im the NEWGUY! m44, hmm?

[Z3LANDSHARK]

Hey guys, im new to this forum and sort of new to the bmw world. Ive owned toyotas my whole life. i have the m44 in the z3 i recently got but my reason to getting this car was not for the engine but for the body and how it can handle and drive. Now im sick of this slow a$$ engine hahah. i only want it now to about 180 hp? i know its possible n/a but very expensive. i dont want to put a turbo or supercharger on it YET.. =] ... was wondering what can i do? possible to get custom headers i was thinking cuz ours are small and tiny and short in length, also was thinking of new intake manifold since on the m44 it is horrible. Any way to tune the motor also? i tried searching all these answers but all i see is people saying its not worth it... please dont comment if that is what you are going to say, i want the people with knowledge to please speak. THANK YOU and HELLO 318ti!!!

[spidertri]

You say doing n/a work is expensive yet you want custom headers, intake, and tune? What kind of budget are you thinking about?

The M44 isn't a new engine, it's been around for 14 years at this point, if there was easy, cheap, power to get out of it someone would have found it already.

Why not sell your Z3 and get one with a 6? At least you have that option with a Z3.

[Z3LANDSHARK]

sry if uve got me confused for what i meant by that. From reading what everyone says i know n/a will be more expensive which is fine more money more time, i just want to kno if anyone has insight on any of this? yes i know its old but i dont hear or see much people doing much. Honestly, i dont want a v6 i like my gas mileage, i just want more from my 4 cyldr. What are your opinions on the stock headers VS 4-1 header longer runners and bigger burns collector? must b even more gains with the eaton supercharger. with a 2.5 header back. what can i use to tune my vehicle?

[Z3LANDSHARK]

Sorry if i confused you, i was saying that it is expensive from what i have read, same as with a super or turbo. but i want to start n/a.... i dont see anyone with headers everyone says stock is best... why not headers that are 4-1 with larger runners and a bigger burns collector? i mean for a supercharger this must yield more gains..whats evry ones opinion?

[ZEK]

This may be helpful :http://www.metricmechanic.com/pdfs/m...ne-booklet.pdf
SpiderTi pretty much summed up the motor. There are very few things you can do with an M44 to make HP in N/A way. I would say Metric Mechanic has the best motor if you want power out of an M44 N/A. If that was not the route for you I'll list some things that might get you some HP, but not close to 180.
Full Exhaust-Leave stock headers
Fogg Airbox
Larger sparkplug Wires
A Chip Flash by Dinan
Dinan TB
Those quickly come to mind, but I have really can not say how much they would bring. Maybe 20 realistically. Weight reduction would be your best bet, strip everything. Lightweight seats, no A/C, lightweight wheels. Carbon Fiber the hood and possibly the trunk. Lightweight battery. Thats all that comes to mind right now. Rebuild motor as well. Or you could just slap a DASC on there and call it day.

[Z3LANDSHARK]

thankkk uu ZEK .... sounds good yeaa my motor has original 30K i just hit today.. i did all maintenance to her its driving like she did back in 96'. are the DASC kit still being made and sold?

[ZEK]

I think so..here is their website:http://downingatlanta.com/downingatlanta/

[Adembar]

Good Night ZEK

I was very satisfied with the link you provided, so I could learn more about the mechanics of my 318ti 1.9, quite liked the comparative performance relative to other models.
Big hug, stay with God
(Please, I don´t speak english, I use Google Translate)

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

I will not speak much but I have a lot of knowledge to offer. The stock headers on a M44 are excellent, behind the headers is where you need to improve flow. The intake is pretty good but you can get it worked at Metric(Teddy or Courtney) for some extra HP. There is some improvement with DME tuning (See me for this I will refer). You can degree the cams to make more power but you might have a slight ruffer idle (Board or me for directions). You might make 210hp maybe a little more. Want Big HP from the I-4 you need to Boost.

Originally Posted by Z3LANDSHARK

Hey guys, im new to this forum and sort of new to the bmw world. Ive owned toyotas my whole life. i have the m44 in the z3 i recently got but my reason to getting this car was not for the engine but for the body and how it can handle and drive. Now im sick of this slow a$$ engine hahah. i only want it now to about 180 hp? i know its possible n/a but very expensive. i dont want to put a turbo or supercharger on it YET.. =] ... was wondering what can i do? possible to get custom headers i was thinking cuz ours are small and tiny and short in length, also was thinking of new intake manifold since on the m44 it is horrible. Any way to tune the motor also? i tried searching all these answers but all i see is people saying its not worth it... please dont comment if that is what you are going to say, i want the people with knowledge to please speak. THANK YOU and HELLO 318ti!!!

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

I forgot outside the box items: Small shot of nitrous is safe but needs a hobb switch. FOGG your air box (normal should be in above list). Short shift your thransmission (MZ3 is my favorite). Clutch stop install. Redline or purple oils in trans and gearbox #1 performance gain is remove weight, it's free until you start installing carbon fibre parts Remove seats for light weight racing seats. Gut car of all items that are not needed, remove all windows and replace with plexi-glass.

[JP422]

Hey Landshark, I see you have a Z3... same here, but mine is going to be a DD and sometimes put on tracks. Being in CA, and having crazy smogs checks to deal with, this Z3 buildup is for a smog/street legal setup, so I'm not going crazy... The DASC is my big ticket item.

If you dont have to worry about smog, then look into better exhuast flow.. test pipe, etc. Just remember, too much flow on a NA could hurt it's low end.
Also look into nitrous. No joke. It's the best bang for the buck. I've nitrous'd all my cars (except any car that has a baby seat in it ) for the last 18 yrs (I used to do installs at a few tuner shops). I've never blown a motor, and have been very careful on keeping the car in tip top shape. If you don't abuse it, you'll be fine.

A 50 shot will do wonders and most stock engines can handle it with ease. the best part is you still keep the great daily driving MPG, and reliability, and only squeeze when you want to.

If you are on the gun a LOT, then this will get expensive, and also, the N2O should ONLY be sprayed at WOT. So in otherwords, drag racing type scenerios are it's strengths.

If you like to corner hard and power out, etc... road course type driving, twisties, etc, then nitrous might not be for you.


Some other tricks you can do it to port/polish the head for more/better flow, more aggressive cams as well, mill the head or use thinner head gaskets to bump up the compression, and make sure you can dial up the fuel to match your mods. That is where you'll find the "hidden" hp. I also recommend wrapping the header (stock one in my case), to help keep engine bay temps down, and "supposedly" it helps speed the exhaust flow. A good CAI setup will also gain some hp. Lightweight flywheel and a good clutch will also enhance the driving response and fun factor. Let's see... also install a catch can of some sort keep the recirc vapor free of oil. The intake tract gets REAL dirty from this. lightweight/underdrive pulleys are another good mod, but unfortuneately, I never found any made for the M44.

Also, If you decide to change out the seats, let me know... I have a pair of Sparco seat adapter for the Z3, that I won't be using (changed my mind for now).

Worst case, just keep an eye out for a used DASC kit!

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

^^Excellent advise.^^

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by xxxJohnBoyxxx

^^Excellent advise.^^

+1... this is the best part:

Originally Posted by JP422

I've nitrous'd all my cars (except any car that has a baby seat in it )

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

I've run a lot of nitrous and 50hp or less with a hobb switch is very safe. Nitrous without fuel is instant piston melt. Just need to fill the bottle which is a pain but will be minimal at 50hp ( 10lb bottle maybe 25 shots). I would buy a 50lb bottle for $56 and sell for $3 per pound on fills and got mine free. Even at 30hp it will kick you in the seat of the pants. Squeeze cools the intake chage in the negative numbers, is 2/3 oxygen so lots more fuel can be burned and is the best HP for the money if used correctly. I hurt many people running squeeze and took them to breakfast on their money when street racing wasn't a big crime. I still run a 400 shot on my 300hp 2.5L Mercury outboard 2-stroke. This is on a 19 foot tunnel hull that weights 550# This boat jumps out of the water if you have seen pictures of it.

Don't be scared it is safe if used correctly

Honest, John S

[Z3LANDSHARK]

WOW you guys are awesome thanks soo much!! yeaa my z3 is just for daily driving purposes but i want it to be a bit more quicker and alot better on handling.... i just want an amazing DD that has a perfect balance of handling with a bit more power ... i prefer NA and since i dont have alot of $ to boost YET haha... JONNY wat can i use to tune? i jus made a custom SRI which is amazing with a aem dry flow filter... im debating on what exhaust now to get. i would love to port and polish i just need to find somewhere... where can i get a shorter headgasket? any cons to a shorter head gasket? andd what cams would be good? SORRY for being anoying with many questions ive got to get this m44 a bit quicker and more nimble