e36 328 ownership experience

[rubes72]

Man, that's a lot of info.. thanks. I soon as Slider said he did a conversion, I headed down to a local chopshop. He was charging RM550 with throttle body. But if can get a good cheaper one, then might as well, can spend on other things then.

Just a question thougth, you mentioned Sports suspension and adjustable suspension, theay are either or right, not both. And since you mentioned PU bushings, how is the difference? Is it minimal or is there a lot of difference? Right now I'm using M3 bushings on where ever I can. So far, I'm quite satisfied with the handling and braking power, maybe a change to Brembo slotted disc could be my immediate upgrade. Last I checked it was around USD 315.

Would your mech be interested in doing another swap. I'm very kneen in this project. I'll will be looking around to see who else has done this, but at the moment it's 95% go ahead for me.

 

[batista_beast]

i've done the 325 conversion so has dinan328i. you gain bhp but loose torque.
i ran my auto 328 (325 mani) against a manual 328 (stock mani) and i won.
both or cars were about moded the same except for the manifold. after that race, the stock 328 manual did the manifold swap and on our 2nd drag, i could not keep up at all. big difference. there has been a lot of stuff writen on this here. but the most info you can get is on e36coupe.com. i bought mine off there, dan did his locally. can be done much cheaper here if your mech is good and knows what he's doing. only hitch is you can't use your 328 throttle body on the 325 manifold. and to get really good gains you need to do a remap, and not too many people here can do one for you. don't get a superchip as it's just a slightly modded map of a stock car that they download into your car and it's not based on YOUR car. but once you do the mani swap, you might want to look into getting the full nine yards from it, do the bigger throttle body, get rid of the stock air box, US M3 cams and do your exhaust as well. and after you do all this your auto box will blow. i'm on my 3rd rebuild. so you might want to consider a manual conversion. going this fast means you also need better brakes and suspension. do the math and you would have spent more on the mods then buying a proper m3.... and you still would not have the same power or those sexy throttle bodies.

bro..i have another question..was thinking of installng grounding cable and VS..any brand that u can recommend? will there be any negative effect on my performance? please advise

 

[loafer]

bro..i have another question..was thinking of installng grounding cable and VS..any brand that u can recommend? will there be any negative effect on my performance? please advise

Read the first page of this thread. Lee36328 has written a very good 1st post.

Go through this thread as well, you'll get more information there. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20734&highlight=grounding+cable&page=3

Like I said, use the search function. It is your best friend on this forum.

 

[loafer]

Man, that's a lot of info.. thanks. I soon as Slider said he did a conversion, I headed down to a local chopshop. He was charging RM550 with throttle body. But if can get a good cheaper one, then might as well, can spend on other things then.

Just a question thougth, you mentioned Sports suspension and adjustable suspension, theay are either or right, not both. And since you mentioned PU bushings, how is the difference? Is it minimal or is there a lot of difference? Right now I'm using M3 bushings on where ever I can. So far, I'm quite satisfied with the handling and braking power, maybe a change to Brembo slotted disc could be my immediate upgrade. Last I checked it was around USD 315.

Would your mech be interested in doing another swap. I'm very kneen in this project. I'll will be looking around to see who else has done this, but at the moment it's 95% go ahead for me.

Sports suspension is basically getting sports springs and pairing it up with another sports absorber. The more popular pairing for BMWs is usually H&R sports springs + Bilstein B8, or Eibach Pro Kit + Bilstein B8.

An example of adjustable suspension would be the Bilstein PSS9 or KW Variant 2/3. It's adjustable because you can manually adjust the ride height and damper/rebound settings depending on what is available. You can't do this if you're using the conventional springs + absorber combo. No, you can't have both . There is sports absorbers in the market with adjustable damper/rebound rate though.

M3 bushings is as good as the PU bushes. You don't need to change already.

Btw, Brembo slotted disc for 328 (OEM spec) is around RM330 per disc. Check around, I'm sure you can get it slightly cheaper.

I got my M50 manifold without the throttle body that's why it's cheaper. Not sure if RM550 is a good price with throttle body or not. You can still use the manifold with or without the throttle body. With probably better I suppose. PM me your phone number and I'll sms you my mech's number + address.

cheers.

 

[Slide]

lost of torque? hmmm wouldn't want to lose that.hehe i love the fast pickups n acceleration..how bout the FC? any different?

bimmersclub did a dyno shoot out and the car with the best troque output was the stock one. having said that, a 328 makes a bucket load of torque already and trading a few for more hp higher up the rev range is not a loss that i regret.

however keep in mind that i am running US m3 cams as well. for me, the power really kicks in after 4000rpms. which is nice as when you're going for it, on the next upshift in an autobox you're at 4k.

i would say that 0-30kmh a stock car would beat me, anything over that i pretty much rule.

FC is the same. 400kms and the light comes on. typically i pump 56 liters.

 

[Slide]

That's good Slide!!! at least I now know someone who has done it. Well I do agree with you that the brakes has to be upgraded, well all that is in the pipeline, just a matter of time. So let me get this right, should i do a swap, I will be able to fine local guys who can do a remap on the ECU? If that is true, then maybe ...just maybe I will start a new project on swapping the manifold first. The GB, if I'm not mistaken, you'd have to get one off a M3 right, 6 speed.

Wow 3rd rebuild, that must be lightening you wallet, unless you have deep pockets..he..he...

Hey man, thanks for the input.. hopefully we'll meet one day, and I can get some first hand experience from you.

Cheers

the best that i could find was the unichip guys. piggy back, not ideal but i have yet to find a guy here who can do a remap of the stock ecu. so unichip it was for me, they did pretty much all they said they would do and even got rid of a flat spot at 2500rpms for me. but having said that auto cars are hard to dyno, and the choices we have are not many. overall, i am happy with the unichip even with all the stuff they say about closed loop and open loop and not being able to fool the ecu... though choice. if u do, do the swap, you don't really need to do a remap. you might want to do it to get the max out of the manifold, but then you'll be on a slippery slide and one mod leads to the next and to the next etc. good luck dude.

GB, not necessary to get an m3 one. nice to get but a 328 one should do just as well.

 

[Slide]

slide,
is it possible to tune our ECU so that the FC can go down a bit..will i experience loss of torque in order to get low FC? and how much the price to do this?

what i have been doing is looking for ways to make more efficient use of the petrol that i burn to move my car. my fc has stayed the same before and after all the mods. but having said that i have also swapped in many old parts for new along the way, so who knows. best way to get better FC is to alter the way u drive, make sure tires are are recommended pressures, and that 's NOT 32psi.... check your door sticker. i would not want to detune my car for FC, after all i think that's what the 320mani does anyway. if u want better fc you shoud be in a 318... not 28, i gather you bought a 28 for the power, right?

 

[Lee36328]

Batista_beast,

The best thing to tune for FC is to tune down your right foot.

How you drive makes a big difference in FC, even more so with our cars' adaptive ecu which learns and adjusts the fuel injection amount continuously as we drive.

Other FC factors:
- Maximise:
- efficiency of the systems - intake (make sure no leak), combustion (engine in good condition), transmission (gearbox in good shape), electrical (check - are you getting a constant 13 volts when driving?) - maximize
Minimize:
- weight
- resistance (tire pressure as Slide said)
- drag (load) on the systems - aircond, hifi...
- wasted energy, e.g. stopping and starting in heavy traffic

Optimum speed for FC is about 80 kph. The 328 comes with a fuel consumption indicator - reduce your right foot pressure until the needle is at a minimum while maintaining car speed.

Slide is getting 14 litres/100 km. With all his mods, his car will be delicious to drive, so I'm sure his right foot is pretty aggressive.

I on the other hand, am stingy when it comes to fuel, so when I am careful, I can get 11-12 litres/100 km. When the mood hits me, it gets up to 13 litre/100km.

 

[batista_beast]

thanks guys..

 

[dragman]

lots of info.... tq,
I've just bought my 1st udm e36 yesterday... year 96. Will share experience with otai in here soon..

 

[BMWer]

lots of info.... tq,
I've just bought my 1st udm e36 yesterday... year 96. Will share experience with otai in here soon..

WOW!!... Congrats bro.. have a nice ride... :top:

 

[batista_beast]

congrats on ur new ride!!!

 

[rubes72]

the best that i could find was the unichip guys. piggy back, not ideal but i have yet to find a guy here who can do a remap of the stock ecu. so unichip it was for me, they did pretty much all they said they would do and even got rid of a flat spot at 2500rpms for me. but having said that auto cars are hard to dyno, and the choices we have are not many. overall, i am happy with the unichip even with all the stuff they say about closed loop and open loop and not being able to fool the ecu... though choice. if u do, do the swap, you don't really need to do a remap. you might want to do it to get the max out of the manifold, but then you'll be on a slippery slide and one mod leads to the next and to the next etc. good luck dude.

GB, not necessary to get an m3 one. nice to get but a 328 one should do just as well.

Hi Slide! Any idea what model of unichip that you're using? That has been in my wish list for the longest time. Ever since I paid up for my car I wanted to get that. But, to do that you have to make sure everything in your car has to be perfect, esp braking and suspensions. Now that I have done that, I think I can do a unichip together with the manifold swap. Do you think I should do it one at a time or both together, just to see what improvements it will give.

I was thinking of perhaps doing the Manifold swap first, then probably after a week I'll do a piggyback chip. what do you think?

Thanks for input so far mate!!

 

[spikyone]

Just to update..oh Selamat Hari Raya to all Muslim forummers

Just an update, haven't been on this site for a while...car's doing fine, except now there's a slight weeping oil pump seal and my power steering rack is still weeping although mech said just to check fluids regularly to monitor the leakage and if it drops rapidly to come in and change straightaway, right now its not very bad, just drops. Well, I did change the spark plugs and what a difference it makes!! Shoulda done it earlier!! Gonna do the oil pump seal soon, dunno yet abt the steering rack. Must be all that "sport" mode driving..sigh. Been following the oil prices in M'sia and I really admire you all daily drivers paying RM2++ /L.

Oh anyone ever encounter this? I noticed at idle, the exhaust only emits exhaust gasses from one pipe (our 328 runs a stock twin outlet exhaust??) I'm a bit worried there is a blockage somewhere that might eventually cause overheating of exhaust system. When the car was on the rack, I noticed the pipes from catalytic converter onwards was a bit pinkish. Does the 328 have exhaust bypass valves within the muffler itself eg to conserve fuel/sound etc?

Was in front of a 325 just now on the roundabout with an excellent sound like a V8, turns out when he overtook me it had what looked like a REMUS system...if my exhaust muffler got problem maybe can change to that or swap for a M3 muffler? Any side effects to the auto gearbox??

 

[sam1741]

HI....
i saw in the Bentley manual...
the original twin pipe seems like have some valve system
to have different opening at different RPM range...
maybe that cause only one pipe have exhaust gas coming out at idle?

please correct me if i wrong

 

[Lee36328]

Spikyone,

the 328 twin exhaust has a valve which closes the flap of one of the pipes at low rpm. This valve opens up at higher rpm. Nothing wrong w your exhaust.

Next time, before you start your engine, take a look. You'll notice the right-side exhaust has a valve, which is open. Next, start your engine and take a look. The valve will have closed. At a higher rpm, it opens again.

 

[spikyone]

Oh ok thanks for the bit of information, I guess I was so worried about monitoring the engine side that I should have paid attention to the other bits of the car Thanks a lot, peace of mind!~

 

[sam1741]

yeah.. i pretty amaze when i read that on Bentley's manual
seems like year 92+ BMW having this valve exhaust system
and recently only american company like chevrolet start using it

 

[achupz]

To the E36 sifus,

Im using E36 Coupe. I want to upgrade my sport rims to SSR D5R 18 inch. Its a gift from a good friend. Front lebar 8.5, rear lebar 9. So the problem is the tyre size. The safest is 225/40/18 all round but the rear the tyre goin to look small as the rim lebar is 9. My friend recommend 235/40 rear and front 225/40 but cannot rotate later. If 235/40 all around, front possibly sangkut. Im ordering my tyre from a friend in spore. I need to confirm with him what size lah. Hes coming back in 2 weeks time. Any of you guys using front 235/40/18? Got sangkut ka?

Im using eibach lowered spring and absorber.

Hope any the e36 sifu can help me out. Thanks

 

[loafer]

To the E36 sifus,

Im using E36 Coupe. I want to upgrade my sport rims to SSR D5R 18 inch. Its a gift from a good friend. Front lebar 8.5, rear lebar 9. So the problem is the tyre size. The safest is 225/40/18 all round but the rear the tyre goin to look small as the rim lebar is 9. My friend recommend 235/40 rear and front 225/40 but cannot rotate later. If 235/40 all around, front possibly sangkut. Im ordering my tyre from a friend in spore. I need to confirm with him what size lah. Hes coming back in 2 weeks time. Any of you guys using front 235/40/18? Got sangkut ka?

Im using eibach lowered spring and absorber.

Hope any the e36 sifu can help me out. Thanks

What offset is the rims? Also your rims itself is already a staggered setup so better to run different size in the rear. If offset ok I think 245 for rear is fine.