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      03-23-2013, 05:04 PM   #45
M3takesNYC
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Ironically I just got back from a road trip which included elevations of up to 5-6k which are not even as bad as some are reporting here. The car was a DOG relatively speaking and I thought of this very issue. Mine is a FBO with 95 octane which is a rocket ship at about sea level where I normally live but it was just painfully slow.

It was really bizarre as it still sounded loud just like normal but you would stomp on it and it just would not go like it normally does.

I just don't think the m3 or any NA car is the way to go if you live at high elevation. It is the one arguement I could make to go for a 335 unless you wanted to suparcharge it or were willing to which not a lot are.

I personally know I could not tolerate the m3 at the high atltitude so a supercharger is just a must but its all about if you can tolerate it or not.

Also another post in terms of wear and tear. Just because there is less oxygen and thus less fuel, it does not effect the wear any less or more. The parts still move for the most part in the same fashion, and in terms of RPM"s at the same speed. The more power does not increase wear on anything within reason so its really a wash and not any difference in wear.

Gas mileage also does not change as the car uses less fuel with less oxygen but loses volumetric efficiency so it balances out
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      03-23-2013, 06:05 PM   #46
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Welcome!

If you don't think you have power now wait until the summer when the heat soak hits

Hope you're enjoying the sand blasting weather we're having this week-end. Next time I hear someone say the NM climate is "mild" I have to make them eat a pound of dirt!

The M3 needs a turbo kit, maybe you'll be happy to trade to the M4 when it comes out
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      03-23-2013, 06:19 PM   #47
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Unfortunately I married a smart woman, things like this won't fly.

Wife:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Superfly_M3 View Post
You should bring it up as a "safety issue". The reasoning would be this:
You: Honey you know I love you very much
She: Yes, dear, what do you want now?
You: Well you know that M3 that I bought? Its a beautiful car and part of the reason tha I bought it is because I like to have this safety margin of knowing that if I'm in a situation where I need to stomp the throttle to escape danger I can do that. But since we moved up here, my car lost so much power that I can't bear to think about what would happen if I'm faced with this unusual situation. I'm pretty confident that I need a SC kit for safety reason
She: well, safety is important, why don't you go ahead and buy one
You: Thank you dear.


All jokes aside, bolt ons will not get you the power levels back up. In the endn you will spend 60% of the cost of a supercharger. On top of that, the xpipe, and exhaust can be added on later for even more gains. There are plenty of used kits for sale now, well below 8K. I think VF is running a promotion on their kits right now too. Unless someone has forgotten to check/change the oil of the blower unit, these kits are pretty bullet proof, so buying used should not be a concern.

My suggestion would be to get the charger if you are looking to gain those power levels back up.
Good luck.
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      03-23-2013, 06:22 PM   #48
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I just spent the whole afternoon spitting out dirt, squinting my eyes, and covering my nose and mouth. This dust and sand can't be good for our car can it? I may have to change my intake filter after a couple of months driving out there

P.S. Man congrats on the new car, sucks you had to let her go though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sycd View Post
Welcome!

If you don't think you have power now wait until the summer when the heat soak hits

Hope you're enjoying the sand blasting weather we're having this week-end. Next time I hear someone say the NM climate is "mild" I have to make them eat a pound of dirt!

The M3 needs a turbo kit, maybe you'll be happy to trade to the M4 when it comes out
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      03-23-2013, 06:27 PM   #49
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Happy wife. happy life.

I think she might be already sold on the idea, she even mentioned that it was rather slow when she took it for a spin. The scare factor is now missing. As soon as I find a job, I will drop the $$$ on a kit. So here's to a new job in the near future...

Quote:
Originally Posted by UCBPhD View Post
Several points:

* You might get some of it back with those mods, but the only way to _really_ fix the problem is FI.

* Sounds like you are more or less moving to hell for her benefit. That being said, both sides in a relationship need to compromise . . . So, you moved to ABQ to keep her happy? Well, this would make you happy . . .

http://www.esstuning.com/products/E9...er-System.html

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      03-24-2013, 12:28 AM   #50
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never driven my car under those conditions, must be interesting feeling the difference
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      03-24-2013, 09:10 AM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kscarrol View Post
In addition to the music and food, living below sea level here in New Orleans does have some small advantages!
So does that get you extra HP?
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      03-24-2013, 09:15 AM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bga23 View Post
So does that get you extra HP?
I find this car makes it's best horsepower at 4500 ft below sea level, sure you have to avoid the odd ship wreck or sea creature, but its a small price to pay
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      03-24-2013, 01:33 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoM3z View Post
The scare factor is now missing.
You can do it now that she is not totally freaked out??? Nice . . .

I hope you get a new job soon, enjoy (the wife and the FI), and don't forget, pictures (FI only please . . .)!
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      03-24-2013, 01:59 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoM3z View Post
I just spent the whole afternoon spitting out dirt, squinting my eyes, and covering my nose and mouth. This dust and sand can't be good for our car can it? I may have to change my intake filter after a couple of months driving out there
It's not always that bad thankfully. Just check your filter more often, no big deal. Dirty engine bay is annoying though.

One good thing is that you're much closer to ESS. Go for a long week-end in Phoenix and come back with a bunch more HP
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      03-24-2013, 02:55 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoM3z View Post
I just spent the whole afternoon spitting out dirt, squinting my eyes, and covering my nose and mouth. This dust and sand can't be good for our car can it? I may have to change my intake filter after a couple of months driving out there

P.S. Man congrats on the new car, sucks you had to let her go though.
Hahaha, I moved from ABQ to PHX 3 years ago and I forgot how bad the wind can be. Oh, but those sunsets...

Also, watch out for the blowing tumbleweed!
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      03-25-2013, 09:27 PM   #56
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Just an update, after trying the 100 octane gas, I'm pretty sure it had little to no difference at all. Problem I think is that my timing are not set to take full advantage of the 100 octane. It looks like I have to play with the big boys and drop some $$$$$ on a SC kit. Phoenix is not that far off, I might drive down to ESS one of these days.

On a side note, got into some incident the other day. I was driving on i40 and the truck in front of me had some ice buildup underneath the wheel well and around the cargo area. It was warmer in Albuquerque and I am guessing the trucks came from a much colder area. The ice started to melt and a big chunk of it fell directly in front of my car. My reaction time was not fast enough to swerve out of the way, but in some ways I'm glad I was slow to react. If I did I would have slammed on the car on my left and right. I ended up running over the ice and it took off my undercarriage completely clean. That's not the worse part, the impact caused my paint to crack and broke the lower grill. I'm glad the radiator is still in tact with little to no damage. Now, aside from the crazy Albuquerque drivers, I have to worry about ice falling off trucks.

Last edited by JoM3z; 03-25-2013 at 10:54 PM..
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      03-25-2013, 09:45 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoM3z View Post
Just an update, after trying the 100 octane gas, I'm pretty sure it had little to no difference at all. Problem I think is that my timing are not set to take full advantage of the 100 octane. It looks like I have to play with the big boys and drop some $$$$$ on a SC kit. Phoenix is not that far off, I might drive down to ESS one of these days.
I am not surprised with your results. The lower air pressure at altitude means that the max pressure of the compressed intake charge in the cylinder is also lower. This implies less detonation, therefore there is no benefit in higher octane fuel. As Bruce mentioned, 91 should be plenty for your car at that altitude (as long as you are NA that is ).
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      03-25-2013, 11:00 PM   #58
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94-95 octane allows you to hit your max timing target of 32 degrees advance so even in optimum conditions and even with a tune, 95 is enough. 100 offers no added benefit.

Given your cylinders are filled with less air and fuel, your chambers are likely staying much cooler than normal and timing is not being retarded at all, even with 91 octane (normally 91 is not enough) so as others say, your problem has nothing to do with octane defiicit.

You need a supercharger
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      03-27-2013, 10:37 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoM3z View Post
On a side note, got into some incident the other day. I was driving on i40 and the truck in front of me had some ice buildup underneath the wheel well and around the cargo area. It was warmer in Albuquerque and I am guessing the trucks came from a much colder area. The ice started to melt and a big chunk of it fell directly in front of my car. My reaction time was not fast enough to swerve out of the way, but in some ways I'm glad I was slow to react. If I did I would have slammed on the car on my left and right. I ended up running over the ice and it took off my undercarriage completely clean. That's not the worse part, the impact caused my paint to crack and broke the lower grill. I'm glad the radiator is still in tact with little to no damage. Now, aside from the crazy Albuquerque drivers, I have to worry about ice falling off trucks.
Man that blows, I hope you get the car back in shape soon. That kind of crap can happen anywhere though.
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