1994 525/5 Performance Upgrade Order

[vaaccess]

I just got my car and am really loving it. I'm on my second bottle of Techron and once this tank is done I'll be switching over my oil to Full Synthetic. The car is running pretty smoothly right now, but I want more power. My previous car was a 2001 Maxima and while I definitely love the E34, I miss the power.

It just had an injector service done and NGK plugs put in right before I bought it.

Along with switching to synthetic, I'm planning on tossing in a K&N air filter.

What is the proper upgrade order going forward? I don't want to do a super charger or NOX or turbo...I need the upgrades to be a few hundred here and there, etc.

Right now I'm thinking:
1) Chip
2) Exhaust

But, beyond that I'm not sure what I want to do.

I am also curious about suspension upgrades, but frankly the car drives so damn well right now that I'm not sure I want to mess with it. ;)

One last note...I don't want to compromise reliability for extra performance. If there's a chip that is better for an engine than another one, but doesn't have quite the performance kick, I'd rather go for the one that is better for the engine, etc...

[Jay 535i]

Everyone swears by the E.A.T. chip. $200 and a noticeable improvement in horsepower and torque. You can buy one by clicking here (http://www.bimmer.info/eatchips/). It's very little money, and you will be happy with the results. You will have NO reliability or driveability issues with it. No, I am not affiliated with them in any way besides being a happy customer :)

AFAIK, that's really the only reasonably-priced mod you can make that will actually have a tangible benefit in terms of power. Even the K&N filter won't do anything -- but you may like the growl. Ditto exhaust. If you really want more power, a turbo kit seems to be the popular choice, but it is admittedly expensive.

Aftermarket suspension won't make your car faster, but it will enable you to drive faster. Does that make sense? When the car is tied to the road better, you're able to get a lot more out of the horses you have, and generally use them more. I have the Sachs kit on my car (US$750 + Shipping + Installation) and it totally transforms the car. If you don't mind a slightly firmer ride, it's a must-have, IMHO.

It's true that the six-cylinder cars are not terribly powerful by today's standards, but I still marvel at the quality of the power delivery and the connection with the road a BMW offers. It may be down 70hp on your Maxima, but offers so much more in other areas. And, with proper suspension, it will cream that Maxima on any road with corners, while simultaneously offering far greater driver satisfaction.

It may seem ironic, but sometimes it's when I'm stuck in traffic that I most appreciate having a BMW. I look around at the beautiful instruments, the supple leather, the hewn-from-granite build quality, and think, "Gee, I'm sure glad I'm not in a Japanese car."

Enjoy, and let us know how you progress! :)

[vaaccess]

Actually, the 2001 Maxima only has 222HP, so the difference is what, 33HP? How much performance will the E.A.T add? According to the Bimmer Magazine article I read, the Conforti chip adds around 20HP...

Also, would I want the one that has the rev limiter or not? I rarely hit the rev limiter on the Maxima, but it has happened...

I thought the K&N would add a minimal increase...Around 2-5HP? It all adds up.

What oil weight / brand would you recommend? I've been using Amsoil 10W30 Full Synthetic in my Maxima, but was thinking I could move to something even a little higher since it doesn't get that cold here. (Richmond, VA)

Also, according to Bavauto, some exhausts actually do improve performance...Again, even a 5-10HP increase is a benefit. of course, since the currently mufler is working that's something I'd push off until later.

Yeah, I definitely plan on adding suspension mods at some point...I know HP<>speed if your suspension is holding you back, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

Thanks!
Mike


Everyone swears by the E.A.T. chip. $200 and a noticeable improvement in horsepower and torque. You can buy one by clicking here (http://www.bimmer.info/eatchips/). It's very little money, and you will be happy with the results. You will have NO reliability or driveability issues with it. No, I am not affiliated with them in any way besides being a happy customer :)

AFAIK, that's really the only reasonably-priced mod you can make that will actually have a tangible benefit in terms of power. Even the K&N filter won't do anything -- but you may like the growl. Ditto exhaust. If you really want more power, a turbo kit seems to be the popular choice, but it is admittedly expensive.

Aftermarket suspension won't make your car faster, but it will enable you to drive faster. Does that make sense? When the car is tied to the road better, you're able to get a lot more out of the horses you have, and generally use them more. I have the Sachs kit on my car (US$750 + Shipping + Installation) and it totally transforms the car. If you don't mind a slightly firmer ride, it's a must-have, IMHO.

It's true that the six-cylinder cars are not terribly powerful by today's standards, but I still marvel at the quality of the power delivery and the connection with the road a BMW offers. It may be down 70hp on your Maxima, but offers so much more in other areas. And, with proper suspension, it will cream that Maxima on any road with corners, while simultaneously offering far greater driver satisfaction.

It may seem ironic, but sometimes it's when I'm stuck in traffic that I most appreciate having a BMW. I look around at the beautiful instruments, the supple leather, the hewn-from-granite build quality, and think, "Gee, I'm sure glad I'm not in a Japanese car."

Enjoy, and let us know how you progress! :)

[Interceptor]

Actually, the 2001 Maxima only has 222HP, so the difference is what, 33HP? How much performance will the E.A.T add? According to the Bimmer Magazine article I read, the Conforti chip adds around 20HP...

Also, would I want the one that has the rev limiter or not? I rarely hit the rev limiter on the Maxima, but it has happened...

I thought the K&N would add a minimal increase...Around 2-5HP? It all adds up.

What oil weight / brand would you recommend? I've been using Amsoil 10W30 Full Synthetic in my Maxima, but was thinking I could move to something even a little higher since it doesn't get that cold here. (Richmond, VA)

Also, according to Bavauto, some exhausts actually do improve performance...Again, even a 5-10HP increase is a benefit. of course, since the currently mufler is working that's something I'd push off until later.

Yeah, I definitely plan on adding suspension mods at some point...I know HP<>speed if your suspension is holding you back, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

Thanks!
MikeForget about the K&N, it's crap and will probably make your engine/MAF last shorter. And that's not my imagination, ask other people on this board what they think about it.

By changing the exhaust you will gain only sound, but not HP. If you like deeper growl, go for it.

I suggest you invest your money in an EAT chip and a Sachs kit. You'll pay around $1000 for both, with installation of the kit - chip you can install by yourself - 99% of the board members did it, so can you.

My recommendation is the Sachs kit that lowers only the front for 34 mm, and an EAT chip programmed for premium fuel with RAISED rev limit. It means you still have the limit, but it's 500 rpm higher than stock.

Mark D'Sylva is always having some action sale going on, so you can get the chip for $189. Power gain is around 20 HP for the VANOS/RON98 version - you should be around 210 HP then. Should be enough for the most of us.

EDIT: Most of the members here recommend Mobil 1 0w40. I use it too.

[Jay 535i]

Hey Mike,

I don't know exactly what the E.A.T. chip will add, but you can ask Mark D'Sylva (http://www3.sympatico.ca/mdsylva/contact.htm), who makes them. He can tell you for sure.

With a manual transmission, I think you should probably go for the raised rev limit with the E.A.T. chip. Mark offers stock and raised rev limits, but none of his chips have the limit removed entirely. A good thing, I think. You should ask him what he recommends for your specific car.

From my own experience, the improved low-down torque is more noticeable than the top-end horsepower. Both are a nice improvement, though. But the difference is more pronounced in the bottom half of the rev range.

As for a K&N filter and exhaust, my understanding is that the E34 is a very well designed car, and as such the improvements from replacing those things with aftermarket products are minimal unless you've done work to the engine that requires better airflow. The improvements to an otherwise-stock engine are minimal. Not to mention, a full performance exhaust system will run you above $1,000, which is nearly a third of the way to an entry-level turbo kit! Also note that an exhaust that increases horsepower may reduce torque, and torque is more useful in everyday driving than horsepower.

Re: oil, I'll defer to the other members here who know more than I do.

If you really want to increase power, save up for the turbo kit, and in the meantime enjoy what you have. That's what I'm doing :D

[Torque]

Order of performance upgrades:
1. EAT chip
2. good suspension

End of order.

[vaaccess]

Thanks...I was just reading that the K&N was crap and that the stock was pretty high air flow...So, yeah, definitely won't touch that.

I just sent a message to Mark about the EAT and I already run premium gas, so no worries there.

Hmmm...So, really it's just the chip before I get into more expensive stuff, eh? That bites.

I'll have to gve some serious thought to the suspension mods...Like I said right now the car handles really well, I can't imagine improving on it.

Thanks for the tip on the oil. What filter brand do most people recommend?

Happy Turkey Day.

[GAM]

if your considering any other improvements some chip sellers will sell you chips tuned to take advantage of those improvements.

http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/upgrade/Recipe.htm



Thanks...I was just reading that the K&N was crap and that the stock was pretty high air flow...So, yeah, definitely won't touch that.

I just sent a message to Mark about the EAT and I already run premium gas, so no worries there.

Hmmm...So, really it's just the chip before I get into more expensive stuff, eh? That bites.

I'll have to gve some serious thought to the suspension mods...Like I said right now the car handles really well, I can't imagine improving on it.

Thanks for the tip on the oil. What filter brand do most people recommend?

Happy Turkey Day.

[GAM]

P.S. Mark has a sale going on for his EAT chips.
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=16323

[Incantation]

buy a bike.. cars are slow
:P

but really.. before you do anything you should lower the car.. anything you do is pointless unless you rid yourself of that gap in the front suspension. heheh

[RobPatt]

..full inspection II ( or is it one that's the more through? )
Anyway change all fuilds and filters, including cabin air filter.
Buy a Bentley's book for the E34.
Strongly consider, as others have said, the EAT chip and Sachs kit.
Check other things like guibo, probably good if it's driving as nice and smooth as you say!
Maybe some first class BBS or RD or Borbet wheels?
Welcome to the E34 "owner's group".
How many miles?
Oh yeah, another vote for mobil 1 0w40.
cheers,
Rob. :D

[vaaccess]

It's sitting at ~113K...

Yeah, I'm going to do the in-cabin air filter at some point.

Gotta watch Survivor! :)

Thanks for the recommendation for the oil...What about the oil filter???????

[Jay 535i]

I'll have to gve some serious thought to the suspension mods...Like I said right now the car handles really well, I can't imagine improving on it.

Believe it!

Surely there's someone on this forum who has the kit and lives near you. Try to hook up a test drive.

I'm in Toronto. You're welcome to try out my car. Don't know where you are, though.

Edit: Oh, Virginia. Kinda far :) There's gotta be people in the DC/Baltimore area, though.

[Larry Looney]

Cool Pic. Where was it talen at?

[ericcamaro]

you are headed in the right direction. I basically have the same car as you and this is what I did.
1. Gotta go with wheels, I went with 17x8 bbs RX's great handling upgrade and appearance.
2. Short throw shifter, go to understeer.com thell hook you up at a decent price.
3. Performance chip EAT is the only way to go.
4. headers, theres some decently priced ones on ebay that are good quality anywhere from 150-250, not too bad for 15hp.
5.lowering springs, Id go with BMW made M-technic ones from the M5, good drop while maintaining drivability.
6. K&N will only do so much by itself so you have to set up a cold air intake tube as well as a heat shield for it. should give you about 10-12hp.

other than that its all up to how much you got in your wallet. all the mods above you should be able to do for a little over a G but your car will be so much more fun to drive.

[emw525E34]

Yeah: After that, order upgrade for the human behind the wheel. That can shave a few seconds per lap while most upgrades gain only fractions of a second!. Go for it and drive safe. (Does not mean drive like a DOM, but safe spirited driving and hard driving is possible, driver school teaches this and one just needs to practice to get the judgement and execution right. Then you would really like DRIVING the car. *yes*.....