Author Topic: e30 m42? sr20? m10? (Read 4941 times)

trackster · « **on:** September 12, 2006, 09:42:59 PM »

hi guys, im new to this forum..ive done abit of reading and research here and elsewhere but im still very confused with stuff cos everyones telling me diffferent story so i hope i dont get flamed here for posting this.

personally im a big fan of 4 cyl high revving engines therefore i bought a E30 318i here in melbourne, australia which came with the m40 engine. to my horror, the m40 wassnt exactly an engine u would wanna play with. mates told me to go M10, stroke it up to 2L with some stroker kit off the 2002. whack in a ecu and it shd hit 100rwkw easy. sounds good but how true isit? i dont know cos i dont noe anyone else with this setup. option 2 is to get a m42 but i know jack about this engine and its potential. all i need is about 100-110rwkw and fair bit of torque in my e30, that will be more than enuff for track work for my pleasure.i used to drive civics with b16a engine therefore im used to that sort of power. any less will be abit..boring?
option 3 is just to SR20det the car but its breaking my own NA rule? sighhh any advice please? i would like the m42 as theres one available over here now. but can someone advice me on the potential? thanks heaps!

silverblades181 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 12, 2006, 10:33:10 PM »

The M10 has a lot of potential for power, heck they used it to jack 1300 hp on the old BMW Formula 1. (with 75 psi of boost and one hell of a turbo) Anyhow, the M42 is also a very good engine. I've driven in a b18a and my friend has a b16b with a type R head....it's not the same thing. The bimmer engine revs less but is still a lot of fun and tuned well like Febi or Tim's engines, you can get 200 hp and then some but it costs a lot. I guess it all depends on your budget.

trackster · « **Reply #2 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:08:43 AM »

hmm so m10 or m42? ehehe.. if only they behaved like the b16,18 or b20!

doigal · « **Reply #3 on:** September 13, 2006, 06:34:48 AM »

Hey trackster! Welcome from ECCA!

M42 is still the best bet in my opinion, and certainly the easiest to get passed vicroads!

If your keen for pooowwwwaa from it then look up the m47 crank swap here and the downing atlanta supercharger. Still think thats the best bet for street legal!

FL318is · « **Reply #4 on:** September 13, 2006, 08:43:17 AM »

I haven't seen any flaming here, just good fun and help. Enjoy the ride!

16vcoffin · « **Reply #5 on:** September 13, 2006, 01:36:45 PM »

persionally- Id just update to a newer m42 with obd1 do slight headwork and put a Dowing atlanta supercharger on it. its a 2500lb car that can easily RELIABLY put down 220hp. To be honest I think I drive the canyons faster with my 318is with only suspention work than I do with my s13 with sr20 blacktop s15 turbo, cage and coilovers.

trackster · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2006, 08:43:41 PM »

hey 16vcoffin! i totally agree with u! i used to own 180sx and s15 and though mine is only a 318i with NO SUSPENSION work and with the front sitting higher than the bacck, i can feeel its potential already! i also had a EK civic which was for track. its capable of same handling as the civic! thats why i really really really really really really really love this e30! hehe i do not want to supercharge it. just wanna stick to NA, if im gona resort to any form of FI, id prob go sr20..how hard will it be to squeeze about 110 120rwkw from the m42?

16vcoffin · « **Reply #7 on:** September 14, 2006, 12:39:43 PM »

Oh man I had a full track spec rabbit, very much like the civic and man I miss it. Such a champ.

The whole balanced feeling and positive feedback or 'potential' you feel is because the car is very well sorted from factory. I understand you wanting to stick NA, and my reason for suggesting the SC is it only adds 18lbs to the car. This, to me, is one of the only way I can ever see pulling big HP numbers without upsetting the balance.
Most times it�s the easy answer to plop a huge s50 motor in the car to get power. Yeah you'll go off the line but even with top notch suspension work and brakes it will never regain the feel and braking distance your current light weight set up does now, I have driven a couple of good friends swaps and yeah they are fast but that�s all relative to situation. In canyon driving or short track and some autocross what you want to be faster at is braking distance and chassis stability; sure torque helps but is largely unneeded if you maintain a more compose line into and during the corner- thus carrying momentum. I can tell you, to their dismay I drive faster at short events and canyons than all the swapped cars around here. Why do you suppose the most iconic racecar m3 of all time was fitted with a high strung 4 cyl?

On that note their are ways to make you m42 e30 allot faster with out changing your HP figures necessarily. Light weight flywheel and quick LSD can make all the change in quickness that you would never expect. Add a GOOD chip some exhaust, you'll gain high end to compliment your added pick up. Add some good pads and lines and most importantly TIRES and aggressive ALIGNMENT your car will feel unbeatable in the twisties. Now once you refine YOUR skill level you may just be unbeatable. Hp figures are a good barometer for a car's output but not all that accurate when talking about the speed in an M42 powered e30.

trackster · « **Reply #8 on:** September 14, 2006, 11:11:25 PM »

hey 16vcoffin! we think the same! with my ek4, it had a stock b16a engine. no ecu no cams nothing. i changed to a 4.9 final drive from a stock 4.4. a JUN lightened flywheel, and the basic stuff like intake and exhaust. man! it rocks! not much torque or overall power but hell as u said! momentum etc etc and the shorter braking distance compared to alot other cars! i outbrake most street V8s or even some semi race ones on philip island and i love that car! thats why i said i dont need alot of power from my e30 between 100 to 120 is more than enuff at the wheels. isit easy to achieve that on a m42? im still researching how to and which final drive ratios i can change to. i got a locked diff at the moment so lsd aint an issue

16vcoffin · « **Reply #9 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:39:32 AM »

http://r3vlimited.com/Tech/318is.htm
http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/techletters/0000ec_techletters02d/
http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e30

these are prolly the best places to find info about what can be done with the m42. mostly just the revlimited has solid info the others you kinda have to sort for it but is there. I had a link that had somemore good solid info but cant seem to find it right now.

318-is · « **Reply #10 on:** September 16, 2006, 12:33:18 PM »

There is a guy on an english forum an he has done an m10 stroker with various s14 parts and headwork an its a serious weapon. 2 litres i think is his capacity

is it the sr20det? mate if you have some money these engines can produce up to a 1000bhp. remeber this is the engine used in pulsars an they dont really break at all! obviously it would be silly money to get it up to those figures but small money goes a long way on turbo engines it seems

still be the m42 for me though

trackster · « **Reply #11 on:** September 16, 2006, 06:47:02 PM »

hi 318-is, mind sharing with me why ud stick to the m42? ive never driven one with m42 so i hope to get a rough idea.

Febi Guibo · « **Reply #12 on:** September 16, 2006, 09:29:22 PM »

if yer a fan of high revving 4-cyl engines, the M42 a great choice, and has some more modern conveniences (hydraulic valves, chip-able, vs. the M10 which is not).

Building an M10 to S14 specs/power is often nearly as expensive as getting a new S14, and although it has a lot of potential b/c of the block, there's some work involved.

on the flip side, b/c the M10 was in the 2002, E21, and E30s, there's a ton of information about building it up.

For me, I wanted to avoid a lotta fuss and keep the dynamics of the car the same, so building up an M42 worked out well for my particular goals / plan. Also, the dasc supercharger is now a solid, viable option for making good bolt on power.

318-is · « **Reply #13 on:** September 17, 2006, 06:28:02 AM »

The m42 is just a good engine! it was deisgned by a very clever engine designer (his name escapes me now) at BMW who ironically killed himself after the design of the engine! it has so many modern tweeks and is also in the right insurance bracket for someone of my age. i just think also it as overlooked! its really a great engine and with some cash well spent on it as shown by certain heroes on here it will give s14s a run for there money!

trackster · « **Reply #14 on:** September 19, 2006, 10:56:08 AM »

hmm so does anyone noe anyone selling a m42 in melbourne australia? hehe