'90 535 - get chip with rev limit increase ?

[Suede]

I have a 1990 535 5 speed with 116,000 miles. The DME is 0 261 200 179

I am going to purchase one of Mark's celebrated chips, which are are available in factory redline, 6500 rpm limit, and 6800 rpm limit.

The car is factory stock, and has had complete dealer maintenance over the years.

The car is driven for fun, but never raced. I want to get everything I can out of the engine, but don't want to shorten its life. I plan to drive this car for a long time.

Which EAT chip should I order ?

Suede

[Mr Project]

I was in the same position, but with 177k on my stone-stock engine. I went with the 6500 RPM chip...I've never hit the rev limiter anyway, since it doesn't make much power past 6k. Just gave me a little more headroom and I have a hard time seeing how 6500 would hurt anything. I couldn't see any reason to rev my motor to 6800, though...just doesn't pull anymore up there.

As a side note, I'm quite happy with the chip for the 60 miles or so I've had it in. Much meaner and more aggressive in 2nd gear, especially.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

...these cars don't have a lot, if anything, above 6500, and at least IMHO the idea of winding-out any 14+ year old motor for no apparent gain (especially on a car I'd like to be buried-in one day when the time comes) just doesn't have any appeal to me.

My '91 535iM has been D'Sylva-powered (the 6500 RPM chip) since October '03, and I love it how it makes the M30 perform, even under normal RPM range. A real kick in the pants for such a heavy car.

Just my $.02.
Rgds,
Tim G.
'91 535iM
115k


I have a 1990 535 5 speed with 116,000 miles. The DME is 0 261 200 179

I am going to purchase one of Mark's celebrated chips, which are are available in factory redline, 6500 rpm limit, and 6800 rpm limit.

The car is factory stock, and has had complete dealer maintenance over the years.

The car is driven for fun, but never raced. I want to get everything I can out of the engine, but don't want to shorten its life. I plan to drive this car for a long time.

Which EAT chip should I order ?

Suede

[kiNGMak]

I went with the Rev limit increase.. Take it all the way alot also... Dont see any problem with it either.. If you cant take it to 6800 then why would you take it to 6500

[bahnstormer]

i have a 91 535i that i drive hard
i've got teh 6800 chip but i've never
taken it about 6k ... if i need it i know
its there, but so far 6k is goo enuf for
me

[Warren N.CA]

You will have the best of all worlds. Guess what? Before we had rev limiters on any car, most people did NOT ruin their engines by over-reving. We have rev limiters not because they are necessary, but because electronic technology makes them cheap and available.



I have a 1990 535 5 speed with 116,000 miles. The DME is 0 261 200 179

I am going to purchase one of Mark's celebrated chips, which are are available in factory redline, 6500 rpm limit, and 6800 rpm limit.

The car is factory stock, and has had complete dealer maintenance over the years.

The car is driven for fun, but never raced. I want to get everything I can out of the engine, but don't want to shorten its life. I plan to drive this car for a long time.

Which EAT chip should I order ?

Suede

[Mr Project]

Warren, I thought about that angle, and agree (this is my first car with a rev limiter), but I figured it couldn't hurt to have some ham-fisted-friend-driving-insurance. :) I just can't see any reason to rev this motor to 6800 without head/cam work, and I'd do a turbo long before I'd do headwork on this motor.

Now y'all would say I need to get friends that can drive better, and you're right. :) I had to explain to one guy that there was no need to keep revving my rotary as he passed 8200... it stopped making power 1000 RPMs ago...

[Warren N.CA]

from time to time. And if you've never tried it, you don't know what you're missing. It's a LONG STRONG pull from 6250 to 6800, that I find useful and FUN. In the highly unlikely event that motor blows, they are cheap and available from salvage. Besides, any well cared for E34 is likely to last way beyond the point that it becomes hopelessly obsolete. That point already is looming on the horizon, as we speak.


Warren, I thought about that angle, and agree (this is my first car with a rev limiter), but I figured it couldn't hurt to have some ham-fisted-friend-driving-insurance. :) I just can't see any reason to rev this motor to 6800 without head/cam work, and I'd do a turbo long before I'd do headwork on this motor.

Now y'all would say I need to get friends that can drive better, and you're right. :) I had to explain to one guy that there was no need to keep revving my rotary as he passed 8200... it stopped making power 1000 RPMs ago...

[Mr Project]

Oh, it's not really damage I'm concerned with, it just seems pointless. Maybe mine isn't as strong as yours (177k on mine), but it trails off sharply after 6k. I've run it up to 63-6400 a couple of times, and I think it might actually be faster to shift at 6k and get back into the meat of the powerband. I haven't done dyno graphs to compare power output to gear ratios, but I know my VR6 VW is like that...ultimately it's demonstrably faster to shift before the redline, let alone the limiter.

On that note, would port-matching the intake manifold help the 6k+ performance? I've thought about taking that off and cleaning/powdercoating it, and could port-match it at that time without much trouble if it's worth the effort.

[Paul in NZ]

On that note, would port-matching the intake manifold help the 6k+ performance? I've thought about taking that off and cleaning/powdercoating it, and could port-match it at that time without much trouble if it's worth the effort.
if you have got the thing apart of course it would help.I am not saying you will get 10 or 20 horses but it is part of "blueprinting" the engine.....it will help the overall performance of the engine too..not just above 6 k.What is the factory rev limit anyway.I see the redline sorta starts at 6 but is not solid till 6500.I have never hit the limiter,but my sister did the very first time she drove mine

[MarkD]

I have a 1990 535 5 speed with 116,000 miles. The DME is 0 261 200 179

I am going to purchase one of Mark's celebrated chips, which are are available in factory redline, 6500 rpm limit, and 6800 rpm limit.

The car is factory stock, and has had complete dealer maintenance over the years.

The car is driven for fun, but never raced. I want to get everything I can out of the engine, but don't want to shorten its life. I plan to drive this car for a long time.

Which EAT chip should I order ?

Suede

The 6800 rpm chip is completely safe for the 5 speed and yes, there is usable power over 6K with my 535i chip. (All the other companies have the rev. limit set at 6800 also, one company actually makes a 7400 rpm chip which is not safe unless you perform some engine work)

I will point out that wear increases as the square of the rpm but as long as you just rev it up there a few times a day and don't cruise at 6500 rpm, you have very little to worry about. There was one person who had a crack in a rocker arm and reving the motor caused that rocker to fail, but that was a problem waiting to happen.

Mark

[InfernoM3]

Hey guys i'm about to order a chip in the group buy for the 92' 535iM i just picked up. Trying to decide on which limiter to get. Also does anyone know what the hp increase is. I remember i saw it somewhere that the M30 has the best increase from EAT chip. 20-40hp gain or something??????