E30 Zone

Alright folks, just joined and first post. As a lover of drifting that is pretty much priority on my next purchase. Always liked the e30 shape but currently drive an e36. After driving both I still favour the 36's driving position but am willing to bite the bullet if i find a good 30. I imagine the 325 sport is best but in the interest of saving cash, are any of the others any better? And for comedy value, how well does a touring hold its slide?

tourings are supposed to be better for drifting because of the weight distribution believe it or not.

the 318is is a good buy it had the 140bhp 16v 1.8 which is economical but extreamly rev happy and are a hoot to drive. it would be my choise if feul consumption is an issue

Hi mate and a big welcome to the zone

I own a touring and personaly say that a tourer is far better for drifting as it has a perfect 50/50 weight distropution but they didnt come with a lsd however they are available as i have one on mine. since owning my tourer ive never looked back its so much fun u wouldnt believe it, its a have to own and drive daily to realy enjoy a drifting tourer.

ive drifted a few e30s.... everything apart from a cab anyway

and i have to say my 325 tourer is the best and easiest by far to slide.. the 2 doors require more skill to hold and switch from side to side while drifting at speed

Welcome New Comer

325i Tourer's seem to be good at handling aswell as drifting but you'll find that with most E30's as long as there is a good suspension setup but take Karan and Touringdaddy's advice as they have really good experience's with the Tourer's

i had my touring weighed at rjm and it was almost perfect at 52-48 weight distribution, the back end kicks out effortlessly and almost rights itself without any input from me, its a great car to handle but its a handfull in the wet

325i touring is the way forward for a reliable drift chariot

325i sports are lovely cars and usually well specced, but have 2 major problems

1-what lurks beneath the mtech kit

2- price premium over a 325i SE

Cheers lads. Will be on lookout for two of them shortly. How much we talking for a LSD conversion?

DannyG wrote:Cheers lads. Will be on lookout for two of them shortly. How much we talking for a LSD conversion?

lsd is Ԛ£200

DannyG wrote: And for comedy value, how well does a touring hold its slide?

Wash your mouth out! Cheeky swine.

Just out of curiosity, whats the budget for the drift slag?

I'd reckon Ԛ£2500 would build a sideways happy beastie...

325i Touring Ԛ£1200

LSD (3.91) Ԛ£250

H&R Cup Kit Suspension Ԛ£325

Zone "wild" chip Ԛ£55

Big Bore Throttle Body Ԛ£120

Poly Susp Bushes (up to) Ԛ£200

Brakes/Pads Ԛ£200

total=Ԛ£2350

is there a difference in wheelbase between touring and 4door?

rotaryaddict wrote:is there a difference in wheelbase between touring and 4door?

not as far as i'm aware-only differences are the tops of the rear doors and the extra roof/hatch behind the rear wheels

320Touring wrote:Just out of curiosity, whats the budget for the drift slag?

I'd reckon Ԛ£2500 would build a sideways happy beastie...

325i Touring Ԛ£1200

LSD (3.91) Ԛ£250

H&R Cup Kit Suspension Ԛ£325

Zone "wild" chip Ԛ£55

Big Bore Throttle Body Ԛ£120

Poly Susp Bushes (up to) Ԛ£200

Brakes/Pads Ԛ£200

total=Ԛ£2350

add.....

a bigger engine (2.7 or 3.5)
strut brace
H+R ARBs

brakes arn't to important for drifting unless you want to add a hydraulic(sp?) hand brake ???

You could make the project cheaper by buying a cheaper touring, i think karan paid about 500-600 quid for his ?

Andy335Touring wrote:

320Touring wrote:Just out of curiosity, whats the budget for the drift slag?

I'd reckon Ԛ£2500 would build a sideways happy beastie...

325i Touring Ԛ£1200

LSD (3.91) Ԛ£250

H&R Cup Kit Suspension Ԛ£325

Zone "wild" chip Ԛ£55

Big Bore Throttle Body Ԛ£120

Poly Susp Bushes (up to) Ԛ£200

Brakes/Pads Ԛ£200

total=Ԛ£2350

add.....

a bigger engine (2.7 or 3.5)
strut brace
H+R ARBs

brakes arn't to important for drifting unless you want to add a hydraulic(sp?) hand brake ???

You could make the project cheaper by buying a cheaper touring, i think karan paid about 500-600 quid for his ?

2.5 is plenty for sideways action as long as its well serviced (eg karans car) as for the brakes, I'd always get my cars to stop well before getting them to do anything else or go fast

as for the price of the touring-I know what you're saying, but overbudgeting beats underbudgeting anyday! plus Ԛ£1200 would get you leather and other such toys probably

mind you, your beastie is just about spot on for drift fun

Sorry i misunderstood, i was looking at it as a dedicated cheap drift slag, a second car.

Andy335Touring wrote:Sorry i misunderstood, i was looking at it as a dedicated cheap drift slag, a second car.

forgiven

i see where you're coming from andy! god, we're clever

Hi guys,

what a coincidence, I'm looking for a touring for exactly the same reason.

useful thread.

Tell me, is a 320/318 touring any good for drifting or are they underpowered.

polwutna wrote:Hi guys,

what a coincidence, I'm looking for a touring for exactly the same reason.

useful thread.

Tell me, is a 320/318 touring any good for drifting or are they underpowered.

the 318i touring has about 115 bhp so is probably very underpowered for drifting, and the m40 engine can be expensive to get good gains out of.

the 320i touring is also light on power (129bhp) and difficult to spin up in 2nd in the dry!

m20 is a bit more tuneable, but for a cheap mod Ԛ£150 for a 2.5m20 yeilds 40+bhp more (171ish)

however, 318 and 320 tourings tend to lead mere sheltered lives than the 325i ones, so could be a good basis for conversion, as well as cheaper to purchase.

is it difficult to put the 325 engine into a 320/318? Thinking any loom issues really?

polwutna wrote:is it difficult to put the 325 engine into a 320/318? Thinking any loom issues really?

the 325 engine basically just "slots in" to the 320 bay as its the same loom/mounts etc (as long as the engine is post facelift!!)

the 318 bay obv has different mounting points and loom so is a bit more complicated

thanks. sounds like I can include a 320 in my hunt and upgrade as time allows.

One more question - is it easy/worth it to upgrade an auto to a manual? I see lots of autos coming up but few manuals.

thanks

polwutna wrote:thanks. sounds like I can include a 320 in my hunt and upgrade as time allows.

One more question - is it easy/worth it to upgrade an auto to a manual? I see lots of autos coming up but few manuals.

thanks

yup 320i are good cars (i would say that )

upgrading as far as i'm aware isnt really technically difficult-more time consuming!.

try searching the "tech help section" using the "search" function at the top of the page for indepth threads on it!

good luck

Alright folks, just joined and first post. As a lover of drifting that is pretty much priority on my next purchase. Always liked the e30 shape but currently drive an e36. After driving both I still favour the 36's driving position but am willing to bite the bullet if i find a good 30. I imagine the 325 sport is best but in the interest of saving cash, are any of the others any better? And for comedy value, how well does a touring hold its slide?

Why not have the best of both worlds?

Which one goes sideways best?

Compact.