318is vs 325i What do you prefer?

[Wh33lhop]

ill dog on a m20, i think there old, outdated, noisy, leaky, piles of shit that run for ever (the 2.7 anyway)

i do not plan to ever own a m20 again in my life. i dont see why anyone in there right mind would own a m20 car anyway. Especailly When a m50 swap is cheaper than a m20 swap.

That's funny, after doing an M50 swap I wound up buying an eta, because I liked the engine. If that silky smooth operation and perfect exhaust note do nothing for you, well I'm sorry for you; give it to me.

[Wh33lhop]

thats an extremely intelligent reply there!!

He didn't have to say anything else. I like the M20 and the M42 feels gutless to me, but you're just spouting bullshit.

are you really stupid enough to think a lightened flywheel actually makes your car perform any different/faster???????????

This is just icing on the cake. Yeah, I'm sure that single-mass flywheel with less than half of the total mass of the stock M42 lump won't change a thing, especially with the suuuuper long gearing of the G240/4.10.

[Jesse30]

I love how the only people dogging on the m20's are the guys with m42's only. How interesting.

i've had m20 e30's, 24v e30's, and no an m42 powered one. m42 one is much more fun to drive than all of the above.


now this isnt including the slew of e30's i've driven. so please. tell me, how much experience do you have in this area? cause i'd really love to know how your shitbox on cut springs is relevant to this conversation.

[ck_taft325is]

my first e30 was a 318is... never again!!!

people who suggest that the modern m42 engine is quiet, maintanence free, reliable, leak free, cost effective might not have put a lot of miles into them.

The car lacks insulation compared my current 325is. I hear everything. The new timing chain design rattles (I prefer the sewing machine tick of an m20 oppose to this). Just wait until the profile gasket wwears down and you'll be in for a REAL treat... the profile gasket replacement is a 7 hour costly bitch job that I have to perform every 40k (which is the equivalent maintance interval as the m20 timing belt change only the m20 will cost half as much to do and less time!).

All and all, I'm not really a big fan of modern bmw engines. I've owned an m54 and m42 car before and they cant hold a candle compared to a m20. The simplicity of the m20 is what made it a robust and reliable engine to me. When you fully service an m20 (resurface head, adjust valve, change its seals, fluids which I had done recently)...the beast really wakes up... I was literally eating up my sister's e46 (my old e46) in terms of power and handling.'

on a side note... has anyone realized how every new BMW engine revision that is out it is an actual pain to work with despite the modern benefits? Take, for example, changing out a Throttle body on an m54 engine compared to an m20. The TB in an m20 is located conviently on top next to intake manifold (less than an hour job tops). In an m54, I have to remove the airbox, sensor, manifold, before I can eve nreach the TB since it is located under the manifold itself (3 hour job).

You did something wrong if you had to do the TCPG every 40,000 miles. The new gasket composits are much, much better. BMW realized their faulty gasket comp. and have moved onto a much better quality gasket.

While I agree, the more modern you get with BMW engines the "harder" (time consuming) they become to work on, you don't have to do it nearly as often. On both my m20b25 and m20b27 I was adjusting the valves far to often for my liking (every 12,000 miles or so). Something could be said to the effect that I wasn't adjusting them properly or well enough, but it should be taken into account that I flogged both engines thoroughly on a regular basis. I enjoy working on my engines, but so far, once I got the maintenance issues taken care of in my m42, things have been smooth sailing for over 12,000 miles with next to nothing but oil changes and an oil pan gasket (camo speed bump in a parking lot).

[bmwstephen]

my first e30 was a 318is... never again!!!

people who suggest that the modern m42 engine is quiet, maintanence free, reliable, leak free, cost effective might not have put a lot of miles into them.

The car lacks insulation compared my current 325is. I hear everything. The new timing chain design rattles (I prefer the sewing machine tick of an m20 oppose to this). Just wait until the profile gasket wwears down and you'll be in for a REAL treat... the profile gasket replacement is a 7 hour costly bitch job that I have to perform every 40k (which is the equivalent maintance interval as the m20 timing belt change only the m20 will cost half as much to do and less time!).

All and all, I'm not really a big fan of modern bmw engines. I've owned an m54 and m42 car before and they cant hold a candle compared to a m20. The simplicity of the m20 is what made it a robust and reliable engine to me. When you fully service an m20 (resurface head, adjust valve, change its seals, fluids which I had done recently)...the beast really wakes up... I was literally eating up my sister's e46 (my old e46) in terms of power and handling.'

on a side note... has anyone realized how every new BMW engine revision that is out it is an actual pain to work with despite the modern benefits? Take, for example, changing out a Throttle body on an m54 engine compared to an m20. The TB in an m20 is located conviently on top next to intake manifold (less than an hour job tops). In an m54, I have to remove the airbox, sensor, manifold, before I can eve nreach the TB since it is located under the manifold itself (3 hour job).

[xwill112x]

ill dog on a m20, i think there old, outdated, noisy, leaky, piles of shit that run for ever (the 2.7 anyway)

i do not plan to ever own a m20 again in my life. i dont see why anyone in there right mind would own a m20 car anyway. Especailly When a m50 swap is cheaper than a m20 swap.

[gearheadE30]

keep dreaming!!! what ragged out 300,000mile crapper eta with an i badge were you "racing"

an '87 325is with 127k miles on it, and it was far from a "crapper eta." my car, for what it's worth, seems a lot stronger than any of the other (4) M42 cars I've driven, and it was enthusiast owned before me, so I guess it may have other mods that I don't know about. But no, I'm not shitting you. taking into account driver differences, yeah, the 325is probly would have been quicker. My point was that the 318is, or at least mine, isn't a terrible amount slower than said 325is.

[Sepp]

are you really stupid enough to think a lightened flywheel actually makes your car perform any different/faster???????????

take a second to read what you just wrote....


Edit;
On topic, I've driven both, and I thought the 318is was more fun.

[SpyHunter]

as far as the handling-- gimme a break its the same damn chassis-- they both handle the same with the correct suspension pieces.

So weight has no impact on handling, then? I don't care what you do suspension wise, lighter weight is better for handling. Just take a look at basic physics, and you will see the error of your thought process.

[BlueBMW]

Having owned both.. I personally enjoy the 318is a lot more. Just seems like a more involved and fun driving experience. The 325 was more powerful but didn't seem as much fun. And then there's the eta... yeah nevermind :D In any case, I just turned in a Z4 I had leased, and the 318is was the perfect transition back to a low cost car.

[mikeedler]

you're retarded.

thats an extremely intelligent reply there!!

as far as I have seen all over the internet it is about a difference of roughly 60kg-- so about 150lbs. hardly enough difference to make up for that much of a power difference. and me being in Germany the 18is is probably heavier optioned than most 325's

as far as the handling-- gimme a break its the same damn chassis-- they both handle the same with the correct suspension pieces.

I love my M20-- yeah, my S14 is much cooler, but I have never ever had any liking for the M42-- it just feels like a 2.0 M20 just missing alot of power and fun.

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

and you have the nerve to call names. are you really stupid enough to think a lightened flywheel actually makes your car perform any different/faster???????????

[chadthestampede]

The m42 is certainly a prettier engine.

[reelizmpro]

I've owned many E30's except for 318's. Started with a 325e and worked my way on up and never looked back. I think there are some valid points about the M42 318iS being fun to drive and some even call it the poor man's M3. 318's tend to be bare bones cars which is part of the reason why they were lightweight. The 325i may weigh more but they are typically loaded and have more power/torque. They are a great compromise between the daily driven street car and track car. The performance isn't that far off from a stock E30 M3 either. I think you really need to test drive both to get a feel for them and decide for yourself.

[tehwickerman]

I love how the only people dogging on the m20's are the guys with m42's only. How interesting.

i'm sure 95% of people that have commented have driven cars with both engines. i know i have, and the m42 is much more fun.

[tehwickerman]

the 4 cyl. is almost 40hp weaker, and not that noticably different in weight.
don't listen to the 4 cyl guys that wish they had the extra hp.

what is the "real" weight difference anyways???? 30lbs...

you're retarded.