M3 questions....

[aceraf]

A few questions on E30 M3's...

Were there any right hand drive e30 M3's made???

Were there any convertible e30 M3's?

Also, why did BMW use a 4 pot instead of the 6pot for the M3, and how does it make more power than the 6?

I'm really curious, as before i signed up for this forum, I'd only ever seen the e30 M3 on top-gear!!! e30 M3's are like gold-dust in Derby....never seen one on the roads....Only just seen one in real life in Nottingham last week....white one...if it's anyone's on the site...then you have a real sweet ride!

I seen a green, convertible, right-hand drive M3 (or look alike) in birmingham, and it got me thinking....i didn't check for the raised bootlid, i suppose that would've confirmed if it was a real M3!

Any wisdom on these Q's will be most appreciated.

Also, for those who own an M3....what are they like to live with?
A few people i know owned e36's, and use them everyday....is it the same with the e30, or should it be kept for special occasions???

[maxfield]

Apparantly about 25 RHD conversions were done by birds uk. BMW did not do it.

There were convertible M3s about 900 IIRC.

The S14 (M3 engine) was higher revving, 4valves per cylinder, better head design, higher compression, better cam profiles better intake i.e. ITBS etc. I'm guessing 4pots were used because of regualtions and probably weight.

They are ok to live with unless you have a lairy exhaust of c/f airbox very loud

[billgatese30]

no rhd m3's from the factory, there was a few converted by a company called Birds over here in the UK

yes there is m3 convertibles, but they have a standard bootlid (i.e. its not raised)

m3 4pot motor is a 24v 2.3 or 2.5litre unit and is a much better design than the 318is and 320/325 motor, hence why it has more power.

[Bob_S]

The S14 uses a 4 pot due to BMW preferance as the car was built primarily to race.
The reason it's 4cyl is that the crank is stronger than a 6 pot and that it can rev higher.
The 16v head is simply a cut down version of the 6pot used in the M1/M6/M635csi and e28 M5.

As Chris says above the cabs used a standard bootlid as there was no rear roofline to be altered.

The wide arches are also for function and not really form. Group A racing permitted 10" wide wheels to be used the E30 M3 was made with wider arches so that that was possible! Similarly the rear spoiler was made more effective by having the rake on the rear screen altered so that more air were to pass under it

Living with one?
Mines stock.. perfectly do-able, providing you have something else to use aswell as I wouldnt want to use it as a work horse!
also leaving it anywhere like in a car park I do tend to worry a little bit, mainly due to jealous people and snotty little kids who dont know how to behave.
Otherwise I drive mine when I feel like it. I have a van for work so having an M3 isnt really too bigger an issue for me

[aceraf]

Thanks for the quick replies....

my next question would be...

what does an e30 M3 rev upto....

just before and after redline??

[m3ben05]

8k ish

Cant believe you've not seen many in the flesh, you should get yourself to some meets mate

[Bob_S]

8k?

6750rpm is peak power
7k is where the red markings start and
7400rpm I think I heard the first fuel stutter where the limiter cut in.

[m3ben05]

Really? Im sure when i was at goodwood last year mine was hitting the limiter at around 7800.

I could well be wrong, its been almost a year since iv driven it properly

[Bob_S]

mines only been there once.. a genuine case of... wrong gear! good job I was only pottering lol
was going 3rd to 4th but popped it back in second and ended up about 5k and pushed the throttle to accelerate in 4th.. had to think what I was doing with my right hand then, got in a right muddle! lol

[m3ben05]

The one time i went there was down the back streight at goodwood, it was juuuust to short to switch to 5th before braking hard for a 90 degre right hander, ended up at around 120mph in 4th ...... until i got home and found it had destroyed the baffles in my exhaust

[Theo]

Bob, FFS stop driving that car like a granny - it's a race derived motor designed to be abused.

[215m3]

7800 limit is the evo II and the rest are 7200.
They are easy enough to live with.
4 pot so the weight was not hung out over the front axle and helped with the handling over the longer heavier 6pot
A CF airbox if driven normallyis not excessively noisy, only if revved does it become noiser
The bottom end derived from the 1400cc formula 1 engine
Keep away from RHD as these detract from the handling(which is what these cars are all about) The brakes also suffer as well because of the brake servo and lines
The convertible was also hand built
It's not like the E36 M3, it's so much better as it is the original M3 and was all about racing. The E36 was built for comfort as well as speed.

[maxfield]

My dads revs to 7.8k and that has lightweight bottom end etc

could it rev to more?

[aceraf]

8k ish

Cant believe you've not seen many in the flesh, you should get yourself to some meets mate

I know...never get time though....hopefully will do so this summer as at the moment i'm at college 3 days a week, and at work 5 (go college and work on tuesdays)...so don't get any time off!!!

Got weeks off now, so just gona work on my car!!!

It does seem strange now that i'm on the Zone, that there's so many about, and so many in the midlands, but i only seen one for the first time last week....

I suppose also i didn't know what they were before, so never looked out for them!!!

There was a blue convertible one in derby a while back...estoril blue, but it was a replica built on a 318, and the owner drove it like a granny which gave it away!

What's people's thoughts on estoril blue on e30'? were any sprayed like that from factory? or was this colour made when e36's came out?

[aceraf]

7800 limit is the evo II and the rest are 7200.
They are easy enough to live with.
4 pot so the weight was not hung out over the front axle and helped with the handling over the longer heavier 6pot
A CF airbox if driven normallyis not excessively noisy, only if revved does it become noiser
The bottom end derived from the 1400cc formula 1 engine
Keep away from RHD as these detract from the handling(which is what these cars are all about) The brakes also suffer as well because of the brake servo and lines
The convertible was also hand built
It's not like the E36 M3, it's so much better as it is the original M3 and was all about racing. The E36 was built for comfort as well as speed.

Lol...my 316 revs to a massive 6K

[harry_p]

i have no worries at all about using mine every day. approx 50 miles of twisty roads, and although i have 2 other cars, neither are taxed or mot'd so technicaly it's my only car.

looked after it houldnt be any more unreliable than any other e30. parts avaliability is pretty good too, although you do pay a premium for m3 specific parts.

best way to tell a real m3 from a lookalike is the extension to the rear of the roof, there's an obvious band accross the width of the roof about 8in from the rear edge, the c-pillars are wider, the rear screen slopes more and theres an extra extension at the bottom to meet up with the raised bootlid.

the only major external bodypannel the sme asany other e30 is the bonnet. other parts were altered to give an advantage on the race track, be it aerodynamic, cooling, or to allow mechanical changed (wider and taller wheels for bigger tyres and brakes)

[Toby_Unna]

m3 4pot motor is a 24v 2.3 or 2.5litre unit

[aceraf]

m3 4pot motor is a 24v 2.3 or 2.5litre unit

Am i totally stupid or is that a 6pot????

I'm confused...is that an M3 engine....

[billgatese30]

yeah yeah, that should be 16v, late nite typo :

[Frenchy]

This will probably be my next chariot gents what do i look out for when buying one,i am pretty astute at bodywork so will suss one which has had a knock,i can generally tell when one is "right" what are the weak points mechanically and what is the best one to go for ???

Cheers Jim.

[maxfield]

Buy the most expensive one you can afford!

[Frenchy]

Cheers Maxfield your probably bang on there ! but you never know when looking for one, the odd one surfaces at not a daft load of money but can be made right.

Were you at Gaydon last year/ i recognise the car,If so " PROPER CAR" with respect, i would have nice original wheels or some period BBS jobbies.

Engine bay Nice!

[maxfield]

It was at gaydon yes with a tank of diesel.

BBS RS/LM will be put on after the 8-series is sold.

Just check usual things. There aren't really many problems with the M3 mechanicly. Just rust scuttle, arches etc.

There is a myth about thiming chain tensioner needed at 100k

[Kos]

an M3 crank will not take much over 8000rpm, at 8250 it will break or throw a rod

RHD drive conversion didnt affect the handling as such, it just had a slower rack from a regular e30, but it can be sorted with an e36 rack which i did a few years back, or a quick rack bu you'll loose the PAS set up

[harry_p]

Buy the most expensive one you can afford!

NO!

buy the BEST you can afford. people just assume that expensive = good. you don't have to spend a fortune on a decent honest, well looked after m3. and on the otherhand theres a lot of vastly overpriced tat out there.

set yourself a budget, look at a few around that budget and get a feel for what you'll get for your money. if you're not happy with the selection of cars you can get for your money, wait and increase your budget.

these cars are old, rare and expensive (compared to more modern cars with similar performance) so be prepared to travel to look at potential purchases.

[maxfield]

Sounds better.

I know Simon is selling his at a decent price and that is mint and has been looked after well.

[SDM]

depends how much your going to drive it or how much you want to tinker with it.

i got mine for a very very reasonable price, but it does need a few jobs doing, first off getting that damn bonnet to stay closed .

but, mechanically it is sound, bodywork is fairly good but i have plans for that anyway.

part of me buying this car was so i had something to play with at weekends, i love getting under cars and when i have completed a few stages (it will never be finished lol) then it will bring me so much satisfaction!

[aceraf]

depends how much your going to drive it or how much you want to tinker with it.

i got mine for a very very reasonable price, but it does need a few jobs doing, first off getting that damn bonnet to stay closed .

but, mechanically it is sound, bodywork is fairly good but i have plans for that anyway.

part of me buying this car was so i had something to play with at weekends, i love getting under cars and when i have completed a few stages (it will never be finished lol) then it will bring me so much satisfaction!

Know exactly what you mean...nobody will probably notice the changes you make unless you tell them, but you know its done, and it's very satisfying!!!

[herman]

I drive alot of cars in my business, lambo's, AMG Mercs, porkies etc, but its great to drive my M3 nothing drives like it. When you turn it and feed the power in, LSD kicks in fantastic one of the best handling cars ever....

[Frenchy]

Mine were away a week for a "proper" job,cannot be much cop in a couple of hours work.

[orangecurry]

correct me if I'm wrong (get in line)

the E30 convertible M3 is a stock cabbie shell, with the bodywork wheel-arch extensions of course, and the S14 chucked-in.

So the handling is stock E30, with none of the race-car magic.

[harry_p]

the only real structural differences between e30 and m3 were the bonded in screens to improve stiffness, which is of course lost as soon as you chop the roof off and make a convertable!

i think all the running gear was to m3 spec too, so it should still handle better than a standard convertable, though they may have used softer springs to try and prevent some scuttle shake etc.

[orangecurry]

ah - I didn't think the running gear was the same as the M3, I thought it was mostly stock E30....

**edit I can't find anything on the net to back up my wild claims; if anyone knows for sure I'd be very interested - so there is a proper M3 steering rack, chassis, everything except the roof in an E30 M3 cabbie?

[CSL_Wanabee]

If you want a daily driver that will be faster on the street choose an E36 M3. If you want something special with track work in mind choose an E30 M3. But the former is faster with a decent coilover system, trust me. Just look at the ring times.

[harry_p]

faster yes, as fun or as involving to drive? doubtfull. as good looking, or as cool? not evn on the same planet.

plus there are millions of chavved up low spen e36s made to look like m3 with a couple of bumpers, replica wheels and some cheapo mirrors. bung on some lexus style lights, misplacem M badge and banging choonz to complete the look