Trying to decide between S52 or Turb0

[Kershaw]

A local e30 guy has an s50b30 putting out dnyo verified 250whp. It does have a VAC stage 2 head on it though. The motors are easily capable of making large gains in power. It just depends on your wallet.

[Mr. Tasty]

How is it underrated when everybody wants and or has them?

If theres any underrated swap that would be the M30 in my opinion.

underrated in the sense that they most likely make more than the 240 crank horsepower that is labeled from BMW.

[Mr. Tasty]

The dyno reports I have seen are from Z3M's, so there must be more driveline loss for e30's. Either way, the S52 is relatively cheap and plug and play for the e30 chassis. M30's while cool and period correct, are dogs.

[redsubdivisions]

Turbo it. If you blow it up, most people basically give their M20's away so you could always find one. I've had mine turbo'd for over a year and a half now and it has yet to let me down. I ran against a SC'd S52 E36 M3 and took him down with no issues. Butt dyno is probably 330whp or so, nothing crazy but fun with a 2700 lb car. You would be surprised how reliable the M20's are when it comes to boosting them.

[BobombETA]

The dyno reports I have seen are from Z3M's, so there must be more driveline loss for e30's. Either way, the S52 is relatively cheap and plug and play for the e30 chassis. M30's while cool and period correct, are dogs.

That makes sense. I've been pouring over dyno results on bimmerforums.com trying to maximize my set up. So seeing the 220whp stock made me do a double take :)

[stonea]

M30 swap and call it a day.

[BobombETA]

My vote for a reliable daily with a bit more power would be an S52 with M50 manifold and tune. Should be good for 225 or so whp.

Say goodbye to valve adjustments and hello to 24v goodness ;)

[exhaust]

What's your goal with the car?

An S52 will feel more like an evolution of the stock setup. I picked an S52 because I just wanted a cruiser but the M20 is just to slow for what I wanted. A turbo will be more work but will make more power.

Turbos are also objectively cool. Say "yeah I've got an S52" and then say "yeah I've got a turbo". How much cooler do you feel? Way. That's how much.

[marshallnoise]

4bt

[Danny Pallister]

What's your goal with the car?

An S52 will feel more like an evolution of the stock setup. I picked an S52 because I just wanted a cruiser but the M20 is just to slow for what I wanted. A turbo will be more work but will make more power.

Turbos are also objectively cool. Say "yeah I've got an S52" and then say "yeah I've got a turbo". How much cooler do you feel? Way. That's how much.

Just a fun daily, occasional track days down the road. I would be happy with an s52 but i know im going to want more power out of it.

[Danny Pallister]

Turbo if you like tinkering around.
S52 if you just an upgrade.

I dont mind tinkering, one of the reasons im interested in building a turbo car is because id like to gain some more knowledge about it. Ive been searching for a well documented, done right, low boost M20 build thread but havent been able to find one

[2mAn]

My M52 with S52 cams put down 225whp. go S52

[zcenterb]

S38?

I have a built S50 currently but always wanted S38... big 6 FTW

[totheredline]

M30 swap and call it a day.

This^

And then when you want to go faster, boost it to your heart's desire.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[ak-]

I dont mind tinkering, one of the reasons im interested in building a turbo car is because id like to gain some more knowledge about it. Ive been searching for a well documented, done right, low boost M20 build thread but havent been able to find one

My advice is to learn about the system in general - how turbocharging works and what's involved.
Once you have a pretty good idea of that knowledge, any minor, half-assed, or even well-done M20t build you find online will paint more avenues in your head to follow in terms of what direction you think you want to go instead, whether it be better/more efficient/easier/cooler than what you read. Builds spark ideas!

The great thing is that when it's time for engine management and to tune the car(what some people dread), you have great options whether you go M20t or m/s5x turbo.

I learned a lot during my build and I'm still tinkering with it today. Hasn't left me stranded once considering the foundation is pretty solid and I have an idiot-proof restriction so I don't blow it up being negligent.