# My lovely E38 needs more power :)



## samuelalex89 (Apr 21, 2009)

Hello guys,
I have a 728i '97 E38 automatic gearbox.
I realy love my car and I think I will never ever sell it.
Never ever?
Yes!Never,ever eeever 
It has all I need except the power.
Now it would be easier to bye a 750iL but I just love the one I have and it won't be the same.
So what I am thinking is (and you will tell me if it's possible) :
I want to swap the 2.8 I6 engine with the 5.4 V12 (M52 with M73) and then take it to ac schnitzer for the tune-up.
Am I crazy or it's doable?And if it is what else do I have to change (ECU,gearbox..)
If it's not possible with the M73 I guess the M62 4.4 V8 will be good also.
Thank you very much in advance


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## CodyItaliano (Feb 19, 2009)

quite possible, not the hardest. but you do need to have a deep pocket for this type of swap as parts and service are pretty expensive. personally, i'd look into turbo kits for the 2.8. that would be pretty cool. the 4.4 V8 is much more reliable than the 5.4 V12 though. V12 is nice, but like i said, you will need to have a large budget for the initial swap and later service that usually comes with the V12.

i dont think we got 6 cylinder E38s here in the US though, i've only seen older ones. probably more so in Europe.


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## samuelalex89 (Apr 21, 2009)

Thanks for the answer.
I'm from Italy,my e38 is EU yes.
The thing is I only want branded parts for my beloved one like Dinan,Hartge or Ac Schnitzer.
Now Dinan offers E38 performance parts only for the 740's and 750's.
I can't find no Hartge parts.
And Ac Schnitzer offers tuning that will take my engine to 3.2l 260hp and that's not very much.
Dinan puts superchargers on the E38's but I don't think they will fit on my car.
I realy need something that will boost me my 728 make 0-60 mph in 11 seconds is this even normal ? 
what can you guys suggest as turbo/superchargers I'm not very informed about them.
I guess most of you are US and none has a 728 
Thank you
Thank you.


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## CodyItaliano (Feb 19, 2009)

the 2.8 does lack power as it was really for fuel mileage. my 740i does 0-60 in about 6.5-7 seconds. even my old '87 honda accord did 0-60 in about 8 seconds as it is carbureted and not fully modified. 

being that your are in Italy, AC Schnitzer is going to be your best choice. i'm not too sure all the parts they offer, but i'm pretty sure for a Euro model its the best way to go. not sure on the money system you use, Euros or something else. but how much are you planning to spend on this modification?

it would be interesting to see some pictures of your E38 too.


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## samuelalex89 (Apr 21, 2009)

Well right now the car is pretty basic,
I'm mounting yellow angel eyes with the chromeline headlight,but I dropped the headlight and the broke the lens  I'm waiting for them to arrive.
I have about 10-15k euro to make my car full with everything bmw offered for the E38.
It has nav&tv,phone,normal el. seats (only front),el. sunshade and some minor details.
Let me list you what I want to get with the money,I am really careful on maintaining the car as original as it can be.
-Perfomance (engine & exaust)
-Comfort heated seats
-El. backseat
-El. adjustable steering wheel
-Headlight washers(mine doesn't have any  )
-Star spoke 95 wheels
-sunshades on the backdoors
and some minor details like (the bluetooth antenna,auto wipers,auto headlights,woodtrim on the reading lights etc..)
Which of these do you think it's possible to do (i am not very sure about the sunshades on the backdoor,for what I heard they come on 740iL and 750iL which have longer doors and they won't fit on mine)..
It will take a lot of time but at the end I'm sure it will worth it.
Please don't think I'm crazy I've already considered buying another e38 but I really love mines and I didn't find an E38 which has everything they always miss something.
I will post some pics when I mound the headlights 

Can you guys suggest an aftermarket site where I can find every possible peace for the E38?


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## bmwtime740 (May 29, 2009)

It's doable. I would work with what you have. These engine are horsepower hogs, engineered to last. Simple upgrades will boost torque and HP.


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## rrtec (Sep 5, 2008)

I smell 14 Year old...


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## armenian (Jul 23, 2007)

CodyItaliano said:


> . my 740i does 0-60 in about 6.5-7 seconds. .


740 0-60 is 6 sec.
750 0-60 is 6.6 sec.


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## E92-Lighting (Sep 4, 2008)

the e38 definitely needs a lot more power


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## 740icraze (Jan 25, 2008)

rrtec said:


> I smell 14 Year old...


hahaha who knows.:rofl:


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