So the 320is is better than the m3

[steve_k]

1K for an M52 E30? Where??????

thats what i was thinking,

show me where i can get it all in for that & i'll do it!!!!

even more so if it'll beat a £30k m3 on both road & track.

[ross_jsy]

The 318is is a nice nimble fun daily, on your own , but with 3 passengers it's game over and feels like a 1.1 fiesta, now race that against a 325....

M3 is the king, anyone who says otherwise is a bit deluded

Any m52 conversion smokes a £30k M3, not much of a king if anyone with £1k can defeat you....

So many flids on this site

[Andyboy]

M42's are great. A tough little engine and a good one is very peppy. S14's are much the same only more so. Apart from Dan's black one, I've yet to ride in or drive an M52 or 24v E30 that was particularly impressive. I didn't really think much of the Alpina B3 3.5S - a nose heavy thing with stupid long gearing yet with a fairly peaky engine.

BMW generally get it right and 'modded' ones too often don't.

[NoTurbo]

BMW generally get it right and 'modded' ones too often don't.

Amen to that! I am yet to see a reliable moded car that has the whole package.

[ross_jsy]

BMW generally get it right and 'modded' ones too often don't.

Amen to that! I am yet to see a reliable moded car that has the whole package.

Would say Dan's chrome has pretty much nailed it

[etouring]

Wow I knew that would ruffle a few feathers.
Maybe 1k was a little cheap to be fair you will need about 4k and 50hr to build a decent M52 E30. A 2.3 S14 Has around 220 bhp M52 with M50 inlet around 220bph. For value for money you cant beat a engine conversion. If someone at bmw had done it and called it the E30 328is then everyone would be saying it was the best E30 made. I just don't get the hype I drive my E30 every day and am happy to push it really hard. It is no less reliable than any other E30 out there.

[Demlotcrew]

Peak HP is vanity, area under the graph is sanity

[reggid]

Peak HP is vanity, area under the graph is sanity

an s14 aint gonna win any awards in that regard though.

[zinnoe30m3]

Tough choice. An S14 with 1000bhp bmw brabham f1 and M1 bloodlines or an M52.

[Andyboy]

Peak HP is vanity, area under the graph is sanity

an s14 aint gonna win any awards in that regard though.

It did 30 years ago.

[Andyboy]

Peak HP is vanity, area under the graph is sanity

an s14 aint gonna win any awards in that regard though.

It did 30 years ago.

[Demlotcrew]

Wow I knew that would ruffle a few feathers.
Maybe 1k was a little cheap to be fair you will need about 4k and 50hr to build a decent M52 E30. A 2.3 S14 Has around 220 bhp M52 with M50 inlet around 220bph. For value for money you cant beat a engine conversion. If someone at bmw had done it and called it the E30 328is then everyone would be saying it was the best E30 made. I just don't get the hype I drive my E30 every day and am happy to push it really hard. It is no less reliable than any other E30 out there.

Have you considered in downgrading to an old S38?

[povertyspec]

having owned many different makes of "sports" cars over the last 30 years im now of the persuation that lower powered sweet handling cars are way more fun than higher powered torquy motors. i live at one end of the snake pass that joins Sheffield to Manchester. having been lucky enough to own a 964RS for several years , these days id be lucky to own a driving license as well. a sorted E30 with a 4 cylinder isnt the motorway muncher that the 325i is but its a great laugh over the snake between 30 and 80 mph, i suspect the 320is would have need plenty of pudding stirring on all the bends and twists but be great fun due to a lack of torque rather than it being a disadvantage. a new 200bhp hot hatch could probably beat nearly any M3 these days but in a way the less appealing on paper the package the more appealing to me as a driving car. which of these two engines is the back lane king would get my dollars.

[maxfield]

having owned many different makes of "sports" cars over the last 30 years im now of the persuation that lower powered sweet handling cars are way more fun than higher powered torquy motors. i live at one end of the snake pass that joins Sheffield to Manchester. having been lucky enough to own a 964RS for several years , these days id be lucky to own a driving license as well. a sorted E30 with a 4 cylinder isnt the motorway muncher that the 325i is but its a great laugh over the snake between 30 and 80 mph, i suspect the 320is would have need plenty of pudding stirring on all the bends and twists but be great fun due to a lack of torque rather than it being a disadvantage. a new 200bhp hot hatch could probably beat nearly any M3 these days but in a way the less appealing on paper the package the more appealing to me as a driving car. which of these two engines is the back lane king would get my dollars.

The snake pass in a sorted M3 is my most memorable drives.

[etouring]

Wow I knew that would ruffle a few feathers.
Maybe 1k was a little cheap to be fair you will need about 4k and 50hr to build a decent M52 E30. A 2.3 S14 Has around 220 bhp M52 with M50 inlet around 220bph. For value for money you cant beat a engine conversion. If someone at bmw had done it and called it the E30 328is then everyone would be saying it was the best E30 made. I just don't get the hype I drive my E30 every day and am happy to push it really hard. It is no less reliable than any other E30 out there.

Have you considered in downgrading to an old S38?

As it happens, I may be downgrading to a S38 this weekend. If the engine is sound there will be a M52 conversion 4 sale very soon fingers crossed.

[Gert_8]

Wow I knew that would ruffle a few feathers.
Maybe 1k was a little cheap to be fair you will need about 4k and 50hr to build a decent M52 E30. A 2.3 S14 Has around 220 bhp M52 with M50 inlet around 220bph. For value for money you cant beat a engine conversion. If someone at bmw had done it and called it the E30 328is then everyone would be saying it was the best E30 made. I just don't get the hype I drive my E30 every day and am happy to push it really hard. It is no less reliable than any other E30 out there.

Have you considered in downgrading to an old S38?

As it happens, I may be downgrading to a S38 this weekend. If the engine is sound there will be a M52 conversion 4 sale very soon fingers crossed.

Oh, now we see what you have been doing...!! You created a debate on how brilliant the M52 is only so that you can put yours up for sale!

[Demlotcrew]

Full drop in for £1k?

[etouring]

Busted! While I'm here Iv also got some US M3 cams floating around

[etouring]

Full drop in for £1k?

Sure 1k, just bring your donor car to my shed. Ill get the scissor jack and insolation tape out... 2hr later you will have a M3 killer

[reggid]

Peak HP is vanity, area under the graph is sanity

an s14 aint gonna win any awards in that regard though.

It did 30 years ago.

lol if you say so

[bss325i]

an s14 aint gonna win any awards in that regard though.

It did 30 years ago.

lol if you say so

Come on!

[Kos]

It did 30 years ago.

lol if you say so

Come on!

i'd say almost 100hp per litre was quite impressive in 1986 for a road car.

[reggid]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver, this is not surprising given the design intentions, nor is this characteristic particularly relevant to e30m3 owners as they dont purchase the car with DD as the primary focus. whereas the m52 is the opposite a good DD but not so good on the track

hp/L is pretty irrelevant

[reggid]

Wow I knew that would ruffle a few feathers.
Maybe 1k was a little cheap to be fair you will need about 4k and 50hr to build a decent M52 E30. A 2.3 S14 Has around 220 bhp M52 with M50 inlet around 220bph. For value for money you cant beat a engine conversion. If someone at bmw had done it and called it the E30 328is then everyone would be saying it was the best E30 made. I just don't get the hype I drive my E30 every day and am happy to push it really hard. It is no less reliable than any other E30 out there.

Have you considered in downgrading to an old S38?

As it happens, I may be downgrading to a S38 this weekend. If the engine is sound there will be a M52 conversion 4 sale very soon fingers crossed.

this, m88/s38 engines are the best sounding bmw engine ever

[bss325i]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver, this is not surprising given the design intentions, nor is this characteristic particularly relevant to e30m3 owners as they dont purchase the car with DD as the primary focus. whereas the m52 is the opposite a good DD but not so good on the track

hp/L is pretty irrelevant

Literally about to press an E30 M3 into daily duties.

[bss325i]

And as for not winning any awards, yes it may not have won "engine of year" or anything but it did win a race or two.

[shedrool83]

I know what i'd rather have if i had the choice and it starts with and m and ends in a 3.

[gooner1]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver, this is not surprising given the design intentions, nor is this characteristic particularly relevant to e30m3 owners as they dont purchase the car with DD as the primary focus. whereas the m52 is the opposite a good DD but not so good on the track

hp/L is pretty irrelevant

Literally about to press an E30 M3 into daily duties.

Out of interest Barry, how many daily miles will this entail?

[bss325i]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver, this is not surprising given the design intentions, nor is this characteristic particularly relevant to e30m3 owners as they dont purchase the car with DD as the primary focus. whereas the m52 is the opposite a good DD but not so good on the track

hp/L is pretty irrelevant

Literally about to press an E30 M3 into daily duties.

Out of interest Barry, how many daily miles will this entail?

Well my journey to work is a 32 mile round trip plus what ever running about I do.

[e30topless]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver,

if your daily journey was 1-3 miles then no, you would soot a set of plugs once a week !

Otherwise it's fine as a daily driver and no different to any other E30

[gooner1]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver,

if your daily journey was 1-3 miles then no, you would soot a set of plugs once a week !

Otherwise it's fine as a daily driver and no different to any other E30

That would'nt be ideal for any E30.

[Kedge]

That wouldn't be ideal for any car.

[reggid]

And as for not winning any awards, yes it may not have won "engine of year" or anything but it did win a race or two.

i dont see anyone questioning the success of the engine as a racing engine/car, lets not kid ourselves the race car was very different to the road car

[reggid]

its not an engine that is ideal for a daily driver,

if your daily journey was 1-3 miles then no, you would soot a set of plugs once a week !

Otherwise it's fine as a daily driver and no different to any other E30

i guess what i mean its just not its forte and there are better engines for it. naturally there are better cars than an e30 to use as a DD, yet i still DD mine

[Captain_Birdseye]

4 doors and 2 litre engine.... I'm in heaven... except, 4 cylinders. My names Duncan Banatine...