Talk me into a m60 swap

[strang3majik]

I rode in an m62b44 swapped car the other day that was turning a 2.93 LSD diff more happily then my m52b28 swap with 3.91 LSD on a wet day.

So that being said, my m52 is coming out in lieu of an m62b44 with m60 bits.

I honestly am happy with my m52, and its the perfect amount of power for an e30, and with the gears I have, its quite fast down low and feels as quick in 1-3 as the s50 car I drove, but, I will tell you this. Do what you want to do.

Everyone is telling me how great and awesome it is for me to have an m52, but I wanted an m60 from the beginning and wish I would have done it in the first place.

Don't be me. Regret is expensive.

Also, my 540i e34 moves like a raped ape...cannot wait for my e30 to move similarly.

[digger]

...but a 3.1L M20 does.....

M60 is the BEST swap for an e30 now. Everything is being turned into "bolt on" to fit it thanks to Garagistic. Nearly 300hp and 300tq...much more with a Turner chip......

jussayin.

This preconceived notion of M60s being expensive is ridiculous. You just have to be smart about shopping for parts and not buy everything from BavAuto.

an m20 is not a swap....

if you are swapping a v8 an LS makes 10x more sense

[PJH]

How does an M60 powered car handle?

I do nurburgring with an M42 engine and love it, but want more power. I am afraid I will spoil the handling with a big V8 in the front...any thoughts?

[george graves]

I considered a m30 swap but I feel like its barely a step above the m20.

No that would be a M50.

Regarding the m30. People think they weigh a lot - it's nothing. I don't know why people still think that - internet information is hard to die. (like how you can't fit 16" rims on e36m3 brakes - and BTW, yes you can)

The TQ curve/grunt of a m30 is why people say that it's the motor that the e30 should have come with stock.

M60 is the BEST swap for an e30 now. Everything is being turned into "bolt on" to fit it thanks to Garagistic.

Spot on. Listen to slammin. He knows his stuff. I hope Garagistic is still around in a few years when I do my m30 to m60 upgrade.

[dougie30]

All very good points guys I appreciate the input. on that note im sold, im graduating tech school in 9 weeks and after that hopefully a m60 swap will be underway. :thumbup:

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[The Dark Side of Will]

The only people saying it's a bad swap are the ones who have no experience with it... think about that for a sec.

in comparison..the M30b35 is about 70 ft lbs shy of the M60 torque value at about quarter the cost and a 5th of the work.

throw in a descent N/A tune and your basic boltons, and you really wake up an M30 to be treading in M60 territory.

Same argument applies to the S52 vs. M30... Same or more power WAY easier from S52 than from M30.

[The Dark Side of Will]

an m20 is not a swap....

For the amount of money spent on a 3.1 M20... Coulda had a V8 (AND 60 more HP).

[The Dark Side of Will]

The TQ curve/grunt of a m30 is why people say that it's the motor that the e30 should have come with stock.

I had a E34 535i for about 40K miles... great car, smooth on the highway and enough power than I noticed the lack of LSD on fast 2nd gear corners.

The M30 does NOT make good low RPM torque. It's cammed up to make up for its crappy cylinder head while still hitting the power number BMW wanted.
Sure it makes more low end than an M20, but compared to a V8 it's gutless AND falls short on the top end.

[digger]

For the amount of money spent on a 3.1 M20... Coulda had a V8 (AND 60 more HP).

or just a turbo M20 and chop V8s all day long.

there are many reasons why people modify their car. hp gained vs $$$ spent is not the only factor......

[digger]

I had a E34 535i for about 40K miles... great car, smooth on the highway and enough power than I noticed the lack of LSD on fast 2nd gear corners.

The M30 does NOT make good low RPM torque. It's cammed up to make up for its crappy cylinder head while still hitting the power number BMW wanted.
Sure it makes more low end than an M20, but compared to a V8 it's gutless AND falls short on the top end.

yes m30 has lots of potential, but from the factory there isn't much to write home about

[The Dark Side of Will]

or just a turbo M20 and chop V8s all day long.

there are many reasons why people modify their car. hp gained vs $$$ spent is not the only factor......

Effort vs. return was your metric from page 1.
BTW, have any examples of cheap turbo M20's that would "chop V8's all day long"?

yes m30 has lots of potential, but from the factory there isn't much to write home about

Lol... M60B44 would eat a built N/A M30 for breakfast. Easily.

[LJ851]

Lol... M60B44 would eat a built N/A M30 for breakfast. Easily.

Just quoting this for future reference.

[bmk]

or just a turbo M20 and chop V8s all day long.

While this may be true, the real reason why I went with an LS is for the reliability. Ive owned so many turbo cars from stock to fully built standalone ECU that are WAY faster than my LS e30 but ill tell you no matter what at some point they have problems and dont want to run right. Maybe your at altitude or maybe its to hot/cold, maybe you get some bad gas or your map sensor stops reading the list goes on and on. The LS I can start up everyday and beat the shit out of it and it will just keep on truckin. Not bad for a 400/400 setup.

[MonkeyMadness]

Don't do it cause anyone here told you to. Or cause it sounds Cool.
Its a project thats for sure..

Do it cause you want too.
Do it cause you want a challenge.
Do it cause you can...

But most of all, Do it cause of that fucking feeling you get when you start it for the first time with open headers and all the neighbors look around like "WTF" :p

[digger]

While this may be true, the real reason why I went with an LS is for the reliability. Ive owned so many turbo cars from stock to fully built standalone ECU that are WAY faster than my LS e30 but ill tell you no matter what at some point they have problems and dont want to run right. Maybe your at altitude or maybe its to hot/cold, maybe you get some bad gas or your map sensor stops reading the list goes on and on. The LS I can start up everyday and beat the shit out of it and it will just keep on truckin. Not bad for a 400/400 setup.

i dont disagree was mostly in comparison to the M60, LS>>>>M60

Effort vs. return was your metric from page 1.

I was talking about from a swap point of view only, a swap was not option for me personally for several reasons hence I didn’t do it, I chose to build the engine instead. I Also knew of those things called turbos yet still did not choose this option despite knowing I would have more power and torque and less $$$ with that route. Different strokes for different folks
Clearly for the OP a swap is on the cards hence why I said there were better avenues to pursue e.g. LS with the swap option being a possibility for him.

Lol... M60B44 would eat a built N/A M30 for breakfast. Easily.

I was merely commenting that there is a lot of potential compared to how it left the factory. It would take some serious effort and $$$ to make up for the cubic capacity deficit. It’s not what I’d call impossible but it would cost a hell of a lot.

BTW, have any examples of cheap turbo M20's that would "chop V8's all day long"?

For the cost and effort to swap a M60 from start to finish a turbo M20 would eclipse it no problems