no longer listed on their site. They had no problem sending me a chip for the '93 M5 though. You could also try the Miller "WAR" chip. I've not tried one in any of my cars, but I'd give them a shot if I'd have had an issue finding Dinan chips.

It wouldn’t surprise me if it is the 4.10. Maybe I’ll look into a different diff. And will definitely check out what chips are out there!

[ross1]

It's not as bad as some other cars from the same era though...

Attachment 632193

Gee, let's see, an E28 with ugly bumpers or a Countach with ugly bumpers? Hmm