VW VR6 Mk2 - E30 coupe

[inlinevee]

ok well my current car is a 1991 4-door jetta with a vr6 swap. car has no power steering or a/c and has a peloquin lsd. lightened pullies,lightened flywheel,cams (which i installed) and some little things in terms of performance. (car makes over 200 at the motor). i took it to the track and all though i love my brick, i want something RWD. 240s are the new civics and older corrolas cost alot so next on hte block was an E30. what id like to know is what are the good and bad things about them that you as owners and drivers would say? id use one for daily (winter,and track events) and i wanna know what are things to do and what are things to stay away from in terms of performance. idealy id stay all motor but ive heard certain motors take nicely to boost and basically i wanna make this a nice streetable car that you can also have fun with at the track, let me hear what you guys think.

[sumyungguy]

Ill let others list the bads.. After owning a few high power fwd's and a really clean e36, I really wish I would have bought an e30 to begin with. Lots of fun to drive, easy to work on, comfortable for dd ("is" seats), and character the car has will keep at least 1 e30 in my stable for a long time. I went for the 318is because I have a thing for 4 cylinders and all the little quips the 91 318is' have over the other models. Unless you get a bum one or just run into issues I doubt you will regret an e30 purchase.

[inlinevee]

sounds good so far, i recently attended a circuit track event with r-compounds and crappy suspension on my car and had a blast, ceramic pads and the lsd helped out. i think id try and keep my OEM Recaro seats as i havent sat in any OEM seat in any car that holds ya in better lol. im hoping for a lot of replies. what are the quips of a 318is? do those 4cylinders take to boost easily?

[ivo316]

do those 4cylinders take to boost easily?

Indeed ;)

[sumyungguy]

Here is some really good info on them
BP's 318is Site
look at the sub catagories on "the 318 is" link and also the buyers guide (applies to all e30's)

Here is a good article that motor trend did
Motor Tend Sep. 1990

You can also check out m42club.com

[M42Technik]

Here is some really good info on them
BP's 318is Site
look at the sub catagories on "the 318 is" link and also the buyers guide (applies to all e30's)

Here is a good article that motor trend did
Motor Tend Sep. 1990

You can also check out m42club.com

Dude thanks for the PDF on the Motor Trend article! Thats a keeper!

There's not much else to add, they're nice cars, and pretty hassle-free, just read up on that BP site, it will tell you everything you need to know on the 318iS.

[Jordan325iC]

m42's (1990-1991 318i/s) do not take to boost well. They are hardly ever turbocharged.

The other engines avaliable, the m20 (inline 6cyl 1984-1991 325e/i/s) and the m10 (4cyl 1984-1985 318i) are boosted very often and very successfully.

[der affe]

sounds good so far, i recently attended a circuit track event with r-compounds and crappy suspension on my car and had a blast, ceramic pads and the lsd helped out. i think id try and keep my OEM Recaro seats as i havent sat in any OEM seat in any car that holds ya in better lol. im hoping for a lot of replies. what are the quips of a 318is? do those 4cylinders take to boost easily?

if you are a bigger person like me (6' 220lbs) the recaro swap is easy and you will be more comfortable. they are a little tight in an e-30 (read wide), but it's not a big deal. if you have any problems or do it i'll tell you what to do. btw do your seat backs creep back while you drive, requiring you to move them back up periodically? i'll tell you how to fix that too.

[SA E30]

m42's (1990-1991 318i/s) do not take to boost well. They are hardly ever turbocharged.

The other engines avaliable, the m20 (inline 6cyl 1984-1991 325e/i/s) and the m10 (4cyl 1984-1985 318i) are boosted very often and very successfully.

I beg 2 differ... when boosed they perform well, just cause it's hardly ever done doesn't mean it doesn't work

[dude8383]

I beg 2 differ... when boosed they perform well, just cause it's hardly ever done doesn't mean it doesn't work

indeed.

a turbo'd m42 can be pretty damn quick.

[zaust]

You guy's have a lot of v8 small block motors over there. I was looking at the small block chevy lump. will fit no problem and gives you bag's of useable power before you even start tuning.. Just a thought... And yes it has been done already..

[redhatpat]

Grassroots Motorsports supercharged their 318is and it responded pretty well. They used an e36 Downey kit and adapted it to the e30. It ended up making about as much hp as the 325is, but in a slightly lighter car.

[M42Technik]

Grassroots Motorsports supercharged their 318is and it responded pretty well. They used an e36 Downey kit and adapted it to the e30. It ended up making about as much hp as the 325is, but in a slightly lighter car.

You forgot to mention that their supercharger kit costs around $3,500.

Which is almost the same amount it takes to get an E36 engine and fit it into the E30, and definitely more than a 318iS costs in the first place. Which would yield better results and can be modified to add some hp to the stock E36 engine.

Everyone will tell you that an E36 motor swap will be more cost effective, and they're right.

EDIT: GSM said this about the supercharger:

The Downing/Atlanta supercharger kit costs $3395 and is pretty much complete, right down to the air filter. It is well-designed and can easily be installed in a weekend by a fairly experienced home mechanic. (Heck, we prototyped a whole new application, dyno tested the car before and after, and drove 400 miles each way to Atlanta—in three days.)
While $3395 may not be chump change, we challenge you to pull your engine, rebuild or swap it for another one, add 50 percent more power, put it all back together in three days and have a car that drives like a stock one for that kind of money.

[Julien]

if you own an e30, hot girls will sleep with you

[inlinevee]

lol thanks for the help guys, im going to finish all the little things up with my car so at least i got a solid daily driver. when funds allow ill spring forth and build a nice E30.