First I want to apologize if this question has been addressed in a previous post. I would like to add about 25-30ph to my 2004 530i and I cannot find any useful information on Chips, Software, or exhaust. Any reccomendations ( along with your experience with any reccomended products) and site links would be greatly appreciated.

Also what is the maximum horsepower anyone has ever been able to achieve with a car of my year and engine ? I have an the sports package ( just in case that matters )

Thanks

You obviously haven't heard of me huh.
Well i have done everything possible to do to a 2004 530i E60 and have posted it on the threads for anyone to follow. Currently trying to finish my turbo tuning. Everything is installed just fine tuning the Fuel maps. Oh it's a pain in the arse. Other mods done. Diff 3.91 LSDs, Direct port nitrous system, Race clutch Stage III+, Completely built motor with forged pistons and lower compression, Head ported and polished, supertech valve springs and titanium retains, Methanol/Water injections and a few small other things. I hope you get the point. It's expense but you can do what you want with this car if you can offord to pay for it. Not saying anything but it's not a cheap transition because for some reason people want to charge us more but all motors are design to do one thing one way.
So to answer your question you can do what you want and I can help you either way you choose. Any yes we have the exact same car. 2004 BMW 530i E60 with 6 speed Transmission sports package.

Let me know
Rito

Where do i start that will give me the most bang for my buck. Chips/Software ( if those things even work ), exhaust, or maybe something a little more complicated and expensive. I just don't even know where to start. I only want about 30 more horsepower so. If you could help me achieve that i would really appreciate it.

Thanks

You see the funny thing is that to get 30hp out of the car it will cost the same thing to run a nice nitrous system on the car. You could get a reflash which to start and here is the site you can goto and locate a reflash near your area and have him reflash the thing for about 350-500 bucks. You will only see about 15hp out of that. If you can stand the sound of the thing you can have your muffler removed and just make it a straight pipe in that area. What i did was remove the muffler and resonator and ran straight pipes all the way back. i still have the cats but the car is so loud you might not like it. Any exhaust shop can do this for you. What might help with the noise is to have a exhaust shop cut the exhaust right right where it connects to the manifold and have him weld a Y to bring the both of the manifolds together and run a 4-5 inch pipe all the way back. It might be a good idea to have the exhaust work done before the reflash and make sure you tell the guy that you had it done because the tuner can make changes based on that. That should get you close to 20-25hp. Exhaust work will cost probably 150-300 bucks. When i installed the turbo it made it sound much better. If you add the two cost together it will cost just what a nitrous system would cost you with most of the bugs and whistles. But the best option for that would be 1500-2000 bucks and you can run up to a 100 shot of extra power as long as your bottles are filled. Even upgrading the diff to accelerate faster will cost you 5k, so everything esle you can do to the car will cost you alot of money.

Here is the site for the reflash to get started.
http://www.upsolute.com/content/blogcategory/24/29/lang,en/
I did not see one in your area but give the main office a call in NC. His name is Rene and you could shoot him an email as well. You might have to mail him your dme or someone closer to you to get it done. In the meantime you could have the exhaust work done. Hopefully you have a buddy or something that welds exhaust if you can't do it yourself.
Also, AA offers a 500 bucks reflash as well but it's only about 12-15hp.

I would like to ask a silly question of why? Why not just spend extra bucks and get a 540 or even a M3? Sell your car and take the extra bucks you would have spent and get a bigger engine car or faster car. I do not think life is that complicated. Not what you wanted to hear.

I would like to ask a silly question of why? Why not just spend extra bucks and get a 540 or even a M3? Sell your car and take the extra bucks you would have spent and get a bigger engine car or faster car. I do not think life is that complicated. Not what you wanted to hear.
If the question is for me. Here is your answer. I like my 530i and if I had a M3 or 540i I would want them faster too. Either way I would get use to the power and want more. My setup is by far going to be faster than any new M3 or M5. With all the modes I have done. I will be attempting power levels of the supra. Now for this guy who started the post He could have gotten a new 530i and got the extra power but some people enjoy what they have and want to make the best of it. Or they don't want to foot the bill for a new car. Don't you know you loose money when you trade in your car and end up side down on your loan. Well he should be fairly close to paying his car off but still. Its a choice that I am sure he has considered and you know mine.

Upgrading cars is a passion for some, others just go to the dealer and maintain cars as is. Ritoab, mad props. It's nice to see someone actually working on their BMW.

Thanks, It's a working progress
Rito

Good answers. Now lets spend some money!! I have five sets of golf clubs for the same reason.

yeap, How about sending me a set. I spent too much on the car now I can't spend someone the golf club set and the wife want buy me one.

I'm not into tuning cars anymore... just does not make sense financially and if you factor in all the bugs with electronics, voiding the warranty and the amount of money it takes to fix things on these cars... I'm just not into tuning anymore. I am considering a 535i for my next car though - 530 seems a little too "smooth", especially that I got it after a twin-turbo Audi, which was f-fasssst !

But that's neither here nor there, so my question is: WHY do you tune the 530? I have one and it doesn't strike me as a particularly racy vehicle. Doesn't seem very optimal for tuning. I know this question has been asked before, but I am but trying to figure out what it is that you're trying to get out of a tuned 530? And this goes to anyone who's doing it: what are you trying to get out of tuning a 530 and what can you get realistically?

I'm not into tuning cars anymore... just does not make sense financially and if you factor in all the bugs with electronics, voiding the warranty and the amount of money it takes to fix things on these cars... I'm just not into tuning anymore. I am considering a 535i for my next car though - 530 seems a little too "smooth", especially that I got it after a twin-turbo Audi, which was f-fasssst !

But that's neither here nor there, so my question is: WHY do you tune the 530? I have one and it doesn't strike me as a particularly racy vehicle. Doesn't seem very optimal for tuning. I know this question has been asked before, but I am but trying to figure out what it is that you're trying to get out of a tuned 530? And this goes to anyone who's doing it: what are you trying to get out of tuning a 530 and what can you get realistically?
Do you remember and are you old enough to know that the cadilac was the car of choice to upgrade performance on many years. Those big heavy beast cars would move on the highway.
he he
If this question is for me. First, most car drivers wish there car has a little more thump and to upgrade every year will end up costing you more money in a long run for the extra 30hp. Now if we are asking specifically about my car. Well, You might want to do some research on my car. I know most of the threads i started about my projects are not all complete. I openly disclosed all the headaches as well the positive out come. I personally would do this again but I have enjoyed the many projects i have done so far and there is still lots of work that I intend to do. You really can not compare my car to your stock car and the extra 30hp the OP wants. My car is custom everything from head to touch and once I finish tuning the damn DME optimally I will start on the body design and wheel package as my last and final project. As I said in a earlier statement it's just something I like to do and yes it's unique project and doing this to a M3 would have made life much more simple. But that would be doing what everyone else does and I am not like that. Anyway, my motor is completely built, custom nitrous system, custom turbo, race diff, race clutch so yeah i need to have this thing tuned for all this. Is it ideal? No but it's my project and if anyone wants to go that rough I can make life easier for them since I have done it all. Just trying to be helpful.

To say what you wouldn't do or not feel that it should be done means very little because every will do as they please to their car even if you and I both told them that it makes absolutely no since. "Correct" Not saying this to cause offense and I welcome opinions but I still will do as I choose after getting the best advice. So does it really makes since to state the obvious. Probably not.