S54 cams and vanos

[Vanne]

After acquiring a nice set of: 288/280



I thought I'd write a quick and dirty review. In one word.. AWESOME,!!!! I just can't believe the change in dynamics, but I am sure it's not just due to the cams, vanos and tune, but a combination of all put together with the CSL intake and race cans. The car is very angry now and everytime you step on its tail it just sounds like an angry wasp. The sound and torque is intoxicating. Did I mention the sound yet when running around 4 to 7k rpm.. just loving it. The whole experience has been great. Randy's updated tune from Epic tying everything very nicely together.

I need to run a few more hundered miles to loosen everything up a bit and then my car will go for a dyno session.. what are the expectations? Nfi really, but I just feel that the car is very nicely balanced at the moment.

Loving the drive...

[yousefnjr]

Nice. What did you do to the vanos?

Video of this screaming beast is required btw

[Beedub]

has it got a lovely lumpy idle?? or not aggressive enough?

[inTgr8r]

Love seeing this come together Vanne.

[FD3S]

Originally Posted by yousefnjr

Video of this screaming beast is required btw

We want a video Vanne! Have you went to a dyno after this setup?

[Nikitas_Z4mcoupe]

Originally Posted by FD3S

We want a video Vanne! Have you went to a dyno after this setup?

Video and dyno required ASAP!!!!
If not going SC this was the set up I was looking for........

[Vanne]

Thanks guys, dyno is coming in a week or 2, I'll take a few vids of the car running and I'll try to capture the sound. Gotta do a few things to the car over the next week.. oh forgot to mention Power pulleys also installed. The vanos was completely rebuilt and anti rattle and new pump disc installed. I am having an issue with rattles from my new GC sway Bar, but seriously loving the car.. after the dyno, I'll probably merge this thread with my build thread. The cams are 288/280 and idle is sitting up at about 1k (aircon on and 850 with aircon off. I'll see if I can get some quick and dirty video..

[EMKOOP]

Exciting times Cant wait to see the results Vanne!

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Vanne

Thanks guys, dyno is coming in a week or 2, I'll take a few vids of the car running and I'll try to capture the sound. Gotta do a few things to the car over the next week.. oh forgot to mention Power pulleys also installed. The vanos was completely rebuilt and anti rattle and new pump disc installed. I am having an issue with rattles from my new GC sway Bar, but seriously loving the car.. after the dyno, I'll probably merge this thread with my build thread. The cams are 288/280 and idle is sitting up at about 1k (aircon on and 850 with aircon off. I'll see if I can get some quick and dirty video..

What is this strange thang you call aircon

[Vanne]

Lol.. I think you guys call it cli(mate) control, see you guys use the word mate in everything as well.

[Taskmaster]

If cams weren't so cost prohibited, they would be one of the modifications I recommend to everyone. I did a set on my old (old!) car, and it completely transformed it, I could only imagine how awesome it would be in a S54.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Vanne

Lol.. I think you guys call it cli(mate) control, see you guys use the word mate in everything as well.

Lol..... Don't need no aircon, HVAC, cli(mate) control, in a track car mate.
Need to shed those pounds up front.

With a couple of race stickers, almost as fast as a cam job. Lol


Looking forward to your dyno results

[FD3S]

Vane if I might ask, how much it it costed the Schrick camshafts, the camshaft follower and the power pulleys?

Why you decided to go with the 280/288 setup and not the 280/272?

Waiting forward for your video and your dyno.

[Vanne]

FD35S, i can't really remember what i dished out for those cams and followers, (donovon will likely know) and to be honest, I have been trying to forget it. (they were steep-ish) The power pulley kit was around 250 (with around 6 months of waiting for postage) and the vanos refresh kit was another couple of hundred US. The 288/280 was chosen purely as it had received the best feedback, and has more performance to offer that the close to CSL spec 280/272.
Other e46 and M3 sites provided lots of info on issues and general usage from the higher spec cams (read lots of running/tuning issues), and in the end, it was Randy from Epic who suggested that for my use (i don't compete, but will use the car for extensive tracking) the 288/280 set would be best.

The install price over here might be different than what it would cost where you are, but i payed 1900US for the install of everything. Though that said, at the same time they also forged the right fang heat exchanger in there, so would have added to the time. They also installed the GC sway bar (freshly painted too i might add) and a few other bits and pieces (new quarter windows installed), a few bits and pieces of trim re attached.. water temp sensor hooked up to my pod gauge (included the sensor)

the car was in the workshop there for close to 2 weeks..

Car had a leak down test and they NDT the tabs on the pump. So yeah i guess it was quite a bit of work. The only thing they didn't do was install the Tune, which i did myself when i got the car home. Car has to go back to the shop concerning the Sway bar (too much noise coming from it) , but besides that, REALLY LOVING IT!!!

all that said.. this is NOT A GOOD bang for buck modification. including the install and parts your probably looking at around 5K. which is pretty much the entry level into a SC.. which isn't rocket science that that route will deliver much, much more HP / $..

Would i go the same route again after all that I've gone through and the costs involved? Hell yes i would! There is something about the intake under the hood, there is something about the way that S54 sounds, and there sure as heck is something really special about the way this engine feels when all those mods are tied together, and compliment each other perfectly.

BUT… thats for me, for me this car is more about keeping my mind in the right place, for having something to balance out my extremely busy work life with my extremely energetic little kids and to go and swing a spanner and get my butt back down on the ground. relativity speaking of course.. The car grounds me to my kids, it grounds me to my wife and it grounds me to my life.

That alone for me is worth more than I've sunk into this car. Hack just recently talked about an article which made mention about there being a price point where your modding into the next category car.. Well i sure as heck have seen that point come and gone. If i were to sell this car today, id make such a loss on it, id probably cry!!
But then , I am not looking to let this car go, when that point came, there and then i decided that i would be keeping this car, and if i have to follow the YBR and return to OZ (for what ever reasons) or back to Europe, this car WILL be coming with us.

But once again, please do your homework. I seriously can't recommend these mods if your just after the most impressive numbers .. (SC is for you) and i sure as hell can't recommend any of this is your only here passing by, driving the car for a year or so, then i would say, "move along, nothing to see here!" But on the off chance that your looking to see where this platform can go, NA, and your here to stay, then id say "Make sure those belts are tight, your in for a one heck of a ride "

/rant

[GTA Z4MC]

Hi Vanne
Can you post some Video of you ripping around in that beast in Dubai?
I'd love to see it in motion
Thx

[StickMon]

I think $1900 for all that work is a pretty sweet deal.
Glad it's running good. I was a little skeptical about the cams.

[ga41]

Video!!

[Vanne]

[FD3S]

Originally Posted by Vanne

More and more! What kind of car has your friend btw?

[zurus]

Weak sauce , show us some WOT action.

[Mike_Z4M]

Originally Posted by FD3S

More and more! What kind of car has your friend btw?

Looks like a C63 amg

[Vanne]

Originally Posted by Mike_Z4M

Looks like a C63 amg

Yep its a C63 amy thing.. goes great in a straight line, but the Z4m is faster around the track. So my mate Gonzalis tells me

adding some pics for completeness