[E36er]

Hi

I love my E36 318is - it looks great, drives great, it is in great condition - i was just wondering if there are any other peeps out there who have had one and have been able to eek out an extra 20-40 bhp on the cheap...

- is it possible?
- if so, what have you done and what did it cost?

It would be interesting to know as i am really thinking about it. I know some would say to sell/part ex mine for a 323 or 328, but insurance etc is an issue

Please any suggestions would be great

Thanks

 

[ron]

any changes you make will have to go on the insurance anyways so it might actually work out better to upgrade anyway, otherwise you havnt really got much choice when it comes to budget tuning, 20 bhp is a lot to eek out of an engine on a low budget, what sort of money are you looking at throwing into the car and ill try and help out.

 

[E36er]

Hi mate

Erm, budget wise, not sure - maybe a few hundred. I aint really sure what these kinda things cost to be honest though....

 

[ron]

well first up your not getting a supercharger for a few hundred quid, not that i would advise it on a 318 anyways, 2nd for lets say 300 quid your not really going to get any noticeable gains from your engine, my advice is to spend a bit of money on a really good service, a good service can usually bring back a few bhp from an engine, and then assuming you have any money left either get good brakes or suspension, that way you can go faster on the same engine plus there is less fear of spinning into an oncoming car.

im guessing your quite young so give it time, get a few years ncb and then upgrade to a faster car, its been said before you could spend a couple of thousand on getting your car to 200bhp when the 328 is already 190 and for a few hundred will goto 220+ however if you really are keen i think you should go down the handling route so you can go faster on the stock engine, new suspension and brakes should come into your budget if you look hard enough, if you need help just ask

 

[Mighty_5series]

Hi mate

Erm, budget wise, not sure - maybe a few hundred. I aint really sure what these kinda things cost to be honest though....

just to echo rons reply...

if you bolt on any aftermarket forced induction kits you will have to remap it, otherwise you will be buying forced destruction..

Ask A20 RYM he has done lots to an 318 and 'lost' bhp so he went for an engine transplant...

you'd be better off doing the same.. stick a 2.5 m50 engine in it, it will be lot cheaper getting an engine and loom than getting a supercharger kit...
it can be done mate, but to do it properly will cost thousands...

 

[Ian S]

It is possible to get quite a bit out of the M42/M44 but it's damn expensive.

Supercharger will get you up to 200bhp but will cost you £1500-2000 DIY.

Custom cams and a remap might get you 20-25bhp. Not going to be cheap!

 

[Ian S]

Actually thinking about it insurance on the 323 is quite cheap. Have you got any quotes? The 318is I always found expensive to insure compared to other E36's.

I spent the best part of £1k messing with my 1999 318is and should imagine it was putting out just over 160bhp (based on what friends cars were putting out). It would stay with a 323 up to about 100mph. What you have to remember is the gearing also makes a big difference. From memory the big sixes are geared to do over 160mph whilst the 318is will bounce off the limiter in top.



Ian

 

[si83]

lose 200kg off your car in weight and you will have the same power to weight ratio as a 323, meaning you will be as quick as having 160-170 bhp in your engine, and it saves you loads of money too

 

[ron]

good luck loosing 200 kilo

 

[si83]

haha, never said it was easy, i just said it was cheap lol

 

[RYM]

You need to weigh up the odds...

Sell and replace the car with one with a larger engine or replace the engine in your car for a larger one.

I opted for the latter but that is because my car was heavily modified and it would've actually cost me far more to sell the car and start all over again. The car had already been featured by two car magazines and there was only one lump that would do:hihi

MOTORSPORT all the way:hyper

 

[diponio1]

lose 200kg off your car in weight and you will have the same power to weight ratio as a 323, meaning you will be as quick as having 160-170 bhp in your engine, and it saves you loads of money too

Try taking the seats dash wheels and doors off might get there:hihi,
im new to the forum and i was a bmw virgin untill today got my 318is my first bmw hell of a car,

 

[Nafez™]

Personally I'd get bored of the standard engine first
Then look at modifying it or moving on to a faster car. Way I see it when you modify you lose reliability.

 

[beaumont_coupe]

I thnk the is isnt exactly short on power any ways so id suggest get ur ecu done £200+ can acheive up to twenty bhp more then work on the styling build up another years no claims then buy a 328. Or if all goes well m3 mmmmm

 

[Radders]

I'm in the same boat at the moment (just bought a 318iS), I'm used to cars with 300bhp + 4x4 or 200bhp, light and FWD!

I'm going to go for about 300bhp again, been out driving my car most nights (only had it since Thursday!) and I really need to sort the diff, the judder in my steering and lastly, power!

I keep thinking of turboing the 1.8 in it (M45?) or just stick an M3 engine in, with cams and management to get the best out of it, rather than the BMW ECU as I have a friend with a tuning company that could map it for me, making it easier for me.

I'm new to this site, and have been looking around, any help or links would be greatful though... Cheers

Radleigh.


ps: sorry for jumping on the thread!

 

[bmwsparesuk]

engine conversion mate..

 

[Radders]

What cost am I looking at for a M3 engine into my 318iS? I'm guessing about 3k... or am I wrong?

 

[bmwsparesuk]

What cost am I looking at for a M3 engine into my 318iS? I'm guessing about 3k... or am I wrong?

well id say about 2k realistically for an m3 engine straight swap.. may be able to cut costs down if you can do the work yourself..

about a grand if you went for a 325/328 conversion..

 

[TT2K]

Just posted this in another thread, might give you an idea bout cost

speak to A-tech (www.fastbimmer.co.uk) i believe it a service they can provide, be ready to pay them about £2K and provide you own eaton supercharger, if the want rotrex about £3.5K, if you speak to them they may make you the neccessary parts to fit yourself? if you find a cheaper way of doing it yourself, please please please, let me know, i think i'm going to go down the turbo route purely because if i could afford an extra £2 - £3.5K in one lump sum, i could have got an 325/8 with change (enought to cover the extra insurance)

I have recently found a second hand downing atlanta supercharger on craigslist in washington (i think, it on my work email) i can't afford it, the guy wants a grand (£) for it, if anyone wants it i can post the link

 

[cheezy88]

mate im also interested in supercharging my 318is, you cannot beat the sound of the supercharger whine!!

expensive but different but also take into consideration that if you buy (mini or DASC) that its expensive but if you sell car you can always take the charger off and sell seperately not full for amount but you will get more than half of what you paid,

so i am defo into doing this as when fiancee passes test she wants another car (not a big fan of the bmw no idea why) so i will be storing this car and saving up the pennies to do what i want with it and charging it is right up there at the top!!!