318is and modding

[CarsSuck]

I think he ment 318ti's not 318tis. But yes its an e36

correct.

[shiftbmw]

If you're looking for straight line power, or it's a major concern for you, hold out for a 325is. The 318is's are a lot of fun, but a 325is is going to be faster in the straights per dollar spent.

As for what handles better? Well, naturally I'd choose the 318is. Lighter, better weight balance, basically a baby M3.

I'd choose the 325is, especially in San Diego. Lots of freeway driving and such, its nice to have a little extra torque.

Either way, you can't go wrong.

[Rob]

If you're looking for straight line power, or it's a major concern for you, hold out for a 325is. .

:rofl:

[CarsSuck]

:rofl:

oh now, now. Im sure was speaking of a 325 compared to a 318. And besides, dozy used to drive a honda....

[Dozyproductions]

oh now, now. Im sure was speaking of a 325 compared to a 318. And besides, dozy used to drive a honda....

I live in hilly San Diego and boy if i had one of my friends in the car (240 pounds) in my civic i almost wouldnt be able to mantain speed limit reving at around 5k to 6k rpms. Then again i wouldnt know what my RPMS are since it doesnt have an RPM meter.

[AdironRider]

The 318is isnt a dog, but the 325is is going to be slightly faster. Ive owned both, and while the the 6 cylinder is faster, I find the 318 to be more enjoyable around town. If you really want to wind it out the 325is is going to be faster, but how often do you plan on doing that?

[StereoInstaller1]

You never really said what you budget is.

If you can swing the cash, do a supercharger and a 318is.

You might be able to find a decent example for $2500, SC it for another $4K, springs, shocks, bushings, basic maintenance shit for $1K...$7500 is not too much to make you smile every time you drive, is it?

Find the article in Grassroots Motorsports regarding the SC 318is.

Luke

Oh yeah, and if you didn't know yet, I have been a professional installer for 26 years. I am always willing to learn, but I do know my shit. Caraudio.com is filled to the brim with retards and morons, barely competent to swap a fuse, much less dispense audio knowledge.

[ptownTSI]

the nice thing about 4cyl e30's is that you get the sound and feel of going really fast, i.e. holding it WOT for a long time is fun, but in the end you really aren't going fast.

if i had a 318is i would get 666 fabs turbo manifolds, run about 8psi with a flashed chip, ltw flywheel, vogtland spring/koni kit, and a gel coat carbon fiber hood (since i'd have the charcoal 318is)

[Dozyproductions]

Well my budget is a "poor college student"'s budget so you can only guess that whatever e30 i will purchase will be a long long "work in progress". Indeed investment over time will be worth that smile :) Thanks for referring to the turbo manifolds. Ill keep an eye on those i guess when im ready, and one day it will happen. thanks for the input. I think in the end, perhaps even the stock m42 motor will be such a big step up that i will be satisfied... who knows ive only test driven e30's.


BTW...

Caraudio.com is filled with noobs (just like i am here) and people you would really question the ability to even drive but thats what forums are for, learning.

Even if you have been a installer for 26 years (which i respect your informative responses here for) i bet if you would talk to: Jmac, squeak9798, Jntar, 80INCHES (about 4th and 6th order bandpass boxes) hebrewhammer, ngsm13, Moe Lester, Jmac and many many others will still be able to challenge your knowledge in the field, or at least equal it. ca.com is one of the largest car audio sites so you will have to sift through the ungodly amounts of crap to find an answer but whatever reasonable question you ask there it will be answered. I learned everything i know about car audio from that site. Since then ive built myself my own FB dash, for my dad's mazda 6, fb door and kick pods, learned how to build myself the simple ported box and how to tune it. Ive learned which companies will give me the audiophile experience and because of that site ive tried and owned, arc audio ACS230's (rainbow made) and DLS (ms6, ur6, iridiums) , Rainow (SLC), Ascendant Audio (avalanche and arsenal), RE audio's XXX and MT's, IDMAX's, Dynaudios, FI audio Q's, SEAS Lotus', SCANSPEAK's, Raammat's, Secondskin's, Usamps', Tangbang's, Dayton audio's, Peerless', Orion audio's, Vifa's, Digital Design audio's, Exile Audio's XT PROs and Audioque's products. If you can live with the drama that resides in the OFFTOPIC part of the site, its actually informative.

edit ~ No disrespect to you or anything really, just trying to defend the sanity thats left in ca.com. I hope this isnt my death knell.

[2002maniac]

My 318is is slightly faster than my brothers stock 325i up to ~90mph. After that he starts to pull away.

my mods that would make a difference in this scenario are Cams, chip, and ~200lbs weight reduction.

[Jscotty]

Around 1990 when my parents got their 325i they would send me out with it to take it the dealer for service. While waiting for the car I would look the 318's to see if there any differences other than the engine size. It appeared that the 318's on the lot were stripped down versions of the 325. They had the plastic "knockouts" where fog lights would go, and they had blank knockout plates all over the dash where the options on my car were installed at the factory.. and they all had drum brakes.. which I found to be odd because I always thought that after a certain model year, all 318's had rear disc brakes.


Also around that time they were really pushing the 318 in the TV commercials. I guess by then the word was out on the 318 and people started buying the 325 instead. The announcer on the TV commercial said something to the effect of, "The BMW 318.. SO INTENSE that it only comes with a 5-speed manual!" And all I could think to myself was, "WOW! I want that car!" Its amazing how marketing can make something that is not-so-great seem like something special.

Some years later I eventually acquired my parents' 325i and I LOVE IT. But all of these E30 318's on the road still has me a bit curious as to how they drive and if the difference is noticeable.

[AdironRider]

Man you dont know shit. 91's didnt have drum brakes, and mine has every option you could get (even on a 325is) other than cruise control and heated seats. I dont even know what your talking about with knockout plates all over the dash.

[delatlanta1281]

They all have drums..... kinda.

[DDAY_TJ]

I really think it depends on what your ultimate goal with the car is.

If you want an eventually light weight, balanced, momentum car for occasional autoX, track days, or canyon bombing get the 318is. If you're looking for something that feels faster and can get past other cars under power get the 325 and feels a little more solid. I guess you could go F/I to make a 318 powerful, but like you said you're in the poor college student category and putting the car you drive to school out of service to do major engine work really isn't a good idea (I've tried it).

I actually got my 318is for two reasons. The first reason being that I needed a fun daily, as I own an AE86 Corolla that has become non-dailyable due to rollcage, interior strip, and all solid link suspension. The second reason is that I come from a Japanese car background and it's a practically a German version of my Corolla, a balanced momentum car that has enough power to be fun, but not really enough power to be fast compared to modern cars. A car that rewards total overall speed on a racetrack rather than to make up for mistakes with brute power. It's a good car for a college/just-out-of-college student as they're really reliable, don't get attention from cops, don't suck up a lot of gas, and most importantly fun to drive.

Aside from a full KW suspension and bushing replacement, my 318 is stock and gets 30-34mpg and is great car to drive. It's my first car with power anything and air conditioning as my previous 3 cars were AE86 Corollas. My only real complaint about it (and this may apply to all E30's minus M3), is that the steering is slow (giant steering wheel), and it doesn't rev as fast as my Corolla (heavy flywheel for a 4cyl). I guess if you're used to Japanese cars, a 318is is a nice transition to Germans cause to me, it's the most Japanese feeling car out of the bunch.

[edit]
Forgot to add... There's another E30 forum that talks specifically about the M42 equipped E30's.

http://www.m42club.com

[StereoInstaller1]

Man you dont know shit.

Hey man...why be so harsh?

The newb is only confusing the early 318 (which IIRC came only with drum brakes in the rear, M10, missing lots of options) with your car, which came only 1 year IIRC. Your 318is was "the return" of the E30 being a drivers car.

Lots of people don't know that shit.

Personally, if I weren't into tons of wrenching, I would aim straight for that '91 318is, but the regular 318 is kind of underwhelming, stock.

Fun can be had, but at a fairly high cost of time and money.

Instead, I have an early body 325is. I got it cheap, worked like hell on it, and have much more to do. Would not trade it for the world...well, maybe.

Luke