Re: <E36><M3) More Incremental Bang for the Buck

[Jeff Lloyd <Jeff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Franklin, one thing to take into account is lightweight wheels, they are also part of the drivetrain (the rears at least) and you can strip 40
- -60 lbs of rotating mass, this will improve acceleration, it is cheaper then a flywheel job,
and you will experence a more responsive handling in the process, 
BMW's come with HEAVY wheels, most people change them for looks, but if you buy a lightweight set of forged wheels, it is better then changing the flywheel, and you do not loose drivability, like the lightened flywheel..

My personal favorite is www.litespeedinc.com
They have by far the lightest wheels I just got a set from them for the Z3 and they weighed in @ ~10lbs a peice, as opposed to the factory wheels at 25 lbs, and there is NO installation costs..

Just my .02

Jeff Lloyd




On Thu, 18 May 2000, "Franklin W. Nelson" wrote:

> 4. Lightening the flywheel appears to be by far the cheapest way to reduce
> rotating mass.  About $1,100 (parts and labor) will reduce rotating mass by
> about 15-17lbs.  Testimonials confirm that this produces noticeable results.
> Methods to further reduce rotating mass are pretty expensive (lightened
> crank, rods and pistons).  If I buy the flywheel from Turner, I can also buy
> a modified chip which will bump idle by 100rpm, thereby reducing/eliminating
> (in theory) the transmission rattle associated with this mod.
> 5. Replacing the stock 3.15 differential with a lower (numerically higher)
> ratio is the simplest way to improve the mechanical advantage of the
> drivetrain. 3.46 is the ratio recommended by Korman and that sounds about
> right to me (a little less than 10%). Korman also offers a Quaife
> differential, which is "infinitely variable" as opposed to the 25/50/75%,
> etc. lock offered by traditional clutch-type differentials, and it's also
> stronger.  Sounds good to me, but it's also expensive at $1,600 (not
> including installation).  If I'm going to spend this much $, I'm tempted to
> buy the Alpina differential cover (about $700) just because it looks so
> cool.
> 
> Based on the above "interim" conclusions, it looks as if
> 
> 1. Opening up the induction side of things the way I did (open element
> filter, euro hfm, software to make it all work) did indeed provide the most
> initial "bang for the buck.  It cost me about $1,200 (including labor) but
> netted me 28 hp, and a lot of it at reasonable rpm levels where I can use
> it.
> 2. The next step (unless you're a track jockey) would be the lightened
> flywheel, mostly because it's the next cheapest.  For about $1,100 I'll get
> quicker throttle response throughout the rpm range and improved
> acceleration - particularly in the low/mid rpm ranges.
> 3. The final step would be the Quafe limited slip, which will further
> improve throttle response and low-end acceleration, and will also make me
> faster out of the corners.
> 
> The strangest part about all of this is that a modified exhaust doesn't seem
> to be in the picture at all.  Near as I can tell, aftermarket exhausts may
> sound neat, but they don't really offer any real performance increases.
> Yet, this is the first modification most people seem to choose.
> 
> Once I get all of this installed, I may not SOUND fast, or LOOK fast (no
> ///M badges on my car), but I should BE fast, which is where I wanted to go.
> 
> If anyone has comments/suggestions/objections to my conclusions, please let
> me know (hopefully BEFORE I start writing checks!)
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Frank Nelson
> BMWCCA Los Angeles Chapter
> '95 M3, JC chip, euro hfm, Dinan cold air intake, and more to come
> 
> 
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