...set up e 30 vs m3 36 thoughts???

[JRKOUPE]

Ive owned my e 30 for 4 yrs now........and its set up for track work. Ive been wanting more power and think about an s50 swap from time 2 time.......as well as an e36 M3.

Today I drove a stock 95 e 36 m3 s50...90k miles. My first impressions were wow its heavy, numb and boring.... of course I cant compare it to a set up e 30......but still.

Any1 here go to an M3 that became set up...from a set up e 30?........Right now it seems more sensible to drop in an s50/52 into my nimble sorted car than work up a new used e36?..........any1?

[Ral]

that's kinda like asking the cow if you should eat steak or chicken- most of us are here because we like e30's. But, having never driven an e36 M3, much less a set-up one, I don't have any room for an opinion.

[e30e]

My stock m3 handles like a 4x4 in my books, especially compared to my buddies e30m thats stock. I had bilsteins all around and other supension stuff on my e36 325is that handled a lot better than my current m3. My biggest thing about my m3 is how fast it is in any gear and how easy it is to modify. (my terms of fast are pretty low compared to others) But in terms of fun my eta is just as fun as my m3 and it has half the power.

[z50_Jumper]

e30

[Dave]

Doc,

Hit up TIATO (Mario) over on bf.c.

[LEANE30]

in my experience, a set up e36 is less involving but more capable than a set up e30

it really depends on what type of experience you are looking to achieve... the e36 is a fat cow compared to the e30, but by today's "modern" industry standards it's a tiny nimble little thing

the e36 will never have the same chassis feedback that an e30 has just due to weight. ...but it's frame is also ALOT taunter than the e30's very forgiving unibody... but again, by modern standards, they are both flimsy little feather-weights, the e30 more-so, but that's technology for ya

personally, if i had to choose between a set up e30/e36 for a falltime mountain carving session, the e30 would win hands down, it's just more fun, and that's what i'm looking for, not times. but again, i'm here.... so there you go, i'm biased

[rwh11385]

Joel, IMO nothing short of an Elise or Miata is going to give that same experience as an E30. It's pure machine and not very padded (good). Even with an engine swap or BUG BREAKS, the maintenance should be low and car easy to deal with. I don't think you'll see the costs of tracking an E46 M3 but probably somewhere closer to that than with the 1986 technology our i's are built on.

[IceStationZebra]

e30e that sig is hilarious.

[dirty30]

Own both, track my e30, DD my e36... reason? Why would I want to risk throwing a non-sunroof estoril blau sedan into a tire wall?

I have done both an autocross and an HPDE in the M3. It has only shark injector software, H&R sports/ Koni adj. Maybe its the fact that it has twice the torque of my 318is, but it was way more fun coming out of a turn/ bombing straights. Also an e30 is old and its rear suspension makes it unpredictable at its limits.

[CleanAzzE30z]

Read the unanimous preference to the E30 in all the worlds automotive publications. It speaks for itself. Im not inserting my bias in this. But........see sig. ;)


Mariano

[Elephant]

I've owned, driven, and raced both E30's and E36's. I prefer the E30 unless the E36 is a pretty much full on modified level race car....which means it weighs about as much as a well prepped E30. I built an E36 M3 for a customer a couple years ago which was essentially an IP car but since it was dual duty it was really friggin' heavy (lots of stock stuff left) but it did have a very nice cage (McMahan). I drove it at Gingerman to set up the suspension and it was pretty fun, too heavy for Gman though.

I also drove it at WGI and had a blast....but I'd rather be in an E30 vs a dual duty E36, even if the E36 is really fast. If it were me, I'd probably drop the M or S50 into the E30 and go crazy.

You guys have seen the new EVOSport cams for M/S50 based motors right? Stock bottom end, stock hydraulic lifters, upgraded valve springs/retainers but prepared class legal.....~290RWHP on a 3.2l. Um, not bad. With solid lifter conversion it can rev to 9500, stock hydraulic...8750.

[Prozak]

i sold my e36 m3 and got my old e30 back.
do a swap in the e30 then call it a day.

if you're ballin then have both.
/thread

[fast1eddy]

Maybe because i have a vert i can't see your point. To me the E30 seems like a quaint old car. I haven't done any mods to it yet, too busy doing maintenace first, but i can't see an E30 reaching the levels of an E36 M3 without spending a lot of money. An E30 M3 is a totally different beast. I'd trade my E36 M3 for an E30 M3 any day of the week.

[Jonathan M3]

in my experience, a set up e36 is less involving but more capable than a set up e30

it really depends on what type of experience you are looking to achieve... the e36 is a fat cow compared to the e30, but by today's "modern" industry standards it's a tiny nimble little thing

the e36 will never have the same chassis feedback that an e30 has just due to weight. ...but it's frame is also ALOT taunter than the e30's very forgiving unibody... but again, by modern standards, they are both flimsy little feather-weights, the e30 more-so, but that's technology for ya

personally, if i had to choose between a set up e30/e36 for a falltime mountain carving session, the e30 would win hands down, it's just more fun, and that's what i'm looking for, not times. but again, i'm here.... so there you go, i'm biased

+1

Or just buy of each.:D

[JRKOUPE]

I've owned, driven, and raced both E30's and E36's. I prefer the E30 unless the E36 is a pretty much full on modified level race car....which means it weighs about as much as a well prepped E30. I built an E36 M3 for a customer a couple years ago which was essentially an IP car but since it was dual duty it was really friggin' heavy (lots of stock stuff left) but it did have a very nice cage (McMahan). I drove it at Gingerman to set up the suspension and it was pretty fun, too heavy for Gman though.

I also drove it at WGI and had a blast....but I'd rather be in an E30 vs a dual duty E36, even if the E36 is really fast. If it were me, I'd probably drop the M or S50 into the E30 and go crazy.

You guys have seen the new EVOSport cams for M/S50 based motors right? Stock bottom end, stock hydraulic lifters, upgraded valve springs/retainers but prepared class legal.....~290RWHP on a 3.2l. Um, not bad. With solid lifter conversion it can rev to 9500, stock hydraulic...8750.

JM......... sent you an e but it bounced back. Do you have a new addie?