Whats up, guys
Hey, guys, my name's Ken, I live in the chicago suburbs temporaily while in school, and I just picked up my first bimmer, adn E28 1988 535i 5 speed, with 173k on the clock. Now, I know quite a bit about these cars already, I believe, but, I don't know a whole lot about modding them, other than turbo kits, the conforti chip, and intake/head work. What cn you guys tell me about my car, I know the diff is a 3.25 lsd, but I have no idea the trans gears, etc. I just wanna know everything there is to know about my car. Hopefully, I'll be hear learning and helping for a long time. Thanks.
[QUOTE="kendogg"]Hey, guys, my name's Ken, I live in the chicago suburbs temporaily while in school, and I just picked up my first bimmer, adn E28 1988 535i 5 speed, with 173k on the clock. Now, I know quite a bit about these cars already, I believe, but, I don't know a whole lot about modding them, other than turbo kits, the conforti chip, and intake/head work. What cn you guys tell me about my car, I know the diff is a 3.25 lsd, but I have no idea the trans gears, etc. I just wanna know everything there is to know about my car. Hopefully, I'll be hear learning and helping for a long time. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Welcome to the board! I havent been around that long myself, but I can definitely recommend getting yourself a Bentley repair manual. It is an indispensible guide to these cars. As far as modifications go, the 3.25 differential can be upgraded to a 3.46 or a 3.73 to increase acceleration. There are a few chips available, some people swear by the Jim C chip, while others think the D'sylva offers a better upgrade. Shifty made a comprehensive post regarding the difference on the old board http://forums.mye28.com/e28/messages/164795.html.
As far as the board goes, the new format has only been around for a short time, so for the moment the archives on the old board will be much more useful to you, but take into consideration that searches seem to take forever.
See you around,
Chris
Welcome to the board! I havent been around that long myself, but I can definitely recommend getting yourself a Bentley repair manual. It is an indispensible guide to these cars. As far as modifications go, the 3.25 differential can be upgraded to a 3.46 or a 3.73 to increase acceleration. There are a few chips available, some people swear by the Jim C chip, while others think the D'sylva offers a better upgrade. Shifty made a comprehensive post regarding the difference on the old board http://forums.mye28.com/e28/messages/164795.html.
As far as the board goes, the new format has only been around for a short time, so for the moment the archives on the old board will be much more useful to you, but take into consideration that searches seem to take forever.
See you around,
Chris
Hey PDX. I am from the P-town myself. I cannot wait to rip down the Terwilliger curves and see MT. Hood in the horizon w/ the 535i ripping in full chorus. We need to take these babies down hwy 26 towards Seaside some day soon.
I am looking for the best value for a chip for the buck. I am very value conscious. Jim C and this D'sylva chip, how much, where?
Also, what will the 3.73 LSD net me HP wise. Not that big a deal but curious--I can foresee me going down this road.
Last, is it realistic to crack around 210-220 HP at the wheels w/out major work, like boring, porting, and valves etc..
All I want (doesnt everybody) is to crack 210HP for real world street HP.
Thanks bro.
I am looking for the best value for a chip for the buck. I am very value conscious. Jim C and this D'sylva chip, how much, where?
Also, what will the 3.73 LSD net me HP wise. Not that big a deal but curious--I can foresee me going down this road.
Last, is it realistic to crack around 210-220 HP at the wheels w/out major work, like boring, porting, and valves etc..
All I want (doesnt everybody) is to crack 210HP for real world street HP.
Thanks bro.
[QUOTE="Mo"]Hey PDX. I am from the P-town myself. I cannot wait to rip down the Terwilliger curves and see MT. Hood in the horizon w/ the 535i ripping in full chorus. We need to take these babies down hwy 26 towards Seaside some day soon.
I am looking for the best value for a chip for the buck. I am very value conscious. Jim C and this D'sylva chip, how much, where?
Also, what will the 3.73 LSD net me HP wise. Not that big a deal but curious--I can foresee me going down this road.
Last, is it realistic to crack around 210-220 HP at the wheels w/out major work, like boring, porting, and valves etc..
All I want (doesnt everybody) is to crack 210HP for real world street HP.
Thanks bro.[/QUOTE]
The differential doesnt actually add horsepower, but it allows you to use torque more effectively, dropping your 0-60 time, and increasing the pull in each gear. A chip will net you enough power to get around 206 hp @ the crank, and 243 foot pounds, at least according to dinans literature. Both of those modifications are going to be your best bang for the buck. To get more than that, some head work and a cam might pull in the extra HP at the higher RPM. I saw a few LSDs on ebay lately.
Having a chipped eta, im lucky if I am getting 140 horsepower. I am trying to rebuild the top end with a 323i head, but someone keeps outbidding me. When my project is done, I expect 180-190 hp and 200 foot pounds.
Look forward to meeting all of you portlanders.
Chris
I am looking for the best value for a chip for the buck. I am very value conscious. Jim C and this D'sylva chip, how much, where?
Also, what will the 3.73 LSD net me HP wise. Not that big a deal but curious--I can foresee me going down this road.
Last, is it realistic to crack around 210-220 HP at the wheels w/out major work, like boring, porting, and valves etc..
All I want (doesnt everybody) is to crack 210HP for real world street HP.
Thanks bro.[/QUOTE]
The differential doesnt actually add horsepower, but it allows you to use torque more effectively, dropping your 0-60 time, and increasing the pull in each gear. A chip will net you enough power to get around 206 hp @ the crank, and 243 foot pounds, at least according to dinans literature. Both of those modifications are going to be your best bang for the buck. To get more than that, some head work and a cam might pull in the extra HP at the higher RPM. I saw a few LSDs on ebay lately.
Having a chipped eta, im lucky if I am getting 140 horsepower. I am trying to rebuild the top end with a 323i head, but someone keeps outbidding me. When my project is done, I expect 180-190 hp and 200 foot pounds.
Look forward to meeting all of you portlanders.
Chris
[QUOTE="kendogg"]Also, I noticed that I also have an auxilliary fan, does this mean I can do a fan delete like the E36 M3 guys do?[/QUOTE]
I don't know what the "fan delete" is, but the single electric fan in front of the radiator
IS NOT SUFFICIENT for use as the only cooling fan. Well, OK, it'd be sufficient in a North Dakota winter. The amount of power you're losing from the viscous clutch fan is negligible -- on the order of 3-6 hp according to Hot Rod's tests (which were done with bigger fans to boot). Remember, the viscous fan slips as RPM rises, and electric fans aren't "free" -- the power to drive them still has to be generated from the engine via the alternator.
I don't know what the "fan delete" is, but the single electric fan in front of the radiator
IS NOT SUFFICIENT for use as the only cooling fan. Well, OK, it'd be sufficient in a North Dakota winter. The amount of power you're losing from the viscous clutch fan is negligible -- on the order of 3-6 hp according to Hot Rod's tests (which were done with bigger fans to boot). Remember, the viscous fan slips as RPM rises, and electric fans aren't "free" -- the power to drive them still has to be generated from the engine via the alternator.