e30 m52 s14 s50 weight comparisons

[Brew]

Corner balanced mine today.

91' 318is, S50, G260, big-case diff, no AC, 140A alternator, Cobra fixed back seats, VSR roll bar, all stock sound deadening removed. One layer of Dynomat Extreme on floor pan. No spare. Rear seat back removed. Large 5-channel amp in trunk (probably 20 lbs). Bigger than stock battery. Full tank of gas. Steel 14s with 195 snows.

Total weight: 2647 w/out driver
Front: 54.7 % w/ driver (185 lbs)
Left: 50.3 % w/ driver
Cross: 49.7 % w/ driver

Lighter than I was expecting, pretty happy with it. Now I just need to get some adjustable sway links so I can do it all over again.

[hoveringuy]

ive always wondered. how bad are they? i could feel the weight on my e30s52m3, but ive never really known.

we borrowed some corner scales, and, well, we just couldnt resist.

88e30m3, euro s50b32, no a/c, no driver.
full tank of gas, no weight reduction, stock seats, full interior.
2846# 54.3%f 45.7%r

91e30 318is, aluminum m52 2.8, no ac, no driver.
full tank of gas, no weight reduction, vader seats, full interior.
2684# 53.4%f 46.7%r

90e30 325i, s50, no ac, no driver.
full tank of gas, no weight reduction ((still has trunk sound deadening), light floor mount seats, full interior.
2844# 52.3%f 47.3%r

88e30m3 s14, no ac, no driver.
full tank of gas, a/n cf, floor mount fixed back seats, no rear seats, roll bar.
2810# 51.2%f 48.8%r

i found it suprizing how different the cars "feel" vs. what the scales said. so, how much does a cf hood weigh?

cheers, jason

I finally weighed mine....

90e30 325is. M54, no a/c, no driver,
full tank of gas. no trunk tar, full interior. complete M3 OBD2 exhaust.
2700#

[FredK]

91 318is, non sunroof, no driver

S50US with cast iron exhaust manifolds, no AC compressor, ZF320 transmission, medium case diff, bone stock, full sport interior except for lux carpet from 325i (heavier, thicker pile carpeting), full tank of gas, full toolkit, full size spare with a Pirelli from 1987, Sears Diehard International battery, no jack, no tire iron, no wheel chock, no floormats or trunk mat.

2701#

[hoveringuy]

91 318is, non sunroof, no driver

S50US with cast iron exhaust manifolds, no AC compressor, ZF320 transmission, medium case diff, bone stock, full sport interior except for lux carpet from 325i (heavier, thicker pile carpeting), full tank of gas, full toolkit, full size spare with a Pirelli from 1987, Sears Diehard International battery, no jack, no tire iron, no wheel chock, no floormats or trunk mat.

2701#

Wow, that's pretty light. How much lighter is the 318 body than the 325 body. I imagine the sunroof alone is worth 60 lbs.

[FredK]

I think the sunroof stuff weighs around 45 lbs or something like that, and the six cylinder gas tank is around 3 gallons larger (which would equate to around 18 lbs).

There's also slightly more sound deadening on the floor of the six cylinder late model cars. I think there's an extra patch or two on the transmission tunnel at the very least, and some under the rear seats, that isn't present on the 318is, maybe a couple of pounds worth.

[hoveringuy]

Also, now that I have a lighter motor up front I'd like to get a smaller spare tire. Maybe a 13 inch one? I'm not brave enough to remove the jack, though. I never thought about the wheel chock. It's gone!

[FredK]

Ah, well I removed the jack and tire iron because I was at a HPDE and wanted to remove all of the stuff from my trunk except the spare. I normally drive around town with a trunk mat and jack. :D

[Jonny Cash]

I think the sunroof stuff weighs around 45 lbs or something like that, and the six cylinder gas tank is around 3 gallons larger (which would equate to around 18 lbs).

There's also slightly more sound deadening on the floor of the six cylinder late model cars. I think there's an extra patch or two on the transmission tunnel at the very least, and some under the rear seats, that isn't present on the 318is, maybe a couple of pounds worth.

How about power steering?

I have the exact car, with a US S50 waiting to go in. Still torn whether to use the ZF or not.. Ive heard mixed opinions, at this point I just want to go with whats lighter.

[FredK]

I retained power steering. The ZF transmission is fairly light. If I had to guess, I'd say it weighs around 70 lbs, which is very close to the Getrag 260.

[Aviator]

Every E30 understeers. You just need to dial in some more right foot.

OT...

Right on, another E60 owner that has tracked it! :buttrock

[MIKe30]

I think the sunroof stuff weighs around 45 lbs or something like that, and the six cylinder gas tank is around 3 gallons larger (which would equate to around 18 lbs).

There's also slightly more sound deadening on the floor of the six cylinder late model cars. I think there's an extra patch or two on the transmission tunnel at the very least, and some under the rear seats, that isn't present on the 318is, maybe a couple of pounds worth.

no sound deadening in the 318 trunk at all either.

[416stroker]

so a m50 + 260= about 420lbs

[M-technik-3]

Also, now that I have a lighter motor up front I'd like to get a smaller spare tire. Maybe a 13 inch one? I'm not brave enough to remove the jack, though. I never thought about the wheel chock. It's gone!

13" will not fit over the front brakes. Unless it's some crazy offset. Stick with a cheap 14 or toss a K1 or something like that in there.

[redmist]

Every e30 understeers? Not my experience on track or autocross. I had to reduce the bite on the front to make it more neutral.

[M-technik-3]

The ZF seems bulletproof imo. The Getrag 250's from the E34's tend to pop out of gear. The G260's well seals are old but for the most part the only thing that goes bad are the sncryo's and that is when you don't change or maintain fluid levels.

I like the ZF310/320 box plenty out there these days and the G260 well they are getting long in tooth.