how good does an m50'd e30 go?

[Morat]

Calling an M20 a boat anchor is a bit unfair when your engine is heavier!

[town325i]

An M50 running as it should will plss all over an old boat anchor any day of the week.

As Jhonno said, there is less than 20kg's in it, the web based engine weights are for bare engines which is where the 20kg comes from, plastic inlet Vs cast alloy inlet, tubular exhaust Vs cast iron exhaust etc

I dont recall any M20 coming close to my times at Santa Pod!

i can say that dans m50 was much faster than my m20 engined e30 left me for dead and my engine was pretty healthy

[DanThe]

Calling an M20 a boat anchor is a bit unfair when your engine is heavier!

A 'boat anchor' is about as basic as a lump of iron can get, hence the term

IMO of course

[e301988325i]

So a 220bhpish alloy block m52 must be a lighter engine than both, I'm sorry if I'm missing something here but if you're swapping engines you may as well guarantee a decent improvement??

I raced an m50 against my LIGHTER boat anchor m20 and we were level pegging, nothing in it at all, he can drive too. Ps) 2dr manual vs 2dr manual

[Jhonno]

Calling an M20 a boat anchor is a bit unfair when your engine is heavier!

Not really.. There is a lot less in it than you think going by bare weights..

An M50'd E30 is over a second quicker quicker on the 1/4 mile than an M20.. I have only seen 3 M2027s come close to a standard M50's time..

[Jhonno]

So a 220bhpish alloy block m52 must be a lighter engine than both, I'm sorry if I'm missing something here but if you're swapping engines you may as well guarantee a decent improvement??

I raced an m50 against my LIGHTER boat anchor m20 and we were level pegging, nothing in it at all, he can drive too. Ps) 2dr manual vs 2dr manual

Last time I drove an M20 engined e30, I had stepped right out of an M50'd e30, and the M50 engine'd e30 would have walked all over it in a straight line and it was an early high comp lump

[DanThe]

IIRC even alpina couldnt get an M20 to go faster than an M50

[Jhonno]

I quote straight line as the M50 had a sorted chassis the M20 didn't..

[Jhonno]

IIRC even alpina couldnt get an M20 to go faster than an M50

Nope!

[town325i]

m20 engines are as old as god and i dont know why i keep messing about with them im starting to think about getting an m50 in my car just so it can be more relaible

[DanThe]

You'd have to sell your engine crane then though!

[Bump]

are there any reliability issues with an m52 engine vs an m50?

Besides nikasil I mean.

sounds like if you were to spend the cash upgrading you may as well have something a bit more loony for your cash power wise with the 2.8 engine.

[Dr Firefly]

How does the fuel economy of a M52 2.8 E30 compare with a standard M20 2.5? Obviously much more power, but better or worse on fuel?

And what's the newest sensible petrol engine you can install and still keep all the OEM dash, OBC etc - M52?

Thanks - not that I'm beginning to lust for more power in my beautiful new 325i cab

[Simon13]

An M50 running as it should will plss all over an old boat anchor any day of the week.

As Jhonno said, there is less than 20kg's in it, the web based engine weights are for bare engines which is where the 20kg comes from, plastic inlet Vs cast alloy inlet, tubular exhaust Vs cast iron exhaust etc

I dont recall any M20 coming close to my times at Santa Pod!

don't lie! 14.9 in a 170,000 mile engine albeit 2.7 with a log manifold in a heavier touring shell

The effort/money required to install an M50 is way too much for the gains. As said only worth it if the engine is at least a standard 2.8

A good top end rebuild and a cam on an M20 i'd say is a better long term bet than some shagged M50 which has been hauling 1700kgs of 5 series about for 17 years

[Jhonno]

M50 swap costs are not great.. I bought an engine for £160, with an iS box etc further costs can be kept to a minimum.

Like for like the M50 is a better and quicker prospect.. Just not in a Sport

[Bavarian_Autotech]

An M50B25 has approx 190 bhp/180 lb-ft compared to the M20B25 approx 170 bhp/165lb-ft so there is approx 12% more power and torque and thats it.

didnt the facelift m20's have lower compression and less power, eg more like 160 bhp ?

are there any reliability issues with an m52 engine vs an m50?

Besides nikasil I mean.

well the M50 is a lot stronger.
///M division and Alpina both turned down using the alloy block in E36's
and if yuo boil it the alloy block turns into scrap

[Bump]

must say my 328 would never idle quite as it should of. had the nikasil fix, changed icv, vanos, afm, ecu, various pipes, tested for air leaks, comp tested, injectors checked, plus anything else anyone could think of but was never quite right.

went like stink though and would make an e30 very quick indeed.

[Morat]

What I really want is the M54 3.0 out of my wife's touring. That thing is a really smooth torquey unit and has a great top end too.

[reggid]

An M50B25 has approx 190 bhp/180 lb-ft compared to the M20B25 approx 170 bhp/165lb-ft so there is approx 12% more power and torque and thats it.

didnt the facelift m20's have lower compression and less power, eg more like 160 bhp ?

There wasn't much in it officially a bhp or two........the low comp cars would suffer more from old age i would guess and probably has lead to the school of though that it was lower than what BMW quoted.

[Jhonno]

I believe DanThe is putting together a M54/50B30 hybrid thing for his chromie..

[Wilson325i]

in a e30 am never going back to an M20.

i used to think my 2.7 was quick . but god, my M52 would out manuver and then kill it in any gear, and its pretty much standard

i know i know i know, we are talking about an m50 but hey.

[Bump]

What I really want is the M54 3.0 out of my wife's touring. That thing is a really smooth torquey unit and has a great top end too.

what do m54 3.0 engines start life in?

can you put those in an e30?

what out put they got?

cheers

[mr_dink]

What I really want is the M54 3.0 out of my wife's touring. That thing is a really smooth torquey unit and has a great top end too.

what do m54 3.0 engines start life in?

can you put those in an e30?

what out put they got?

cheers

e46 330, x5, z4 etc, 2000 onwards.

Wikipedia quotes power at 228bhp.

e46 330, x5, z4 etc, 2000 onwards.

Wikipedia quotes power at 228bhp.

As for putting it in an e30, its the same nuts and bolts as an m50/52 but the electrics are a nightmare as its a much newer engine.

[reggid]

What I really want is the M54 3.0 out of my wife's touring. That thing is a really smooth torquey unit and has a great top end too.

what do m54 3.0 engines start life in?

can you put those in an e30?

what out put they got?

cheers

e46 330, x5, z4 etc, 2000 onwards.

Wikipedia quotes power at 228bhp.

e46 330, x5, z4 etc, 2000 onwards.

Wikipedia quotes power at 228bhp.

As for putting it in an e30, its the same nuts and bolts as an m50/52 but the electrics are a nightmare as its a much newer engine.

you would be better off just swapping the bottom end gizzards.........

[Daf318is]

What I really want is the M54 3.0 out of my wife's touring. That thing is a really smooth torquey unit and has a great top end too.

Would she notice if you "borrowed" it?

[Morat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M54

It is double VANOS but doesn't have all the variable lift gubbins of the N series engines. If/when megasquirt gets double VANOS control I suspect we'll see a few conversions

@Daf I think she'd notice alright, maybe I should swap the M20 back in there to cover it up a bit

[DanThe]

Morat, if you siliconed the plastic covers back on i doubt she would notice at all

M20 Vs M50 - its the new 325i Vs 318iS debate

Simon, I thought you were above 15 last year, will you be faster this year? For the cost of a proper top end rebuild you could convert to M50

M54 is a lot of messing about, if I were to start again id find a different way!

[Wilson325i]

Simon, I thought you were above 15 last year, will you be faster this year?

actually his alpina done good last year , it got into the high 14s

and the other 2.7s i think were slower than most 2.5s lol.

last year i missed the pod, no way in hell am i missing it this time

what are coming with dan?

[Bob_S]

S power is where it's at girls.

[DanThe]

Pod is the best show in the year IMO, much more interesting than the Gay-dom Car Club massacre

I will be in the chromie this year

[DanThe]

S power is where it's at girls.

Stop spamming bob

[Bob_S]

S power is where it's at girls.

Stop spamming bob

I'm just stating facts

[DanThe]

[bss325i]

didnt the facelift m20's have lower compression and less power, eg more like 160 bhp ?

Nope, low comp B25's were 171 bhp as well. A healty one should still be 171, like mine was.

Add a btb2 to one and see the results in my sig!

[bss325i]

Oh and the sport will be this years pod contender!

Watch out M5x boys!