M50 swap feels sluggish

[Poorboyz]

I can't compare my m50tu to an m20 as I've never had an m20, but my wagon with 17's will barely outrun my friends coupe with 15's and an m20b25.

To OP:

I have an M50TU in a e36 parts car I have and at first I wanted to do the swap but then realized that its not worth it to me for the little amount of power I'll gain. I'm holding out for a M54/S54, other than that I'm staying M20.

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[Roysneon]

I can't compare my m50tu to an m20 as I've never had an m20, but my wagon with 17's will barely outrun my friends coupe with 15's and an m20b25.

To OP:

[maclogos]

My m50Tu was very sluggish (first gear was the worst) until i found out all my ignition coils had destroyed boots. 3 of them were completely melted. Replaced all 6 with spares and the car is pretty damn quick now. Been enjoying the smooth rev band.

[pmat]

I have a tu and it does not feel the least bit sluggish, but then again im still used to an m42. Is your check engine light on?

[justin_l_]

I liked my NV M50 :) It was definitely a big difference in power for me. I pulled out a low mile M20B27 when I did it. But as everybody knows it was a freak of nature. It pulled on M50B25tu all day. Were trying to get my room mates S52 done by the bavauto show, and hopefully down to New England Dragway to see how it compares to my old NV M50. Going to be a feat, currently we have a gutted rolling chassis :-/

[Cyrix2k]

cyrix: Even off-boost, the engine is getting feed more air then it
can suck in by itself n/a.

no, that's not true as far as I know - and it feels significantly more powerful (it even did in the e36 bone stock). Anything under atmospheric pressure is the same NA & boosted - if anything, the turbo motor will show less power due to driving the turbo.

[Killacortes]

I learned the hard way aswell. A nice healthy m20 is a better choice than a non vanos m50. I still like 24v swaps but I dont think its worth it unless you go s5x swap

[OrangeFiero]

I do have ebay headers, so that may contribute a bit. Its my drift car and i somewhat daily it but im talking like 20 or 30 miles a week or so, so having the extra torque is... eh.

I did however check out my alignment as i swapped an e36 rack in at the same time... When i mocked it up, it was pretty bad toe out, now that its all settled, i have massive toe out issues. Traveling straight, my tires will squeal on dry pavement where there is crack filler, and you should hear concrete... Getting an alignment before i drive it anywhere and that should free up a good 10hp. Ive seen and been told that for every degree of toe in or out, you loose a little over 1% of your power. I definitely have a good 6 or 7 degrees of toe out. Plus supper grippy tires up front.

I also got a new maf that is not dirty and does not appear to have been pulled out of a junkyard with pliers, as my old one did.

As for m50 being slow, i agree, but i needed a new engine either way and i can go a little bit farther with boost later since i now have 24 valves. Plus it only took 18 days and 1200 bucks, so imma call it a success even if this is how its going to feel. Thanks for the input guys.

[LowR3V'in]

cyrix: Even off-boost, the engine is getting feed more air then it
can suck in by itself n/a.

[JinormusJ]

M50

There's your problem

[Cyrix2k]

I own two M50B25 NV swapped e30s. One is megasquirted with a turbo while the other is NA. The turbo one is fast in and out of boost. Even when it was NA in an e36, it had balls. The NA one is a fresh build (fresh head/bottom end), all new seals, all new sensors, ebay headers, and is currently chipped although I also ran it on the aforementioned e36 dme. It feels sluggish, even with a 4.10 diff. What gives? Honestly, I think it's the headers - they KILL the bottom end.

That said, I wouldn't expect that much difference in performance from an M20. It's a more modern design with higher compression, but the same displacement - how much performance can you really expect to pick up?

[LowR3V'in]

Offtopic but why the choice in non-vanos?

Sometimes people exaggerate hugely online when doing upgrades.
Like when I got a 325i coming from a 325e. People where saying it's "peppy"
worlds faster then a 325e.

One of the slowest cars I've ever driven. :)

[plmichal]

My very first swap years ago was a NV M50. It was a lot of work for the disappointment that followed.

My feel...

Atleast a 24v swap will be a breeze for you now!

[OrangeFiero]

Well if it is running right and good, and its this slow, at least i did the swap for under 1200 and now i have a low mile engine rather than a 200k m20. Plus a better platform. Ill eventually get it dynoed to see how it compares.

[RobertK]

NV M50 swaps are like 20hp over M20 but without VANOS its no different than if you had a DOHC M20.

My very first swap years ago was a NV M50. It was a lot of work for the disappointment that followed.