Hey fellow 6ers,

I FINALLY got my dream car!! A 1988 635CSi highliner! It has about 235,000 miles on it and is in great condition (with the exception of the front bumper skirt... I may need a new one of those in a couple of years)! The engine sounds great and the tranny (auto) locks into gear with lots of strength. I only paid $3500 for it and I think I got a steal on it! I will post pictures when I get it exported over the US border!

Anyway, I am looking to upgrade the shit out of this puppy but I want to do it in moderations over the years. First thing I want to do is get a chip for it. I have been looking into the Dinan chip, but I think my mind is made up with the Jim Conforti/Turner chip (I get an extra 20hp over the Dinan). My questions are:

1. What kind of impact does this chip have on the longevity of the engine?
2. Eventually I will want to upgrade the ignition system toe a MSD ignition system. Will this impact the perform of the chip or harm the engine?
3. I will probably put new high performace cams in. How will that effect the chip/engine reliability?
4. With this chip will I need to make any modifications to the fuel system (eg. injectors, fuel pump)?
5. Also, I know that chip is programmed to use 91 octane fuel. What would be the effect if using 87 octane (or anything under 91 octane)?

Okay, next set of questions :) After I upgrade my ECU I want to upgrade the lighting system to a Xenon HID setup. I am curious if anyone has done this conversion on the ellipsode projector headlights? Will the HID bulbs fit in the projectors?

Thanks everyone!

Chris

i dont know much heres my 2 cents worth...the chip won't effect the engine much cuz it just changes the air/fuel mixture. so i dont think it will harm/help.
then if u use 87 octane your engine will knock which is not good. so use 91 octane at least. maybe the mustang injectors would not hurt at all with the chip

Get your chip from Mark D'Sylva at http://www.dsylva-tech.ca/ He has one for the 535 of that era, which should be the same. Call/email him and he'll tell you if he has one (the website is not a full list). He can also tell you what impact your mods will have on the chip.

HIDs will require more than just a bulb refit. I don't know the details, but my gut feeling is that it isn't worth it. Just get better quality bulbs for the ellipsoids.

you would probaly want to get a schrick cam, they sell them on bavauto.com
and there is only one cam in the car fyi

usually its a good idea to do a chip, cam, and exhaust then possibly an intake, its not necessary to get 19lb mustang injectors but it wont hurt, especially if yours are dirty or partially clogged. (stock injectors are 18lbs i think)

anyhow...im not sure about the msd, stock ignition seems to be just fine, mine starts strong every time, so i wouldnt bother with that for a while...

dont run less that 92 (or whatever premium) is if you have the chip, if possible. you can get away with mid-grade 89 from time to time if you are in a pinch for cash, but i wouldnt run it all the time...

make sure when you get your car before you start driving it check/top-off or change all fluids ect...

another mod you might want to think of is upgrading your diff, this will increase acceleration, but if you go to extreme with the ratios it can drastically reduce drivability on the highway.

anyhow... welcome to the forums, look forward to seeing some pics. you need to have 20 posts i think to post up pics... we are here to help ect so dont be shy, and also check out roadfly.com find the 6er forum, as well as bigcoupe.com

cheers


Andrew

and the jim c chip is 97 octane, at least that is what mine is

and the jim c chip is 97 octane, at least that is what mine is

Are you sure it is 97? That seems pretty high! DO you mean 91 octane? Or is your chip a custom tune? Just curoius.

From bimmerworld about JC chips:
A computer chip is always our first recommended upgrade to almost every BMW. Bonneville Motorwerks tuned engine performance chips, developed by Motronic expert Jim Conforti, provide the ultimate in performance. The modified Motronic software, which requires 91 or higher octane gasoline, adjusts the ignition timing and fuel curves which results in increased performance. We have dynoed Jim Conforti chips and compared them to all other brands and found they provide the best performance throughout the entire rpm range, while still providing the safety margin needed when running a performance engine. Along with performance increases in both torque and horsepower, Jim Conforti chips provide the maximum competitive advantage through raised engine rev-limits and removed top speed limiters

Thanks for the tips everyone! I am definitely going to get the JC chip and throw that in there and see what it does for me. CAMs will be added at a later date for sure, but all of this stuff is going to happen over the years. I think I am going to try a Xenon conversion because I know other people have done it, but they may have switched their lamps over to the Euro ones which aren't projectors.