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bmw e46 upgrade parts, new list with more added

900K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  Assimilator1 
#1 · (Edited)
If the mods want to make this a sticky for quick reference then please do:thumbsup
i have another thread started a while ago nearly the same, but it got meey so you can delete that one if you like!
this is another thread with more things added.

I decided to give this a quick go to see if we can make a thread that shows people what manufactures of parts and performance upgrade items that have been tried and tested, and have the bmw seal of aproval.We are looking for all things from suspension, brakes, exhausts, re maps ect. you post them, people coment and we will add it to the list, a sort of quick reference guide!

1. powerflex bushes.front and rear most people highly recomend this brand
2 eibach pro springs, these seem to be the spring of choice across continents,
give a lower ride height but keep the ride quality.
3.yellow stuff pads, have heard these alot. or Brembo discs and ferodo DS2500 pads.
4.re map, eg from emaps. motecmike, or other forum vendors usually gains around 10%
5.new one this, e46 compact rack! tighter and heavier feel than the older type
6.hot tuning coilovers seem to get mentioned alot
7.meyle wish bones. expensive but top quality. also do bushes and tie rods
8.eibach spacers when using coilovers, good quality! well made. (some coilovers foul the wheel)
9.pipercross panel filters, or green cotton filter.
10. Lm 19" alloys, or csl reps. mv1 and mv2 for upgrade to 18s
11. a cheaper alternative to a quickshift kit is the 330d shifter!(£60) shorter stick, longer pivot point! also the e90 330xi 1 works, paddy2bsure knows about this 1.
i have the Z4 shifter, really stubby but not for every 1, as throw is a bit short and there is no bend in the shaft! so sits close to the dash.











cosmetic add ons
1.m tec stearing wheel and gear knob
2.the obvious clear lenses for all those early orange versions
3.angel eyes / hid kits i've got the ccfl angels and they are great.
4.Matte Black Kidney Grills / Xenon Headlight Bulbs i use philips extreme, but there is also philips blue vision and osram nightbreakers for bulb upgrades. ( don't dismiss the halfords brilliance either, my partner has them and there great!)
5.led rear lights if you don't already have them.
6.lip spoiler, or the clubsport spoiler, rare find though!,
7.m sport leather seats black or red.
8. if you don't have them, m sport bumpers and side skirts
9. ultimate add ons are the m3 mirrors on m sports:thumbsup
 
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#2 ·
1. powerflex bushes.front and rear most people highly recomend this brand - Done most of mine, well recommended
2 eibach pro springs, these seem to be the spring of choice across continents - give a lower ride height but keep the ride quality. slightly harsher ride on less-than-ideal roads, but cornering & motorway / A road use superb
3.yellow stuff pads, have heard these alot. or Brembo discs and ferodo DS2500 pads. I'm running EBC front brakes, braided hoses & stock rear discs & pads - nice set-up
4.re map, eg from emaps. motecmike, or other forum vendors usually gains around 10%
5.new one this, e46 compact rack! tighter and heavier feel than the older type Done this, very happy with the difference to the stock 2000/1 330i steering,
6.hot tuning coilovers seem to get mentioned alot
7.meyle wish bones. expensive but top quality. also do bushes and tie rods I have some meyle wishbones but not yet fitted; not badly priced at £95/side - cheaper than BMW, not much more (if anything) than Lemforder from ECP. I'm also running Meyle Track Rods on front
8.eibach spacers when using coilovers, good quality! well made. (some coilovers foul the wheel) In particular, Eibach's own Coilovers foul.
9.pipercross panel filters, or green cotton filter. Running K&N panel filter.
10. Lm 19" alloys, or csl reps. mv1 and mv2 for upgrade to 18s

I would add short shift / gearshift improvements to this, in particular renewing all the linkage bushes/washers, and shift lever with the E90 330Xi lever. I have yet to do this personally, but I only read good things about it.
 
#6 ·
Vauxfan I like the idea of the m3 kit and he csl pm style wheels! Not one for massive mods like breaks etc! Would do remap but I only got a baby 318ci due to being 19 years old! :) know of any good cheap exhausts/backbox to fit onto my bimmer? ;)
 
#7 ·
save you money mate! most after market exhausts will zap power. the best 1s cost a packet. save your money, do simple mods and when you get some more cash and no claims get a bigger bm or use a mini supercharger on your 4 pot engine. you can get these fairly cheap and gains are around 50-60 bhp.
if i were you i would get some poly bushes for the anti roll bars and then maybe some eibach springs. car will look and feel 10x better. then i would get a lip spoiler (if you havn't got 1 already) and leave it there, unless you don't have m sport alloys, you could get them and keep the car looking as bmw men't it to, easier to sell and a lot better looking. and if you decide to keep it after that then you can always get the m sport body kit(similar to m3).
 
#9 ·
a mini cooper s supercharger, second hand ebay, scrap yard. some moddifications and then find a good tuner that can remap your ecu for the chargers, should be alot cheaper than a new kit.
 
#10 ·
Would this supercharger fit to my 2000 e46 318ci? Sounds fun :)
 
#13 ·
I think he means steering rack.

I don't like the polyurethane bushes (as used by powerflex), I had them on my old e36. Although they were ok on the trailing arm bushes, on the frt suspension amrs they gave quite bad vibration through the steering wheel when you went on coarse grained tarmac & rough surfaces, as well being a bit noisey. The noise I could live with but the vibration pissed me off, I ditched them & fitted solid rubber M3 bushes instead. The extra castor it gave (offset hole) finally made it self-center properly & made the steering feel more solid :), noise was barely any better than the polys but the vibration was gone.

Question is, for the e46s, can the M3 bushes be made to fit a normal e46?
I've got a spare M3 bush+brkt at work & the brkt is certainly different, when I remember I'll offer it up to my car, but in the meantime does anyone know if they can be adapted to fit? Or could the M3 bushes be pressed out & fitted to standard e46 brkts?
 
#14 ·
do you find you get the vibrations a lot when pulling up to junctions under braking etc? i have just got a 330i e46 coupe and i get vibration, the guy i bought it off said it had just had poly bushes, i don't get anywhere near said vibrations on my 318i touring which i assume is running standard bushes.
 
#15 ·
If it's vibrating under braking then it's most probably the brakes at fault, probably warped &/or rusted discs.
If it were the susp bushes it would vibrate regardless of the brakes.

As I alluded to earlier, it was vibrating anytime I drove on rough surfaces & course grained tarmac.
I guess polys could make distorted discs feel even worse.
 
#22 ·
I'm not sure about unroadworthy, but no cat means it'll fail the emissions which = no mot = no insurance.
Unless he knows someone who will do a dodge on the emission test! In which case I bet he won't tell the insur. co.
 
#25 ·
Dump/Blow Off valve??

I know this Mod is at a completely different calibre to what you guys have been talking about, but what do you guys think about a dump/blow off valve?
I was only thinking of getting a cheapy one so i could see what it was like before hand but is this what i am looking for?

Diesel Blow Off Valve/Diesel Dump Valve Black Free shipping | eBay

Cheers for any help :D

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Family car Sedan
 
#26 ·
Pointless as diesels don't have a throttle body and butterfly. Dump valve on a petrol is there to avoid stalling the turbo due to fluctuations in intake airflow (due to closing the throttle) this wont happen on a diesel.
 
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