E30 Zone

i never knew that the 320 was a 6 pot. In my experience the only other 6pot 2litre is the lexus is200. Its a pleasent suprise and broadens my view on engine conversions as ive always liked 6pots and the sound they make. Whats the tuneability factor on these?

tunable factor zero.

^^^ What he said, not worth spending money on a B20 IMO (I have one )

StuBeeDoo wrote:£ for £, not a lot. Best to stick another M20 with at least another 500ccs in there.

not sure if you read my intro but it needs to be beared in mind that im 22 and the insurance would probably cripple me with a 2.5 lump in it. I was quoted 210 for a 320i and 197 for 316 on a well known comparison site and the underwriter was lancaster (free plug.) but when i type in 325 on confused lancaster wont quote me so i think maybe i gotsta wait til im 25? Although the 316 moves quicker than my a4 sport which is also a 1.6

e30316coupe wrote:

StuBeeDoo wrote:£ for £, not a lot. Best to stick another M20 with at least another 500ccs in there.

not sure if you read my intro but it needs to be beared in mind that im 22 and the insurance would probably cripple me with a 2.5 lump in it.

Your original post didn't say that.
In that case, you're stuck with the 2.0. It's a nice enough engine - I had one for nearly 5 years - but there's not much you can do with it.
And anyway, start adding mods and your insurance will probably go up more than it would if you go for a bigger engine. I'm sure at least one member here has posted that they've got cheaper insurance on a 320i with a bigger engine declared then they were quoted for a 325i.

sorry, i meant in my introduction post in the noob section.

look in the wiki section there is a article on fitting the 2.5 throttle body on the 2.0 engine, this gives some gains and doubt it would be an insurance issue. further a better chip can also help. but both these mods will no really add much power but possibly make the engine better down in the lower rpm where these engines suffer. but due to the fact thats the larger engine is so much better most tuning parts are fitted on the 2.5.

best to just enjoy the 2.0 engine for what it is and wait until you can afford the 2.5

well i was thinkin of droppin the 2litre in ma 1.6 but think ill learn drift basics til im 25 haha

TBH for the money you need to spend on tuning a M20B20 it would be cheaper to pay the extra insurance for a m20b25.

shop around, im insured on a sport at 18 (paying through the nose mind)

just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

What happens if it get's wrote off? Surley the insurance company would void it.

Also the DVLA would need to be informed and I am sure an traffic cop would catch on sooner or later.

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

hey why not just buy a 325 and not bother to insure it as this is just as illegal as what you are suggesting, if not more so - at least if you buy a 325 you could claim stupidity and that you thought you where sold a 320, but again based on this logic it will only be a probelm if you get caught, and this being the case why bother to buy a 325, just steal one and drive it uninsured - it is only a problem if you get caught or crash

Can you see where i am coming from now? Please dont suggest to other new zoners to partake in illegal activities, you do not know this guy or his level of intellegence, if he then relies on your suggrestion and then comes to grief as a result of it then you are partly to blame.

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

The obvious way to tell the difference is the oil filter mounting - on a 320i the filter screws straight to the block, on the 325i its mounted differently because of the oil cooler - dead giveaway and easier to look for than subtle differences in manifold shape.

StuBeeDoo wrote:I'm sure at least one member here has posted that they've got cheaper insurance on a 320i with a bigger engine declared then they were quoted for a 325i. [/b]

The insurance was cheaper for me on my 318i touring fitted with a 325i engine (all mods declared), than it was if had bought an original, standard 325i touring

e30316coupe, give a few insurance companies a call, and ask them about fitting a 2.5 to your 316i - you may well be surprised.

Yep Ring some specialist's...Try HIC, they insure my Rado for the silly sum of £400 and thats insured for £8K with a max BHP limit of 350bhp

I am 32 like so that helps

ross_jsy wrote:shop around, im insured on a sport at 18 (paying through the nose mind)

This is jersey though! Our insurance "post-codes" are deemed much safer, so we get away with murder... untill we have a crash

At 20, I was insured in my 320i for £390, and my 325i would have been £390 if I decided to switch to that (was a pig, needs work, so didn't). Now after a stupid crash involving a granny I'm paying nearly £800 (at 21!)!!!! ffs. Not really my fault either....

I take it with your quotes at 22, you've never crashed. If so, call up companies directly. You'll get much fairer quotes than using that silly online rubbish. Adrian Flux (at 21 mind) offered me £1400 online for my E34 535i Manual, and £900 over the phone. Aviva topped it for £750 so I went with them. Insurance is a joke, but we all have to put up with it


Get a 325i. Well worth it over a 320i.

e30316coupe wrote:i never knew that the 320 was a 6 pot. In my experience the only other 6pot 2litre is the lexus is200. Its a pleasent suprise and broadens my view on engine conversions as ive always liked 6pots and the sound they make. Whats the tuneability factor on these?

They were originally 4 pots until around 1975??? or there abouts

the new 3's are back to 4 pots though the e46 was the last 6 pot 320i

a 320i is only good for the head as it will go straight onto a 2.7 eta bottom end

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

This is absolutely the worst advice I have ever seen posted on the zone. Totally pointless, immoral and properly illegal.

djk wrote:

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

This is absolutely the worst advice I have ever seen posted on the zone. Totally pointless, immoral and properly illegal.

I would also question whether an insurance assessor can be classed as an "untrained eye" !
Surely these people are in employment with insurers because they know what to look for ! - I would think that a check of engine number/type would be standard procedure in the event of a claim.
Insurers don't look for reasons to pay the claim - they look for reasons not to pay - and undeclared modifications is probably the easiest reason of them all for a claim to be refused.

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

what a brilliant idea. I never thought of that. As long as i dont put a k&n on it il be alright cause there trained to look for bolt on mods at insurance arent they. So if i keep the engine "standard" chances are that they wouldnt pick up on it would they.

ross_jsy wrote:shop around, im insured on a sport at 18 (paying through the nose mind)

Just out of curiousity, what are you paying on your insurance for your sport, as an 18 year old you must be paying alot...........

don-king wrote:

ross_jsy wrote:shop around, im insured on a sport at 18 (paying through the nose mind)

Just out of curiousity, what are you paying on your insurance for your sport, as an 18 year old you must be paying alot...........

Jersey seems to nail the majority of england for quote prices. My guess is £1200-£1500?? Any more and I dont see the point of paying.

Remember, sports are just 325i's with a body kit and a few morcels.

Surprised that nobody has mentioned it, but have you priced a 318is for insurance?
Better performance wise than a 320, more reliable, more economical and come better spec'd as standard.

Fair enough, they are a 4 pot engine, but they are a nic little revy engine that takes a bit of abuse (unlike the 320).

e30316coupe wrote:

Sanchez wrote:just buy a 320i and put a 2.5 engine in and dont tell the insurance company. they look very similar to the untrained eye. Only the inlet looks different. Just hope they dont check the engine number.

what a brilliant idea. I never thought of that. As long as i dont put a k&n on it il be alright cause there trained to look for bolt on mods at insurance arent they. So if i keep the engine "standard" chances are that they wouldnt pick up on it would they.

If you do you're taking a very big risk that the insurance assessor won't pick up on the engine change. If he does then not only will you have voided your insurance and paid your premiums for nothing, you will be liable for damage to whatever you hit and its quite likely that you will find it near impossible to get legitimately insured again due to what insurers will deem as Fraud.

Not worth it IMO. If you want a 325i then buy one and deal with the insurance cost. if you can't afford to legally insure it you can't afford it end of.

Properly put ^^

You could say you bought it like that and play ignorance? Doubtful you would get away with it, but worth a shot if your stuck in that stupid situation.

Always suffer the premiums, "IF" anything does ever happen it pays off!