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#1. Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? - from Peter Guagenti
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:05:46 -0800 From: Peter Guagenti <peter@guagenti.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? on 3/22/02 1:43 PM, Robert S. Hatrak II at hatrak@ix.netcom.com wrote: > RMS is probably out due to some of the stories I've heard floating > around. My mechanic has worked on several of their cars and says check > engine lights are a constant issue. If that is true, no thanks. I have heard a rumor that Dinan will program software for other blown cars. Can't vouch for it, but that's the rumor. Call 'em up, tell them you own one, and see what they say. When I asked about this 2 years ago, Jim C actually recommended Dinan because they had all of the software bugs worked out perfectly. -p
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#2. Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? - from Robert Chay
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 17:22:04 -0500 From: Robert Chay <rchay@mindspring.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? Rob, From what I've heard from the 6+ turbo/supercharger owners I've talked to is that they wouldn't do it again if they had the choice. All of them need 6mos to a year to "sort out" and you'll be throwing check engine lights all the time. The most reliable one was the Dinan supercharger. It's probably the only thing Dinan does right and cost is reasonable compared to other kits overall. The other kits might cost less initally but you spend more money on tuning it after it's installed. I'd go with the cams, hfm, intake, exhaust, chip (and EvoSport pulley set) for the '95 and use the rest of the cash for a nice set of street wheels (lightweight, of course) -Bobby no psst, psst
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#3. Grampy gets blown? - from RacerxJLing@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 17:32:24 EST From: RacerxJLing@aol.com Subject: Grampy gets blown? I've had the RMS setup on my 95 for 3 years and 50k miles..no check engine light. I've had to replace one of the pulleys, fix an oil leak (nothing major) and replace the Eurosport (Conforti) chip that I added when I added the euro hfm. RMS had to replace that chip after it failed. At the risk of getting flamed, about the brightest thing (coookiest) RMS said was "things are gonna break when you want to go fast". If I had to do it over again, I would stay w/ a Supercharger for a budget of $6k or less but would consider only AA's turbo w/ a budget of $10k Jeff 95M3 RMS SC/euro hfm/ltw flywheel/3.45 diff So grampy is getting a little old and is having to try harder to stay in front of the youngsters. I think he needs some sort of forced induction. It is also much cheaper than buying a new car. I just don't think the new E46 is $40k better than the $20k I could get for mine (if that!) as a down payment on the new $60k beast. I was thinking about going with cams, but for only a 30hp upgrade it doesn't seem like I'd be happy for long. Forced induction seems the way to go for now. So, the old questions arise... Turbo or supercharger? Who has the best kit? Blah blah blah. I want a car that will be able to handle the summer heat of Las Vegas/California without over-heating and pinging. I want a car that isn't always going to be breaking, or needing constant tweaking and maintenance of the "blowing aparatus." I want to pass emissions. I want something that won't suffer from heat soak, thus yielding no boost at all. Etc, etc. Is there such an animal? If BMW put a kit on the car, which one would they choose from the current offerings? Dinan's supercharger is probably out of the question because they are just way overpriced, IMO. I've paid their piper way too much in the past only to find the same thing elsewhere for less. Been there, done that. Sold the badge. RMS is probably out due to some of the stories I've heard floating around. My mechanic has worked on several of their cars and says check engine lights are a constant issue. If that is true, no thanks. ERT is attractive because they've been around a long time, and I think they are using Conforti software, which has worked the best in my car compared to the others I've tried. I just haven't heard a lot of people jumping up and down about this kit. I guess what I'm saying is that I've yet to hear NEGATIVE things about them. I've also yet to hear glowing reviews. The AA turbo kits would be cool, but I'm told they require a lot of maintenance and take a good year to sort out. No thanks if that is true. Mechtech turbos might be an option. My mechanic likes the one he installed, and Jim Powell and Suzy seemed to have good results. It did seem like it took Suzy and Jim a lot of tweaking to get them right. I know nothing else about them, though. Who does their software? Anyone that could give me some insight into this will be doing me a real favor. I don't want to make a mistake by buying the wrong kit, or if there is even a right kit for me. Thanks in advance, Rob 95 M3 - Grampy
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#4. FS: H&R Sport Spring set - New - from Chester Wong
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:34:26 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: FS: H&R Sport Spring set - New Hi guys. Selling for a friend. New, never used, never mounted, just taken out of the box to compare spring length....so it's been looked at :) Compare at $250 for a new set. Make me an offer I can't refuse. =) Chester ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards(r) http://movies.yahoo.com/
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#5. Re: R compounds, Appropriate? - from Dorffer, Rich
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 17:58:09 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Re: R compounds, Appropriate? Well, Kirk, Geof or Shane may smack me for this but here goes. I started driving schools with my M3 in 2000 (three schools each year and one Fun Dayz weekend at Nelson Ledges in 2001). I drove it on the stock MXX3s in basically stock form for the first five schools and the one Fun Dayz weekend at Nelson Ledges. After the Nelson Ledges weekend, the MXX3s were pretty shot and were only kept on the car this winter for storage purposes. During this time driving n the MXX3s, I kept my eyes open and found a guy who was selling his M3 and all his track stuff as he was buying a S4 in 2000. I bought his SSR Integrals shod with Yok A032Rs (both used one track event) for a decent price thinking I would hold on to them when I needed them. I used them for the first time last September at Mid-Ohio. I was in the B class (which is pretty darn good for that place considering the wealth of experience that shows up for that school). I noticed more grip than the MXX3s but not so significantly that I was surprised. I am sure this is much more true as you move up the R Compound ladder (i.e., Hoosier, BF Goodrich, Goodyear, Kumho, Toyo). I still felt they were communicative and they made a lot of noise and seemed to communicate very well as they approached the limit, almost like the MXX3s. Due to the extra straight-line grip, I also felt I could use my brakes more and this caused them to wear faster as well. I basically concur with Vern's comments which I will quote "The Yoko's are basically a very durable street tire. In most respects they behave just like a high-performance street tire, but stand up to abuse better. They behave very similar at the limit (they provide tactile and audible feedback), get greasy when they're too hot to remind you that you're overdriving and they have enough tread at first to give you some damp track capability. I actually think they are safer than street tires BECAUSE they go away much more gradually/predictably when hot." Disclaimers: - I can't throttle steer my car at will and put the car into a nice four wheel drift under control - I have never used the much grippier R compound tires for comparative purposes - I am somewhat conservative at driving schools as I am looking to learn as much as I can and not ball up my car So I have theoretically broken two common ideas when going to driving schools 1) don't start in a M3 and 2) don't jump to R compounds too soon. Best regards, Rich - Looking forward to his 7th driving school 95 M3
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#6. Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? - from Dorffer, Rich
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 18:14:25 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? Ariel wrote> > Jim Powell seems to have been having some engine problems recently with > Katerina, enough to make him change his mind about Mechtech and no longer > endorse them. I don't know the full story, but when I asked him this same > question, he said he'd just go Dinan if he had to do it all over again. He > did say AA would definitely be the one if he lived in Florida and could drop > his car off whenever he had a problem. :) Didn't Jim Powell blow his motor, literally! I think it is in pieces and he is rebuilding it. I believe it was a blown headgasket and rings or something like that. He also retired this week (whopping age of 45 and his birthday is next week). Here is a thread on Bimmerforums which Jim talked a lot about this topic and Mechtech http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=6adf8211495198e1948ffb586cb99c6b&threadid=20782&highlight=mechtech Jim has as much first hand experience as anyone I am aware of. Best regards, Rich
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#7. Re: Grampy gets blown? - from Wen Liew
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:31:38 -0800 From: "Wen Liew" <wwliew@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Grampy gets blown? Rob, First question is ... how fast and how far down the slippery slope do you want to go? My 96 daily driver with 95k miles was running fine but I had the opportunity to buy Suzy's Mech Tech turbo. I finally found time to get it installed by Mech Tech about 6 weeks ago and the results are fantastic. With gobs of low end torque, it is easier to drive around town and passing becomes effortless. However, the engine is less BMW like and I miss the roar of the JC intake and the NA "pulling" sensation to redline. I'm running Stage 1 at 5 lbs boost with no software. With a tank full of the crappy 91 gas mixed with a gallon of 100, I get an occasional slight pinging at WOT uphill in 5th. Dynoed at 310hp and 349ft-lbs with crappy gas. According to Mech Tech, I can add AA software (tuned to MT specs) to get rid of the ping, boost up to 6 lbs and raise the redline. For Stage 2, add a water injection kit, 35lbs injectors and software to get 8.5-9lbs boost for 375 hp and 420 ft-lb for $2k. Overall, I'm pleased with the results. The car passed CA smog last week with flying colors and Mech Tech is the only turbo that is CARB legal. For my pocketbook and driving style, it suits me fine. I couldn't justify pouring in 50% of the value of a car to make it or my ego feel "better". My ownership experience for the E36 M3 has thus far been very positive and I am planning to drive this one to the ground. I would recommend the installation be done at Mech Tech since I have heard at least two horror stories of improper installations. Another word of caution is that once you get turboed, there's no going back ;) Boost can get very addictive. Wen - took a mini step down the slippery slope 96 M3 - 97k <--- waiting for the original brakes to go... Donna???? P.S. Jim Powell's car is a money sucking machine because he can afford it ;) He's looking for 500hp and the car only guzzles race fuel. It is also not his daily driver. >Mechtech turbos might be an option. My mechanic likes the one he >installed, and Jim Powell and Suzy seemed to have good results. It did >seem like it took Suzy and Jim a lot of tweaking to get them right. I >know nothing else about them, though. Who does their software? >Rob >95 M3 - Grampy _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
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#8. Re: Grampy gets blown? - from Neil Maller
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 18:35:46 -0500 From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> Subject: Re: Grampy gets blown? on 3/22/02 5:13 PM, "Robert S. Hatrak II" <hatrak@ix.netcom.com> wrote: > I want to pass emissions. I > want something that won't suffer from heat soak, thus yielding no boost > at all. Etc, etc. Is there such an animal? If BMW put a kit on the > car, which one would they choose from the current offerings? > > Dinan's supercharger is probably out of the question because they are > just way overpriced, IMO. I've paid their piper way too much in the > past only to find the same thing elsewhere for less. Been there, done > that. Sold the badge. I'm certainly no big Dinan fan - mostly for financial reasons - but aren't they the only CARB certified option for all you Californicators? Neil 96 M3 - no inspections in Indiana
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#9. dinan - from kit wetzler
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:47:05 -0800 From: "kit wetzler" <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: dinan > Dinan's supercharger is probably out of the question because they are > just way overpriced, IMO. I've paid their piper way too much in the > past only to find the same thing elsewhere for less. Been there, done > that. Sold the badge. $5500 isn't too out of line. It's the best fitting forced induction kit I've *ever* used and I've used quite a few on various cars and friends' cars. :) I would stay away from Mechtech. All I've seen from them are BlowUpYourEngineSillyQuick dyno charts out of them... big ups and downs after 4500 rpm. but BIG torque. RMS has some software issues. ERT is a good choice for the 95s... (I *hate* their RRFPR based system for obd-II cars, though) ESS is an unknown... I sure as heck wouldn't want to call a dude in sweden if I had a problem, though. AA's turbo kits are waaaay over priced. (not like Dinan's isn't, but...) I think they make decent power, but would love to see a reasonably modern turbo (modern turbos spool quicker and are much more efficient than a 20 year old TD06H-20G that I think they still use, and I'd love to be corrected if I'm wrong, here...) -kit
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#10. Re:Supercharging an M3/4 - from GregKono@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 19:31:29 EST From: GregKono@aol.com Subject: Re:Supercharging an M3/4 Thinking seriously about pressurizing my M3. Got sticker shock from Dinan ($10,000) with S/C, reprogramming and exhaust. Who has done it (for less?) and how were the results (HP?/reliability/worth it?).