DASC back in production

[FMD]

Just recieved this e-mail today, forwarding it along to those who might be interested:

June 19, 2009

Dear BMW Enthusiast,

You are receiving this because you have inquired in the past about our complete, bolt-on DowningAtlanta Supercharger kits for BMW E36 four-cylinder cars. You may have been told we were out of the supercharger business because the manufacturer had discontinued the blower model we have used for many years.

I am happy to report that we were able to accomplish another production run of our superchargers and we will soon be shipping kits again. The price of the complete, bolt-on kit will be $3,850 and, for orders placed by July 15, 2009, we will offer free shipping within the lower 48 states, an up to $75.00 value.

If you own a 1992-99 E36 318 (M42 or M44) or a four-cylinder Z3 (M44 only) and are interested in vastly improving your vehicle’s performance, please contact us for more details. We have already begun accepting orders and expect to begin shipping kits by the end of June.
Sincerely,

Jim Goodroe
Downing/Atlanta, Inc.
dba DowningAtlanta Superchargers
5096 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Tel. 770-457-BMW2 (2692)
Fax 770-458-6118
Email: jim.goodroe@downingatlanta.com
Web: www.downingatlanta.com

[1996 328ti]

Great news!

[tiFreak]

I still can't afford it, but at least my dream of owning one is somewhat obtainable again

[Maverix]

Ditto! That's great news! I hope to get my hands one, as soon as I get off of probation. Either that or a engine swap.

[Mr.Squeelerz]

Happy to read this!!

[spidertri]

While good to hear, I still can't stomach the $3800 for ~50hp, that blows my mind.

[Bluebimma]

Great option, for keeping a 4 cylinder, but honestly doesnt seem like its worth the money....money to power gained ratio.

[briansol]

yep, swap is a way better option for th emoney IMO

[pnosker]

Unless you want a highly nose heavy car, it's so worth it. My car handless much better than a 325ti that had PSS9's and M Coupe rear sways (I have koni/eibach suspension and sport sway) because it weighs much less up front.

[performanceisland]

they keep on raising the price on the kit too! the swap is becoming a better and better choice everytime they do that!

[Budget M3]

Unless you do everything yourself (i.e. no labor costs), a swap will cost more than the DASC in the long run. DASC bolts on with between 6-10 hours of labor, depending on the mechanic's skill. A swap will likely run at least 2-3x that time, so if you are paying for the labor it's gonna cost you. Also, there are many more additional parts invovled in a swap (wiring harness, ecu, manifolds, alternator, AC parts, custom exhaust work, etc.), so it's not just the engine cost plus labor you will need to buy.

I've had my DASC now for ~6 years and have absolutely no regrets. The add is more like ~70hp (not "only" 50), and the above comments about retaining the 50/50 weight balance of the car are right on. I have encountered 6-cylinder ti's on the track, and they are far more prone to pushing through the turns than the 4-cyl cars. While this can be somewhat mitigated by choosing appropriate springs and shocks (more $$$), you are always going to have an extra ~100+ lbs over the front axle which according to the laws of physics will always be less balanced than the way the car was engineered in the first place.

A stock ti with DASC will also have approximately the same power to weight ratio as an E36 M3 (210hp/2800lbs vs. 240hp/3250lbs). If you do the calculation with rwhp, it's still about the same (180/2800 vs. 210/3250).

A 6-cyl ti will almost always be faster than an equivalent DASC version in a straight line, but in the same hands an equivalent DASC ti will be faster on a twisty track. Food for thought...

[spidertri]

Unfortunately, the DASC is sort of the end of the line for modding the 4cyl unless you want to spend serious coin on a metric motor (I absolutely respect Johnboy and Marko for their builds, just awesome). But for those of us with smaller budgets, sticking the 6 pot in gives a new starting point for modding.

The weight ratio can be played with by getting an aluminum block M52, moving the battery, and cf hood along with some other things.

Obviously everyone has a different opinion on the matter and people have different budgets as well as expectations for what they want from their car.

[1996 328ti]

The purpose of the thread was to announce the availability of the DASC, not S/C vs swaps.

[Bluebimma]

I had always wanted th supercharger because i believed in the whole, lighter front end, peppy 4 cylinder, great reliability from a boosted engine, practicality of my "past" knowledge, but the price always kept my dream at bay. I was about half way there when my old m44 blew, spent 1k on another m44 that had bent valves and the junkyard wouldnt give me my money back from it. At that point, i sourced my M50 and couldnt have been happier. Here, today, i have two tis, a 97 m42 converted, and a 95 M50 converted clubsport. I bought the car in new hamsphire and drove it and my 97, when it had the 6 in it as well as many other mods, and there was NO difference in handling whatsoever. The m42, of course, lacked the power, but the 97 wasnt nose heavy through the twisty mountains at all.

Once home, i had the clubsport weighed at work, 2780lbs without me and 1/4 tank of gas, fully stock and equipped with EVERYTHING from factory including the spare. About three days later, i swapped my engines on my day off. Next day, weigh in, 2820lbs, full accessories, a/c everything. Im sorry, comparing the ti with 4 vs 6 is a very weak argument in my opinion, 40lbs is NOTHING. You can relocate the battery to the rear end as well as a few other weight savers and still have a very reliable daily driver, keeping that nice balance, and still have that extra power you wanted along with its reliability. I have proof of the weigh-ins, pics of the engine swap, videos of the trip with BOTH cars going through the twisties, as well as other food for the brain. Dont knock it till you try it .

Oh, and dont get me started on prices, i have a nice list of MANY MANY mods that STILL havent touched the price of a single DASC unit.

[Danny318]

I wonder if they have made any changes to the kit