Adding Horsepower to a ZHP

[midlandtech]

350-400 would be so much fun and in the right hands one hell of a performer. That said the work needed to attain that power level would be substantial (and very expensive) and I would venture to guess that reliability (even semi daily driven) would be effected detrimentally.

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[Newjack]

Yeah but being able to do a rolling burnout in 2nd gear is always fun.

The zhp does not need a lot of power but somewhere in the ballpark of 300whp would be awesome hence the s54 swap

S54 swap would be sweet, but if you do that you might as well just do the rear end swap too and get the LSD. For the same price you can get a twin screw that is (allegedly) very simple to install and gives you enough power to outrun a stock e46 m3. Its really all about how you want to spend your money as both are great options.

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[Vas]

It all depends. But 300-350 at the wheels is plenty enough for a street car.

A proper engine management and tune makes all the difference in the world.

[Vas]

S54 swap would be sweet, but if you do that you might as well just do the rear end swap too and get the LSD. For the same price you can get a twin screw that is (allegedly) very simple to install and gives you enough power to outrun a stock e46 m3. Its really all about how you want to spend your money as both are great options.

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An LSD is required no matter what imo. Even with a bone stock zhp, an LSD makes the car that much better.

[Rovert]

I've been driving my friend's M3 manual transmission around for a couple days and even that bump in power is different. Sometimes it's just brutally scary, sometimes you are wondering why it's too slow. I can only drive the M3 so fast in corners where the most fun is to me. My ZHP can do the same speeds in those corners albiet a tad bit slower exit speed. When an M54 engine is placed in the right RPM's it can go like a bat out of a very hot fiery place. :D I came off a corner tonight that warns me to slow to 40-45MPH. At apex the engine was singing near the top of 3rd gear which is probably about 80-85MPH. I assure you not many M3 drivers could even dare try that.

I can drive my car 9 tenths in the rain and when i want I can go 11 tenths and slide my car safetly and have a heck of a time. Driving the M3 at 7 tenths scares me right now...LOL. I really need to get used to it's lighter engine components, throttle response, and extra torque. I think the tires weren't equal to what I'm used to. I'm running dedicated summers and the M3 had Pilot Sport A/S. I can push the rear out at 2,500RPM. My car dreams of being able to do that...haha. I know my next car will have an ///M in it...not sure which one but it excites me and scares me. You won't feel what I feel in this paragraph unless you have dedicated some personal time to really map out the dynamics of a vehicle and learn how to drive your existing car balls out on the track without breaking anything.

Just stop and think about why you bought your car. Is it to fill a passion that you have in your heart? Is it something that you want to use for recognition? At the end of the day you can only look yourself in the mirror and be happy with what you have done. So dig deep and find your vehicle's purpose. Whatever choice you make should keep you content! But when you use your heart....it'll last the longest. That's why I still have my car after driving it for 8 years now. I'm still not bored with it. It's friggen awesome!!! Safe driving peoples!!!!

[BimmerWill]

^ awesome read Charlie. I think we could all probably stand to read that every once in a while. Though I've not seen it here, locally in my area BMW is just a name to people who want to look good, so they buy one and drive it without ever truly realizing it's potential. Granted this is just my perception of things I still feel its not too far from the truth. Im glad so many of us have been able to come together through this website. Kind of keeps the spirit alive and shows that there are still people who can look at a car and not just see it as status symbol.

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[cakM3]

I've been driving my friend's M3 manual transmission around for a couple days and even that bump in power is different. Sometimes it's just brutally scary, sometimes you are wondering why it's too slow. I can only drive the M3 so fast in corners where the most fun is to me. My ZHP can do the same speeds in those corners albiet a tad bit slower exit speed. When an M54 engine is placed in the right RPM's it can go like a bat out of a very hot fiery place. :D I came off a corner tonight that warns me to slow to 40-45MPH. At apex the engine was singing near the top of 3rd gear which is probably about 80-85MPH. I assure you not many M3 drivers could even dare try that.

I can drive my car 9 tenths in the rain and when i want I can go 11 tenths and slide my car safetly and have a heck of a time. Driving the M3 at 7 tenths scares me right now...LOL. I really need to get used to it's lighter engine components, throttle response, and extra torque. I think the tires weren't equal to what I'm used to. I'm running dedicated summers and the M3 had Pilot Sport A/S. I can push the rear out at 2,500RPM. My car dreams of being able to do that...haha. I know my next car will have an ///M in it...not sure which one but it excites me and scares me. You won't feel what I feel in this paragraph unless you have dedicated some personal time to really map out the dynamics of a vehicle and learn how to drive your existing car balls out on the track without breaking anything.

Just stop and think about why you bought your car. Is it to fill a passion that you have in your heart? Is it something that you want to use for recognition? At the end of the day you can only look yourself in the mirror and be happy with what you have done. So dig deep and find your vehicle's purpose. Whatever choice you make should keep you content! But when you use your heart....it'll last the longest. That's why I still have my car after driving it for 8 years now. I'm still not bored with it. It's friggen awesome!!! Safe driving peoples!!!!

Trevor,

I guess I can say that I'm very fortunate to have both my ///M and ZHP (not rubbing it in guys/gals). Although I have never tracked either cars, I can say that I enjoy both of them for what they are...I could relate to some of the things you have posted and found what you had to say interesting Whenever I crave for more horsepower and performance over my ZHP, I just take my ///M out for the day To me, there's no better satisfaction than litterally pulling away from some jerk driving in a Civic "R" in a clover leaf when they are riding your butt going in...

^ awesome read Charlie. I think we could all probably stand to read that every once in a while. Though I've not seen it here, locally in my area BMW is just a name to people who want to look good, so they buy one and drive it without ever truly realizing it's potential. Granted this is just my perception of things I still feel its not too far from the truth. Im glad so many of us have been able to come together through this website. Kind of keeps the spirit alive and shows that there are still people who can look at a car and not just see it as status symbol.

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Will,

Sometimes I see this as well but true enthusiasts will have a car because of it's potential, not status. It's funny that you mention this because I can tell right away who is an enthusiast and who is not just by the first few minutes talking to them. I'm not too much into people who are "badge wearers" as I find them phoney....I have always enjoyed company of fellow enthusiasts and find being with them more satisfying.

[LivesNearCostco]

Talking about cornering limits and higher HP cars.... at many track days they talk about the Miata with a better driver passing the Corvette with the new driver, except the Corvette driver has to lift off the throttle in straights or the Miata has no chance unless you're in the advanced group. Last weekend I started a session behind two modern Camaraos with less experienced drivers (driver of black Camero was on her first track weekend). I caught them in the corners but on every straight they went bye-bye, until they decided to let me pass. Black Camaro lets me pass at 5:20, the red Camaro lets me and the Scion by at 11:02.



It appears my need for speed is not strong enough though. After thinking I was driving 8/10ths, I posted this video on Bimmerforums and one comment was I was dong a fine job driving at 7/10ths. Oh well. This is what happened when I tried to go 11/10ths on the same track (opposite direction) in the rain on my first wet track day. Video shot by the Porsche following me:

I can only drive the M3 so fast in corners where the most fun is to me. My ZHP can do the same speeds in those corners albiet a tad bit slower exit speed. When an M54 engine is placed in the right RPM's it can go like a bat out of a very hot fiery place. :D I came off a corner tonight that warns me to slow to 40-45MPH. At apex the engine was singing near the top of 3rd gear which is probably about 80-85MPH. I assure you not many M3 drivers could even dare try that.

I can drive my car 9 tenths in the rain and when i want I can go 11 tenths and slide my car safetly and have a heck of a time. Driving the M3 at 7 tenths scares me right now...LOL.

[derbo]

Get a new car that's more special than a ZHP!!

Or...get high performance driving lessons. A well driven ZHP can keep up with an average M3 driver. They'd be trying to lose you but you'd be this irritating tick on it's behind the whole time.

Same goes with some of the M5 owners too

[derbo]

I've traded my coworker cars for one session at buttonwillow CW13. The S54 paired with the LSD is an amazing thing. One thing I notice is that the ZHP is more fun at this point because you can WOT through corners and not worry too much about the back end slipping. Those same corners in a M3 cause result in a tail slide if you went WOT. I'm not saying it was driving two exact cars where the only variables were the Engine,LSD. I am saying that the extra power does make the pedal a little more finicky and partial throttling never feels as awesome as slamming WOT. But with that said, I would still take the S54 power in a heartbeat.


Like Trevor said, M3 owners get mad when our weakling ZHP keeps up with them