strip an e30 down to the metal?

[diablo98110]

I currently own a 325 cabrio that im pretty much in with and im thinking its time to give it a sister in the form of a cheap e30 that i could rip the interior out of etc and make a good track car out of it.

for those of you that have done this, what kind of performance differences have you enjoyed and what all have you done to the car? I was thinkin strip it, JC chip, new intake and new exhaust for starters. I was looking at the various turbo kits, but i think they would be a little too spendy, not to mention might tax my mechanical skills a bit to much

thanks for any input you all have!

Damian

[Charlie]

Well, the obvious benefits are going to be less weight. Less weight is a good thing.

That being said, here are my questions: Is this car still going to be a daily driver? Driving around in a gutted out car gets old pretty quick. Second, how many schools/track days have you done? The new guy that shows up with a stripped out car and no rollbar to his first track school gets the "poseur" tag tossed on him pretty quickly, and that's no fun.

-Charlie
Track car with a full interior

[diablo98110]

ive done local autocrossing and was thinkin of doing a roll cage before i would be doing any of the higher speed tracks (for the same reason i dont want to race my cabrio, i kind of like my head intact). aside from weight reduction, what are some semi cheap ways to squeeze more power/speed out of these cars?

[Jon325i]

ive done local autocrossing and was thinkin of doing a roll cage before i would be doing any of the higher speed tracks (for the same reason i dont want to race my cabrio, i kind of like my head intact). aside from weight reduction, what are some semi cheap ways to squeeze more power/speed out of these cars?

As Charlie mentioned, weight reduction is a great way to gain performance. Its almost like free horsepower. I would only consider exercising this approach if I knew the car was going to be a track-only ride....otherwise keep some things in it to retain its civility.

As for performance enhancements, here are a few more common (and cost-effective) options....

The JC Chip. I have one in my car and I love it. I can't say I've gained a lot of power from it, but the throttle repsonse and mid-range punch have been improved because of it.

An aftermarket exhaust of some kind won't get you very many ponies at all (1-3 at the most). If anything, its going to provide a more aggressive tone and help shed a few unwanted pounds from your car.

For the intake, avoid doing one of those K&N cone filter set ups unless you plan to re-route the filter/inlet to a location that's isolated from the heat of the engine. There are various approaches to setting this up. It'll depend on how crafty your are with a few raw materials and some hand tools.

Seeing you have track days in mind for this car, a worth while upgrade would be to install a 4.10 limited slip differential...providing you decide to use a 325i or 325is as your track car. When equipped with a 5-speed, these cars had a 3.73 ratio differential (open in the "i" car....limited slip in the "is"). Changing out to a 4.10 limited slip will get the meat of your powerband down to the pavement sooner which is good for corner exit speeds. I've got one of these in my car as well and I highly recommend it.

Now if you have the financial wherewithall, there are engine swap alternatives, turbo systems, and I think someone makes a supercharger set up as well. Of course, none of these are what I would label as "cheap," but any one of them will transform an E30 into a very quick ride.

Jon

[Skafrog]

Weight Reduction, Weight Reduction, Weight Reduction. That is the #1 performance mod as both of these guys suggested.
If you are serious about starting to track your car, start removing weight. E30's are not very heavy from the factory, but you can really chop the stock weight down. Remove the trunk tar, interior tar, A/C Components, Underbelly tar, etc..
Also, I have learned that the next three upgrades for a track beginner are such:
1) Suspension: Stiff Springs and Shocks. Don't use swaybars to *fully* compensate for the body roll caused by modifying the suspension geometry when you lower. Instead, just get some nice H&R Race springs or IE Stage 3 springs. Bilstein Sports or Koni SA or DA are good shocks.
2) Braking: For track, OEM Rotors, good track pads, and spend the rest of your time working on brake cooling. Do not get Drilled rotors, period. See this link. http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...ons_122701.htm
Also, to increase your braking, get better tires. Simple as that.
3) Safety: Harnesses and a good racing seat. You gotta concentrate like a mofo out on the track, you dont want to have to brace yourself in the stock seat and belts while screaming down the track.
Horsepower can come later, throw in a 4.10 diff and drop the weight and go smoke e36's.

[mgold]

Some cheap ways to free up some ponies...If you plan on keeping the AC intact for daily use, try changing the acessory belts to bypass the AC compressor during track days. If its a dedicated track car, remove that stuff altogether. Changing from the water pump driven fan to an electric will also help. How about using a non-power steering rack? That eliminates the power steering pump which eliminates some drag on the motor.The less drag on the motor the better. Just a few ideas.

[hamann318is]

Has anyone here removed power steering? I was thinking about it, as I don't really mind having to try a bit harder to steer at -10mph speeds.

[808BMW]

Has anyone here removed power steering? I was thinking about it, as I don't really mind having to try a bit harder to steer at -10mph speeds.

I had my PS unhooked for a while (leaky rack) and it was easily bearable on a daily driver. If you do it the correct way (Buy a manual rack) then it will be even easier, since manual racks are designed to be run without PS.

[Jon325i]

I had my PS unhooked for a while (leaky rack) and it was easily bearable on a daily driver. If you do it the correct way (Buy a manual rack) then it will be even easier, since manual racks are designed to be run without PS.

I've heard the same thing. Where are manual racks available? I know you can get them through Korman, but its probably expensive (like everything else they sell).

Jon

[808BMW]

Where are manual racks available?

Euro?