E30 Zone

Iv already got a 3.5L E30 it's a awesome car to drive love it !
However the time has come to sell and get into a 91 2 door with factory mtech 2 kit ( VERY Rare in OZ !!)
It's a 318i auto adding ABS OBC cruise all the other cool stuff

But the motor to go with ... Is a 2.8 going to be as quick /quicker /or slower??? It's a far newer engine so would be smoother but power wise??

Why not build an m52b30?

24v's all the way

Not interested in building a motor the costs add up too quick and sourcing parts for the build in oz it's expensive
I like the twin cams I'd do a chip and a few simple mods but is the power going to be comparable to a 3.5

the m52 with m50 inlet is faster and has much better mpg return but an m30 has more torque

S54 FTW

M52 all day long. You dont want a anchor of a m30 in your bay

Hang on, Anchors are good, a few tweaks and they are very powerful machines, far better than a wheezy m52.

i've been down the strip against a couple of m30 donks and won

True, but probably topped out and the was just getting started. I would love to see a m30 v m52 zero to 150mph race

You have changed your tune Jim, to 150mph the M30 would just be further behind

Mmmmmm, I think the m30 would be very close, perhaps just in front.

Only one way to find out I guess.

i had my speedo at 150 last weekend ...i was at 5.5k revs and still slowly gaining more speed but decided to back off


that skoda vrs octavia driver wasn't smiling anymore when i passed him @135mph

DanThe wrote:You have changed your tune Jim, to 150mph the M30 would just be further behind

He sure has changed his tune!

Jim told me at the Surrey neet that the M52 in the E30 was so much quicker and a much better conversion!

Which I knew already!

I am going to head to head test and get back, prove for good m30 is best.

Need a driver to help

jimbom30cab wrote:Hang on, Anchors are good, a few tweaks and they are very powerful machines, far better than a wheezy m52.

With a few tweaks I am sure the m52 would eat the m30...

Surely by stating the m30 needs modifying, the question is already answered?

I wouldn't be so confident there ross dude, the m30 is a proper strong lump.

What's changed your mind Jim? I thought you'd fallen for the m52 over the m30?

Just love em both mate, felt the m30 wasn't getting the attention it deserves.

Shoot out coming soon

The m30 is an old engine these days, 1960's design and not very common at all now.

M52 has a much better engine management system. Spares common and cheap.

No brainer really

id rather a fresh M30 with a few nice bolt ons much more useable on the street

not really a nice tweeked M52 with a iron block and some tasty internals to get it out to 3.3 or 3.35 like alpina did and you can have your M30 torque as it will make 250-270 lbs like alpina managed and 300bhp to boot and still good MPG

Getting 300bhp from an M30 will be much harder, thirsty work. they are great aswell though

Good point Si, loads if people are talking about stroking m52b28 with different cranks, do you think it's worth looking into?

M54B30 crank, rods and pistons coupled with some S52/Alpina cams and an M50 inlet ands 250-260 bhp with plenty of torque.

Use the alloy M52 block and its a much better steer than any M30 E30.

I would have thought M52 is better fuel economy than M30
Why not M54B30 ????

The ultimate NA inline six cyclinder S54
Nothing less will do!!!!

Of course the m52 gets better economy than an m30.

m54's are pigs to get running due the engine management complications. Not insurmountable, but not cheap to get around and building an m50 or m52b30 isn't difficult comparatively.

Hmmm created a bit of debate here ! Like I said I have a E30 M30 now and LOVE it ! Yes it's old but does that mean it no longer has the power....
I'm swinging towards the M52 for engine bay looks and economy

An M54 is no more difficult to get running in an E30 than an S54 but yes a bit more expensive than an M52.

But isn't the m54 better than m52 like for like ?
Can't be that hard to get running if people can get s54 running ?

Hardly any tuning scope on an M54 which is why I binned the idea over 5 years ago, half way through sorting an engine which is still sat in my shed crank up.

It's not that hard, just the DME needs to be programmed to not be looking for any other PT CAN BUS control units such as DSC, EGS (if from an auto), EWS and the KOMBI.

That's the expensive bit.

stroked <<< it even sounds nice

The only real tuning scope for an M52 would be to supercharge it but then you can do that to a conventionally tuned (stroked, cammed etc) M52.

Simon13 wrote:not really a nice tweeked M52 with a iron block and some tasty internals to get it out to 3.3 or 3.35 like alpina did and you can have your M30 torque as it will make 250-270 lbs like alpina managed and 300bhp to boot and still good MPG

Getting 300bhp from an M30 will be much harder, thirsty work. they are great aswell though

will cost a bomb either way once you start doing the bottom end on either motor, Alpina cranks are uber $$$ so you are limited to 3.2L mostly. Alpina had ported head and new cams, manifold. if you are swapping an engine and going this far then neither m30 or M52 based would be the one to go with. S38B38 and S54 are the best potential and in standard form you will be better off compared to anything you realistically to to the m30 or m52

Keep the m30 and bolts on a snail.