Thread: BMW E36 318is Coupe Discussion

If you have any feedback, question on inquiries regarding the experiences of M3Power with is BMW E36, please go ahead and post them here

How fast does the E36 reach 100 kmh (60 mph)?

well to be honest my 318IS is not the fasted car out there.. it does 0-60 in about 10sec. However it is capable of reaching speeds up to 135mph which is not too bad. The v6 engines of the more expensive e36 are capable of much faster 0-60.

The m3 which is the top of the range is capable of a 5 sec 0-60 and the 328 in about 6.4 secs if i remember correctly.

So the sound is much better now with the new exhaust right? From what I heard in the audio files you attached, it's pretty sweet...

What kind of front headlights do you have for it? Xenon or Chrome?

Originally Posted by JoStream

What kind of front headlights do you have for it? Xenon or Chrome?

Its a normal Halogen circuit however a hids/Xenon conversion is already planned. Just trying to source the money for it. Shouldn't be to long before I get it done.

However that said a new coilover suspension kit as well as new brakes all around are planned so depending on cash I will start getting everything done. Probably brakes first and then the rest. Hopefully by the end of the summer my project will be finished.

Originally Posted by M3Power

Its a normal Halogen circuit however a hids/Xenon conversion is already planned. Just trying to source the money for it. Shouldn't be to long before I get it done.

However that said a new coilover suspension kit as well as new brakes all around are planned so depending on cash I will start getting everything done. Probably brakes first and then the rest. Hopefully by the end of the summer my project will be finished.

You should be careful when buying the Xenon, cause a lot of the offerings by Third Party manufacturers are not real Xenons. It's really easy to spot the difference between a car that has real ones and a car that bought a cheap set from a shop

Why do you need such a large bass box, isn't that a bit of a handful to have in the back. I'd be worried that components surrounding the box (also below) get affected from the continuous high level vibrations

Originally Posted by JoStream

Why do you need such a large bass box, isn't that a bit of a handful to have in the back. I'd be worried that components surrounding the box (also below) get affected from the continuous high level vibrations

Didnt really get your question to be honest.

A larger box allows more air and since sound is difference in air pressures, more air, means bigger effects.

To get into a bit of a detail...

For a start, subs are so big (usually over 8inch) and tweeters quite small. This is because as frequency decreases the wavelength increases. So low frequencies will sound better (sound directivity) through a larger speaker which is not going to "break" the frequencies. A tweeter is small and is able to "diffuse" (i am sure this is not the right word and I should know better than using it but I hope you get what I mean) the high frequencies, which are not as directive and have a much smaller wavelength.

A bigger box as I said above allows more air. And just like your 2.1 or 5.1 system at home, the same way a sub in the car makes the lower frequencies sound so much better.

Of course in the car you do sacrifice valuable boot space. But its a choice most people will make when they want to improve their sound. This is a choice I really didnt want to make, however I got a bargain and it is just a temporary solution. The plan is to have two smaller subwoofers on the parcel shelf which will use the boot as a "box" or closed container.

I know that you will ask why didnt you use the boot now then? Well that means mounting the woofer somewhere in the boot. And right now that was not an option.

I think I already gave a huge reply that most people will be too lazy to read so I'll stop somewhere her but before I do there is one more part in your post.

Why would you be worried about surrounding parts? What are the surrounding parts? nothing an empty boot. Wires and Amps are not affected by this. Also you have so much vibration from other parts of the car. Even each individual speaker creates vibration. So this is not really a valid concern when using the amp for everyday in car situations.

Now if you go out and blast the amp and your headunit full (as you get lots of people doing that to show off) then yes you damage not only your car, your equipment and your ears. And people dont really like you afterwards. i have heard of cases where people cracked their glasses or caused problems to their cars. But on 12 inch box used sensibly and at volumes to satisfy yourself and not to show off then you will definitely have no problems.

Originally Posted by M3Power

I know its not an award winning set up but I think its more than enough for what I need

Later on I will hopefully replace the sub with something that will take up less space. Was thinking of 2 8 inch subs on the parcel shelf or something similar.

That's a sweet setup any way you look at it. It must THUMP!

In my experience, you would go back to your 12" in a heartbeat. 2 8"'s just won't give you the sweet, spine rattling lows that make your eyeballs vibrate enough that you can't see the road

Originally Posted by saltysurprise

That's a sweet setup any way you look at it. It must THUMP!

In my experience, you would go back to your 12" in a heartbeat. 2 8"'s just won't give you the sweet, spine rattling lows that make your eyeballs vibrate enough that you can't see the road

well to be honest there still a lot to do before I can call it a "sweet" set up. but I guess thats because I studying to be an acoustical engineer. So it will take quite a bit more to satisfy me

And yea I agree with ou that 2 8" will never much a 12" woofer but its all about keeping the car functional at the same time. And I feel that the boot space is something I dont want to sacrifice. Also the extra weight at the back changes the handling characteristics of the car as well.

Future plans include a set of 6" middle to low frequency components in the rear cards to give some more "bass". Along with that two 8 or 10" woofers on the parcel shelf which means that the bass will know be in the cabin and not in the boot like most common application.

And I'll stop here before I start talking and not know when to stop.