Originally posted by MrSlacker
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Here's my .02. I have a 91 318is, 90 325i, and 87 325.
My least favorite car is the eta... but that is my wife's daily, so it performs it's purpose in life quite well. Good mileage, low end torque... will still add a chip to it to give it a bit more power.
The m20 in the 325i was a nice even powerband engine that was (to me) VERY boring to drive. I used to take it to work instead of putting miles on my 318is. It's a nice commuter car (or was before the timing belt broke) but was not a "fun" car at all. This is the reason I neglected the timing belt so that this car would be my m50/s50 swap car.
The m42 in the 318is can get good power even NA. I used to run with or ahead of m20's, depending on their condition and mods. I dyno'd 136 rwhp with minor mods on a mustang dyno. I can list the mods if you are interested. The m20 dyno's in at around 145rwhp stock but weighs in at 200 - 300 lbs heavier due to sound insulation, motor weight, etc. That's where my car made up for the displacement and the handling on the 318is is worlds above. To be fair though, the 325i I have was sitting on a good stock suspension when I was driving around. I'm sure handing would feel better with an aftermarket suspension setup.
Now, for the kicker... I turbo'd the m42 and now, I am really in love. I'm pushing 10.5psi on stock internals and guessing (need a clutch to hold the power) I'm sitting around 210rwhp. This makes for a VERY fun car and there have been few cases where I've lost a short pull...
So there you have it... I'm sure some will disagree with me, but that's what the interwebs are for.
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