Which engine would you choose for a swap?

[Andrew325is]

I dunno, I'm pretty happy with the stock M44 power actually now that I've driven one. Yeah, all MM engines are expensive. I bet they kick ass though. I mentioned that one as an example. Of course lots of people have built their own.

[varg]

loves to rev!

It's a 1.8L 4 cylinder that revs to 6,500rpm and falls off a cliff after 6,000rpm. what the heck have you been driving that made you categorize that as "loves to rev"? Smog era american cars? Sure it's an engine you have to rev to about 5,000rpm to get anything out of, but you don't get much unfortunately unless you spend an insane amount on making some NA power or force feed. I know the M42 well, and the M44 is no different beast. I'd rather have a Honda engine, at least they make power NA and truly love to rev.

As for the MM 2100 rally engine, there probably isn't a more expensive way to go about making 205hp other than an S14 swap.

[Andrew325is]

This isn't an N52 discussion though (although I'm sure it's a great engine!). M54 is great too, it's fairly lightweight, but a good portion of the weight will still be in front of the axle and it doesn't like to rev like the 4 cylinders. It was designed for low down torque to power the big X5 SAV. So I think it's at home more in a larger vehicle. For little cars like the E30 I'm beginning to think that little engines that like to rev are a better choice, at least they seem to bring more of a smile to my face, cause I'm still smiling after driving that 318ti.

[nando]

If you don't want an N52, then M54. The M42 is a boat anchor (sorry not sorry, but the power to weight ratio is just not there).

[Andrew325is]

I had to see how much the M42 sucks, so today I test drove a 98 318ti (5-speed M sport). Okay, it has M44, so I still don't know how much the M42 sucks, but I love the M44! Whoever thinks it's too slow is smoking crack. It's quicker off the line than my M20 and loves to rev! Seems like the perfect match for the E30. :D

[MrBurgundy]

Whats the oil pan deal for N5x swaps??

[Julien]

LOL, thats all I got.

BMW still has yet to build an NA motor that is smaller / lighter that has the potential to make more power.

AFAIK the N52b30 is lighter and makes a boatload more power

[cwlo]

I've had an m54, and now N52 in my e30. The M54 is a nice choice. Tons of torque and easy drivability. Cheap and plentiful, and fairly bulletproof. That said, the downside is the crank harmonics and flattened hp curve up top. Its a great street choice though. The N52 has similar characteristics down low, but builds power up top, and revs so freely. It feels more like an M motor compared to the M54. Probably not worthwhile if you are just going to street, but I would strongly consider it for track or autocross use.

[MrBurgundy]

Yeah, I had an e39 with an m54b30 in it... it was amazing.

drove it for 70k miles and didnt do anything to it except change the oil

[Staszek]

I say M54! Or S54 :) But I really liked the M54B30 in my old 330i

[JimmyP]

LOL, thats all I got.

BMW still has yet to build an NA motor that is smaller / lighter that has the potential to make more power.

[e30austin]

I wouldn't call an S14 "fragile". Expensive to repair, but I wouldn't quite call it fragile.

[Tisoc]

Am I the only one who thinks that by today's standards the s14 is gutless, buzzy, overpriced, over-hyped and fragile motor?

It’s cool, but a novelty for a swap.

[Motheye99]

Am I the only one who thinks that by today's standards the s14 is gutless, buzzy, overpriced, over-hyped and fragile motor?

It's on par with a K24 from a performance standpoint. Just costs 10k and is way cooler.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Julien]

Am I the only one who thinks that by today's standards the s14 is gutless, buzzy, overpriced, over-hyped and fragile motor?