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Thread: Introduction: 2003 540i M-Sport 6 Speed

  1. #1
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    Introduction: 2003 540i M-Sport 6 Speed

    Just wanted to introduce myself to the group/forum. I live in Columbus, OH and just bought this great car with 70k miles, Dinan exhaust, stage 1 tune and short shifter. Always looking for ways to get a bit more power (bolt-on) and enhance that awesome sound this engine makes. I’ve been getting a lot out of this forum so thanks to everyone for sharing.

    Also have a 1999 323i and a lease-ending 2015 328i touring M-Sport. This car is replacing the touring.

  2. #2
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    1997 BMW 540i 6 speed
    The only significant power increase is via supercharging or nitrous injection. All others are a waste on money.


    Ed in San Jose '97 540i 6 speed aspensilber over aubergine leather. Build date 3/97. Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA Nr 62319.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by edjack View Post
    The only significant power increase is via supercharging or nitrous injection. All others are a waste on money.
    This. So I'd suggest focusing your efforts on maintenance and suspension mods, you'll get more out of that than from some random cold air intake.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  4. #4
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by edjack View Post
    The only significant power increase is via supercharging or nitrous injection. All others are a waste on money.
    +threefecta

    A diff change is a huge performance mod, that's worth it.

    Headers are reasonably "worthwhile" but - compared to a 'normal car' - expensive to buy and expensive to put in.

    Otherwise save up $5k or whatever and do a supercharger or an S62 swap, or move up to an M5....
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
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    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

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  5. #5
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    98 540 6, SC'ed, 16psi
    Welcome aboard. Post up some pics of the car!
    98 540i 6, 525 whp, 120 mph 1/4, V3 Si S/C'er @16 psi, W/A I/C, Water/Meth, Supersprint Headers, HJS Cats, 3" Custom Exhaust, UUC Twin Disc, Wavetrac LSD, GC Coil Overs, Monoball TA, AEM FP, Aeromotive FPR, AEM Failsafe AFR/Boost, Style 65's w/275's, M5 Steering Box, Eibach Sways, M3 Shifter, Evans Coolant, 85 Deg Stat, PWM Fan, 10" Subs, B.A. speakers, Grom Aux/BT, Still Rolling as my DD!

  6. #6
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    There are cheap M62 headers on ebay that MUST flow better than stock

    M52/S52/S54 (and so on) guys have used ebay headers for years with decent gains. Nobody here has attempted the ebay headers afaik (mostly cause it seems everyone here is staunchly against modifying these cars) but I think those would probably be the best bang for the buck tbh.

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  7. #7
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmerBreaker View Post
    There are cheap M62 headers on ebay that MUST flow better than stock

    M52/S52/S54 (and so on) guys have used ebay headers for years with decent gains. Nobody here has attempted the ebay headers afaik (mostly cause it seems everyone here is staunchly against modifying these cars) .
    Dude you don't spend enough time here.

    Definitely 'everyone' is not 'staunchly against modifying'. That's ludicrous.

    In fact here you are ripping "against modifying" referring to headers, when I've actually just said headers are maybe one of the worth it bolt-ons.

    Now some of the guys who are telling people just not to get all bonered up about bolt-ons are in fact guys like:
    Jim-NitrousMan-Lev
    Philly-custom-heat-exhanger-WM-injection-small-pulley-blower-540
    t-100%-custom-fab-only-E39M62-turbo-w-AC-daily-driven-ptrsn
    and me...

    So... hardly "everybody staunchly against modifying".

    We just tell people the truth, not to think some stupid CAI or exhaust system is gonna give 'em 100hp, or, say, to go off in search of cams or cam regrinds that do not exist.

    If you want to bark at old cranky all-stock-only types that hate all mods, well, that's a thing for sure, but that's just not most of this crowd here.

    Now re: eBay headers for M62... for a long time there WERE no eBay headers for this car.

    Back a few years, there were cheap "OBX" headers on eBay for E38's - that notoriously would NOT fit on an E39 (at least without modification) - and that was it.

    Some people have more recently gotten the Schmeidemann headers and found them to be OK for short money value. SS copies as I understand it.
    I myself have the A1 headers which were the short-money proven option when I put them on (although in long run I wish I'd gone w/ brand-name but that's a different story...)

    Now quick ebay search today shows indeed some stuff... it appears to be the same set of cheapo headers being sold by 1/2 dozen folks.

    I'm zero.zero against great cheap stuff at all... as you say nobody around here has tried those... I'd be interested to see somebody get some in hand next to a motor...

    I am probably a little skeptical, because they do not look too much like clones of Supersprints or other known headers... My first reaction is they don't look a hell of a lot different/better than the stock BMW non-VANOS headers, but who knows...
    and I'm also concerned about the claim to fit E38-E39-E53-E52 chassis... But hey - somebody with a car on a lift and the exhaust out should throw down a quick $250 and see what happens. Why not.

    Oh and about E46 ebay headers.... While its easy to say "everybody knows E46 ebay headers are great"... I will tell you first hand that while that can be true - if you look closer at the record there's a high rate of misfits and rejects and misery for some guys. If a guy gets a set that's 'good' out of the box, hey all-good all-good... However plenty of those come w/ 1. warped flanges or 2. tweaked runners or 3. mis-aligned collector outputs that require either rework or sending back for another set. I know this first hand because I spent probably more than 2 days under my car trying to make repeated sets fit that came defective due to either just poor manufacturing, or, a jig that had gotten tweaked. In wrestling w/ that I started digging into threads and w/ experts more and discovered how often it happens. In the end I bagged and found used like-new name-brand headers instead that bolted up first time no problems. That's the roll of the dice you get when buying $200 headers from eBay... Now sure if you don't mind that and if you're smarter about it than I was (I derp derp dumbass expected theyd actually fit right up first time) maybe you have a block lying around to test fit them on the second the box arrives and then can just keep sending them back until you get a good set.... but its certainly not the "ebay headers are ALWAYS GREAT!" story that some guys (usually some mom's basement dwelling no-wrenches internet expert) throw out...
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  8. #8
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    I dont think anyone expects 100hp from bolt ons, just seems ive been back in this community 2 weeks and everyone whos asked about modifying stuff, people just say not to. I like to tinker with my cars. Its not always about huge gains. Sometimes its fun to do it because you can. Just very, very different from the E36 and Z3 community Ive been apart of since I sold my last E39. In those parts, someone asks a way to do something and we try to find ways to make it happen not reasons you shouldnt bother.

    And yeah ebay headers are a bit hit and miss, but tons of guys out there to tell you which ones are good and which ones arent. Personally I do have a spare block to mock fit M62 headers so once danny (and his wallet) is ready *ahem* we will do so. But the point is with some finessing and a little work, cheap ebay headers can provide pretty decent gains on other engines and stands to reason the same here.

    Dont mean to grind your gears GG... Just honestly a very different atmosphere here regarding modifying is all

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