E30 engine opinion

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fabianyee;447186 said:
can drift.. just that for hard core drifting, a snail and a light front end comes in handy...


but an extra gear also is good to have no....:top:
 
datsunnismo;447241 said:
there's one mechanic told me. m42 is better thn m50 for e30 in term of weight distribution and better handling.

hehe.. which mech is that? :p

Anyway, M42 is ideal for good weight distribution and with that, it's more agile.. Can throw into the corner with less tendency for it to understeer.. However, it is down on power when compared to the 2.5 liter M50. U'll feel the lack in torque on the M42 as compared to the M50..

Well, can't have best of both world... Depends what you want the car to do more often loh...
 
fabianyee;447380 said:
hehe.. which mech is that? :p

Anyway, M42 is ideal for good weight distribution and with that, it's more agile.. Can throw into the corner with less tendency for it to understeer.. However, it is down on power when compared to the 2.5 liter M50. U'll feel the lack in torque on the M42 as compared to the M50..

Well, can't have best of both world... Depends what you want the car to do more often loh...

Cut the firewall and move the M50 engine 12 inches further back. That should solve the weight distribution problem. While you are at it, might as well put in roll cage, remove the rear seats, install dry sump, etc, etc
 
fabianyee;447380 said:
hehe.. which mech is that? :p

Anyway, M42 is ideal for good weight distribution and with that, it's more agile.. Can throw into the corner with less tendency for it to understeer.. However, it is down on power when compared to the 2.5 liter M50. U'll feel the lack in torque on the M42 as compared to the M50..

Well, can't have best of both world... Depends what you want the car to do more often loh...


Using an alloy block helps...
 
what's the going rate for a M42 engine plus harness, n ecu etc.

this would be for a M40 E30. would i be able to reuse the current harness?
 
If you are going through all the trouble of swapping engines, why settle for a puny m42 (no offence to the M42 gurus out there...)? The bang for the buck ratio is unappealing.
 
Yes. M42 is a good option but NOT the best option out there. There are no best option for engine transplant for E30 nor any car for a fact. It always depends how much money you have, how much patience you have and what you want 2 do with the car when it's ready. :)
 
E28driver;452905 said:
If you are going through all the trouble of swapping engines, why settle for a puny m42 (no offence to the M42 gurus out there...)? The bang for the buck ratio is unappealing.

Have u sat in a well sorted M42 converted E30? It's a 140hp pump-petrol-and-go engine. I've converted mine 6 years ago, done about 150,000km and no major issues... Daily drive, track days and long distance drives. Not sure what's the mileage of the engine when I got it but i reckoned it should be at least 50,000km. Water pump never need changing. Only changed some oil seals over the years. Just regular service needed. Duplex timing chain, so very little risk of it snapping.

Not the best engine for the E30 but it's one hell of a tough nut... It took all the abuse I threw at it..

M40 to M42 conversion is relatively straightforward compared to M50 conversion.
 
the debate of M42 and M20B25 is aplenty on a lot of E30 boards.. hehehe... so it's pretty much split between the 2...
 
fabianyee;453051 said:
the debate of M42 and M20B25 is aplenty on a lot of E30 boards.. hehehe... so it's pretty much split between the 2...

until i stumble upon a C2 2.7 halfcut that is.. :wink:
 
fabianyee;453027 said:
Have u sat in a well sorted M42 converted E30? It's a 140hp pump-petrol-and-go engine. I've converted mine 6 years ago, done about 150,000km and no major issues... Daily drive, track days and long distance drives. Not sure what's the mileage of the engine when I got it but i reckoned it should be at least 50,000km. Water pump never need changing. Only changed some oil seals over the years. Just regular service needed. Duplex timing chain, so very little risk of it snapping.

Not the best engine for the E30 but it's one hell of a tough nut... It took all the abuse I threw at it..

M40 to M42 conversion is relatively straightforward compared to M50 conversion.

Were you offering me a ride in your E30M42? :love:

You're right, never been in any 4-cyl E30 and only have my own E30 for comparison, so I could be mistaken...
 
mizhan;453058 said:
until i stumble upon a C2 2.7 halfcut that is.. :wink:

You can easily stroke your M20 to 2.8L or even 3.0L to give your Alpina rep the performance it deserves.

2.8L much easier to locate the crank lah.
 
E28driver;453090 said:
You can easily stroke your M20 to 2.8L or even 3.0L to give your Alpina rep the performance it deserves.

2.8L much easier to locate the crank lah.

we really really need to sit down over drinks soon :top:
 
al3dx;446949 said:
yeah... once you get the M52 engine and plug in... you have to Jaga what engine oil you're using... cause of the Nikesil coating around the cylinder bore...

Hi Alex, how is ur E3024V convertion going on? Mind to tell me which engine oil is best for M52 engine? My M52 can't wait to drop out from it's half dead body and the heartlessly hunger E30 watching and can't wait any longer to get the M52 drop in...
 
fabianyee;453027 said:
Have u sat in a well sorted M42 converted E30? It's a 140hp pump-petrol-and-go engine. I've converted mine 6 years ago, done about 150,000km and no major issues... Daily drive, track days and long distance drives. Not sure what's the mileage of the engine when I got it but i reckoned it should be at least 50,000km. Water pump never need changing. Only changed some oil seals over the years. Just regular service needed. Duplex timing chain, so very little risk of it snapping.

Not the best engine for the E30 but it's one hell of a tough nut... It took all the abuse I threw at it..

M40 to M42 conversion is relatively straightforward compared to M50 conversion.

Fab, you were my benchmark before i changed my engine. haha.

Furthermore, which engine can survive a brutal attack until your flywheel fell apart.
 
fabianyee;453051 said:
the debate of M42 and M20B25 is aplenty on a lot of E30 boards.. hehehe... so it's pretty much split between the 2...

BMW Car Magazine has done a comparison between E30 M42B18 and E30 M20B25. Both has it's characters, strong point and weakness.

The E30 M42B18 is nickname baby M3. It's not fast, but it's very rewarding to drive in a hands of good drivers (like you ;) ). Therefore, it has the fun & wow factor.

As for the E30 M20B25, it's also rewarding to drive as the silky smooth 6 pot. Its a rewarding car to drive daily.
 
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