Went in an m52'd e30-Awsome experience!Pics of his car added

[e30-EVN]

One of the boys came to meet me tonight and brought his e30 along with him. A stunning 2 door with m52 power. Seen as I'm ripping the m50 out and going m52 he took me out in it and if I had the smallest amount of doubt in my mind of putting more money into my car its gone now for sure!! The car was a weapon, and I thought my m50 was fast!

Further more the guys car control was epic which made the experience even better, and now I can't wait to m52 mine! The exact setup as was in his car is what I'm putting in mine, bring it on

Nice1 for that mate, you know who you are

[Cook318IS]

M50's are a good stop gap - but they dont compare to the m52. So much bollocks is spread about it not being much different becuase its pretty much the same bhp.

[e30-EVN]

Yeah the thing is I've been running my m50 through a 4.10 dif lol so acceleration is quite lively, but the guy said it will knock out 165mph on an iS box, on gprs speedo, so I'm guessing that's a 3.64 ratio slipper....... But even with the longer ratio it went like hell mate, I cannot wait lol.... Although your right about the m50 being a good stop gap, she's a flier and been a good lump but the m52 is defo the way forward I think

[eko]

I had a 4.10 diff on my first M50....oh the joys

[Kieran_n22]

Silly question but what is the difference in the 2?

[bss325i]

Silly question but what is the difference in the 2?

About 300cc and an alloy block.

Early M50's dont have vanos either.

[e30-EVN]

If you mean m50 and m52......

M50 is an iron blocked 2.5
M52 is an ally blocked 2.8

But by putting the m50 2.5 inlet manifold on the m52 it unlocks hidden horses and opens it right up.

I was told by danthe that people think there isn't much difference between the m50 and m52 but tonight I've seen for myself its a big difference!! The m52 makes for a proper fast e30, not just that,, a proper fast car full stop

[cecotto479]

...............The m52 makes for a proper fast e30, not just that,, a proper fast car full stop 8)

OK, I'll accept that, but 165 mph?! Really?

[magpie]

imagine what Dezzy's is like ,

he took me for blat in his chromie


Danthe's 3.2 Alpina must be wicked

[e30-EVN]

I've heard a few on here say a 24v lump-m42 box and 3.64 dif will give 165mph and he told me his has done it tonight so....... Anyone wanna confirm??.....

@magpie- one can only imagine mate, them pair must have balls of steel to drive them sorta lumps in e30's lol

[harry_p]

it's probably geared to do 165mph, in theory, but i doubt you'd get there without a very strong tail wing.

at higher speeds as acceleration slows your power to weight ratio doesnt matter, it's all about pure power vs drag

i reckon you'd need well over 250bhp to see a genuine, on the flat, 165 mph from an e30, possibly more like 300bhp.

[e30-EVN]

My old high comp m20 2.5 was showing me 140mph, that's with 170bhp

I do see your argument though, obv the flat face of the e30 would suffer at the top but with a clear 40 odd bhp more and shitloads more torque it could well be possible

[harry_p]

a 318is has 134bhp, and does 129mph.

power needed is related to mph cubed (as drag increases more the faster you go)

to increase the top speed from 129mph to 165 mph is approx 28% increase in top speed. 1.28^3 = 2.01, so you're going to need 101% more power than a standard is to hit 165mph, 2.01x 134 = 281bhp

[George]

Silly question but what is the difference in the 2?

About 300cc and an alloy block.

Early M50's dont have vanos either.

Plus M52 2.8s have the option to upgrade to an M50 inlet manifold and BBTB.

Having experienced both the M50 and M52 in an E36 I'd say the M52 really does punch above the suggested figures on paper. Appears a little more lazy but it is very deceptive.

[harry_p]

My old high comp m20 2.5 was showing me 140mph, that's with 170bhp

I do see your argument though, obv the flat face of the e30 would suffer at the top but with a clear 40 odd bhp more and shitloads more torque it could well be possible

which actually fits in bloody well with what i've just posted.

140mph / 129mph =1.085 (8.5% increase in top speed)

1.085^3 = 1.278 (you'll need 27.8 % more power to increase your speed by the above amount )

and, as if by magic, 134bhp x 1.278 = 171.3 bhp

so if anything, you've just backed up my argument and proved you'd need a lot more power for another 25mph or so top speed

[George]

Incidentally out of interest, for an M52 engine swap in the E30, how many hours are required (ballpark)?

[polsta]

sounds awsome !!

also what sort of prices are the 2 engines/set ups and all required gear needed ? (ie a rough figure for the 50, and the 52)

after seeing a lot of these sort of cars of late, i have pondered instead of a hard tech 1 sport hunt, if maybe a project like looking for a very nice solid 2 door base like a lovely 320se or something that was a minter shell wise, and doing an engine conversion , then the kit and interior might be a way to go in the future , just wondering if it would wind up cheaper or more expensive than a sport,or not

also is the m50 faster than a 325i sport ? or the same roughly ?

[cecotto479]

Incidentally out of interest, for an M52 engine swap in the E30, how many hours are required (ballpark)?

I still have your address and phone number.

[snakebrain]

2.01x 134 = 281bhp

I was with you right up to here...

[DanThe]

My 2.8 build would pull me uphill very quickly and easily to just over an indicated 150mph where it would hit the rev limiter, 6500rpm, this is with a 3.25:1 diff 1:1 5th gear and 15 inch BBS wheels. Due to the classic E30 speedo over read this would be more like 140mph.
The 3.25 diff and E36 box is near enough the same gearing as using an iS box and 3.91 diff.
Even with a 3.64 diff and iS overdrive box there is no way a GPS signal would be more than a fraction over 150mph with the engine on the rev limiter, with another 500rpm (7000rpm rev limit) you would get an extra 10mph

[Kieran_n22]

If you mean m50 and m52......

M50 is an iron blocked 2.5
M52 is an ally blocked 2.8

But by putting the m50 2.5 inlet manifold on the m52 it unlocks hidden horses and opens it right up.

I was told by danthe that people think there isn't much difference between the m50 and m52 but tonight I've seen for myself its a big difference!! The m52 makes for a proper fast e30, not just that,, a proper fast car full stop

How much power can you get from a M52 with the M50 2.5 manifold? Bhp and torque How mcuh would you be spending on parts for the conversion? How hard is it to fit?
You all have me thinking lol.

[George]

Incidentally out of interest, for an M52 engine swap in the E30, how many hours are required (ballpark)?

I still have your address and phone number.

So you'll be able to contact me to come for a ride once the conversion is done?

[oldroydsr4]

If I can ever be arsed to rip out my m50 and go down the m52 route, I will be building the internals into an iron block.

The m52 lumps durability is no where near that of a m50, this imo is the only downside of the conversion.

[12345kevin]

My 2.8 build would pull me uphill very quickly and easily to just over an indicated 150mph where it would hit the rev limiter, 6500rpm, this is with a 3.25:1 diff 1:1 5th gear and 15 inch BBS wheels. Due to the classic E30 speedo over read this would be more like 140mph.
The 3.25 diff and E36 box is near enough the same gearing as using an iS box and 3.91 diff.
Even with a 3.64 diff and iS overdrive box there is no way a GPS signal would be more than a fraction over 150mph with the engine on the rev limiter, with another 500rpm (7000rpm rev limit) you would get an extra 10mph

I've seen a GPS indicated 140mph in mine with an E30 325 box and 3.73 diff. Although there was still some revs left it may have reached 145-150, I think a true 165 is highly unlikey.

[e30-EVN]

Arite well obv not taking drag into account it turns out it would be a little shy of the said geared speed, forgive me for not being a bloody mathematician\scientist
It doesn't really bother me if it falls short of 165 by 10 or even 15mph, because how often will the needle be over there?..... It would still get there quick enough.......
+ I'm going from what people have told me as how would I know running an m50 through a 4.10 dif??...... I haven't fitted my 3.64 or m52 yet!

Personaly I'm after acceleration and I'd be fine if my car did 150 but got there bloody fast, wouldn't fancy a 165mph blowout anyway lol

[ian332isport]

My car topped out at 157mph on GPS. 318bhp, overdrive 6th and 3.64:1 diff. 164 from an M52 is extremely unlikely.

Ian.

[ETERNITY]

sounds awsome !!

also what sort of prices are the 2 engines/set ups and all required gear needed ? (ie a rough figure for the 50, and the 52)

after seeing a lot of these sort of cars of late, i have pondered instead of a hard tech 1 sport hunt, if maybe a project like looking for a very nice solid 2 door base like a lovely 320se or something that was a minter shell wise, and doing an engine conversion , then the kit and interior might be a way to go in the future , just wondering if it would wind up cheaper or more expensive than a sport,or not

also is the m50 faster than a 325i sport ? or the same roughly ?

The m50 will outperform a standard 325i sport, more bhp and more valves.

A healthy m20 can be fun and a pleasure to drive, but its performance is suttle compared to an m50 and m52.

When I enquired about an m50/m52 conversion I got qouted from £1300-£2000 done properly.

If your after a fast road e30 the m52 is the best way to go.

A good shell will cost you 1k, conversion costs 2k, styling and bodywork/alloys 1k, 1k for suspension setup and that will bring you up to 5k. A real good sport will cost you 4-5k and probably more in the next 3+ years.

But then if you have a custom made e30 to your requiremnets and it will be more fun than any sport.
The resale value will be less than a good sport, because it wont be factory spec.

So you have to figure out if its a good fun e30 you want which will give you driving pleasure everytime you drive it or just a (sport label) that will hold its value.
Personally I would buy a good shell and build it to my requirements, and not bother about resale value.

I have bought a sport, and am restoring it slowly. Its great to drive and I know the value will keep. But next time I am going to buy a shell and do an conversion, and set up the suspension and car to my requirements and not bother thinking about resale value, because it will be invidual to me.

I hope that gives you clairity on the subject

[polsta]

sounds awsome !!

also what sort of prices are the 2 engines/set ups and all required gear needed ? (ie a rough figure for the 50, and the 52)

after seeing a lot of these sort of cars of late, i have pondered instead of a hard tech 1 sport hunt, if maybe a project like looking for a very nice solid 2 door base like a lovely 320se or something that was a minter shell wise, and doing an engine conversion , then the kit and interior might be a way to go in the future , just wondering if it would wind up cheaper or more expensive than a sport,or not

also is the m50 faster than a 325i sport ? or the same roughly ?

The m50 will outperform a standard 325i sport, more bhp and more valves.

A healthy m20 can be fun and a pleasure to drive, but its performance is suttle compared to an m50 and m52.

When I enquired about an m50/m52 conversion I got qouted from £1300-£2000 done properly.

If your after a fast road e30 the m52 is the best way to go.

A good shell will cost you 1k, conversion costs 2k, styling and bodywork/alloys 1k, 1k for suspension setup and that will bring you up to 5k. A real good sport will cost you 4-5k and probably more in the next 3+ years.

But then if you have a custom made e30 to your requiremnets and it will be more fun than any sport.
The resale value will be less than a good sport, because it wont be factory spec.

So you have to figure out if its a good fun e30 you want which will give you driving pleasure everytime you drive it or just a (sport label) that will hold its value.
Personally I would buy a good shell and build it to my requirements, and not bother about resale value.

I have bought a sport, and am restoring it slowly. Its great to drive and I know the value will keep. But next time I am going to buy a shell and do an conversion, and set up the suspension and car to my requirements and not bother thinking about resale value, because it will be invidual to me.

I hope that gives you clairity on the subject

nice onme mate thats helped clear it up, so when quoted up to £2000- is that for the engine, all bits, and the putting it all in too / or just all the parts ?

like you say 1k on a car, plus 2k, plus 1k suspension- leaves you in at 4k for an immense driving machine- then the interior and styling , which will ultimatley depend on what was on the starting car , its food for thought , and if car thats to be kept years it wont really matter, and youl have the house that you built and love

im sort of thinking about my next e30 move, il keep my is, but i plan on sorting my escort, enjoying,then selling, before next spring...having the garage space available for another e30 , next march will be 3 years full driving exp, and il be able to insure a faster car and be hankering for that speed, im not a great fan of tech 2 sports, and a nice tech 1 is hard to come by, its just getting the right one for the right price or some sort of alpina/hartge etc- buit again its money and parts costs and rarity of spoilers and bits like that that can make them expensive to own, but if the right tech 1 sport thats a bit of a project but not major and the right price comes along i could be interested in something, wel see

[TheHeap]

We have a 328i auto and it shows 150mph clock speed quite easily. What will fitting a 325i inlet manifold actually do?

Top end?

Acceleration?

[ryan0143]

will my M50 E30 be slow then lol

[e30-EVN]

No mate, I have an m50 in mine at the moment until my m52 engine and bits come.

Its not that they are slow at all, mines been a good lump in fairness but obv the m52 is another league!
The m50 in an e30 makes a quick car but m52 I went in lastnight confirmed for me why I'm going to the next level

[ryan0143]

lol yeah i will probs go M52 one day, but M50 will suffice for now,

is an M50 E30 sort of civic type r etc quick?

i must say i cannot wait for some 6 pot power.

[Sjoerd320i]

lol yeah i will probs go M52 one day, but M50 will suffice for now,

is an M50 E30 sort of civic type r etc quick?

i must say i cannot wait for some 6 pot power.

Is that another way of saying your mate has a type r and you wanting to be faster.

[ryan0143]

hahaha male rivalry!!!

also i have driven his type r ;) just want something to compare it to lol

[harry_p]

We have a 328i auto and it shows 150mph clock speed quite easily. What will fitting a 325i inlet manifold actually do?

Top end?

Acceleration?

It will add a bit to both, but will make more difference to the way it accelerates than to the top speed. It's a good mod to free up restricted power, and helps with feel and response as well as on paper figures.