Is 350K+ on the chassis too much for a swap?

[rThor432]

I put an S52 into my 250k+ chassis. I havent had any problems. Except a knock sensor and VANOS giving up on me. But the chassis is fine, no ripping or tearing.

No problems with braking either. My S52 E30 eta stops just as well as my S52 E36 M3. I've got the 5-lug stuff in the garage and it's been collecting dust because I dont have any real need to do it (and I'm waiting for the fall temperature).

In response to the comment about the 350k+ chassis having been tracked for the past 10 years-- I have a friend who has tracked his 250whp turbo E30 since ~'92. The car was built in '89 and has been driven everywhere. No ripped or torn sheet metal anywhere. The car shows no signs of fatigue other than the diff bolts backing out every few years. They havent done that in a while though, the Loctite did the trick.

[JGood]

would you run ht-10s on the street? (car doesnt see a whole lot of driving) I've had some stopping issues with my hps pads after a few hot laps with my s50. Im possibly having a set of pads made for my car from federal mogul's Italian engineers.

I used to use HPS on the street and HT-10's on the track. It was creating uneven wear on both rotors and pads though, so I started just using HT-10's all around (occasiaonal street, some autox, and lots of track) and it's been great.

[markseven]

actually, the earlier you brake the more you'll heat-up your brakes.. that's called draggin.. hard solid short braking is the most effective way to concerve your brakes. i cooked the shit out of my stock brakes on sebring with an M20.. i can't imagine what the s52 will do to them. your chassis is fine. hope nike doesnt sue me. Just do it ./

:thumbup:

Dude, I think your skill level is much higher than mine. I have yet to turn consistent laps in terms of brake point and turn-in.

would you run ht-10s on the street? (car doesnt see a whole lot of driving) I've had some stopping issues with my hps pads after a few hot laps with my s50. Im possibly having a set of pads made for my car from federal mogul's Italian engineers.

BTW my e30 has over 500k miles on the chassis. Most of the bushings/parts have been replaced, new sways, oem trailing arm and subframe bushings though. Definitely better to find a lower mileage car, but mine spends most of its weekends at the track or autocross now and its still going.

I ran DTC-60 on the front and HT-10 on the rear for a few months last winter and wouldn't do it again. They stop well, but are so loud that its embarrassing and absolutely destroy your rotors. Fantastic track setup though- plenty of stopping power even with the S50 and R-compounds. Using HP Plus on the street now which I like a lot more than the HPS.

I ran Porterfield R4 on my DD / DE car, and they didn't squeak as badly as the HT10's and were very rotor-friendly. I had to re-bed the HT10's after each DE in order to quell the squeals.

I only want 5 lug for the availability of wide 17s, 17 x 8 and wider are hard to find in 4 lug. Most of the time they are expensive/custom, which is exactly what I want to get away from with my current setup.

OP, Turner Motorsports (and I believe AKG Motorsport now) has an E30 subframe reinforcement kit.

I took it to one of the local race car frame/cage builders and had him weld it up, then took it to be stripped and powdercoated.

Awesome, thank you.

[z31maniac]

I only want 5 lug for the availability of wide 17s, 17 x 8 and wider are hard to find in 4 lug. Most of the time they are expensive/custom, which is exactly what I want to get away from with my current setup.

OP, Turner Motorsports (and I believe AKG Motorsport now) has an E30 subframe reinforcement kit.

I took it to one of the local race car frame/cage builders and had him weld it up, then took it to be stripped and powdercoated.

[Brew]

I ran DTC-60 on the front and HT-10 on the rear for a few months last winter and wouldn't do it again. They stop well, but are so loud that its embarrassing and absolutely destroy your rotors. Fantastic track setup though- plenty of stopping power even with the S50 and R-compounds. Using HP Plus on the street now which I like a lot more than the HPS.

[EtaSport]

My stock $30 rotors with Hawk HT-10's locks up V710 r-comps easily at any speed, even after many laps. They don't even come close to fading. I don't think the addition of an s52 would change this so drastically that I would NEED bigger brakes. And if it did, I could go with a higher temp-range pad. The brake size is not an issue. Bigger brakes are for more consistent pedal feel and usually offer better modulation, etc... I'm still running stock rotors HPS's on my m50 car, that thing is probably 2900 lbs, and the brakes feel great. A buddy of mine has an s52 in his e30 and that seems to stop fine as well with stock rotors.

would you run ht-10s on the street? (car doesnt see a whole lot of driving) I've had some stopping issues with my hps pads after a few hot laps with my s50. Im possibly having a set of pads made for my car from federal mogul's Italian engineers.

BTW my e30 has over 500k miles on the chassis. Most of the bushings/parts have been replaced, new sways, oem trailing arm and subframe bushings though. Definitely better to find a lower mileage car, but mine spends most of its weekends at the track or autocross now and its still going.

[etxxz]

actually, the earlier you brake the more you'll heat-up your brakes.. that's called draggin.. hard solid short braking is the most effective way to concerve your brakes. i cooked the shit out of my stock brakes on sebring with an M20.. i can't imagine what the s52 will do to them. your chassis is fine. hope nike doesnt sue me. Just do it ./

:thumbup:

[e30s52]

Practice lap I get them warmed up and they work much better then my old 4-lug crap. It was ethier I could buy e30 m3 5-lug for 1200 or I could spend 1200 just on a bbk. Plus all my cars are 5x120 so I did that and now I can switch wheels back and forth.

[markseven]

5-lug not nec unless you plan to track the car. even then, you can upgrade the 4-lug brakes to support just about any power an FI s52...but its a nice cheap solution. i has it! slotted on hawk blues and ATE fluid. i have yet to overheat these brakes.

as for the chassis. The ONE thing to consider is RUST.
no rust, no problem mon.

My stock $30 rotors with Hawk HT-10's locks up V710 r-comps easily at any speed, even after many laps. They don't even come close to fading. I don't think the addition of an s52 would change this so drastically that I would NEED bigger brakes. And if it did, I could go with a higher temp-range pad. The brake size is not an issue. Bigger brakes are for more consistent pedal feel and usually offer better modulation, etc... I'm still running stock rotors HPS's on my m50 car, that thing is probably 2900 lbs, and the brakes feel great. A buddy of mine has an s52 in his e30 and that seems to stop fine as well with stock rotors.

Bigger brakes are only needed for a lot of quick high speed stops. I nrun Mintex reds (which aren't even that great), with Ate crapslots, and Valvoline fluid, and I do fine in the streets and in the canyons. I will be doing the rx-7 brake upgrade this summer, since I want to start auto-xing my whip. A competent suspension and gearing set-up is much more important in my opinion. ;)

Thanks guys, this is reassuring. If I do track the car, I'll adjust my braking points, if necessary (brake a little earlier, no harm, I'm not competing for position or against the clock).

I do auto-x so I have bigger brakes and it came with a better suspension. I but I think brakes and suspension are the most importent part in a good car.

I don't auto x, so I don't know, but am wondering if you are getting enough heat in the pads... at DE's, you get in a warm up lap to, well, warm up the tires and brakes. As you prolly know, track pads need to be warmed up before they are effective.

Sure it will work, but you can definitely feel the difference between high and low mileage e30s. I'd try to find a lower mileage chassis.

Yeah bro, this is true. My wife's '91 with 220K on stock suspension is rattle and creak-free. Whenever other people ride in that car, they are blown away by how quiet and smooth that car is.

[Brew]

Sure it will work, but you can definitely feel the difference between high and low mileage e30s. I'd try to find a lower mileage chassis.

[e30s52]

I do auto-x so I have bigger brakes and it came with a better suspension. I but I think brakes and suspension are the most importent part in a good car.

[e30polak]

Bigger brakes are only needed for a lot of quick high speed stops. I nrun Mintex reds (which aren't even that great), with Ate crapslots, and Valvoline fluid, and I do fine in the streets and in the canyons. I will be doing the rx-7 brake upgrade this summer, since I want to start auto-xing my whip. A competent suspension and gearing set-up is much more important in my opinion. ;)

[JGood]

My stock $30 rotors with Hawk HT-10's locks up V710 r-comps easily at any speed, even after many laps. They don't even come close to fading. I don't think the addition of an s52 would change this so drastically that I would NEED bigger brakes. And if it did, I could go with a higher temp-range pad. The brake size is not an issue. Bigger brakes are for more consistent pedal feel and usually offer better modulation, etc... I'm still running stock rotors HPS's on my m50 car, that thing is probably 2900 lbs, and the brakes feel great. A buddy of mine has an s52 in his e30 and that seems to stop fine as well with stock rotors.

[e30s52]

Wow, I love it. How did you reinforce the subframe?



Chris, yeah buddy, I have been living vicariously through your posts and memories of my stint behind the wheel of your ride :D That was a milestone in my BMW travels.



Slotted rotors and track pads wont cut it? If not, the 5-lug conversion will have to wait a while. This is may be a really dumb question, but here goes: why is the brake upgrade so important? Is it because of the booster?

I had slotted rotors and good pads but they dont cut it. You have all this power but little stopping power. I was afraid to get on the car because of the brakes being so small and not having enough stopping force. I feel alot better now having bigger brakes behind it now. I said you will need a 5-lug conversion for the bigger brakes or you could buy a bbk for your 4-lug. It is one of the problems I noticed after the swap.

[etxxz]

5-lug not nec unless you plan to track the car. even then, you can upgrade the 4-lug brakes to support just about any power an FI s52...but its a nice cheap solution. i has it! slotted on hawk blues and ATE fluid. i have yet to overheat these brakes.

as for the chassis. The ONE thing to consider is RUST.
no rust, no problem mon.