I notice that everyone that mods their intake seems to make/buy a CAI, basically a tube going somewhere to reach cooler than underhood air. My question is this: Does or has anyone just slapped a big filter (like a K&N or whatever) on their intake rather than going the CAI rout? I undwerstand the need for cool air to the intake, but when you're moving, do you think there's really that much difference? Has anyone measured the temp difference?
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Cold air makes a HUGE difference, but when i comes down to it, the stock airbox is unbelievably restrictive....If i were you i would go for it.
Colder the air, the more HP is produced, this is why a CAI with a head shield is a great idea for a first mod.:thumbsup: -
How much can I expect to pay for a CAI, and which one would you recommend? Also do I get much benefit if I don't change the exhaust. I always heard you must change the exhaust to maximize air flow, otherwise the stock exhaust would be your limiting factor and you are not be getting much benefit out of the intake. But I've also heard that changing the exhuast on the M3 decreases the backpressure and makes the car feel slower (I haven't seen any actual numbers). To be honest I really don't want to change the exhaust, I don't want the car to be too loud and obnoxiuos. I want to get some extra HP but don't want to go crazy. I think the car performs really well stock. Although I don't have a m3 right now, my father had one and I am very familiar with it's performance. I am still shopping for one for myself, I wish he kept his and I could have bought it off him. I think I will probably do intake, x brace, euro ellipsoids, and uuc tranny mounts as first upgrades. From what I can tell those are the upgrades that alot of you have done and recommend. Someone also advised me to put on jt design rear shock mounts, could someone tell me the benefit of this? Sorry for the long thread and questions, I just want to do the upgrades as soon as I get the car. It is easier to do it all at once than trying to explain to the wife every month that I need a new ______ for this new car I bought. Those of you who are married can probably understand what I mean. Thanks for all the advice.Comment
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I can answer one of those questions!
The Jim Conforti Shark Intake will do the trick for a good CAIS. It's priced at 350 though, I don't know if you have the cash to spend for it.
Good luck with the rest!Comment
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Do a search on intakes, there have been a ton of threads on this. Also, in the FAQ section you will find a good thread.Comment
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Originally posted by ACDM3
Do a search on intakes, there have been a ton of threads on this. Also, in the FAQ section you will find a good thread.
Thank for the advice, although being a USC Alum I am a little reluctant to take avice from a duck, lol!
What about Dinan products (Chip, Intake), are you paying more for the name? Lastly, I notice there are some cold air intakes that are "true cold air" which place the intake deep into the fender well with a long tube and ones that are at about the stock location with a heat shield. It seems to me that longer tube would be better, any thoughts?Comment
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I guess I didn't help my arguement by misspelling "advice".Comment
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Ok one more thing, I just went to the FAQ section and found alot of good info. But one thing I didn't find is the HP differance from a short intake with a heatshield and a true cold air intake in the fender well. Are the heatshield intakes very affective?Comment
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I wish I could answer that. It is really hard to compare two different engines, even if they both only have an intake. You just cant say that one is better than the other. With just one comparison the hp gain from one intake over another is so little that it is absorbed in measurment errors and just that its a different engine. Not to mention in the real worl we then try to compare different intakes with already different moded cars and that's just a disaster.
Since the true CAIs power increase is only seen when driving, it is hard to measure that gain when it is on a dyno. You will see that they both show the same improvement, in general but I do believe the true CAI gives you that slight benifit even over one with a heat shield. However, you then have to think about how much dirtier and more wet that air is (when it is raining) that you are sucking right off the street. Of course a filter will clean that air but then you will have to clean/replace that filter more often, just for an extra 1-2 hp when driving at certain speeds.
The rear shock mounts are a good thing to replace, with those from JTDesignes or Ground Control, as these are things that wear out, especially the shitty oem ones with an M3 suspension. If they rip, your shock will littereally tear out of the mount and will sort of float arond in the rear wheel well. It's good preventative maintanence to replace these. Perhaps when you are there just add the z3 enforcement plates for extra security (although, I am not sure if both JTD and GC can be used with those).Comment
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As far as intakes go..nearly all are the same in terms of performance gains with the exception of some of the bavauto kits which just slap a cone filter on right before the hfm (hot air= probably a loss in power)
If i were to do it again I would make sure to buy a 3.5" intake. The reason I say this is because once you start modding you cant stop and one mod along the way will be a larger hfm and a 3.5" intake...you might as well save the money and buy one from the start.
I will be upgrading my aa intake through Jon Caldito's website, www.mperformance.com but another route I have thought about is in the link below. It is a 3.5" in-bumper intake similar to the dinan style intake without the name or the carbon fiber but it looks really effective. For the price they have offerred you will be able to purchase the necessary connector to mate the 3.5" intake tube to the 3" hfm and still be way under the next cheapest intake available. The reducer as it is known is either available from www.turnermotorsport.com or from a member of bimmerforums known as M3Jokster.
here is the link to the bimmerforums GB:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum//showthread.php?s=&threadid=179234&perpage=25&pagen umber=1
-RichardComment
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an intake will in fact increase HP, but exhaust wont do so much.....the stock Exhaust on our M3's is not very restrictive at all....most aftermarket exhausts are for sound, good looks, and a minimal HP gain, probably around 3 hpComment
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Ok, I went to turner motorsports and they advertise a 32 Hp gain from a JC intake, chip and Euro HFM. Is this realistic, it sounds to good to be true. It sells for $985, which I would pay if I could get that kind of HP out of it. Additionally, what does the Euro HFM (mass air meter) do.Comment
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mass air meter reads the density of air coming in so that the computer can adjust fuel injection. The "euro HFM" is just the one from the 5 series, slightly larger.
I'd say 30 max hp gain at the flywheel is possible. But I don't know, seems slightly high.Comment
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