Air Flow Meter upgrade?
 

The MAF in my ti just went bad...is it possible to upgrade to an M3 MAF rather then spend 400 for a regular MAF (or are they all the same?)

Simple answer: NO.

Did you try cleaning it? There is a special cleaner for MAF sensors, available at most car parts stores.

Are there any upgrades out there?

Yes there are kits out there for m42's. You can run the larger MAF with a piggyback controller to regulate the signal to the main ECU.

You can find them for the e30's. It should work with maybe some minor changes on a 95 318ti.

All you have to do is change out the air flow sensor, have new collars/fasteners to connect the new MAF to your intake boot, and the air filter box.. Then mount the piggyback ecu and wire it up...

You may have to drill a hole for the air intake temperature sensor, or most of the piggyback ECUs have a dummy signal where it just says the air temp is always the same if you don't want to reattach the air temp sensor.

Not sure how much of a difference it would make for a car that already has a hot film sensor. It is a more efficient design than the older mechanical vane sensors.

nm not that big a deal then...getting ready to drop an M50 into my car...older bro is buying an S52 for his e34 and I get the m50...so no need to drill and whatnot when the car is getting new power...thanks though