Is It Possible? And If So, How?

[318iEnthusiast]

- is it possibly to successfully stroke an m42 engine? and if so how? how much would it cost? what would I need?

- is it possibly to turbo an m42 engine? and if so how? cost? and what does it consist of?

- how successful would these be and which would have better results? what are the comparisons?

...i'm interested mainly because i'm looking for a future project and really want to stick with the m42... just to see what people would think.... and to have something that isn't as common as an i6 or m/s 50

..thanks in advance!

[e9nine]

Complex questions dude, complex questions. No one method is best over the other and each will cost you more if you don't have the labor skills.

There are very few publicly spoken about turbo m42s. A 4cyl turbo can be made to be very potent but with the CR on our cars it comes at a cost if you don't want custom pistons and the other ancilliaries.

Take a look at Febi Guibos n/a 2.1 build up
ASUbimmer or so is  building a turbo m42,
Tim_S is  building a staged buildup as well.

At the end of the day, do as you please since it's your car.

IF you search, you will have answers to all your questions in various degrees or you can PM the owners of the cars.

[318iEnthusiast]

ok n00b question.. what's CR? sry...also... what does stroking consist of? is there any way i can get good performance out of an m42 without having to do vast leaps and high costs?

[e9nine]

CR: Compression Ratio

I don't have all the engine building terminology memorized enough to explain what I understand but look at stroking as increasing the engine's stroke to gain more torque via the increased displacement

My best advice to you is to research the net. Read bimmer specific sites and generic sites as well.
You need to take your time and do a lot of searching on the web and reading articles on engine building to get a thorough understanding on some of the basics.

Find answers to basic questions that can be answered with a simple visit to any basic search engine, it shows your determination to learn  on your own.

With most bimmers, especially the m42, you WILL SPEND $$$ to get significant hp gains.

[sheepdog]

- is it possibly to successfully stroke an m42 engine? and if so how? how much would it cost? what would I need?

- is it possibly to turbo an m42 engine? and if so how? cost? and what does it consist of?

- how successful would these be and which would have better results? what are the comparisons?

...i'm interested mainly because i'm looking for a future project and really want to stick with the m42... just to see what people would think.... and to have something that isn't as common as an i6 or m/s 50

..thanks in advance!

We will be seeing the stroker results tomorow possibly.

How much $$$?
Just a guess, but probably in the neighborhood of around $8000-$9000 when all is said and done. Which is similar in cost to an S50 swap. Maybe 3/4 of that if you do some work yourself, but you cannot do all of it.

Power, the s50 would win, however, engine swap cars are not always easy to live with as you have to mix and match parts and occasionally fabricate them. When you sell the car, it can be even more of a mess. Also, a stroker m42 probably will weigh less, allowing it to narrow the margin of difference.

A swap is not exactly an easy project, neither is a stroker motor, but at least the stroker externally is stock so everything else fits normal.

[m42 fan]

ok n00b question.. what's CR? sry...also... what does stroking consist of? is there any way i can get good performance out of an m42 without having to do vast leaps and high costs?

  Bottom line, if you have to ask questions like this, you're a long way away from being able to do any of those things.  Not trying to be harsh here, I'm not trying anything like this either.

Brian

[318iEnthusiast]

Bottom line, if you have to ask questions like this, you're a long way away from being able to do any of those things.  Not trying to be harsh here, I'm not trying anything like this either.

Brian

oh believe me i know... i said in a while... when i get bored and am looking for something new... i was just wondering if anyone could answer those questions..whether it's their personal opinion or a stated fact...you kno? i'm looking to "lightly mod" my engine and car... if anything, i'll prob just end up chipping my engine, new exhaust and then some... but that's about it.. plus, i'm a HS student...i can't afford a huge project like that... but thanks, and i know you aren't trying to be harm...

[silverblades181]

get a MarkD Chip, good suspension and bars, some good rubber and good brakes, make sure all the maintenance is done and then go have some fun on the track. You'll have PLENTY of power for your driving skills. Once you've registered enough days on the track you might consider doing something more drastic...anyway...my 2 cents. If however your planning on street racing ricer hondas and the such....then you should go buy a ricer honda

[318iEnthusiast]

get a MarkD Chip, good suspension and bars, some good rubber and good brakes, make sure all the maintenance is done and then go have some fun on the track. You'll have PLENTY of power for your driving skills. Once you've registered enough days on the track you might consider doing something more drastic...anyway...my 2 cents. If however your planning on street racing ricer hondas and the such....then you should go buy a ricer honda

f*ck ricers i hate 'em... if i feel up to it, i'll race them... but i hate the coffee can exhaust and asain techno music...and what you said above is what i'm planning on doing...i hardly race people, unless it's my friends...who drive an xA, Explorer Sport, and a PT Cruiser... and a Land Rover Supercharger (mom's boss who taught me how to drive and race)...but other then that... i don't take up offers from people who got their cars from their mommy's...

[mrjezza]

Just to give you a simplified explanation of what stroking does:

The capacity of the engine is determined by two factors, the bore of the cylinder and the stroke of the piston in this cylinder.  

Imagine a pringles tin and a can of coke in the tin.  The tin is like your cylinder and the can is like your piston (except the piston will be a sealed fit inside the cylinder).  

The distance the piston moves up and down within the cylinder is called the stroke and the width of the cylinder is the bore.  Stroking an engine involves making the pistons move a further distance up and down, thus increasing the displacement.

To use the pringles example, if u cut the can in half then the distance the top of it could move would be a little further, meaning there's more room for air and fuel in the engine.

Bore-ing the engine involves making the cylinder wider, also increasing displacement; pringles example, attack the inside of the tin with sandpaper and you will increase the internal diameter of the tube.  As with the tube, you have to be careful not to bore a real engine too much or you may weaken the walls of the block.

So that's stroke/bore in a nutshell (according to my understanding of the matter).  Anyone feel free to correct me where appropriate.

[e9nine]

If you plan to go racing...start with your car as it is now before the mods! Make sure your brakes are in top shape, get some street tires and get a feel for driving in general before you get into performance driving.

You think you know how to drive now but you don't. No one is a good driver out the door. If you're planning on modifying your car via turbo or motor swap it's even more important to understand the basics of car handling. A stock car shod on stock tires and suspension SCHOOLS you on the principles of weight transfer, braking and acceleration.

Nothing beats the feel of taking your stock car around with the pedal to the metal almost on the verge of adhesion of your tires on a track. Until you can do that.... One step at a time

[e9nine]

Just to give you a simplified explanation of what stroking does:

The capacity of the engine is determined by two factors, the bore of the cylinder and the stroke of the piston in this cylinder.  

Imagine a pringles tin and a can of coke in the tin.  The tin is like your cylinder and the can is like your piston (except the piston will be a sealed fit inside the cylinder).  

The distance the piston moves up and down within the cylinder is called the stroke and the width of the cylinder is the bore.  Stroking an engine involves making the pistons move a further distance up and down, thus increasing the displacement.

To use the pringles example, if u cut the can in half then the distance the top of it could move would be a little further, meaning there's more room for air and fuel in the engine.

Bore-ing the engine involves making the cylinder wider, also increasing displacement; pringles example, attack the inside of the tin with sandpaper and you will increase the internal diameter of the tube.  As with the tube, you have to be careful not to bore a real engine too much or you may weaken the walls of the block.

So that's stroke/bore in a nutshell (according to my understanding of the matter).  Anyone feel free to correct me where appropriate.

Cheers..not to simple and not too complicated!!

[318iEnthusiast]

thanks that cleared it up, just asking, about how my extra hp do you get out of boring the engine? stroking the engine? is it ok to bore your engine block if you don't find a way to make the strokes longer?