Overclocking my 745i

[[XC] leviathan18]

not a POS but a brand new civic or corolla might be a better car... you dont have to start in a 1000$ car to learn how to drive....

you can start with a corolla civic rabbit mazda 3 jetta focus etc

then when you have 1 year driving that get a upscale drive for another 2 years and when you are 20-21 get a real car

[Don_Won]

guys, guys... this thread became a bashing fest really. he's a young guy, obviously in love with cars, so whatever you say will never convince him that a worse car is better. I know that from my own experience. First of all, i personally dont see a dad giving his 745 to a 15 or 16 year old kid... its not relevant whether i believe it or not, but u gus just seem to take some pleasure out of stating 200 times that he's not gonna handle, and he's gonna die. Im 19. My first car was a vw passat 1.8T, and after 1 year of driving i got myself a volvo s40 T5, which isnt exactly slow for my standards (u can only get your license when ure 18 in poland), however ive driven many quite powerful cars, including the 911 997 carreraS, impreza sti, and a bmw 645, which has the same engine as the car he's talking about. And lets be honest. Modern cars even those powerful ones are NOT hard to handle, provided uve got a little bit of common sense that won't let u push a 2000 kg car to the limits (even then the stability control helps a lot) those cars are designed to be more or less idiotproof. after all... a 333bhp which weighs about 2000kg isnt any rocket. but still.... dad is probably going to get a porsche, and keep the 745 as his daily cruiser

P.S. the idea of tuning a 745 is pretty ridiculous

[Shaz]

Dude in Europe you have to learn to drive on roads that aren't totally straight and have to be a little older and more mature. Clearly this young hot head hasn't done the same. Hopefully his dad sees some kind of sense.

[inCore]

A friend of mine has been driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo since he was 18 (legal driving age in Switzerland). Another friend of mine drives his dads tuned Mercedes SL55 AMG, he's also 18. They're more aggressive than older drivers, as am I (turned 19 twelve minutes ago), but we have yet to cause an accident. I can never resist drifting around corners when there is snow but I still have the sense not to do anything that I can't handle.

However, I do think the 2 years has made a difference in my maturity. Comparing myself to when I was 16 versus now, I'm a different person. As Shaz said, in Europe we have slightly more complicated tests than what I gather you Americans do. My Swiss driving school cost me around 3,000 Dollars, which I suspect is more than what the average American pays.

BUT. We are not to judge whether you should be allowed to drive that car, it has nothing to do with anything that you asked. Just drive responsibly. And please, don't tune a 745i, it's like making a whale go faster.

[ownage]

Driving in the US on those big wide roads without corners cant be difficult
Driving in Europe is totally different. More crowded in most country's, and lots of variation in roads between country's. Our roads are not as wide as in the US, probably a reason hatchbacks are more popular in the EU. For example, I hate to drive big heavy cars in Holland, especially with all those corners.

Most of the young guys (like myself, age 20) are more aggressive drivers then older people. I think you should be lucky to drive a 300+ whp car, and a luxury car too on your age. Most starters in the EU begin with 60 - 120 hp cars. You can talk about pimping that car but first learn to drive, because that can take 2, 3 years.
I don't even want to know what would happened when I got my drive license on my 16th. Probably a funeral.

[perry_78]

good luck ruining a 745i, though i love how the bs sensor is tingling

[Shaz]

It's easy to run a car like that fuel wise in the states man, plus if you're spoiled enough to be given a car like that then I'm sure you'll be able to get petrol money.

[StealthyFish]

Just a question.. do you really want to overclock you 745? I mean.. its a big luxurious boat. To make it "quick" will be a big challenge w/ all that weight and autotrans. High end speed would be cool on teh autobahn. I think you might end up sinking alot of money into this project. But.. if that is waht you enjoy. .then go for it

Since I am ol'skool BMW.. I only know about AC Schinz, Dinan, and Racing Dynamic. Either way good luck

- Ton

Haha, truth. That doesn't make you an old school BMW enthusiast though.


Also, if the OP is srsly a 16 year old kid, good luck trying to maintain a 7'er, let alone mod it. The mods out there for a V8 BMW 7 series are almost non-existent aside from custom FI kits and a select few suspension setups. A few hundred dollars in the car tuning world won't get you far unless you own a Honda. A few hundred dollars in the BMW tuning world won't even get you anything more than an intake. To give you an idea of the prices, here's a few part prices for E36s (which are cheaper and have a lot more mod support):

400 - Dinan CF intake
369 - Shark injector software
100 - M50 Manifold swap + 250 dollar gasket kit -> Do the job yourself 0$
1200 - Ground control street coilovers

If the OP is serious and he's getting a 745i, find the money to maintain it before you start asking what you want done to it.

I started with my 1998 BMW 328i. I rocked my dad's 1993 Mazda MPV for a year before I got my BMW. I love BMWs. Properly stanced E21/28/30/31/34/36/46/92 BMW's are all beautiful in my eyes (E6s and 2002s too ). But I don't ever eat out to save money for maintenance, mods, and gas and for fun, I do free with friends and skip out on the movie and dinner outings. I've dumped in over 3-4 grand over the price of the car for maintenance and mods in the 1.5-2 years I've owned it.

[kevinbo03]

I wouldn't modify a 745. It's a nice car that is meant to be the way it is, A quick comfy boat. You wont get a whole lot out of modifying it, And if you cannot do the labor yourself, it will get very expensive. My neighbor has a 2008 750i with over 20k put into it, It's gained around 40 hp through ecu/tb/intake/exhaust enhancements, full brembo big brakes and some minor suspension mods. If 20k got him that much, Imagine how much less you will get with 5k, or 3k.

If possible, I would sell the 745, get a used 3 series, e36 or e92 if it's in the price range. An e92 will hit up around 380hp crank from ecu flashes alone, And a good brand like Vishnu tuning will do it for well under a grand. Not to mention the car will go around corners far better, And be more reliable, likely still have a warranty, Etc.

Like everyone else has said, You'd be better off getting a plain car for now, drive for a few years, then get something fun. Not only because you are learning to drive, but because by the time you go out and get something, You will have had time to research, and hopefully even learn how to do most of the work yourself. If you still want to be tuning and modifying, get an old VW or something like a Honda. Not the greatest cars, but money put towards modifications will go a long way. 320hp boosted H22 in a civic that weighs under a ton = Faster then you would think.

[Shaz]

Well daddy's giving him the car, the way he's coming across, it'll be written off within a year.

[StealthyFish]

lol. I just like how the OP thinks that cars are like computers. When I jumped into cars from computers, I had to adjust a few things.

1. Part prices cost a ton more
2. You can't overclock parts -> no freebies like X800GTO2's that could flash to X850XTPEs
3. Cars have more components

And when something happens, you don't just put a car into the back of your buddies' truck and have them look it over. Everything costs money. Moving the car costs money. Owning the car costs money (insurance). You lose money no matter what. If the OP tries to fix any BMW (or car) without doing research, a manual, and/or a buddy who knows cars pretty well, he's in for a big surprise. I went from spending 150 dollars on ram, thinking I was a baller, to dropping 200-500 dollars for parts... and that's with me being a cheapass and buying parts used.

[l33t p1mp]

lol. I just like how the OP thinks that cars are like computers. When I jumped into cars from computers, I had to adjust a few things.

1. Part prices cost a ton more
2. You can't overclock parts -> no freebies like X800GTO2's that could flash to X850XTPEs
3. Cars have more components

And when something happens, you don't just put a car into the back of your buddies' truck and have them look it over. Everything costs money. Moving the car costs money. Owning the car costs money (insurance). You lose money no matter what. If the OP tries to fix any BMW (or car) without doing research, a manual, and/or a buddy who knows cars pretty well, he's in for a big surprise. I went from spending 150 dollars on ram, thinking I was a baller, to dropping 200-500 dollars for parts... and that's with me being a cheapass and buying parts used.

The overclock part was a joke...and I'm thinking of selling the BMW and buying a stick shift with the money and modding that.

[Petra]

Owning the car costs money (insurance). You lose money no matter what. If the OP tries to fix any BMW (or car) without doing research, a manual, and/or a buddy who knows cars pretty well, he's in for a big surprise. I went from spending 150 dollars on ram, thinking I was a baller, to dropping 200-500 dollars for parts... and that's with me being a cheapass and buying parts used.

No kidding... and you don't even have to worry about the back end of your car falling apart

I'm thinking of selling the BMW and buying a stick shift with the money and modding that.

Sounds like a good plan... besides, you'd probably have more fun with a smaller, lighter manual than that land yacht of a BMW. Then again, I have a thing for small two-seaters...

[l33t p1mp]

I took a look at some of the most popular stick shifts, but none of them are nearly as powerful as the 7 series!

I looked at a few subarus, the 350z and 370z, nissan skyline, lancer evo, and a few others but none of them even break 300 hp which made me laugh.

What would you guys say is one of the best stick shifts to mod and that already have a fair amount of power at stock? I'm not going to start modding as soon as I buy.

[Shaz]

Well you should by something way smaller than any of those because they'll all on your with the service costs and with your massive lack of experience you'll probably crash, especially again with your mentality you're going to get yourself in alot of trouble.

[l33t p1mp]

I'm actually more responsible than I sound...no really...

[Petra]

I took a look at some of the most popular stick shifts, but none of them are nearly as powerful as the 7 series!

It's all about the power to weight ratio... a 7 series weighs nearly 4300lbs! As a result, it needs a lot of power to have decent acceleration. On the other end of the spectrum, you have cars like the Ariel Atom which weigh about 1000lbs, have between 245 and 300bhp, and pose a real threat to even very, very expensive supercars when in a track environment.

If you want something cheap, small, quick, and quite a lot of fun, then take a look at a circa-'94/'95 Mazda Miata MX-5. Not a lot of horsepower, but they only weigh about 2300lbs, are cheap and easy to work on, have pretty good aftermarket support, and can be supercharged for some extra oomph.

[Shaz]

I'm actually more responsible than I sound...no really...

I doubt it, you're what, 15/16, this will be your first car, you will have little to no road experience so I very much doubt that you'll know how to be responsible on the road.

Buy an old Golf GTi. Very low weight, stick shift, 112BHP, upgrade it's suspension, cam, manifold, exhaust, intake and learn to actually DRIVE a car. Try a track day and you'll see how to control a car. Remember when getting a race license you don't learn to drive fast you learn control.

You will do something silly with a high powered car. Get a hot hatch and learn to drive a car properly.

[kevinbo03]

If you want something cheap, small, quick, and quite a lot of fun, then take a look at a circa-'94/'95 Mazda Miata MX-5. Not a lot of horsepower, but they only weigh about 2300lbs, are cheap and easy to work on, have pretty good aftermarket support, and can be supercharged for some extra oomph.

Buddy of mine has one, very nimble car. Cheap too!

And 300hp is allot more then you might think, or need really. It's only been the past 6-8 years that many of the market were in the 300hp range.

Like I said before if you can afford it, a new bimmer ending in '35 suffix is nice. 300hp stock and it's relatively cheap to get near 400hp. very capable chassis on the 1 series as well.

[l33t p1mp]

Know what I really want? BMW 7 series alpine. 550 hp stock!

[Nazu]

I took a look at some of the most popular stick shifts, but none of them are nearly as powerful as the 7 series!

I looked at a few subarus, the 350z and 370z, nissan skyline, lancer evo, and a few others but none of them even break 300 hp which made me laugh.

What would you guys say is one of the best stick shifts to mod and that already have a fair amount of power at stock? I'm not going to start modding as soon as I buy.

You cant compare those cars. The handling on a Lancer Evolution or on a 350Z is on a totally different level compared to the 745. They are genuine sports cars, the 7xx series BMW's are meant for long distance cruising. All of those cars you mentioned are faster than the Bmw even if they 'only' have 280hp or so. Think about hp per kg and you realize it.

[l33t p1mp]

You cant compare those cars. The handling on a Lancer Evolution or on a 350Z is on a totally different level compared to the 745. They are genuine sports cars, the 7xx series BMW's are meant for long distance cruising. All of those cars you mentioned are faster than the Bmw even if they 'only' have 280hp or so. Think about hp per kg and you realize it.

Yeah, I know the BMW has completely different handling. More or less the same as comparing my mom's minivan to my dad's bmw. What I was trying to say is why the heck don't they put that bmw engine in a smaller car. Would make for some crazy track times.

[Petra]

Buddy of mine has one, very nimble car. Cheap too!

Indeed. My future brother-in-law races spec. Miatas

Know what I really want? BMW 7 series alpine. 550 hp stock!

I take it you're referring to the Alpina B7? Why the fixation on huge, absurdly heavy cars? One moment you're talking about sports cars and the next you're focused on estate cars--I don't get it... pick one.

*edit* how is the 600bhp/ton car that I already mentioned not insane? There does come a point where a smaller car becomes completely uncontrollable due to having too much power.

*edit again* Corvette engines being shoehorned into Miatas, Z3's, etc. isn't unheard of either... again with the controllability thing, though.

[l33t p1mp]

No fixation, but if someone wants to race BMW, they might as well race that beast.

[Shaz]

Errr not really. You are seriously showing how little you know. A small car and high power doesn't equal a good track time. A light and agile car with a good acceleration and torque band means a good track time. Not to mention the driver. One of my cars only produces 75BHP and nips around corners pretty well because it's light, agile and can be chucked easily. You can't do that with a huge engine because you'll end up with a phenomena known as Torque Steer. This will slow your "track times" down considerably due to you having to slow more for the corner.

Off the line, again, torque is a super important factor. I've seen Golfs hand Porsches their ass because they have very little weight and manage to pull off the line quicker. Round a bit of light traffic on a major road I've taken on more powerful cars and done them in traffic simply by out driving them and being able to judge when I can change lanes to get ahead.

Get yourself an early 2000s Civic with a decent 1.8 VTEC or something, learn to drive and learn to work on a car. Probably more fun, go and get a BMW E30 323i, you'll have more than enough power to start with and they're great cars to drive and easy enough to modify. Get an LSD in it, get better suspension and tyres and learn to drive like a man.

Stop with your silly notion of more power is always better. You could have a 500BHP 7 series and I would show you up on a track with my Supra. And my Supra only puts down 235BHP.