M50 vs. M20 for track car?

[rThor432]

^^ might as well put the s50 in there for that effort and money..

As far as budget is concerned etxxz's comment here is correct. For all of the work/money/research required to beef up an M20 you could easily have an M50 or better in there. My S52 swap cost me $4k. Revs to 7300 rpm without any issues and pulls nicely pretty much anywhere in the rev range.

Nose weight is a concern, but not a huge deal really. It takes a bit of getting used to, that's all.

[Dillinger]

women don't like ticking slow m20 powered cars...

That's what the POS z4 is for chicks dig them ;)

[guibo09]

i think one of the overlooked weaknesses of the m20 in this thead is the engine management. the flappy door, lack of proper tps, and rotor ignition are really what holds this engine back from 'feeling' like an m50 (non-vanos). however, with MS, you can solve all these problems at a very affordable cost.

and remember, a properly built m20 will actually weigh less than a stock m20 while putting out more power. the only major cost in a properly built m20 are aftermarket pistons, the rest can be had relatively cheaply (s52 crank/rods, cam, exhaust).

[Knockenwelle]

There's a lot to be said for holding your own against other cars with newer motors (that should be faster...) with an M20. They don't have to cost a lot to build and make some decent power, but it does require some thought and carefully selected parts. E30s came with M20s, and I'm a purist, so that's what's in mine.

[einstein57]

I'm kinda biased toward the m20. Very few m20s don't have what it takes to make it well past 300k miles. Any retard (especially me) can wrench on a m20. A lot of m50s i've seen need a head rebuild at around 180k miles. Chances are the ones you'll see for sale will be up in mileage and will require a hefty premium to rebuild. That and everyone i know that has done their own m/s5x swap has problems. Might not be huge problems but things that would bug the hell out of me. One of these days when my engine finally konks out, i'll be doing a $3k reliable 2.8i build that should be easily be good for 200hp. Could i do non vanos m50 swap for half that? Yes. Would i miss the m20 character? Hell yeah.

[bykerboy]

so Mark, what is it going to be. An M50 or a 2.7i with a cam, like I am going to build!

[z31maniac]

no "special" correction, it was done on a dyno dynamics (dynojet would read higher). It was 220whp/218wtq (just looked) but I can't find his dyno plot, I hate the E30zone forum. :(

I could have sworn his thread said something about a special 6 cyl shootout mode, and that in regular mode the dyno said something like 190hp.

[Dyno4mance]

An M20 running continuously at 6.8KRPM is a time bomb with its weak rocker arms. A 240hp M20 will require much higher rev, and its life is most likely going to be short. So, as was mentionned, please point me too where I can see spec of a 240hp M20 that can run day-in day-out.

The original question was asking what would be the best engine in his stripped out track car....I don't think there was any mention of day in day out daily driving....if this was a criteria my answer would be chevy LS1;)
I would have thought your knowledge of brakes and roll cage design and your apparent knowledge of club racing would have led you to the lighter choice of the two engines especially as the power difference between a modified m20 and a 24v m50 is in favor of the 12valve engine!
I have an M20 that I fully expect to rev consistently to 7000rpm with simple peened rocker arms and make 240bhp and I get to keep the nose 70lb leaner
This is a really lame thread....Build what you want, build it right and enjoy it.....maybe along the way you will prove peoples opinions are not necessarily fact

[Dyno4mance]

I could have sworn his thread said something about a special 6 cyl shootout mode, and that in regular mode the dyno said something like 190hp.

"Shootout mode" is useually run to approximate flywheel horsepower
FWIW 190whp on my dyno dynamics will give you an approximate flywheel hp of around 235 flywheel horspower

[Brian D]

Open them eyes.

Oh, thanks. Sarcasm escapes you, I see. Kish got it, at least.

This is a really lame thread

And it is every time it comes up.

[themitchster359]

i like my m20.

[Charlie]

I would have thought your knowledge of brakes and roll cage design and your apparent knowledge of club racing would have led you to the lighter choice of the two engines especially as the power difference between a modified m20 and a 24v m50 is in favor of the 12valve engine!
I have an M20 that I fully expect to rev consistently to 7000rpm with simple peened rocker arms and make 240bhp and I get to keep the nose 70lb leaner

So..you're comparing a heavily built M20 to a stock m50?

You are familiar enough with the 24v motors to realize how well they respond to simple bolt ons such as a chip & headers, correct? We're talking 25 hp with just a chip & exhaust, not to mention what can be done with a cam..leaving the rest of the motor dead-stock & reliable.

That's not even getting into the Vanos's ability to elminate the "on-cam" character that an M20 has, and will only be exacerbated by a hot cam.

This is a really lame thread....Build what you want, build it right and enjoy it.....maybe along the way you will prove peoples opinions are not necessarily fact

You seem a little overly defensive. Should I continue to be contrarian and point out that my swap car actually weighs less on the nose than my stock M20 setup did?

Can I just point out that it seems that everyone who is saying the M20 is a better choice has a mythical "built" motor, but no actual unit?

-Charlie

[Liam]

There is Style and Grace to the archaic art of squeezing horsepower out of these nasty old M20s that just isn't there in the twin cam engines.

It's not all about how much power you can stuff in these boxy little rattle traps anyway.

[Charlie]

There is Style and Grace to the archaic art of squeezing horsepower out of these nasty old M20s that just isn't there in the twin cam engines.

It's not all about how much power you can stuff in these boxy little rattle traps anyway.

Kinda like "zen"..ain't it?

*cough*

-Charlie

[asubimmer]

The original question was asking what would be the best engine in his stripped out track car....I don't think there was any mention of day in day out daily driving....if this was a criteria my answer would be chevy LS1;)
I would have thought your knowledge of brakes and roll cage design and your apparent knowledge of club racing would have led you to the lighter choice of the two engines especially as the power difference between a modified m20 and a 24v m50 is in favor of the 12valve engine!
I have an M20 that I fully expect to rev consistently to 7000rpm with simple peened rocker arms and make 240bhp and I get to keep the nose 70lb leaner
This is a really lame thread....Build what you want, build it right and enjoy it.....maybe along the way you will prove peoples opinions are not necessarily fact

can't use a NON-BMW motor in club racing....