Best Mods for gain on M50

[PiercedE30]

Just assemble everything except the cams with with the head off the motor, take the cams and the head to an independent BMW shop and have them install the cams and set the timing on them. Shouldn't be too much, and the trick to getting the hydraulic lifters to stay in the cam trays: with the head off, turn the head on the side to keep the lifters from falling out.

[BUDNUNTA]

I quess there a certain degree in which the cams is advanced or retarded? I know of a few independent shops around but will they know how much adjust the cam timing for the best results? Does anyone have specific degrees for the timing? On the M42 +5 on the intake is best, but you can adjust both up to 6 degrees just using the stock gears. Id imagine the n/v M50 is similar.
Ive been wonderning about chip tuning also. There is no real dead set chip for the cam swap. I plan on just running the Jim C regular chip(http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...ID=402/403)for the n/v but still have the cam swap. Probably not the best setup but better than running stock software. I dont know, ive got a while to think about it. eventually id like to have a custom chip burned but $$



HUnter

[Adrian_Visser]

in the end wont you have spent as much or more on gettin 200whp outta your m50 as buyin an s50 stock which makes about that

[BUDNUNTA]

Good point but, once you do most of your maintenance(refresh the head, water pump, thermostat, hoses, gaskets, little things that "could go wrong")you can have an pretty much brand new M50(vanos or not)for under 1500(maybe more or less depending on how deep you go). Then you need the swap parts.

Or you can buy a S50 for twice as much(maybe less but $3000 seems about the going price) but still have the mileage and abuse that the M3 it came out of took. And then maintenance on that(S50 stuff isnt cheap). Its a hard decision.

I like the N/V M50 plan because for the money I can have a pretty fresh motor for a reasonable price and a fair amount of power(with the mods I'm planning for).
But dont get me wrong if I had the money Id swap a built S50 and be done with it.




Hunter

[So Live]

So what do we non-vanos guys do for software when we start modding these things?

And, whats the deal with timing the aftermarket cams?

[cahomey]

So who makes the best chip for:

M50TU with:
S50 Cams
3.5 HFM
19lb injectors
headers

[Jean]

Good point but, once you do most of your maintenance(refresh the head, water pump, thermostat, hoses, gaskets, little things that "could go wrong")you can have an pretty much brand new M50(vanos or not)for under 1500(maybe more or less depending on how deep you go). Then you need the swap parts.

Or you can buy a S50 for twice as much(maybe less but $3000 seems about the going price) but still have the mileage and abuse that the M3 it came out of took. And then maintenance on that(S50 stuff isnt cheap). Its a hard decision.

I like the N/V M50 plan because for the money I can have a pretty fresh motor for a reasonable price and a fair amount of power(with the mods I'm planning for).
But dont get me wrong if I had the money Id swap a built S50 and be done with it.




Hunter

i am with you on this :up:

[BUDNUNTA]

Someone on here has to know whats up with the cam timing. Ive searched for Hours on Bfc to no avail(that site has gone down hill so quickly). Everyone says it can be done but I have yet to see someone who actually swappeds the cams and drove the car.



Hunter

[So Live]

+1, all the threads on bfc are a joke. I really couldnt find anything.

[static]

look around some more, there are people who played around with that stuff in the deep past (as old as 2000), just PM them, thats what i do.

[FredK]

Someone on here has to know whats up with the cam timing. Ive searched for Hours on Bfc to no avail(that site has gone down hill so quickly). Everyone says it can be done but I have yet to see someone who actually swappeds the cams and drove the car.

Call up VAC Motorsports if you're interested in the Schrick M50 non Vanos cams. I am fairly certain you just use the M42/M5x/S5x cam timing blocks, and run no advance on them.

[Mr.SWISS]

The M50 2.5-liter VANOS cams are 228-degree duration, while S52 3.2-liter M3 cams are 252 intake and 240 exhaust. They fit fine and give a nice boost to the top end on a 2.5-liter M50. You can use the S52 cams with the M50 lifters and springs. The S52 uses smaller lifters (33mm vs. 35mm diameter) and conical valve springs with teeny retainer washers. Net saving with this stuff is 20 grams per valve. Get the S52 cam trays, lifters and springs if you can but the swap is OK with cams only as mentioned earlier. If you have a 1992 M50, you can switch the intake cam to the exhaust. Timing is 240 on both, but the intake has 9.7 lift vs. 9.0. Buy a 252 Schrick intake cam and you have the same cams as an M3 and only have to buy one camshaft.