Question 130mph in an S50 e30 is it possible?

[nando]

A lot of that is tires and suspension though. my car felt fine at those speeds.. just slow. :p

[Fidhle007]

I had an IS lip, 2" splitter and a Zender rear wing with a small gurney flap when I took my S50 car up to 140. It was AMAZINGLY stable and would have kept climbing (slowly) had my entire front lip setup not decided to ejaculate itself from the car. With that gone the car was noticeably lighter in the front end and not nearly as stable although wheels/tires/suspension account for a lot.

[BeirBrennerE30]

FWIW I feel much more secure at 130+ in my e30s52 than i do in my 135i.

[golde30]

without a rear spoiler, my e30 feels a lil squirrely above 110... with the mtech1 it felt a lil better at triple digit speeds...

[Rolla1990]

My turbo M20 felt great at 145MPH with plenty more to go. But I had to slow down for turn 1...

The faster S50 and S52 e30 guys were right around 145-150 MPH on the same straight.

[MDryVur]

if no one mentioned... with a 2.93 diff you should be up there 150 plus?

[Rolla1990]

if no one mentioned... with a 2.93 diff you should be up there 150 plus?

My car at 80 MPH in top gear is turning 3,000 RPM. I have my redline set at 6,000 RPM, so the gearing should be good for an indicated 160 MPH. But I doubt it will actually go that fast, I've heard that E30's really hit a "brick wall" of wind resistance around 150 MPH.

[Fidhle007]

My car at 80 MPH in top gear is turning 3,000 RPM. I have my redline set at 6,000 RPM, so the gearing should be good for an indicated 160 MPH. But I doubt it will actually go that fast, I've heard that E30's really hit a "brick wall" of wind resistance around 150 MPH.

Yes, unless you work the aero some there's a bit of a limit there.

[jrdeamicis]

This setup FTMFW!!!

You'd be shifting quite a bit though. :p

The 3.73 isn't bad. 50, 80, 110, 140, 165

i dissagree... obd1 s52 + 3.91 + e46 m3 6-speed

i can hit 130 easily with this setup

I was going to source an S52 bottom end but my bottom end was IMMACULATE. I did not have the heart to go cheat on it by getting another one.

But who wants to run a 3.91 on the street.

The 6 speed I have is from a 04' 330.

I am supercharging the E30 in a couple months with an AA C38 Stg 2

[Rolla1990]

I just found this thread again... It's funny we're talking about the aerodynamics of a brick-shaped car ;)

[learningcurve86]

they did a bit of salt driving on Top Gear... they had a big problem getting up to speed. Kind of cool to watch though

[rThor432]

My car goes 120/130 waaaaay too easily. Rev out 3rd gear and even with partial throttle in 4th and you are there before you know it..

[mafoose]

People it's different on salt!!!
You should see what some do for ballast!

I've seen gas tanks in front of motors, and lead over the drive wheels.
If you have the power, you can probably make it by adding weight.

Aero becomes a lot more important then weight at much higher speeds. Considering the power you're developing with your setup (and importantly, your TORQUE peak), I think it's doable with some appropriate WEIGHT in specific areas.

Seal up your front end and just run a small opening, like 1ftx6in to your radiator, sealed of course. You WANT to seal the front end as much as possible.

According to these sites, the E30 has a coefficient of drag around .35-.39 stock.

http://www.dtmpower.net/forum/e30-3-series-prior/49248-e30-drag-coefficient-numbers.html

http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=129140

While that's kinda bad, it really isn't as the frontal area of an E30 is pretty small. I think it's doable so have fun! A friend of mine is building a car to run at Bonneville to break a record. Theoretical top speed stands at 240 mph (according to gearing, drag, power, and tire size).

Good luck!