Supercharger and LSD or save for an ///M

Worcester_spoon

Worcester_spoon

Senior member
 Basingstoke, Hampshire
Seeing the recent posts about the VF supercharger install and the various LSD projects going on makes me wonder, take a good 3.0 and add the Supercharger and LSD and get something fairly unique and crazy fast, or just stump up the cash and get a proper ///M...

What would you do?
 
If you go supercharger route you might want to think about upgrading the brakes, clutch, suspension and exhaust.

That said, it would be a unique and fantastic car.

The M's are fantastic cars, but wouldn't be one of a kind.
 
I think if you put the money into modifiying your 3.0. The money is lost, as soon as you spend it, should you ever sell it on. If you put the money into an ///M, then others understand what it is and will pay a premium over the 3.0. But if you enjoy a project and have the money, then it has to be a rewarding thing to build a unique car. Just don't expect to get any of your hard earned back.

Lot's of fun either way. :thumbsup:
 
Well if you want a car that might hold value and won't wast your cash buy an M. If you want something a little more one off that costs you a fortune do as you said! I have chosen to go down the money grabbing route but am still tempted by an M. I have enjoyed the work and also hated it at times!!

Basically I am not sure what is the right option and I am half way through one option :headbang:
 
Option 3 Buy an m and supercharge that.

Tbh if you have to question doing mods then it's not for you.

All about what you want, whether you have the disposable cash or not.

I modify all cars I own or would for the pure reason that I love doing it.
 
buzyg said:
I think if you put the money into modifiying your 3.0. The money is lost, as soon as you spend it, should you ever sell it on. If you put the money into an ///M, then others understand what it is and will pay a premium over the 3.0. But if you enjoy a project and have the money, then it has to be a rewarding thing to build a unique car. Just don't expect to get any of your hard earned back.

Lot's of fun either way. :thumbsup:
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This man is right.... So so bloody right how much money have I wasted :o
 
ba3bas said:
Option 3 Buy an m and supercharge that.

Tbh if you have to question doing mods then it's not for you.

All about what you want, whether you have the disposable cash or not.

I modify all cars I own or would for the pure reason that I love doing it.
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This guy knows :thumbsup:
 
Jonny essex said:
If i do get power hungry even more then i have a lot more to do and spend, starting with a new engine then s/c, its on the cards and would start the ball rolling in sept this year with the parts required then engine and s/c last :evil:
I would hope for a beast that is not only faster then a stock ///M but unique inside, outside and under the bonet . Modding is a expensive hobby not a businesss venture and boy do i love it :driving:
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And so dose this guy and he has wasted so much!! Sorry spent wisely so much more than we all earn!!
Well done Jonny you make it seem ok every time i spend cash on my car :thumbsup:
 
To me if you actually thought about the idea of buy a sc/lsd then I think you should go for sc or lsd because you clearly want to earn the power not just buy it. My 2 cents :P
 
Probably easier to just swap for an M once factoring in any issues with insurance, and residual value when it comes to sell up.

Yes you can do it for the love of modifying cars, blah blah blah, but the bottom line for me is that there should be some financial sense behind it (i.e. not just dropping thousands into a car that will continue to depreciate)
 
Why do you think the money is "lost" with modifications? Part out the car when you're done with it. I prefer a modified, more powerful 3.0i to a stock M. Each will depreciate at a similar rate including the resale value of a used supercharger setup.

The biggest issue is OEM feel. The supercharger has to be installed properly. Otherwise you will have months of headaches. With a supercharger, you are venturing onto a path very few of us have experience with, so you need to be smart about what's going on underneath the hood. You must know more than just the basics, because few shops will know how to service the car, unlike an M that you can just drop off at a dealer. You need to know how to troubleshoot and fix minor issues yourself. Unless you pony up the money for a world class shop to install a G-Power kit, you will need to work through setup problems. The car may be down for a month or more.

That being said, the M54 doesn't have the VANOS or rod bearing flaws of the M. It won't require valve adjustments. The only difference in planned maintenance is changing the supercharger oil.
 
When selling a part out is indeed the sensible thing to do. Except you're pretty much dependend on a lot of work ànd a retune (in case of the supercharger). And some additional costs sometimes (seals, gaskets etc). Depends on the SC kit (or other parts) ofcourse. I wouldn't think about dismanteling my ts2+ kit, but that is one of the trickiest/cumbersome builds to do as far as sc's go. Especially now with the cams etc.

The z4m is by now probably in it's deepest low on pricing, so by now it's way more sensible to buy a z4m if you look moneywise, as exept for more power there are some other nice features (obiously you can upgrade those too on a normal z4, and in some ways it makes sense too like brakes and lsd). But say 4 years ago it was a completely different story..(z4m prices were still high)

But in the end it's (for me at least) not all (or even not at all) about the money (and the power for that matter), as tuning, upgrading, improving and tinkering with your car is also a hobby (for me). Some way to spend your time (and mental capacity :wink: ). When I upgraded some part of my car.... It feels as if I have a new car (again....and again...and again). Especially if you had to do some tricks no one has done ever before. Then the mental satisfaction is exceptionally high.
I would do the same if I had a z4m... or a 911 turbo S or whatever. (Except that would cost me way more money; even with the z4m, upgrades are generally more expensive)

If you're not into that and still want a lot of power for little money.... just buy a m6 (the e6x). A lot of power for very little money (no Z can ever compete with that)
 
I've had both......

My ESS Supercharged Z4 3.0 was faster than my ///M, more power, lots more grunt lower down and of course lighter. Sounded pretty good too :) Returned better fuel consumption and generally cheaper to run than the ///M with regards to servicing, tax,parts etc.

All that said, the ///M is a much better car in every other way, better brakes, LSD, better steering, nicer cabin, better looks (IMO) and most importantly bags more character!

You probably won't lose much if anything on the ///M, prices are firm just now. If you're prepared to put the supercharged car back to standard before selling, you'll probably recoup a lot of the cost that way and the lower running costs can be offset against that.

At the time I supercharged my 3.0 as Z4M's were still £30k+ so it was a no brainer, however IMO it would be silly to do it now. However, I can appreciate how nice it is to have something different and a project on your hands! :)
 
Although I'm not convinced a standard 3.0 needs a LSD, how about fitting a LSD with a shorter final drive to your 3.0, which will give you a bit more get up and go.....
 
I drove my Z4 for a couple weeks and realised it desperately needed a LSD to make it into a real drivers car. The open diff is an absolute joke.!!!

What ever BMW I buy next I'll fit a LSD if it hasn't got one. Makes the car that bit more exciting.

The LSD is a cheap Mod £600. I Plan to take mine out when I sell the car and sell it on also if it won't fit into the next car.
 
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