Most efficient route to reach 350HP in an e30?

[varg]

Nobody has said Tesla swap yet??? But I do agree with others it depends on your goals. My s52 felt like a riot to drive. My s54 in a lot of ways is just silly. With my current setup 4.10 and 225 s-drives you have to really be careful when you apply the gas in 1st and 2nd.

Now imagine having the torque to do that with a 3.25 final drive, plus less weight. That's a Turbo M20.

[TobyB]

Horsepower Shmorsepowers.

What you want is the torques. And those come from the cubes
(think stroked SBC or Windsor) or the turbos. Or Naws.

Of course, once you have the horsepowers, you have to have
a way to use them, and the rear of an E30 was unsophisticated
when it was in a 2002.

My version of your question? Buy an E46 M3, and lighten the hell out of it.

Nothing wrong with sticking a turrrrbo onto the M20 and having fun, but
the "I gottttttaaaa have the horsssepowahs!" isn't really a whole car experience.

Unless you tub it, stuff a Ford 9" under the back, and go to the dragstrip.

t

[lukeADE335i]

On a more serious note, why is 350hp the magic number? There is more to consider than just the power figure. You might want to explain to us how the car will be used. For example, for high speed spirited driving on the track, interstate, and rural roads S54 is a great option, but driving in the city feels like you're holding back a wild horse that can't breathe. For city driving and curvy roads you'll have more fun with a lightweight 4 cylinder like an M42. There are good reasons why BMW raced E30s with 4 bangers...

I was thinking this too - why 350hp, what are your goals for the car? If it's a fast street car, then even a smidge over 200hp with decent torque is enough in the e30 for that. I'm more than happy with my M30B35 with a shortish diff - the 3.25LSD I run at the moment is a little long for my liking, great as a daily, but less fun than with a shorter diff. Will one day go back to a 3.73 when the LSD finally needs a rebuild. The M30 gives me similar power to weight to a stock LS2 powered Commodore (basically an Aussie 4-door Camaro). Modern cars weigh a lot as already pointed out.

If it's to drag or drift or something then fair enough.

[varg]

Unless you tub it, stuff a Ford 9" under the back, and go to the dragstrip.

In that case, buy a G-body or something. There are few enough decent E30s as it is.

[McGyver]

Now imagine having the torque to do that with a 3.25 final drive, plus less weight. That's a Turbo M20.

I've been meaning to hit you up for a while, but my turbo project stalled for a few months. Not to thread jack, *cue thread jacking*:

Current stock m20b25 with 5-lug (e36 m3 front/6-cyl z3 rear) on 225/50-16 is running an S4.10, which is fun-ish. Within a year the car should be boosted to 250-300whp, maybe more if/when i feel comfortable. I have an S3.73 on my shelf I was thinking of using once it's boosted. Also have a line on an S2.93.

I'm worried that the S3.73 will be too tall, but would an S2.93 be too short? should I get that diff, or try to find an S3.25?

[smp258]

I've been meaning to hit you up for a while, but my turbo project stalled for a few months. Not to thread jack, *cue thread jacking*:

Current stock m20b25 with 5-lug (e36 m3 front/6-cyl z3 rear) on 225/50-16 is running an S4.10, which is fun-ish. Within a year the car should be boosted to 250-300whp, maybe more if/when i feel comfortable. I have an S3.73 on my shelf I was thinking of using once it's boosted. Also have a line on an S2.93.

I'm worried that the S3.73 will be too tall, but would an S2.93 be too short? should I get that diff, or try to find an S3.25?

I'm interest in opinions on the S2.93. I picked one up really cheap. I threw it in, but I'm waiting on a few things to get the car running.

[zwill23]

I've been meaning to hit you up for a while, but my turbo project stalled for a few months. Not to thread jack, *cue thread jacking*:

Current stock m20b25 with 5-lug (e36 m3 front/6-cyl z3 rear) on 225/50-16 is running an S4.10, which is fun-ish. Within a year the car should be boosted to 250-300whp, maybe more if/when i feel comfortable. I have an S3.73 on my shelf I was thinking of using once it's boosted. Also have a line on an S2.93.

I'm worried that the S3.73 will be too tall, but would an S2.93 be too short? should I get that diff, or try to find an S3.25?

I think you're reversing your diff ratios. The 2.93 is one of longest diffs you can get for an E30, I wouldn't be surprised if you could hit 70mph in 2nd gear with it.

Imo with 250 hp the 3.73 would be a lot of fun and still usable on the highway. The 2.93 would feel like a dog in comparison.

[varg]

I've been meaning to hit you up for a while, but my turbo project stalled for a few months. Not to thread jack, *cue thread jacking*:

Current stock m20b25 with 5-lug (e36 m3 front/6-cyl z3 rear) on 225/50-16 is running an S4.10, which is fun-ish. Within a year the car should be boosted to 250-300whp, maybe more if/when i feel comfortable. I have an S3.73 on my shelf I was thinking of using once it's boosted. Also have a line on an S2.93.

I'm worried that the S3.73 will be too tall, but would an S2.93 be too short? should I get that diff, or try to find an S3.25?

I don't have any experience with a 3.73 and a turbo M20, but judging by how effectively I spin tires in second gear with a 3.25, a 3.73 would only make my car harder to hook and possibly slower. When I purchased this 3.25 I was told it was a 3.73, but it wasn't. In the end, that worked out in my favor because I daily drove the car and 3.25 is a good highway gear. Funny, because the first time I bought a 3.73 it was from someone on this board, and it was a 4.10, I got part of my money back. The second time I bought one I neglected to tighten the drain plug during the late night swap and it dumped its oil and locked up. The third time it wasn't a 3.73 but a 3.25. I don't know if a 2.93 would make it much slower, but it probably wouldn't spin the tires relentlessly through second gear anymore and it would make more boost in first which would make up for the disadvantage somewhat. However, I don't see a reason to go with a 2.93 unless you do almost exclusively freeway driving.

[LowR3V'in]

in my experience turbo cars feel faster and funner with longer gears.
a 2.93 is great but on the street is alittle too much because by the time you rev out in 2nd you're almost hitting 80mph, unless that's your style, like mine..
with a shorter ratio you are rowing and spinning into gears which kill allot of the accel.

just think about it you hit like 30 in 1st and basically slam it into 2nd and the car is just a straight rocket to 80mph like an auto.
no fucking around with gears or wheel spinning into gears on the street.

i used a 3.4x from an mcoupe it was ok but took some fun out of the car i don't like maxing out 5th gear and still was slower then 4th with the 3.93.