Header or cam?

[88e30is]

Looking for my next upgrade. Wondering what would be my best bang for buck. A mild street cam or a header.

I would also like my exhaust to be a bit louder and was wondering if a header would help.

Already have:

Cat Back Exhaust
Gutted Cat
Jim C Chip
Short throw shifter
H&R Springs
Bilstein Shocks/Stuts

[nando]

a header would probably be a better idea, much easier ti install and it will definitely make your exhaust louder (but not droney). you aren't going to get a whole lot out of a mild cam with a stock bottom end. if you were already doing a head rebuild, then a 272 wouldn't be a horrible idea though.

[SamE30e]

Cam.

[E30nate]

i have a set of msds headers that i would be willing to sell. if youre interested let me know.

[Tucker Carlson]

I can afford Schricks, but if you cant, get a reground performance cam. I had my local mechanic install mine in my heated garage. Runs like a champ, but has a little bit more of a rough idle.

[nando]

I would reccomend avoiding both shorty headers (unless building a 7500rpm+ monster) and regrinds personally.

[88e30is]

Yeah I understand that its going ot have a rough idle. A buddy of mine had a really nice 318is and he had a schrick in his.

[88e30is]

I would reccomend avoiding both shorty headers (unless building a 7500rpm+ monster) and regrinds personally.

Reason?

[der affe]

i have MSDS shorties. they are better than stock (just slightly) and are lighter that the cast manifolds, that is about it. the build quality is nice though. for the money to HP gains there isn't a very good ratio though.

look at the Ebay long tubes like DCColgrove has. they will not scrape the ground like the Stahls will, and are way cheaper. they build quality goes down with the price though. you can get them direct from the manufacture HX Racing for around $170 shipped from China.

now you will hear everyone bag on them, bla bla bla. none of these fuckers even own them or have touched them in person for that matter .
there were an earlier set of them sold under the name budget beater, these were crap. this is the 3rd or fourth gen and the quality is fine. don't expect them to outlast the car, but for the money they are good and make power. you will have to do a little custom exhaust work for them to connect to your cat section though. to make more power with the headers while you are getting the exhaust work done, get your dead cat flanged, and purchase a magnaflow 2 1/2" dual in/dual out muffler. after you get it back home unbolt the cat and bolt in the muffler. you will make more power than the gutted cat, because you will no longer have an expansion chamber there and it will sound better too. when you have to go through emissions buy a new cat, bolt it in, pass, go home and replace the muffler again.

a reground cam can be ok. it is dependent on the company doing it and the quality of the cam. i can't help you there as to who's is good and who's is bad though, at least not with BMWs.

[nando]

Reason?

you don't want shorty headers with a mild cam. shorty headers work better at high RPM - you would want something at least mid-length.

there are numerous reasons to avoid regrinds. yes they can get the same advertised duration, but there are other things like ramp rate and lobe seperation that are limited by the base circle of the original cam. And you will need oversized eccentrics which adds mass to the valvetrain. that and most people making regrinds for our cars are making junk. Have you seen the crap IE was putting out?

basically, a regrind 272 is going to be nothing like a schrick or catcams 272. I'd rather have a new stock cam.