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06-28-2009, 10:51 AM | #1 |
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New to tuning... many questions:
When car tuning is concerned, I a noob in every sense of the word. I have never done any modification to my cars before but would like to get started. I am quite mechanical inclined and do understand how many of the parts work. Nevertheless, I have many questions, both technical and practical that I want answered (my question are general questions and not BMW specific). Thanx for the help guys!
Technical:
Practical:
I know that there are a lot of questions here, but thanx for helping out!
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Current: BMW F32 435iA M-Sports; BMW E92 M3, M-DCT; Mercedes W221 S550 4matic; Ford Fiesta ST; Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R Retired: BMW E93 323iA; BMW E85 Z4 3.0i, SMG; Lexus IS 250 AWD; Lexus GX 470; Mercedes W203 C230 Sportscoupe; Peugeot 206 S16; Peugeot 206 RC |
06-28-2009, 04:20 PM | #2 | |
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Quote:
ECU tuning runs the risk of voiding your engine warranty IF BMW can detect it. Raising your rev limiter is an easy way for them to detect it. Other paramters minus rev limit change are trickier to detect and/or prove. More power does stress driveline parts more. A bit more (say <50 HP and/or torque) is probably negligible in terms of limiting durability. Above that you may limit overall durability, but it will take many tens of thousands of miles to figure out what part is the limiting factor (when it breaks). Breathing mods (intake, exhaust) combined with an ECU tune to take advantage of the improved breathing are common beginning points. However, with a highly tuned stock engine like the S65 HP improvements will be somewhat limited (Pencilgeek achieved ~40 hp, I believe, which is excellent for an NA engine). Superchargers can add huge power and torque but add weight, cost, compexity, and a lot of stress to the engine. Don't expect an SC engine to last near as long as a non-SC car, but 600 HP+ rarely comes cheaply! Two "stroker" kits exist for the S65 that bring it to 4.6 Liters and ~520 HP. The price is steep ~($30K installed) but the characteristics of the NA engine are preserved, presumably durability will be less of a factor than an SC engine, and one comes with a 4/50 warranty. Before turing your M3 into a $105K machine with a stroker kit and suspension you may want to test drive a Porsche GT3 . . . The stock suspension is very good, even as the track. There are many systems coming on line if you want even better suspension for racing applications. They won't improve street handling much. Turner Motorsport is taking pre-orders for the Bilstein PSS10s, which are adjustible. Look at the suspension separately from everything else. if you go with an SC suspension is kind of a must to keep the car from squatting too much under acceleration. I would not expect aftermarket parts to create aero downforce. I'd say the car is damn stable at speed bone stock. For aero, refer again to GT3. I personally did not tell my insurance company about my mods, but that is up to you (+/- either way). If you know how to work on a car you can do the work yourself. To keep a Dinan warranty I believe you have to have the dealer do the work. If you plan on keeping the car for a long time maybe just sell the stock parts. If you might want to switch back soon then keep them. Good luck with the mods!
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06-28-2009, 07:19 PM | #3 |
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Technical
1. Changing ECU mappings in terms of timing, fuel, valve timing, rev limiter, speed limiter won't affect other systems such as launch control and DCT 2. S65 runs a MAP-based (manifold absolute pressure) system to calculate air mass, which doesn't accommodate changes to volumetric efficiency quite as well as MAF (mass air flow based) systems. Still it's a fairly given principle that if you increase VE you will increase power. It's always best though to tune your car for your modifications, to maximise your investment and primarily to make sure the car will run reliably. 3. I don't think manual gearbox will be an issue, unless you are looking at serious torque (say 700NM+). IIRC the DCT gearbox is rated to cope with up to 600NM torque, so it should accommodate even mild FI setups. If you change final drive ratio, DCT still operates correctly, although I've heard some anecdotal evidence that you may notice slight variations in behaviour. 5. Aero parts can have a major impact on handling and performance. Most good aero suppliers are working from the stock configuration and adding a specific component or set of components to achieve a certain outcome (e.g. better track handling). So stick with one aero supplier if possible. And you generally give up something to gain something with aerodynamic mods (e.g. increased drag vs increased handling). From what I've seen, most aero parts for the M3 are purely cosmetic. |
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