"Intake, exhaust, pulleys, tune"?- long the standard for performance on naturally aspirated BMW, these four simple modifications offer some of the best bang for your buck when it comes to modifying your E46. Whether looking for your first modification, completing your daily driver or weekend warrior, or starting with a stock car with high aspirations, focusing on these four systems (intake, exhaust, pulleys, and software) offer good gains with little to no compromise.?
Intake - Allow?your engine to breathe more easily by reducing intake turbulence?and introducing cooler air will improve power output and throttle response - with the added benefit of some additional sexy intake volume. A leader in BMW intakes, aFe intakes are available in two flavors, both with a heat shield and blow-molded intake tubes?-?Pro 5R filters are reuseable, with cleanable oiled filters, while Pro Dry S are dry filters. The choice really comes down to personal preference, but find slightly more customers choose the Pro 5R oiled design. A newcomer to the intake market, Mishimoto offers a lower-cost silicone tube intake with heat-shield. Not interested in ditching your restrictive factory airbox? Consider a washable?Pipercross foam air filter as a good compromise for additional dirt-holding (longer service life) with improved flow. Expect 5 horsepower or more from a performance intake.?
Exhaust - The other end of the equation from the intake, exhaust not only impacts power production, but also is the voice of your BMW. Letting it sing makes pushing that accelerator even more worthwhile. An added bonus is weight savings - our performance exhaust systems weigh significantly less than factory exhaust. Dinan exhaust will sound like a throaty factory system with more volume, and 11 pounds of weight savings. Supersprint exhaust offers a little more sound than the Dinan, whereas Borla will offer slightly more still with further improved performance (it's a cat-back system whereas the other two are just mufflers). All three options are stainless steel for corrosion resistance and long life.
Pulleys - Eliminating parasitic loss equals a quicker reving engine with more available horsepower. Turner Motorsport Power Pulleys deliver up to 11 "freed" horsepower and are available for vehicles with Bosch and Valeo alternators. No downside.
Tune - Shark Injector performance software is a super-simple tuning solution that does not require a computer or any vehicle downtime to utilize. Developed on hours of dyno time, BMW tuning pioneer Jim Conforti crafted ideal software for the M52 engine. Simply plug the provided OBDII Shark Injector into your vehicle, push the button, and in minutes have a vehicle with +15 horsepower, +12 lb/ft torque, with better throttle response and a 7,000 rev limit. Delivers an all-around improved driving experience.?
ECS Tuning is proud to offer the most highly recommended selection of parts for your BMW. Don't run around piecing together your ideal performance machine - let ECS be your partner in building the car of your dreams. Looking to build a wilder ride? ECS offers performance camshafts, headers, superchargers, and an array of other high performance engine tuning products for your BMW. Browse our catalog our call our sales staff for help in making your decision.
Note: power gains will vary by modification, by vehicle. Numbers listed are non-inflated estimates.?
Turner Motorsport
Milltek Sport
