what mods should i do to my 535i to get max potential out of it?

[petedarwin]

Hey all! i recently bought an e39 535i 1999 bmw completely stock and am wondering what sorta mods i can do to it to get the most out of it. mates have suggested new exhaust system, air intake and maybe even a supercharger. just wondering if anyone else out there with a little more knowledge on these cars has any tips? thanks for you time

Pete

[Palantirion]

Suspension and tires will make the most speed for the least money.

[winegold]

An extra dose of courage is all you need to get more performance from you 535
I lost count of all the cars I have owned & driven in my 59 years inc Jensen Interceptor,
Holden Monaro 350, XJ6 Jag, a whole gagle of Mercedes Benze & the list goes on & on
In all of my experences I have never come across a suspension that works like my 1989 e34 535i. My advice is learn how to extract the most from the driver skill & if its in you you will never need more horse power

[thro]

Depends what you want out of the car.

I'm currently purchasing a 535 Sport because they're such a lovely base car and don't *need* mods. I've done a heap of modification to my 180SX, and to be honest while its fun to modify (and quick on smooth surfaces), I've ended up turning it into a non-street friendly, uncomfortable, easily picked on cop magnet (its low, loud, peaky power delivery, will fail emissions testing, and the suspension is harsh and uncomfortable).

If you haven't got the sport version of the E39, i'd sell the car off and trade up - you'll get the factory bodykit, M suspension, nicer seats, etc. Or, go aftermarket with roll bars, springs and shocks (! important, handling is so much more than lower ride height via springs)

If you want more power, trade up to the 540 sport... they're not much more expensive than a 535 over here and the extra litre of displacement is something that you can't easily add to the 535 as a starting point.

If you've got cash burning a hole in your pocket after that and want more power, consider charging the 540....

Just be careful of turning your car into a harsh fire-breathing monster... unless you're sure that's what you want - and bear in mind if its primarily a street car it gets tiring after a while. If you can get the same level of performance by trading up a model instead of bolting on aftermarket stuff - i'd be doing that.... mods kill resale and often are not as good (i.e., more compromised) as the same power/handling level obtained with factory parts....