What a day...what to do...

[Jean]

How old are you? Maybe not worry about other cars being faster and instead get something nicer for dd ?

IONO

[walktheboard]

http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=144652&highlight=dederic+motorsports

[george graves]

Someone will always have a better, faster or newer car than you. Deal.

[kingston]

Walktheboard,

Ooooh, thanks for posting that! Another option to consider...and a helpful addition to this thread!

Jean and George,
I'm no kid, and am fully aware that unless I buy a Veyron there will always be something quicker out there. I'm 41 years old, and have, until recently, raised 5 kids on my salary alone. I've got a Dodge Durango for the family car, and my wife has her own car as well.

I happen to love my E30, but I have to believe that your presence on this particular board means that neither one of you is a stranger to performance. Are you both running bone-stock Bimmers? E30 335i, Jean?

Yes, I could buy a newer car, but I have always had a thing for E30s, and I'm glad I finally have one. That doesn't mean I don't want to improve upon it, and have a bit more performance.

Deal.

[325ix]

Euro s50b32, s54, s62, the s54 is getting cheaper and cheaper.

[Nic01101011]

There are always going to be cars on the road that are faster than yours regardless of what you drive, just build something you enjoy driving and don't worry about comparisons.

Edit: I see the same thing has already been posted.

:P

[freeride53]

S50/S52...+Boost.
scare the shit out of that E46 M3.

[kingston]

I don't need to be the fastest thing on the road

As I said in my first post...

Nico11o1o11, I'm not worried about comparisons. I think people are misconstruing my initial rantings for actual intentions. Yes, I got whooped upon by some pretty quick cars today, and it kinda sucked, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to make 1,000 hp, or 500 hp or even 300 hp necessarily...

The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking Sxx is the way to go. I'm not trying to outgun supercars for Pete's sake; just looking for a bit more performance.

And, if I'm going to do a swap, makes sense that it should be a 24v swap, I think...

Thanks to 325IX and Freeride53 for the suggestions. Cheers!

[mamzak]

How has this thread lasted this long without a sarcastic or insulting response?

That's the REAL question here.

[Emre]

I'm one of those guys who believes in focusing on the strengths of a given platform rather than trying to change it's fundamental nature. The strengths of the E30 platform are that it's lightweight, well balanced, corners well, offers excellent feedback/ergonomics, and (these days) is quite affordable. I would try to improve the core strengths rather than turn it into something it's not.

For me, the whole point of the E30 platform is the cornering. It has the potential to be a giant killer despite it's lack of power: think Lotus Elise, not Mustang GT. Even though it's very underpowered by modern standards, the Elise is a monster on the track because it's very light, has an excellent suspension, and is very easy to drive on the limit. That's the formula you should apply to an E30 if you want to have fun.

Here's the not-so-secret formula for turning the E30 into a go-kart:

Strip out all the non-essentials. Pick up a set of lightweight 15x7" or 15x8" alloys and put some high-quality 225/50-R15 or 225/45-R15 rubber on them. Put on a track-biased suspension, such as the excellent Ground Control kit or just some TMS J-Stock springs and custom-valved Bilstein dampers. Put on some camber plates. Replace the worn out rubber subframe, control arm, trailing arm, and rear shock mount bushings with urethane. Get a proper 4-wheel alignment. Stick on Lee's "Street" front big-brake kit and the E32 750iL master cylinder upgrade. Put on a shorter Z3 steering rack and the steering wheel of your choice (I like the Momo Model 78 myself). Upgrade the seats to some Recaro SRDs.

No matter how much money you spend, you'll never turn the E30 into a straight-line monster. There will always be faster cars: these days, even an E30 with an S50 swap will be beaten off the line by half the cars and trucks on the road. I wouldn't lose sleep over it. That's not where the fun lies in an E30 anyway.

[lolcantturn]

You drive an E30 and you're looking at Maserati's and E46 M3's as challengers?

:-|

[kingston]

Emre,

I agree with you about reinforcing the nature of the car, rather than trying to reinvent it. It's one of the reasons that I want to stay NA, and stay with a BMW engine. I'm not attempting to turn the car into a drag racer, or a straight-line monster. Rather, I just want a bit more oomph...

It does seem, however, that there is more than one formula to arrive to the place I want to be.

I plan to upgrade the brakes, but am doing so with '96-'99 E36 M3 parts up front. Still working on the best plan for the rear. I see no reason NOT to do a 5-lug swap and go to larger wheels.

I don't want to go full race-spec on the suspension. My plan is to use Billstien Sports front and rear, and use H&R Sports springs. Also, while I am going to replace every bushing, as this is my DD, I'm sticking with rubber bushings rather than going urethane.

I had planned on doing the Z3 rack, but Levent actually recommends an E36 M3 rack.
Levent also has a Nardi steering wheel that I want. BADLY! :)

I've got Sport Seats (from a 'Vert; black leather, heated) picked out for the car.

Finally, thank you for the very well-thought-out response!

Mamzak,
Oh, it'll come; I've no doubt. I'm trying to keep this pretty civil, but this is R3v, I guess! Some people are under the mistaken belief that I'm a 16-year-old kid trying to win stoplight GPs with Mustangs, rather than a 41 year old dude who just wants a bit more oomph.

Cheers!

[long tall eta]

I'll get my big check in early April (a nice chunk of our net profits in one chunk. About $8K after taxes on that check. I get to put some of each paycheck towards the car as well... So, I've got some time to plan and research what I want to do, and I can acquire less expensive parts on the way...

You thinking anything in particular?

metric mechanic engine. they have a variety of power plants to choose from ranging i believe to around 300 hp or more. they r pricy but have top notch products w/ waranties.

[lolcantturn]

If you want to pass E46 M3's, get yourself proper suspension and I'm sure you'll keep up with some on the track even with your M20. You haven't taken your E30 around corners hard enough I imagine to appreciate how great it is! I know how you feel, when I first bought my E30 I thought it was "ok" fast, so I quickly became a little discouraged, but around corners is where it really made my face light up.

[kingston]

You drive an E30 and you're looking at Maserati's and E46 M3's as challengers?

lolcantturn,

No, I'm not. Geez, are people really only reading the first post, rather than the whole thread? I wrote the original post in a kinda crappy mood after being surrounded by much faster cars. I wasn't trying to race either car. The M3 driver was fucking with me just to be a dick, and the Maser was being driven by a girl who looked like a kid. Felt a bit like the universe was piling on, y'know? Geez...

My point was simply that I'm tired of the stock SETA performance, and I was looking at ideas for upgrading the powerplant.