e36 328i m50 inlet manifold mod

[griffter]

can you tell - visually - if this has been done? My 328 loves to rev, so im wondering...

[S3_Graham]

wont there be some new brackets and pipes that arent standard?? I think visually the actually manifold is practically identical, however there are some pipes that need modding so might be a place to start looking.

[davel*]

You can tell as the manifold is much thicker, have a look on Google someone will have a pic up

[sniff petrol]

Or put a pic of yours up and we'll be able to tell you for definate if your's has been done.

[griffter]

Thanks All. Wow...chalk and cheese. I definitely have the standard M52 manifold. Makes me wonder how awesome the modification must be. Dear Santa...

[andy665]

Just about to order an M50 manifold kit from Alpina527 - £390 all in including two throttle bodies - relatively straightforward 3-4 hour job to fit - great value for money

[pstruck]

I think the decision whether or not to do this mod really rather dependson your driving style/preference.

From what I've read, does free up a few more horses, which gives more top end go, but at the expense of somemid range torque.

[S3_Graham]

im leaving mine standard, i love to ride the torque!

[griffter]

andy665 said:

Just about to order an M50 manifold kit from Alpina527 - £390 all in including two throttle bodies - relatively straightforward 3-4 hour job to fit - great value for money

Does it need a remap to get the best from it? Is a chip included?

[andy665]

You'll get 20-25bhp purely from removing the restriction to the airflow, a remap is advised to purely maximise the benefit.

I'm not necessarily looking for maximum power, more to remove the strangled feel of the engine above 4.5k

[V8mate]

I've had mine done - by Alpina527 himself.

From 4000rpm up the engine is divine. You actually have to keep an eye on the revs as hitting that higher range suddenly 'pings' the needle up to max rpm; it just seems to run away.

Plan to fit a better inlet cam next year an then have the entire set-up remapped and tuned.

Make sure you've pulled the big 'plug' out of the airbox and then stick with the oem setup. There's no evidence that any of the aftermarket 'cones' are any better than the'corrected' BMW airbox.