wanted upgrade help ....z3 coupe

im driving a 2000 z3 coupe stock 63,000k (pics are below ) 2.8 l engine at 193 hp what upgrades are avaible for it for more hp ....... ive looked online but cant find much the car was built in mid 99
any advice would be appricated

Unfortunately, there's not much available. There is one (I think) vendor, ActiveAutowerks, that offers a FI system that will work with your OBDII, double Vanos engine. The earlier single VANOS engines have many more options that are not compatible with the M52TU engine that you have. I'm sure somebody out there will prove me wrong but as a long time owner of this power plant; pumping more HP out of this fully BMW tweaked engine is kin to the quest for the Holy Grail. The best solution (however hardly cost effective) is to drop a new engine in, but then you might as well buy the rest of the car to go with it.

Best of luck, post what you find.

VF Engineering supercharger kit. $5000.

I bow to a better memory. The one vendor was VF Engineering, AA told me their kit wouldn't work.

thaks kindly for the info .. also does any body have any links to pics with z3 or z4 with rims, the stock one are ok but i like crome ..... and there are so damn many now adays and u cant how they look till u see a car with them on ?

Originally Posted by mastazuul

im driving a 2000 z3 coupe stock 63,000k (pics are below ) 2.8 l engine at 193 hp what upgrades are avaible for it for more hp

See my reply post to the gent wanting to replace his differential. I have PowerChip 92 software on two of my three Bimmers. I would do it again in a second. The gas mileage savings alone has been worth it. I've had the Coupe's new ECU software the longest and it is about a year away from paying for the full investment... through gas savings. Not shiiting you.

The 92 octane software for my 3.0i engine bossted hp to 238 and torque to 225. It also killed 80% of the throttle lag (not an issue for your throttle as it is cable driven). If I recall from their web site, the 2.8i engine has slightly higher HP and torque gains still.

THis software is not inexpensive. But it actually produces results... unlike the others. No.. it is not anywhere close the HP gains from a supercharger. But a good supercharger kit includes ECU software too and isn't just the charger. ESS makes a nice kit. But it's $6,500, and then another $1,900 in installation unless you can do it yourself.

If your just looking to do a quick easy ECU upgrade to bring new life and power to your Z3 and get better mileage, then $650 for PowerChip ECU software is well worth it.

I'm currently trying to talk my wife into it for her 3.0i Z3 Roadster. I can't imagine the Coupe or the X5 not having it.

sounds sweet .. where can u buy or have the software done at ? .... also do u have any pics of your coupe ... im looking into rims and god i cant decide do i go for 18,s and how much ride do i suffer on 25,s and 30 ,s or stick with 17 (i have now ) and jsut get crome ... ( the hp came becasue i test drove a 2003 m3 and dam its fast (i think the roadser fells faster adn (they overboosed the sterring feels like my wifes mini cooper ,,, not thats a bad thing its just not like a e36 or eary z ) but hp bug bit me ... and since the 2.8 is bullet proof ... i need options....(wife has vetoed the supercharger ... she reads my threads (doh)

Originally Posted by mastazuul

sounds sweet .. where can u buy or have the software done at ? .... also do u have any pics of your coupe ... im looking into rims and god i cant decide do i go for 18,s and how much ride do i suffer on 25,s and 30 ,s or stick with 17 (i have now ) and jsut get crome ... ( the hp came becasue i test drove a 2003 m3 and dam its fast (i think the roadser fells faster adn (they overboosed the sterring feels like my wifes mini cooper ,,, not thats a bad thing its just not like a e36 or eary z ) but hp bug bit me ... and since the 2.8 is bullet proof ... i need options....(wife has vetoed the supercharger ... she reads my threads (doh)

Yaaa.. my wife has vetoed the super charger as well! .. and after all that time I put into researching it! hahaha...

PowerChipGroup.com, then pick USA

They customize the software to match the octane rating you have available to you. For Oregon its 92 (for now..). California is 91. We can visit a lower octane state no problem.. as the knock sensor automatically retards the timing. You can also use octane booster while you're there. Where are you?

I checked and it looks like the gains are the same as with the 3.0i. At 92 octane it would be about 11 or 12 hp.

I'd forgotten the price came down a bit last year. Now $390. But you have to factor in shipping. See.. if you're in LA you can have them do the load for free, but anywhere beyond easy driving distance from there you have to ship in your car's ECU, they load, and ship it back. You pay for one of the directions. They REQUIRE that you ship FedEx next day, so the cost is around $60. They do this because it reduces any risk that the package will be lost or damaged (fact is FedEx is more careful with next day air). You also insure the package for the value of the ECU, which is around $1,000 retail (call your dealer for a quote).

Now.. you can have them ship you a laptop and a cable as well. I've done the ship ECU thing twice and it works out well. You're without your car for about 60 hours.

Don't forget to ask for the octane programming you want.

Ask for Travis.

Don't expect a rocket ship, or even that M3 you tested. What it will do is make you notice it every single time you drive the car. imo.. it is not a "eh.. I got used to it and now I can't tell anymore" mod. I would describe it as, "the car has more off the line, and is noticably more eager to accelerate further once going".

Pics of Coupe; Check the 10mm 25mm wheel spacers post.

Wheels; Ooooo.. that's a whole 'nuther topic. Research what you want thoroughly. You can easily make decisions that effect your Coupe's get up performance and eat into your power. Some examples; If you like shine look, get polished aluminum. Chrome weighs a ton. It is a thick layer of metal layered on top of the wheels. Paint weighs a tiny fraction of that. Anodized aluminum will weight closer to paint.

Heavier wheels hurt performance. Centrifical spin up is an issue. Weight does not like to be spun up from zero. Where you put that weight is 50 times worse that simply making the wheel heavier. Going to larger wheels means you are pushing that weight farther out, and making the spokes longer.. at the outside. Sure, your tire weighs less, but aluminum is MUCH heavier than rubber.

Also, guys tend to widen their wheels when they go to the trouble of upgrading. More weight

The heavier a wheel is.. especially at the farther out point, the greater the gyroscopic resistance effect. This impacts handling. Heavier wheels like to turn (steer) less and less the heavier they get.

I'm not saying don't get 18's. Just saying, make sure they're lighter than what you have. Even if they were the same weight as what you have.. they're really heavier.. cause the heaviest part of the wheel has been pushed out by a half inch all around = cuts into your power.

There's an awesome thread on this topic on the X5 board at X5World. A guy who works with F1 teams was discussing the very interesting topic of; Why does everyone want larger wheels.. when F1 cars have tiny little rims and giant tire sidewalls? Answers above..

Not saying don't do it. I LOVE the low profile tire look. It totally kicks. I WANT 18's on my Coupe for looks. Just saying.. unless you get super light weight wheels (and a lot of guys do just that), anything you do to make the wheels larger or wider will only hurt the car's get up and handling once going.

I say all this .. as I head out to the garage right now to bolt on my new Style 132 19's for the X5. They weigh... a ton But for an X5 the only wheels that are available that are light weight and look good are the BBS RX-II Cross spoke bolted. Choke.. hack... $1,700 EACH! Umm.. that's a supercharger right there!!

Looks like I'm goin' for bling on the X.

Damn, your headlights look like new. I need them on my MC. Mine are all hazy and gross.

Originally Posted by TurnAround

I have PowerChip 92 software on two of my three Bimmers.

Out of curiosity, why did you decide on PowerChip over the Jim Conforti Shark Injector?

As for looking at wheels, try the Tire Rack website. They have configuration options that let you try different wheel combinations on your car:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/MiniW...d=true&sw=1024

Originally Posted by turbo5spd

Out of curiosity, why did you decide on PowerChip over the Jim Conforti Shark Injector?

I researched all the ECU products for about a year. All the posts I could find, plus interview questions of the vendors.

A pattern began to form where I noticed that Shark owners weren't really satisfied with the power gains. All the comment are based around how the software "smooths out the throttle response across the whole range". Pressed on actual power changes, most would ultimately cave. There are veeeery few PowerChip owners on all the boards, but with the exception of one, the few there were all went on about the power enhancements first, and the smooth throttle response later. Then, I started to read reports of increased mileage. In the end I decided, if I'm going to mess with this, what the heck is another few hundred bucks to go for what appears to be the better product?

I have no way to compare products. Does anybody? I doubt it. No one actually tries both. Well.. I did read of a few that tried both the Dinan and the Shark, but the Dinan owners report even "flatter" results on power.

Like I said, it's no rocket ship improvement. Only a supercharger would do that. But .. you know.. for the small investment I have power gains I can appreciate every day (Remember, I have two identical Z3's.. one with the chip, and one without. I'm able to compare them every week, for years now), plus the darn thing has almost paid for itself. That's pretty cool. A leather seat upgrade is $1,500. This was only $600, and now the price has dropped to $410 (counting shipping the ECU).

Fairly happy camper..

Originally Posted by TurnAround

I researched all the ECU products for about a year. All the posts I could find, plus interview questions of the vendors.

A pattern began to form where I noticed that Shark owners weren't really satisfied with the power gains. All the comment are based around how the software "smooths out the throttle response across the whole range". Pressed on actual power changes, most would ultimately cave. There are veeeery few PowerChip owners on all the boards, but with the exception of one, the few there were all went on about the power enhancements first, and the smooth throttle response later. Then, I started to read reports of increased mileage. In the end I decided, if I'm going to mess with this, what the heck is another few hundred bucks to go for what appears to be the better product?

I have no way to compare products. Does anybody? I doubt it. No one actually tries both. Well.. I did read of a few that tried both the Dinan and the Shark, but the Dinan owners report even "flatter" results on power.

Like I said, it's no rocket ship improvement. Only a supercharger would do that. But .. you know.. for the small investment I have power gains I can appreciate every day (Remember, I have two identical Z3's.. one with the chip, and one without. I'm able to compare them every week, for years now), plus the darn thing has almost paid for itself. That's pretty cool. A leather seat upgrade is $1,500. This was only $600, and now the price has dropped to $410 (counting shipping the ECU).

Fairly happy camper..

I have the dinan tune on my '98MZ3 roadster (I know, not the same as your engine) and I can say that it definitly has TONS of torque but it seems to fall flat in the higher rpms. I expected a little more umpf up top. Still, I ran a 13.55 quarter on just the tune alone. I don't think there's many other manufacturer's out there that can touch that time on their tune. Regardless, I've heard several times that Dinan is a little conservative on their program.

i used a head light cleaner and a buffer to get them like that, if u are interested i can get u the name of it .... cant think of the name now .... **** make the hazys dissapear (as long is it is external ....)

Oh okay so it's specifically a headlight cleaner? I'll see what I can find.

I have been working on my 2.3, which is very simular to your engine. I also have an AT so the parasitic power loss is a bummer. Listen to the fella about the rims. Big rim look good but is you really want to help go with the 16s and lighter go forged as well stronger rims.

I have redone the suspension completely....would recommend the H&R sways no hp gain but the car handles like it is on rails and it will fix the E30 rear suspension. Also the Solid Differential bushing helped. I'm putting the finishing touches on the exhaust. Supersprint Muffler and knock offf Supersprint headers from Ebay that I had ceramic coated. I'm expecting at least a 15Hp gain.
Also there is an issue with the Dual Vanos Orings...get the Besian system Viton replacements they will help. Need to still install mine.

I'm going to get the VF SC, so Hp will no longer be an issue.

I've used Novus plastic polishes in the past, but not on headlights. More info here. I think Novus #2, followed by #1, would work. You'll need a couple microfiber cloths too.

Originally Posted by TurnAround

I researched all the ECU products for about a year. All the posts I could find, plus interview questions of the vendors.

A pattern began to form where I noticed that Shark owners weren't really satisfied with the power gains. All the comment are based around how the software "smooths out the throttle response across the whole range". Pressed on actual power changes, most would ultimately cave. There are veeeery few PowerChip owners on all the boards, but with the exception of one, the few there were all went on about the power enhancements first, and the smooth throttle response later. Then, I started to read reports of increased mileage. In the end I decided, if I'm going to mess with this, what the heck is another few hundred bucks to go for what appears to be the better product?

I have no way to compare products. Does anybody? I doubt it. No one actually tries both. Well.. I did read of a few that tried both the Dinan and the Shark, but the Dinan owners report even "flatter" results on power.

Like I said, it's no rocket ship improvement. Only a supercharger would do that. But .. you know.. for the small investment I have power gains I can appreciate every day (Remember, I have two identical Z3's.. one with the chip, and one without. I'm able to compare them every week, for years now), plus the darn thing has almost paid for itself. That's pretty cool. A leather seat upgrade is $1,500. This was only $600, and now the price has dropped to $410 (counting shipping the ECU).

Fairly happy camper..

Sounds like something I need to look into in the future. The car already has plenty of power for my purposes, but increasing the mileage AND getting more power? I like the sound of that.

Just Buffing out those Headlamps is a Temp fix that will only Last about a Month or so .. then they go back to ugly Cloudy ..

Here's what you do - From Me, a 45 yr bodyshop guy and the biggest Bulls*itter in the Miami valley..

If your Headlamps are Foggy, Hazy, Cloudy. Here's what YOU DO ( AS IN YOU CAN DO THIS DYI..) Wetsand them With 1000 grit wet or dry (3m) Sandpaper. try to wetsand all the 'Yellow' off them.. Then Mask them up, and get some Automotive Urethane (Catylized) CLEAR COAT .. Mix the Aotomotive Clear as per the instructions (Usualy 4 parts Clear to 1 part Catylist) THEN THIN IT DOWN AT LEAST 100% (one to one) with BaseCoat Catylized Enamel reducer OR High grade Laquer Thinner. (DO NOT use alkid Enamel Reducer, or turpentine) Mask up your headlights and spray a light Coat of the Clear over them .. Let it dry 15 Minutes, and spray another Coat .. ..

If you worry about 'spraying your headlights', just Wetsand them and take them (or Drive the car there) to a BodyShop and tell them to spray 2 light coats of some 'piss thin' Urethane clear coat on them .. (That's a technical body Shop term) .

THEY WILL LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR .. 20 years! Bright and Clear !

Trust me .. I'm a bodyman !

Originally Posted by reidconti

Oh okay so it's specifically a headlight cleaner? I'll see what I can find.