E36 328i throttle body conversion....
Discussion
....anybody done it? Is it worth it in terms of increased power Vs worse economy/insurance etc?
I'm in two minds. On the one hand I drive quite hard as it is and I'm starting to notice I make overtaking manouvres I wouldn't dream of in most cars, so on the one hand more power would reduce that time exposed to danger.....or it might mean I start to drive on the right. To do or not to do...
I'm in two minds. On the one hand I drive quite hard as it is and I'm starting to notice I make overtaking manouvres I wouldn't dream of in most cars, so on the one hand more power would reduce that time exposed to danger.....or it might mean I start to drive on the right. To do or not to do...
turbo tim said:
The airbox restrictor can be taken out by yourself in approximately 60 seconds!
Slide the air filter and it's carrier out of the airbox. On the inlet side of the 'box you'll see a plastic restrictor; simply unclip it and pull it out.
As Stu says, this (great) engine has been strangled to keep the BHP down. This modification allows the engine to suck in more air.
Don't know what gain you can expect; I'd say a couple of horsepower. The induction noise is slightly more sporty, too
I'd interested to hear from anyone that has tried this - I've heard that by doing this, the balance of the airflow into the engine can be upset, and can cause the car to stutter when cruising along the motorway (i.e. engine at low revs/minimal effort)
Yes, I'm a bit wary about that one myself. Sounds TOO easy
turbo tim said:
I did this on my car and had no probs over 30,000 miles.
Didn't change the throttle body or manifold, though.
Did you disconnect and then reconnect the battery after you had done the work to reset the airflow meter thingy?
Without consulting my manual, that in itself isn't as straight forward as it sounds is it?
Its been nearly 24hrs now since I removed the restrictor and I have come to some conclusions;
1) The difference in noise when you plant your right foot is unbelievable. The only way I can describe it is that it now sounds like a touring car above 3500rpm. Theres a proper hard edged yet musical induction boom. It sounds like the engine has grown in capacity.
2) There is no difference whatsover in noise in normal relaxed driving.
3) It does feel like there is a bit more midrange and certainly top-end power. This could simply be down to the fact that it 'sounds more exciting'. Hard to be sure without figures.
4) That flat-spot at 2500rpm is still there
5) There are no problems with running at all. No stuttering at low revs. It drives exactly the same. The difference only becomes apparent above 3500rpm, and its a positive difference.
6) If you have a 328i you MUST throw your restrictor from the nearest cliff.
THANKS GUYS!!!!
1) The difference in noise when you plant your right foot is unbelievable. The only way I can describe it is that it now sounds like a touring car above 3500rpm. Theres a proper hard edged yet musical induction boom. It sounds like the engine has grown in capacity.
2) There is no difference whatsover in noise in normal relaxed driving.
3) It does feel like there is a bit more midrange and certainly top-end power. This could simply be down to the fact that it 'sounds more exciting'. Hard to be sure without figures.
4) That flat-spot at 2500rpm is still there
5) There are no problems with running at all. No stuttering at low revs. It drives exactly the same. The difference only becomes apparent above 3500rpm, and its a positive difference.
6) If you have a 328i you MUST throw your restrictor from the nearest cliff.
THANKS GUYS!!!!
apache said:
To really get rid of the flatspot bung in a Viper superchip, it made a hell of a difference to my old banger. The info about putting the 325i manifold on is good advice as well
The thing is I'm not entirely sure I want to completely eliminate that flat-spot. Strange as it may sound. I don't want to alter the character of the car much, and I quite like the feeling of the shove when it comes on-cam at 3000rpm.
turbo tim said:
OK...spoke too soon. Now I've managed to get the airfilter out. Wow that was a tight fit!!! I've removed part of the intake, which just slid out the front. I'm guessing this is what you were referring to? It looks like a squashed cylindrical tube about six inches long?
Can you post some pics?
Cheers
I'll try to post some pics tomorrow night. Good job I cleaned the engine bay on Sunday
aggi said:
Does the same apply to an E46? Sorry just read the whole thread!
hohohohohohoh I love simple engineering solutions!
>> Edited by aggi on Wednesday 22 March 22:00
According to adom's post apparently so. I did say I'd post pics but left my camera somewhere. Its a black plastic funnel about six inches long that sits in the opening mouth of the airbox intake. It has a notch in one end that clips it in place. Its probably easier to remove the whole airbox and attack it from underneath.
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