best way to go about boosting a 325e?

[sofargone561]

I have a 325e i just bought. after i get it to where i want it to be i want to boost it. I know i should swap the head but wich one should i swap? I want a solid 250-300whp to start but room to grow. is that possible with this motor? The reason i want to stay with the 325e motor is becuase i think it would be fun and more rewarding when its finished not to mention i already have the damn thing wich means more money for parts and goodies!


I was also thinking about swapping in an s14, m50, or s50 motor but im not sure what to do. I want something that will make great power but not somehting ill have to sell my house for just to build or repair. =/
PLEASE HELP!

[acolella76]

if you're going to boost it put the 325i head on. The 325e head has small valves and ports and won't make any top end power at all. Just do some searching in the F/I section and the 24v section till you get an idea of what you wanna do.

[325ix]

For a turbo, swap in an i head. Then read up in the turbo section. Otherwise, the m50 is great for a turbo.

[devon.818]

the 885 head and everything in the swap
then it will lower your comp oh so slightly
bolt it all up

use a turbo chip from TCD and a RRFP with a set of 24# fuel injectors.
run 7-9lbs of boost all day on stock everything.

you will be more than happy and likely not blow anything up :)


ps, this is the CHEAP way to boost your motor, good enough for fun, not so much if you want to race anyone or plan on big numbers, but trust, 200hp in an e30 is fun, this should be good for 240-250 and cost under 1000

[sofargone561]

the 885 head and everything in the swap
then it will lower your comp oh so slightly
bolt it all up

use a turbo chip from TCD and a RRFP with a set of 24# fuel injectors.
run 7-9lbs of boost all day on stock everything.

you will be more than happy and likely not blow anything up :)


ps, this is the CHEAP way to boost your motor, good enough for fun, not so much if you want to race anyone or plan on big numbers, but trust, 200hp in an e30 is fun, this should be good for 240-250 and cost under 1000

Thats the number 885 idk why i kept thinking 865. Im on a budget and want to save money but im not poor. I can afford more then that lmao. What can i do in order to make more power? like i said i want 250-300whp and not have to worry about it blowing up in 2 weeks becuase i cut corners. this will not be a DD and will be raced and beat on. Thanks for the head number though !!;)

[sofargone561]

if you're going to boost it put the 325i head on. The 325e head has small valves and ports and won't make any top end power at all. Just do some searching in the F/I section and the 24v section till you get an idea of what you wanna do.

For a turbo, swap in an i head. Then read up in the turbo section. Otherwise, the m50 is great for a turbo.

Thats what i wanted to do. Besides the i love high reving motors the E doesnt rev high enough lmao. Can i make make a good amount of power or should i just go with an m50 or something?

[devon.818]

are you going standalone or a piggyback or a chip?

nothing wrong with a chip, thats just the oldschool way of doing it.

now i could be a dick and say search....SEARCH, but i'll help you anyway lol

ok so 250-300? you want around 10-12psi, no problem can be done for 2k or so
get a used turbo manifold or a ebay one or whatever you like.
decent size turbo, go holset or a used garret, or hit up a guy on here who goes by einstein or german engineering(search the later).

intercooler all that shit go ebay/jegs/summit racing
walboro fuel pump
24-32# injectors

if you get a TCD chip then do a RRFPR, if you go megasquirt get a manual boost controller, piggy back then the spring in the BOV should be fine, but idk, i wouldn't trust a spring, always read about people over boosting

do a cometic or a MLS head gasket, you CAN do a stock one, but if you have the extra few hundred why not splurge, also arp head studs to sandwhich that bitch in

a NEW oem clutch will be fine or a used stage 2

change your diff to a 2.93-3.25 LSD

oh and dont die :)

[sofargone561]

are you going standalone or a piggyback or a chip?

nothing wrong with a chip, thats just the oldschool way of doing it.

now i could be a dick and say search....SEARCH, but i'll help you anyway lol

ok so 250-300? you want around 10-12psi, no problem can be done for 2k or so
get a used turbo manifold or a ebay one or whatever you like.
decent size turbo, go holset or a used garret, or hit up a guy on here who goes by einstein or german engineering(search the later).

intercooler all that shit go ebay/jegs/summit racing
walboro fuel pump
24-32# injectors

if you get a TCD chip then do a RRFPR, if you go megasquirt get a manual boost controller, piggy back then the spring in the BOV should be fine, but idk, i wouldn't trust a spring, always read about people over boosting

do a cometic or a MLS head gasket, you CAN do a stock one, but if you have the extra few hundred why not splurge, also arp head studs to sandwhich that bitch in

a NEW oem clutch will be fine or a used stage 2

change your diff to a 2.93-3.25 LSD

oh and dont die :)

I want to thank you for being a dick. I am searching ive only had the car for 3 days so its been a very small amount of searching. I was unsure if i could keep the car but now i know i can so its balls to the wall.

Should i build the internals or head at all? Im very new to bmw motors i did own an e30 when i lived in germany but i never touched it the german laws where to hardcore lol.

Ill try not to die just becuase you have been so kind!:razz:

[jaywood]

Go with 30lb injectors if you're doing a chip. The stock ECU can't handle anything more then that. Anything less and you'll be wishing you went with something bigger.

I've seen guys with 400+ hp on stock HG m20, so I think you'll be fine with a stock gasket.



No need to build up the internals. Stock is just fine.

[devon.818]

do maintenance first kid
timing belt before anything.
you will need a GOOD cap and rotor and ignition tune up

ever heard the "while your in there" concept? well when you open up a hard to access place you might as well replace what you can, even if it is working fine while you are in there, why? well why do it twice!

so keep that in mind for everything with your car.

fyi, more power means you should upgrade other parts of your car, brakes, suspension-new brakes and stiffer springs, bushings and ect
dont want it to all fall apart

[sofargone561]

Go with 30lb injectors if you're doing a chip. The stock ECU can't handle anything more then that. Anything less and you'll be wishing you went with something bigger.

I've seen guys with 400+ hp on stock HG m20, so I think you'll be fine with a stock gasket.



No need to build up the internals. Stock is just fine.

I just read something and the and the guy said to use and s50 crank? is that good or no? and is there way to get forged internals?

I know most poeple really hate this motor and thats one of the reasons i really want to have a fast one. like the honda guys who build xrazy fast SOHC motors instead of boosted k20's. I like being different.

Everntually i will be shooting for around or a little over 400hp anything more then that and ill start an engine swap probably.

[sofargone561]

do maintenance first kid
timing belt before anything.
you will need a GOOD cap and rotor and ignition tune up

ever heard the "while your in there" concept? well when you open up a hard to access place you might as well replace what you can, even if it is working fine while you are in there, why? well why do it twice!

so keep that in mind for everything with your car.

fyi, more power means you should upgrade other parts of your car, brakes, suspension-new brakes and stiffer springs, bushings and ect
dont want it to all fall apart

I alread had that planned i was just trying to make sure the goals i wanted to acheive are realistic in this motor before i started fixing and replacing everything.
Also i have plans for a full ground control coil over kit and other suspension goodies. I will be upgrading brakes and will have a roll cage. As for the rear end what can i do about that besides upgrade the diff? I was thinking about the e36 m3 steering rack but i was told the z3 is better so i will be doing that as well =). this will not be half assed and i will try to build EVERYTHING with the best parts to the best of my ability!

[The Humjet]

I'd get a standalone being able to adjust fuel and timing will make your car run better, be more reliable and make more power. Especially of you want to want to push 400whp later down the track.
Rear end you should be fine with a 3.73 LSD if you got one already or lower 3.15 if you like to do a lot of highway blasts. And stock gasket will be fine on 15psi if you've got a solid tune. But arp head studs are a must have. And get a good clutch if your push anymore than 220whp then the stock will just disintegrate.
These are some of the things you could do now before you actually turbo your car. Info on the actual turbo parts like turbos, manifolds, intercoolers etc. can all be found in the writeups on the e30tech forum have a good read on there their are a lot of turbo gurus down there. I myself have learnt a lot over there in a short space if time. You need to do more research what we are telling you here is only some of the things you need to know. Once you read a project thread and see all the obstacles these guys face to get their cars running right it shows that this is not an overnight job and it takes time and patience. There are many ways to go about this its up to you to decide where will you spend the money and where will you try and save.

[Kershaw]

he has a 325e...

so that means he has a 2.93 or 2.79 open diff.

[euro2fast4u]

you guys need to quit with this stock ecu and rrfpr shit.

let alone if your pulling the head welding the coolant channels also helps with clamping forces

metric blues are still good for around 15psi. havent been fully documented above 15psi.

then again it really depends on the turbo as flow rate is what comes out of the turbo. a 12g turbo pushes less air then a 6262 at the same "15 psi"

ITS ALL IN THE TUNE!!!!