318is vs 325i What do you prefer?

[rafiki]

i have enjoyed both. i have a a m42 now. it does get a lot better gas milage. and it feels a little more like a 'drivers' car like stated above.

but like i said. i liked both, a lot.

[tehwickerman]

m42 with ltw flywheel>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>m20. by a lot.

[Holland]

M10 318i

The REAL momentum car.

[rThor432]

M42's are a lot of fun to drive as-is. The 6-cylinder leaves me wanting more. After driving more modern cars I almost expect too much from the 6-cylinder when I drive one of the old M20B25's. The M42 isn't terribly disappointing power wise (especially after adding a chip and flywheel) compared to modern 4-bangers and the ease of driveability makes up for the lack of power easily.

But that's my opinion.

[Kershaw]

is the m42 really that much more fun to drive? i cant imagine all 136 horsepowers being that fun in a car that weighs 2800lbs. and i cant imagine the loss of 2 cylinders changes the handling that noticeably.

if i wanted go kart handling, 4 cyl, dohc, etc. i'd get a miata. thats the "true" momentum car.

[z31maniac]

^According to Terry Fair's post in another thread, the M42 is right 70lbs lighter than the M20.

I like the M42 car better, can't wait to get a chip/flywheel on it.

[freeride53]

metric mechanic m42 yo

[freeride53]

in my own opinion, a m42 could be made just as,if not more fun than a stock m20.
if i keep the m42 in my sedan, i'll turbocharge it, down the line.

[2002maniac]

i cant imagine all 136 horsepowers being that fun in a car that weighs 2800lbs.

But you think a 3000lb 4-door sports car with 159 ft-lbs of torque is fun?

btw, 2800lbs is BS. My slicktop was very close to 2500 bone stock.

[Stu]

But you think a 3000lb 4-door sports car with 159 ft-lbs of torque is fun?

btw, 2800lbs is BS. My slicktop was very close to 2500 bone stock.

Good point, this Alpine 318is with all stock parts minus the A/C compressor is 2460. Last late model 325i I weighed was 2820.

[Kershaw]

But you think a 3000lb 4-door sports car with 159 ft-lbs of torque is fun?

btw, 2800lbs is BS. My slicktop was very close to 2500 bone stock.

1. it was a legit question that i wanted an answer to. you seem to have a bit of a hostility problem. sensitive much?

2. i was talking about handling. it was mentioned that the 318is is a momentum car, so is the rx8. its just that i cant imagine losing 70lbs off the engine really transforms the handling of the e30 so much that losing 30hp is worth it. but if im wrong on that assumption, im wrong. which is why i asked.

3. 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. and yes i can do that personally. it is definitely fast enough for me to call a shit ton of fun. and yes, sports cars are fun. thanks for asking.

4. a na miata is 2100 lbs. 120hp. independent double wishbone on all wheels. so i still dont see why someone would pick the 318is over one. unless you're talking about style, but thats a different argument and still doesnt answer why someone wouldnt just get a 325is.

5. i drove one 318is in my life. it was really slow in a straight line. but i didnt take it into any fun roads so i cant really comment on the handling. i was genuinely curious as to whether or not the handling is that much different.

[ck_taft325is]

is the m42 really that much more fun to drive? i cant imagine all 136 horsepowers being that fun in a car that weighs 2800lbs. and i cant imagine the loss of 2 cylinders changes the handling that noticeably.

if i wanted go kart handling, 4 cyl, dohc, etc. i'd get a miata. thats the "true" momentum car.

Well, a fairly well sorted m20b25 makes what?, 176hp at the crank? 145 or so at the wheels? The m42 makes 130 at the wheels or so? For the weight to "power" I REALLY enjoy my m42.

Granted, the only comparison I really have to go off of is a 273 cammed, chipped, coil over, 19lb injectored '88 325is which of course made way more power and was very, very fun. I still prefer my m42 for daily driving duties because it never fails to put a smile on my face when I go around nearly any turn.

If you're not fiscally blessed, I'd go m42, straighten out the maintenance issues, chip it, suspension and possibly exhaust? Call it a day and drive it. Enjoy all 28-30mpg.

And besides, if you want a bunch of power, you can always swap in an s5x. Or turbo the crap out of it...

[2002maniac]

1. it was a legit question that i wanted an answer to. you seem to have a bit of a hostility problem. sensitive much?

No hostility from me. I was just hoping you would agree with me that power isn't the most important thing.

And yes, 70lbs of the nose is noticeably better.

140lbs off the nose (my black car) is amazing :)

[MrSlacker]

Thanks for the (mostly) helpful input. Looks like a chipped 318is is more of what I am looking for in this car.

[SpyHunter]

Weight will always make a bigger difference to handling, than power. Handling doesn't have a lot to do with power at all. Take a look at the really good handling cars. Lotus Elise. Mazda Miata. Caterham/Lotus 7. All very light weight, low powered cars. Colin Chapman was a fanatic about weight for a reason.

Think of it this way. Power affects one area of performance; acceleration. Weight affects ALL areas of performance; acceleration, braking, turning. Give me identical cars, one weighing 300 lbs less, and with a better weight balance, and the light car would beat the other in all areas. Now give me two identical cars, one with 50 more hp, and all it will do better than the other is accelerate.

Make sense?

Now, to muddle things, power can affect handling when we are talking about a car the needs it to rotate.

Either way, I will always take lighter and better balanced, over more power and heavier for a track car. For a daily driver? There it all comes down to preference.