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I have a 92 325ic E30, M20 engine . though my expertise are missing, for me the car is too slow. It has been suggested to me to replace the air filter, get a performance exhaust, performance chip and add a restricted slip. I thinked also of a different steering wheel. it is an auto. I autocross maybe 5x per year.

Thanks

4 days ago
This is my daily driver.

Paul sounds like he may raced before. I gave him a thumbs up.

The rest were posuers.

Tires are 1st and not just any tires. Get a set of BMW factory rims from a salvage yard and mount up the new Kumho or BF Goodrich autocrossing tires. The tirerack.com is the best and the sales staff if ordering by phone will be useful they all race .

Next thing is to get a Schroth four point harness that bolts in with your seatbelt mounts. Simple and pretty inexpensive, ie. you can not get that much time shaved off your run for 100 bucks by anything else.

Suspension tuning is for after you get a grip on your driving.

You are the biggest equation in lowering your times. At five events a year it'll take about three years before you have to add anything else and the tires will last that long, barring accident.

ASE Cert Auto tech, SCCA Member since 1978 Solo II, all over the USA, center Georgia region, Iowa, Rocky Moutain Region, Dixie Region, Outlaw clubs in SD, Land O Lakes Region Yeah, I love it.

Cram it up your ?

when did you changed your spark plugs.
just get a qualified mechanic to check the plugs and if found bad,just change to good suggested injections spark plugs for best performance.u will save on your fuel too.
Try it out.

For autoX the suspension will be the best bang for the buck mod you could do. Then performance intake, chip, restricted slip diff, exhaust. Also think about where you may be able to save weight. Pulling seats out for the event, sound deadening, etc.

The biggest element in Autocrossing will be the driver so 1st and primary, pay attention to your driving. be sure you're using all of the course and that you're steadily hitting your apex and entry and exit points. be sure on exit you're feeding in throttle as you unwind the wheel. Watch the faster drivers and pay close attention to their lines and to the places on course where they choose to agreement speed to get it somewhere else .

But by rising the car's performance. the one single item that will give you the biggest improvement are tires. This will improve every part of performance.

Next up could be to be sure that the car, as is, is optimized: get an alignment, and one that isn't to factory specifications, but one that's proper for autocross and track ie, more negitive camber, less toe in, etc, have the car corner balanced.

After that, looking at dampers will be the next spot. Then moving to bigger ideally adjustable anti roll bars. And springs could follow here.

A chip that's more violent on the spark or a more open exhaust are nice. but everything you talk about joint won't come close to to get you the improvement better tires can offer or what adjustable ARBs could bring . While such changes are good, they are comparatively minor by real performance. The restricted slip is a nice addition, but again, not something that can offer the enhancements you'll get elsewhere.

A good sports steering wheel is a nice change usually a little smaller diameter, sports or racing seats may be a great upgrade to help hold you in place. and along the same lines, a good set of driving gloves and shoes are good investments also.

Absolutely the 1st thing to do to your car for autocross is get stainless steel brake lines. This will increase braking performance and safety. You may want to get an upgraded brake package also but at this age in your car, it may not be worth it.

Next is suspension then engine performance. CAI or short ram + exhaust + chip will get you at most +15hp. Manufacturers will typically quote you a higher value but its usually +5hp per each of these parts. You may want to think about a turbo or a supercharger. based on what your budget is.

If you get a perfectly tuned suspension, you will lose less speed in the turns.

Great car for autoxing cept the auto, haha , and I have to second the stainless brake lines, its a small security . The suspension makes a big difference . The stock suspension must be shot by now .

1. Driver
2. Helmet
3. Tires

After that, look at the classifications, and see what is allowed.

Your best bet is ditch the pile of crap. Convertables are heavy. Next check the new rules to see what you may be able to get away with. Depends what class you run/want to run. An air filter will not produce HP, but they sound good eh? A full exhaust system as well as headers could most likely be the best thing. A chip also does wonders. If you go with a restricted slip, I could recommend a Turner Motorsports diff. they're available up to 4.11. A 4.11 could make that car scoot. A steering wheel will not make you faster. Other things to look at.a cam..even a simple cam could really up your useable torque, and go well with a chip and exhaust. The suspention is most likely the second best thing you could do. Fit a nice set of Intraxx coilovers, or a stage two Dinan kit. Either of those setups will largely help corner speed, and keep the car flat with the throttle on. But again.get rid of that convertable auto and purchase a coupe/sedan and get it with a manual. more performance just from that alone. most likely cheaper than all the mods too.

if its an auto, you may also get a newer 325 with a stick, sticks are more competitive in autocross