Getting rid of the S52...

[87e30]

You should just notch the subframe to fit the oil pan. ;)

Sick. Excited to see the s54 e30s start popping up.

[jutny]

I'm starting to think it might not be worth it to go 5-lug, and spend that extra money on an s54+trans instead of a s52+trans.

Are you gonna be using the e46 m3 6spd, or the e36 m3 trans?

[rThor432]

You should just notch the subframe to fit the oil pan. ;)

Well, the problem is that the front of the oil pan sits right where the front of the subframe is. You could, of course, re-route the subframe metal, but then how do you mount the steering rack? It seems like it would become a lot of work very quickly.

I'm starting to think it might not be worth it to go 5-lug, and spend that extra money on an s54+trans instead of a s52+trans.

Are you gonna be using the e46 m3 6spd, or the e36 m3 trans?

While you don't necessarily need the 5-lug, you will likely want bigger brakes. My 4-lug stock brakes with mild track pads and good Brembo blank rotors had to fight to slow my S52 car down in any near relation to how fast I could accelerate. With an S54 I don't think my stock E30 M3 brakes will even be up to the task.

As for the trans, I'm not sure. I really want to run the E30 M3 Euro dogleg gearbox. Unfortunately, I had one in my living room for 6-8 months doing nothing and finally sold it about 4 months ago. Now that I have a need for it, it isn't here.. Great! Ha. I'll probably run either an E36 M3/328i ZF 5-speed for a while, but I'm also considering the Getrag 260 that came in my car. That's a beefy box, and has a better feel than the ZF in my opinion. I've driven both behind the same engine and my 300k Getrag was more secure than my 35k ZF. And that ZF felt better than what I'm used to feeling in customer cars.

[JoeyBones]

brakes...pssshhhh! who needs to stop?! You could go with one of the newer 4lug brake kits that are on the market for slightly under $1k... You'd have larger rotors and 4 piston calipers. I've used and know plenty of people with the fastbrakes kits in the past.

[jutny]

brakes...pssshhhh! who needs to stop?! You could go with one of the newer 4lug brake kits that are on the market for slightly under $1k... You'd have larger rotors and 4 piston calipers. I've used and know plenty of people with the fastbrakes kits in the past.

that was gonna be my plan for brakes. Probably UUC

[JoeyBones]

that was gonna be my plan for brakes. Probably UUC

Also an excellent choice! Very dedicated to the BMW and specifically the e30 as well!

[jakeb]

updates?

[Luis325]

In for Updates !

[psyber_0ptix]

cupcakes

[Massive Lee]

That Euro e30 weights around 2380lbs (400 less than its US cousin). Right off the bat, it makes the car more nimble and faster. Add a 340hp motor, and you get a go-kart with a jet engine on its back.

Can't wait to see the developements, especially around the brake actuation.

[FredK]

If you go with DTA or ViPeC, the tunability and power potential is just staggering. Jason89i has a bone stock S54 with DTA S100, and it pumps out 326 whp... that is just sick.

That's 100 whp more than a healthy S50US with most of the bolt-ons.

[Massive Lee]

That's 100 whp more than a healthy S50US with most of the bolt-ons.

The S54 indeed runs 100hp more than the US S52, but the later has way more torque down the rev, which is easier to drive around town, or out of a corner. But moving 2340lbs, vs 3400lbs with the original e46 chassis, the S54 motor will still feel healthy at low revs.

Lee

[jakeb]

Is the s50, s54, m50, m54 all use the same block? They are all physically the same?

I have a e46 325xi touring as my DD (don't even own an e30 anymore) and I have been thinking it needs more power. So I have been debating an s54 in the touring...the question is will the m54 xi trans bolt to the s54? Also will the trans and AWD system handle the power of the s54?

[e30polak]

If you go with DTA or ViPeC, the tunability and power potential is just staggering. Jason89i has a bone stock S54 with DTA S100, and it pumps out 326 whp... that is just sick.

That's 100 whp more than a healthy S50US with most of the bolt-ons.

While a stand alone may maximize the up most power potential of most motors, not many tuners can achieve the same low end and mid-range torque numbers. As Alex has mentioned, the variable dual-Vanos is much harder to tune with a stand alone, vs how the stock DME controls it. This is exactly why I'm going with the stock DME and Alpha-N instead.

The S54 indeed runs 100hp more than the US S52, but the later has way more torque down the rev, which is easier to drive around town, or out of a corner. But moving 2340lbs, vs 3400lbs with the original e46 chassis, the S54 motor will still feel healthy at low revs.

Lee

The s54 takes a bit longer to get into the same torque band as the s50/s52 in stock form, but once you get rid of the restrictive headers, it's no longer an issue. And the s54 will feel a bit more than "healthy" in a 2400 lb e30. ;-)

[rThor432]

Oh man, it's been a while since I've been on this site.. Hopefully I'll have some more updates soon. I honestly haven't touched the [E30] car in months. The last thing I did was install an M20 and G260 so that the car could be driven, but I haven't even done that because I never got around to finishing the 5-lug after I found out that the second set of M3 strut housings I bought was bent (that was getting expensive). I moved to a new shop a couple months ago and everything has been hectic while I/we are getting settled into their new building. The place is huge and the potential is even bigger.

Can't wait to see the developements, especially around the brake actuation.

Yeah, it's funny that you mention that.. I had a good setup drafted and measured that should work fine. But I haven't thought about it in months and now I realize that off the top of my head I cannot even remember what it was! I have an idea of what it was, but I won't say anything until it's mounted and functioning. I'll have to start digging through the garage again..