How do I get top hp and trq on my 2003 M3 E46

[g-unit marko]

can anyone help me by telling me some steps on how to boost up my hp and trq . which steps do i do first ...exhaust...chip...etc.How much power I will approximatly get with each modification. Is there any way to get the car close to 400hp and how much money would be involved

your help would be much appreciated take care

[thepolarfoxqx]

400hp? not really with that engine. A twin turbo kit for that car runs close to 10k, i wouldn't reccomend it on durability reasons, and that wouldn't get you all the way there. A chip, an exhaust, cold air intake, cams, maybe headers will get you up to 260-270, which is damned fast for an E46, all together those things would probably add to around 2k-2,500. Hartge makes a kit to put the 4.9L M-Power V8 in there, which gives you 435hp - but it's not cheap by any means, i think it would be worth it.

[g-unit marko]

260-270hp? stock the bmw M3 E46 has 333hp .. i did some research and for the 3.2l engine the compression rato is too high to add any forced induction which also is something i dont want bcuz i want natural aspirated engine i want to first put more air into the engine and take out . I agree with the hartage engine also much more power but i have seen the hamaan engine which is V8 and has 485hp but i have no idea on the cost of it thank you for your help apreciate it

[thepolarfoxqx]

the thing is though, the M3 is 333hp, it is also heavier, and the 3.0L engine does have a better torque curve. If you are lucky, you could get a torquey 300hp, but you'd have to push that 3.0L really hard to do it. The Hamann and Hartge 5.0L conversions are very expensive, infact they are about thirty thousand dollars. You could, fairly cheaply put a 4.4L V8 in there and supercharge it for 440hp though. You do know though, that if you get much above 300hp, that will mean a new differential, transmission, and clutch, just something to keep in mind.

[g-unit marko]

all im askin is to get higher hp on my 2003 M3 which stock come with 333hp and to put a new engine is out of my league. do you have any idea on what brands i should use for headers.exhaust i looked at dinan and they have some good things and i also found a supercharger from RMS im not sure if that is safe due to the high compresion ratio but with the stgII system it gets you up to 501hp for around 15 thousand. can u tell me ur opinion on that is it worth it ? thank you marko

[LateNightCable]

Firstly, do not consider forced-induction on that motor. Anyone who says they can give you 501 hp. with a charger in your E46 M3 is absolutely full of it.

Reputable parts manufacterers for BMWs' are a short list to remember. Think AC Schnitzer, Hartge, Dinan, etc ... I would focus on getting maximum breathing from your engine, in the form of exhaust, filters, high flow throttle bodies and the like. Here are some links below.

* www.acschnitzer.com

* www.hartge.de

* www.dinanbmw.com

[Kevin321]

Use cams, bring the rpm to about 12k, and there

you go. LOL

[g-unit marko]

apreciate it alot tnx

[g-unit marko]

dats it lol

[jterp]

It's pretty tough to get to 400 hp naturally aspirated with that motor -- Active Autowerks has a cam kit for it that might help though. Forget about the hype of the "chip" and the "intake" -- those do not boost your max hp but rather help you send more of the hp that you already have to the wheels -- With a set of cams installed, the chip, intake and exhaust (AA also sells very good versios of these) will probably get you to 350 rear wheel horsepower ( stock e-46's have a gross hp of 333 but actual net rear wheel hp is about 300) -- so this would be about a 50 hp boost-- It'll cost a pretty penny though.

[sadak]

Hi,

Look at www.turnermotorsport.com. They have cams, chip and exhaust for E46 M3. There are dyno charts also.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/project_e46m3.shtml

Dyno chart. Cams, chips, headers and exhaust. You get 24 RWP, almost 370 at the crank.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/dyno/e46m3cam.pdf

Sadak.

[g-unit marko]

tnx guys now i donno wat im goin to do all i wanna do iis steal an M5 take the engine strip the car and put it in my M3 haha then start with 400hp lol

[thepolarfoxqx]

it's very possible, the chasis will take it. A lot of people have done it. You'll need to fit the gear box and differential from the M5 in there though, that means some welding to make the diff fit, a custom drive-shaft, custom tranny mounts, you'll need custom motor mounts and a custom oil pan, all of which are commerically available. Just so you know, to fit the 5.0L in, your steering linkage has to run through your oil sump, but having that car is amazing, you could have a car to run with ferraris.

[LateNightCable]

Of course the chassis will take it, thats' one cool thing about BMWs', even their biggest engine can be shoehorned into their smallest car, at least it seems to work quite often. Hartge has had a 5.0 M3 conversion for a while now called the H50.

Marko, have you reconsidered an engine swap? If you go ahead with it, take your S54 engine, then set it in your living room with a plate of glass on top. Great coffee table, and wondeful conversation piece, as well as crowd pleaser. Come to think of it, the V12 in Fox's sig looks like it would make a wonderful dinner table. Perfection.

[thepolarfoxqx]

You know, with some chasis bracing, you can slip the M5 V8 into a 330ci?

i was talking about the chasis putting it down. he could.

BMW engines are far too good to be used as dinnerware, c'mon latenight! that's why they make toyotas and chryslers!

[g-unit marko]

haha true Now I am really thinking of getting the engine from the M5 and get the gearbox and differential also with the engine i can get that and then like you said compete with ferraris and if thats not enough then forced induction is a possibility. I thought about the engine swap that hartge and hamann have but like u guys said very expensive when i can just take an M5 engine and do everything for not even 10k even less due to the connections to get the engine I gota think about all this and then proceed if i do anything ill keep u guys up to date 8) im out peace

[thepolarfoxqx]

i'm sorry, i got confused in reading a post a bit further in, i was under the impression you had a 330ci, if you have the E46 M3, your already have a M5 transmiission and differential, you'll only need the motor mounts and the oil pan to get the M5 V8 into your car. With some work, naturally aspirated, you can get close to 500hp, but it will take probably 30k after you get the engine in there to get there, but expect sub 4 0-60s when you're done!

[Dresol]

If you want a lot of torque and power, you could get a compressor.

Or deliver your car to Racing Dynamics. M3 Top speed: 200mph. 0-60 in 4 sec. There is a lot of options. I've seen most of them all in Germany. About 50 tuning firms there that tunes the M3.

[g-unit marko]

polar i thought so but i wasnt sure if it had its differential so i kept my mouth shut haha and thank you for ur help apreciate

[jterp]

How much more does the v-8 weigh than the I-6? If it is a signifigant amount it will throw off the equal weight distribution of the car...

[Kevin321]

Are you really going to do this? I don't think that it

is that cheap to put a M5 engine in a M3.

[LateNightCable]

BMW engines are far too good to be used as dinnerware, c'mon latenight! that's why they make toyotas and chryslers!

Ah, don't rag on my Celica now. Storing extra kitchenware, thats' why they build Kias' and that flunky Scion.

The thing about the weight distribution is a very valid consideration, but from the V8 conversions I have studied, the extra weight is not too detrimental to the handling.

Just what kind of car are you looking to create Marko? Originally it sounded as though you just wanted some extra power, but with all this talk of a possible turbo V8 conversion, we're talking a major change of charictor to the car you have now. And big $ investment $ no matter what. I'm not so sure you could make a whole lot of money from it if you ever wanted to sell the car, in relation to what you put into it. Thats' well worth considering as well.

[thepolarfoxqx]

well, since the I6 is iron block and the V8 is aluminum, weight isn't that differnce, after the swap it turns out weight distro is like 53/47, which isn't bad.

and with that engine and mods, that car will own!

[g-unit marko]

The price of all this hopefully I will try and figure out with a couple people hopefully it wont be too much due to the not so legal way Ill just pay for the engine which will probably not be the price of a new one it is just is going to take work becuz I want the baddest M3 in my area there isnt too many tho.i will need to work for about a year to save up but when i start with the project I want to finish it all and then be able to take it on the highway haha... plus whoever said that I maybe do forced induction I am not to sure on that ..the car right now stock is amazing to drive and I just want sumthing that even scares me and if the engine swap is done then I think it will be enough. For the weight distribution i will try to pull sumething off but like you guys are saying it isnt that bad anyways. Im not goin to be track racing in those tight turns so the handling im sure would be fine 53/47 .

peace out

[thepolarfoxqx]

if you adjust by getting thicker, stiffer rollbars, you can compensate completely and then some for the weight distrobution., might also help put the power down a bit better.