97' 328is need more hp (thinking dinan)

[white.220]

i have a 328is that i absolutly love! it is a daily driver and has 88k miles. i have already dumped 2k into brakes, wheels, and minor repairs. now that i have the car paid off im looking for major upgrades. i thought of either to have dinan supercharge or maybe an e36 M3 engine swap. im looking to spend around 6k or so. since the car is high mileage should i go for the swap? or should i sell and just buy an e36 M3. any sugestions would be helpful

[MN325iSedan]

Go turbo (in the end its going to be better than a supercharger)

Or for a different route you could have a nice NA setup: CAI, OBDII programmer, headers, exhaust, camshafts, valve springs, M50 manifold, ignition coils, etc...

A performance clutch/lightweight flywheel would also be a good decision with upgraded hp

[JordanMGregory]

"High mileage"?? 88k? Seems pretty damn low mileage to me.

If you're going to do the turbo do it now... either that or keep it NA like MN325iSedan said.

[BeRzErKaS]

If you've got big money to spend then don't waste your time with N/A mods that hardly make any power.

With around 6k to drop the Technique Tuning turbo kit should be the heavily favored option.

The Dinan supercharger is well engineered and will provide a nice kick with nearly stock-like drivability around town. However, Dinan is notorious for providing the least bang for the buck. You end up with a relatively low boost kit with a very conservative tune. If your primary concern is to play it safe, then Dinan may be the right kit for you. If you want to make POWER, you should go a different route.

It doesn't make sense to drop 4k-6k on a 3.2 motor that only has like +20hp on your 2.8 motor. Add to that another 1500-2k for installation and you are out of money with hardly anything to show for it. If you drove a 325 or 318 the M3 motor swap would be a much more competitive option for the price.

Is you're car automatic or manual?

[wannabeemer]

go dinan supercharger, and there freeflow exahaust. along with the purchase you well have a dinan badge they well give you for your car, <img src="http://www.benhirsch.net/gallery/data/media/51/Dinan3Badge.jpg">. is your car manual or automatic?? if its automatic then no go on the supercharger cause dinan wont sell one for the automatic models, i ran into that problem, but oh well.

[ImperialDuckM3]

Dinan sell its supercharger kit for Automatic, where did you get that information that they didn't? You just wouldn't get the same HP/TQ as manual, actually lower numbers, but still you'll be supercharged:thumbup:

[LmtdSlip]

Dinan sell its supercharger kit for Automatic, where did you get that information that they didn't? You just wouldn't get the same HP/TQ as manual, actually lower numbers, but still you'll be supercharged:thumbup:
Actually the motor would make just as much HP and torque as a manual car.

However, the power and torque that the rear wheels would of course be less due to the torque converter in the auto.

Dinan does indeed sell a SC kit for an auto. But on the later E36 they only list the S-packages on their website.
For the 325 they offer the SC kit as a stand alone with a separate part number for a car with an auto trans.

[wannabeemer]

Dinan sell its supercharger kit for Automatic, where did you get that information that they didn't? You just wouldn't get the same HP/TQ as manual, actually lower numbers, but still you'll be supercharged:thumbup:

Lets see, i got the info from my brother that is a bmw parts department manager, that was actually going to order for me, and when ordering the rep at dinan said they wont sell a supercharger for a automatic, because too much torque on the tranny and wont hold up in the long run. did you get a chance to make it to bimmerfest?? and did you listen to steve dinan's whole speech? at one point he was saying that they well not sell parts they make unless the car can last for 100,000 miles, and supercharger on an automatic tranny is like death to it. so

[white.220]

thanks for all your help. unfortunately im still not sure what i want. im thinking no on the sc and leaning toward the turbo charger. i dont need top-end speed, but i would like faster acceleration. i want my car to sound almost completly stock, but when i give it a go i want it to perform.

[ImperialDuckM3]

Lets see, i got the info from my brother that is a bmw parts department manager, that was actually going to order for me, and when ordering the rep at dinan said they wont sell a supercharger for a automatic, because too much torque on the tranny and wont hold up in the long run. did you get a chance to make it to bimmerfest?? and did you listen to steve dinan's whole speech? at one point he was saying that they well not sell parts they make unless the car can last for 100,000 miles, and supercharger on an automatic tranny is like death to it. so

Yes, I was at bimmerfest, what's your point:dunno: They don't advertise on their site because most people who SC their cars tend to be Manual owners. They cater to that market for a purpose, because its MAKE them money verus the Automatic. Its a simple business planning. Now, if you want to SC your 328, they will sell you the kit, which BTW is the same as the M3 and do custom tunning on your DME.

They will tell you of the problems that can occur with a SC automatic and its up to YOU the buyer to make that choice.

[BeRzErKaS]

You know, if better accelleration is what you want and top-end isn't a primary concern then why not consider a differential upgrade instead?

That 2.93open diff you've got now leaves quite a bit of room for improvement. You can get a kickass custom diff built up for like $1500 bucks.

A good LSD will def help knock a few tenths off your 1320.

[BMW318i_E36]

Horsepower Is Like Money, You Always Want More & More. When You Don't Really Need It !