Bringing a e30 into the 21st century, supercharge/e36

[McGoo]

Hi guys

im new hear so go easy lol

im currently looking for a e30 as a runabout and a cheap fun drift toy.

Whats the best e30 base care to go for? i dont want a massive engine as my e46 328 drinks and i need to save pennys?

what engine convertions are possible? i wont mind something running a mini supercharger to keep costs and weight down? will a 318 m42 engine be good for this?

Also my mate had a e30 cosworth what had e36 hubs, whats the advantage of using e36 parts? better turning circles etc? what parts of a e36 can be used on a e30 to make it more modern and handle better?

also does anyone have any links to websites with a good selection of modified e30s to browse? i like carbon

cheers matty

[daimlerman]

Best part of an E36 is it's 6 cylinder M50/M52 engine.....

A fair number of us have now fitted these engines,good power out of the box and potential for more if your pocket is deep enough.

Best base is the most rust free shell you can find,they are getting harder to locate now.Tourings are beautifully balanced,and make a discreet 'sleeper',with production continued long after the saloon.

Have a wander through a few build threads in the photo section and the engine conversion section,in particular look out for user names 'Dezzy' and E30beemerlad....

[e30-EVN]

Welcome firstly to the forum

The list of engine conversions is quite large for these to be frank, from the m20b25 right through to the insane v10, I for 1 have gone 24v as a few others have. If your worried about petrol then I would think supercharging is a silly idea and out of the question! My reason for saying this is you cannot drive them off boost, maybey turbo would be better suited to your needs.... But saying that, stick a decent 24v lump in and you won't need boost!!

E30 m3 excentric bushes can be fitted to the lower arms to make turn in ect better and e36 or z3 racks can be fitted (using 14mm spacers and custom pipes) to achieve less turns lock to lock...

I have fitted a z3 shifter kit, which imo is excellent. Shortens the throw by approx 60 percent.

The m42 318 iS engine is alright I suppose, a revvy little thing but its a shame they are missing 2 cylinders. If you want real grunt it has to be of the 6 pot variety

[harry_p]

You aren't going to sip fuel if you bung a supercharger on anything! A sensibly modified m52 should give decent grunt whilst being a nice modern reliable engine, and relatively economical if driven sensibly.

[McGoo]

cheers guys, my e46 came with a 2.3 m52tu engine which lost oil pressure so i changed it to a m52tu 2.8 so im familiar with these engines but the 2.8 doesnt half drink

surely a 1.8/1.9 supercharged engine at crusing speeds is more eco than a thirsty 2.8?

what turbo options do i have? how does the 1.8is respond to turboing?

is there and supercharging or turbo guides about?

id love another 6pot but itll drink, what about a 320 6 pot 24valve out of a e36/46?

cheers matty

[pnd]

supercharger would be better on fuel when you aren't canning it BUT they cost to buy and you have to get them set up on a dyno etc. That would go a long way to fueling a six. Also you should get better fuel economy in an e30 than an e46 as it's a lot lighter.

[Dezzy]

My custom 3.0lt M52 can give 30 mpg if driven sensibly. Not that I do that very often.

[E30BeemerLad]

My M52 is thirsty, but that's because it gets twatted everywhere

[harry_p]

Superchargers are thirsty as the engine is still spinning them whether you're using the boost or not. Plus of you want decent boost to give decent power you're going to need to lower the compression which reduces the thermal efficiency off boost.

Low pressure turbos can boost performance whilst giving good economy if installed and setup properly.

These custom solutions will all take time, money and skill to work well and be reliable. It would have to be a lot more efficient than an m5x to make up the cost difference.

[bss325i]

cheers guys, my e46 came with a 2.3 m52tu engine which lost oil pressure so i changed it to a m52tu 2.8 so im familiar with these engines but the 2.8 doesnt half drink

surely a 1.8/1.9 supercharged engine at crusing speeds is more eco than a thirsty 2.8?

what turbo options do i have? how does the 1.8is respond to turboing?

is there and supercharging or turbo guides about?

id love another 6pot but itll drink, what about a 320 6 pot 24valve out of a e36/46?

cheers matty

My daily car is a 328Ci and i get 30mpg urban and 35mpg on a run and thats not driving like a granny either! With a light foot these figures could be bettered but i feel these are realistic real world figures. And its done 225000 miles! I feel this is very good considering the weight, engine size and performance of the car.

You will not get better MPG out of any E30 with a factory engine, maybe a standard M40 316i/318i but forget supercharged M42's or any 6 cylinder engine bettering these figures

The E30's down fall for good MPG is its aerodynamics.

If you're after econ then you need to look to LPG on an E30. Some zoners have gone down this route.

[Dezzy]

The price of gas makes LPG less of an option these days IMO.

[McGoo]

all fair points raised, the reason i wanted a s/c is because its something i havnt had before, i could go down the turbo route but i like trying something new

how do the 1.8is respond to turbos?

any links to any guides, im handy at rebuilding stuff if i have the tecnical info to go with it

building the engine wont be a problem i can do a few forigners but i want it to be economical for the times im short on cash

[McGoo]

or i could even use a supercharger with a electronic cluch? maybe a mercades eaton???

[terryjippo]

Matty, i prefer a 4 cylinder in an e30 because I like the balance of the handling compared to the heavy sixes. The M42 in a 318iS is a brilliant engine, so mated to a supercharger I think it would be great.

This is something I've been planning to do for a while and have a newish cooper s supercharger to put in the car. I also have a PDF somewhere that someone has done which outlines how to add it yourself, which I'll try to find and send you.

However you may prefer a 24v six which would also be good, if making the car feel heavier in balance.

[e30topless]

My custom 3.0lt M52 can give 30 mpg if driven sensibly. Not that I do that very often.

My M52 is thirsty, but that's because it gets twatted everywhere

the CR boys love the loud pedal

[toby]

Mr Appletree made a nice set-up with a supercharger. Two set-ups really as posted here;

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... percharger
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... percharger

The supercharger is a nice idea.

m42club.com have quite a few turbo builds and talk about the advantages of that engine for forced induction.
http://m42club.com/forums/forumdisplay. ... 9843c&f=17

[Rav335uk]

My custom 3.0lt M52 can give 30 mpg if driven sensibly. Not that I do that very often.

My M52 is thirsty, but that's because it gets twatted everywhere

the CR boys love the loud pedal

Helps them get slightly faster than the 318is boys

[Blitz]

Matty, i prefer a 4 cylinder in an e30 because I like the balance of the handling compared to the heavy sixes. The M42 in a 318iS is a brilliant engine, so mated to a supercharger I think it would be great.

This is something I've been planning to do for a while and have a newish cooper s supercharger to put in the car. I also have a PDF somewhere that someone has done which outlines how to add it yourself, which I'll try to find and send you.

However you may prefer a 24v six which would also be good, if making the car feel heavier in balance.

An M52 is all Aluminium.

[Kos]

How about an electric turbo