Better the Devil you know?

Isaac - no, the strut bar in my M3 is not original equipment. BMW did make a strut bar for the E36 M3 which was only fitted as standard to the limited edition M3 GT (never sold in the UK). I could have got that bar for my car but it's stupidly expensive so I went for a decent alternative.

Saab - I've had the geometry aligned properly laser aligned but only to what it's supposed to be (factory numbers). Many people swear by the Bilstien PSS9 coilover kit which gives you adjustable ride height and adjustable "hardness" but I really reckon it's a bit pointless on a road car, esp. for about £1100 . When the time comes will probably just get the Bilstien OE replacements. Yes, mines an E36 Evo. About the airbox, well, it's probably less restrictive than the stock box and gets a bit more cold air in so it's probably worth a couple of hp, maybe 5bhp, but nothing you'd notice as a driver. I reckon it has improved the throttle response though. And boy does it sound good .

Julian - you were kidding about adding NOx weren't you? I'm not into all of that "The Fast and the Furious" stuff .

BMW's 330Cd has been tuned by DMS to give 260hp (stock is 204hp). That's a serious amount of power from diesel. Can't remember what the torque was but it was mighty. Would love to have a test drive, or in the 335d when it comes out. Performance diesels can be a hell of a lot of fun.

Michael.

 

michael,
nos is about the best 'bang for the buck' power mod for cars without a turbo. once you've got the initial system in (a 50 bhp jet with arming switch, progressive controller and fuel remap) - cost about 700 ukp. you can get more power just by changing the jets and remapping the fuel - probably 300 quid a time. i'm guessing that's about the price of a decent stainless steel manifold back exhaust for your m3. got to be worth a laugh if you're into power only mods.
cheers

julian

 

Nos is indeed bolt on power, but it is affected by weather conditions. It needs to be set up according to the conditions to obtain optimum performance. There is also the cost and availability of bottle refills.

Had a spin on a Honda VTR1000 a while ago, fitted with locking clutch and Nos, interesting to say the least

 

IMO Nos is a bit naff and too many changes to the "plumbing" of the engine - not to mention likely seriously reduced engine life. The exhaust manifold of the M3 is stainless steel as stock . I'm not really considering any other power mods.

Michael.

 

tell you what, I used to have a zx turbo diesel, and it was fab., great engine, and that boost, I miss it now I have a smallish fiat.

I don't think there are many multivalve diesels, so all the advances with common rails and high pressure injectors, there is still more to go, correct me if I am wrong, but I can't recall a 16 or 24 valve diesel with VVT. perhaps some of the germans.

 

Nos certainly isn't naff
As for engine life, a good condition engine should not be damaged by Nos, it's safer than a turbo in that respect. If the engine is good, the only thing that may need attention is the clutch and transmission. Changes to plumbing are minimal aswell.

 

Nos is a basic add on really, Even the Chiq's we do have a 70bhp kit, bottle heater (Big improvement with this on), you can accquire fully programmable kits now so the boost is fully selectable.
Ju, trying some driveshafts off a medium CV at the moment, seem to be holding together this morning, so its promising

 

Tone
Ive seen the bottle heaters, used to hold the Nos at optimum temp. But i doubt it helps to overcome the problems were Nos is affected by humidity and/or atmospheric pressure, is that the case?

 

Or a jammed solenoid!!!, depends on where the bottle is kept, the 4 I have on the bike can get a little 'moist' from time to time, always found giving the bike a good thrash for 1/2 and before using was the best way of waking it up.
Moisture probs are difficult to overcome, carefull installation and pipe lagging helps.
The heater is basical an electric blanket, that is activated by powering up the nos, and a timer is switched on and after set amount of time is elspased it goes off. On the flashier system a thermo/sensor/couple shuts off the heater at a pre arranged temp, and then swicthes in/out to keep it constant like an emersion heater.
Though it does draw a lot of current!!!!
some of the bigger drag funny cars have 1000BHP nitrous systems, the biggest I've personally used is 300bhp. Great smile factor

 

michael,
there is little or no extra stress on engines with modern progressive nos systems (as long as you don't go mad with it (i.e. 200+ extra bhp without engine strengthening) but then this is true of any tuning - are you sure your k&n has the same quality of filtration as a stock filter? i've heard some horror stories about after market filters and i've also had a foam jetex didintegrate and be swallowed by the carb on my webbered xr2.
if you added a 50 shot to start with it would probably improve the life of your engine due to better cooling. as for engine plumbing well it';s just a pipe from the controller to the intake plenum, a small holeis drilled here and a jet screwed in. the bigger the jet the more nos gets in and the more power you get. you remap the ems to add more petrol and air at full throttle and voila. biggest problem is going to be resale and insurance. if i was into this sort of thing any more i'd have half my boot gone with a couple of big propane and nos tanks. aparently a similarly equipped rover 400 diesel (as i have) was monstering an old audi quattro on the straights with this kit on it pretty impressive for a grandad car really.
cheers


julian

 

I did consider Nos for the bike, around 500 notes for 70hp kit. Suppose i best sort the shims first. Clutch is ok, bike has the factory slip clutch fitted with adjustable bite point.

Tone, The 4 bottles, are they the nice mini ones that mr blue light wont spot so easily?
What hp kit is it?
Still not seen that monster

 

Andy,

Yep those baby 5lber's, 2 slung over the front and 2 underneath the rear seat postion, plus the option for an airshifter.
Ju, you will need to run extra fuel for the Nos, so don't forget the spare pump/plumbing and nozzle jets, set up is critical, alwayas have more juice that Gas, a cooling issue, mid you temperature inside the cycliders can rise very rapidly and remember ally gets a bit soft around the 800+C mark , so stick on the rich side and always chase the gas jets with the a matching increment on the fuel jet, better atomisiation<> more GOooooooooooooooo.
And before you ask, yes we working on the nos kit for team fast hifi

 

OK, listen, I don't want a NOS kit OK? :banghead: My car already has 321hp (+ a couple for the intake), I don't really need any more than that. In any case, sticking a NOS kit on one the finest normally aspirated engines ever made is just sacrilege (as is turbocharging it). It would like sticking neon underlighting on a Bentley.

Julian - K&N filters are very good and do just as good a filtration job as normal filters and there's no way it would disintegrate as the whole cotton bit if it is held inside a wire mesh. I'll wash and re-oil it every 5-6000 miles and that should be fine.

Michael.

 

But it's a BMW? reason enough for me

 

W-M

Ahh an Italian car specialist !! Just the kind of person I was looking for !!


What's your opinion on the reliability of Alfas? Are they really as unreliable as some people make out? I ask because I like the look of the 156 and was wondering if I should even bother trying to get to drive one. I won't bother if it will be in the shop every 3 months.

I know about making sure the cambelt is changed at 36k miles and to listen for the veristator (sp) and squeeky suspension bushes when cold.


GTM

 

GTM, surely you know what FIAT stands for?

Fix It Again TONY

Michael.

 

G,
From about 95 on (alfas) their build quality and realiablity became 'proper', generally the mechanicals & engine are excellent, the interiors and ergonomics are average, but the electrics could cause a few hair tearing sessions.
Also on 16 T/spark, their is a balancer shaft belt, that drives 2 blank camshafts with counter act the engine vibrations, this is a double sided tooth affair, which has to be removed to allow cambelt replacement, I personally would change this as well, regardless of manufacturer info, also the tension pulley as well, though the B/S belt is almost twice the price of the cambelt!!
The variable camshaft actuator can cause probs, but they have a mod to cure this now I believe, which was appiled under warranty??
Lower front arm bushes and ball joints are arn't long lasters, (I know I've just done them, 156 sportwagon JTD+), but its not to long a job and OE parts are available from another source @ 50% of Alfa OE pricing. Wm
They are a superb drive, very involving (unlike Bland Motor Works cars), handle spot on and are easy on the eye.
Service them with the right stuff and they will last, plus a fun car to boot

 

W-M,

Thanks for the info.

I think I might look out for one to take a test drive in.


One other question though. I am completely confused about how to tell whether one of the optional sports packs have been fitted or not. Is there any easy way to tell? I'm only really interested in knowing how to tell if the sports suspension option has been fitted. The other bits I can live without, but I've heard the standard suspension can be a bit on the soft sprung side.


GTM

 

Tone - BMW's uninvolving to drive? You must be getting confused with Audis

Michael.

 

Michael,

Tony's "uninvolving" probably means something else altogether, like not having to caress it so much or replace parts or hitting the thing with a hammer before you can drive it .