Author Topic: Why is a 31.8IS better then a 32.5I? or is it not? (Read 9642 times)

nicknikolovski · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2007, 09:40:18 PM »

I take the M42 anyday over a M20.

Frankie · « **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2007, 08:09:25 AM »

Well, my 318is is a track day car and I regularly beat E36 and E30 325's with it on (on track).

no1_jazz · « **Reply #17 on:** January 06, 2008, 08:58:43 AM »

Happy New Year to all.

Firstly I would like to apologise for my late reply. I have not been in town. I was away and did not have access to the internet.

Guys I appreciate all your knowledge and help. 91318isguy I do care about the drive stability and handling as that�s more important on the streets and on the track.

Guys I do have a lot of faith in the 31.8IS M42 engine but the money I would be spending on it for a little bit more power on a straight is crazy. What can I do to it so that it gives me that little extra power delivery on the motorway?

Sorry if I am repeating myself but I have decided that I am not going to go through with the 32.5i conversion as I believe that the M42 engine is a work of art that has loads and loads of potential which makes it the dogs dangles lol

Rite guys the questions laid out:

How can I achieve a little more speed on a straight line?

Many Thanks

Jazz

sheepdog · « **Reply #18 on:** January 06, 2008, 11:29:34 AM »

Quote from: no1_jazz;40559

How can I achieve a little more speed on a straight line?

There are some options, but none are easy. Some can be somewhat cheap, but not very as these are not Japanese cars. These motors are difficult to get more than a few HP out of.

Take a look in the Swaps, turbo and buildup section.
Stroking, M44, turbos, and blowers are out there, as are home jobs. I am looking into the potential for a cheap 180-190hp setup though. By cheap I am hoping to stay under $1000 for the job, not likely but that is the goal. When I have more I will try and document it. For now, I would say check out that area as there are some interesting ideas there.

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #19 on:** January 06, 2008, 02:12:51 PM »

Quote from: no1_jazz;40559

How can I achieve a little more speed on a straight line?

Jazz

there are so many things that would make fun projects

chip
turbo
supercharger
engine rebuild - stroker
lighter flywheel
exhaust
or as simple as removing some useless weight

personaly i would go for a 2.1 stroker on individual throttle bodies with a carbon fiber air box with a simple and quiet exhaust and megasquirt
so i'd keep the original engine bay look and that would be more of an engineering and learning experience than just swapping in a 6

i say you take the time to analyze all the possibilities as there are tons and really find what you really want. high revs hps:turbo or bottom torque: supercharger

teamgtnfx01 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 06, 2008, 02:47:00 PM »

wow wut a great thread ... i have a 92 318i vert and i today went to look at a 325is from 89 and it felt much quicker but im still contemplating on wut to do with my 318i considering i cant have 2 cars at once because i am only 17yrs old and am under my parents rules as after reading this thread i realize that a swap is the best way to have a fast e30 and i would not like to do a swap in a convertible so i think im gonna go to the m20 for now and deal with the extra wait till i have the knowledge to do a swap myself also i think i can buy a 325 and have left over money after i sell my 318

and someone said that there are kits out there for a full m50 or s50 swap ... where could those be found

haledj · « **Reply #21 on:** January 06, 2008, 03:18:22 PM »

Quote from: teamgtnfx01;40579

and someone said that there are kits out there for a full m50 or s50 swap ... where could those be found

http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #22 on:** January 06, 2008, 03:25:14 PM »

Quote from: teamgtnfx01;40579

wow wut a great thread ... i have a 92 318i vert and i today went to look at a 325is from 89 and it felt much quicker but im still contemplating on wut to do with my 318i considering i cant have 2 cars at once because i am only 17yrs old and am under my parents rules

keep the vert. if you sell you might regret it in a few years as convertibles will go rare and 325i will only lose value. you said you're only 17 so enjoy the bmw you have and earn experience. or else in 30 years you'll be facing the same problem whether you should sell you GT2 to buy an Enzo.

i say. buy a hyundai. you'll appreciate your vert a lot more

teamgtnfx01 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 06, 2008, 03:37:11 PM »

o man thanks u so much everyone for everyone help ... but as of now im young dumb and full of cum and want to go fast so i would like to do a swap and a vert would not suit a swap like a hard-top would i will keep u guys in mind when i make my decisions

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #24 on:** January 06, 2008, 04:05:01 PM »

Quote from: teamgtnfx01;40584

o man thanks u so much everyone for everyone help ... but as of now im young dumb and full of cum and want to go fast so i would like to do a swap and a vert would not suit a swap like a hard-top would i will keep u guys in mind when i make my decisions

sorry i didnt meant to bring you down.
good luck with your project

no1_jazz · « **Reply #25 on:** January 06, 2008, 06:45:50 PM »

Quote from: hoevesruperd;40573

there are so many things that would make fun projects

chip
turbo
supercharger
engine rebuild - stroker
lighter flywheel
exhaust
or as simple as removing some useless weight

personaly i would go for a 2.1 stroker on individual throttle bodies with a carbon fiber air box with a simple and quiet exhaust and megasquirt
so i'd keep the original engine bay look and that would be more of an engineering and learning experience than just swapping in a 6

i say you take the time to analyze all the possibilities as there are tons and really find what you really want. high revs hps:turbo or bottom torque: supercharger

Easy lol cheers for the information.

help me out you mentioned you would go for a 2.1 stroker on individual throttle bodie, tell me a bit more about this and whay this option.

i was personally thinking supercharge and turbo the sweety pie if thats possable.

Cheers Jazz

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #26 on:** January 06, 2008, 07:19:50 PM »

Quote from: no1_jazz;40595

Easy lol cheers for the information.

help me out you mentioned you would go for a 2.1 stroker on individual throttle bodie, tell me a bit more about this and whay this option.

i was personally thinking supercharge and turbo the sweety pie if thats possable.

Cheers Jazz

the 2.1 stroker would be my project for summer 2009. until then i hope i can earn some knowledge and money.

i know there are a few people on this forum running this engine. tim_s has exaclty the setup i'm looking for

i will do a complete thread when the time will come on the process of building this engine. as university starts tomorow i will have plenty of free time during my boring classes to do some research.

yet i have found that it is possible to bore out 3mm per chamber, using better pistons (still looking for what would be the best ones...M3 or aftermarket). i will also consider new lifters, an M47 crank, new cams, new bearings and more

since the setup will need more gas and the ITB will allow more air, i'm planning on building a megasquirt and a tuned airbox. the ITB and airbox will be my next winter's project as i will be finding a way to machine the adapters . with help from my uni faculty of engineering.

my goal is to get 100hp per liter or more so about 210-220

if you're considering the stroker option check out this website
http://www.metricmechanic.com/
theres a lot of interesting literature available

pbgd3skier · « **Reply #27 on:** January 09, 2008, 05:13:34 PM »

Any car no matter how much HP can go fast enough in a straight line to get you speeding tickets and loss of alot of $$$.

So better to think of it this way, how many places in the united states does the straight line speed really limit you? Its plain stupid to drag people at lights, if you are doing that prepare to lose your DL within a few years.

How many places does the top speed not besting 125 really matter? well most tracks aren't big enough for that to be a huge concern in street cars, and on most any highway such excessive speed will get you in an accident or loss of DL... so same deal.

So what matters? The e30 318's handle extremely well, they are a joy to toss around even if the curvy roads near you are only 25 mph turns.

Learn to drive the car that being, with a 318 you want to get it above 3000, preferably 3500 and keep it there. Having driven Porsche 356's which have a similar powerband (but foul out their plugs if you try to accelerate at under 2k rpm or don't get them cleared out) this comes naturally, but you'd be amazed how many people don't understand why the far side of 6K rpm is an acceptable way to drive. Learn to downshift your car at speed to keep it in its powerband, and learn to get into first gear when you can, its amazing how some people cannot shift into first until they are coming to a stop, but if you can get your downshift into 1st gear you will have all the acceleration you need.

Best updates to either the 318 or 325 will be good tires, good brakes, and if the suspension bushing haven't been redone you will be doing this.

It is often cheaper to find a car that has had struts, shocks, bushings etc. sorted out. Because unless you have done this sort of thing before you'd do well to have a professional do it. Bushings often require access to a shop press, struts, tie rod bushings, and some bushings will require an alignment afterwards.

So where as you can find these cars for 200 bucks in bad shape, by the time you get all that sorted you might as well pay more and get a car that's not a basket case.