Track car: e30 s52 swap vs E36 M3/4/5

[RoccoB517]

I do quite well with my E30 chassis, but it has taken a lot of work and re engineering to make it successful. I love the chassis so much that the thought of going to an E36 or E46 chassis is hard to swallow, but I think it may have to happen at some point. I will sway that in an E36 I do feel quite a bit less "connected", which I don't particularly care for. Come to think of it, I may just retrofit an entire E36 rear suspension into my E30 chassis instead.

[JRKOUPE]

I wouldn't underestimate the e30 capabilities. I've managed to go sub 2s at Buttonwillow with a 1:59xx but then again I'm s54 swapped :) The goal is to hit 1:57xx on my current NT01s (225/45s).

This next time around Ill have a more stripped out interior, full cage (half cage at the moment), brake ducting, different pads, rear end refresh with solid bushings/camber adjusters welded in, RTD shifter, and bigger balls.

i was waiting for this type a response..lol........it is true that an e 30 can be made to be a killer....but from the jump, an e36 is a better platform to track.....equal money put into both

[TheDirtyS54Thirty]

S54 might balance things a bit.

But really, a nicely prepared E36M3 is a rocket.
It's not on rails- when you use 98% of
what it can do. Before that, it's just well- stuck.

An overengined E30 is a handful.
You will spend quite a while on setup, and you will
end up changing things as you learn to drive it. You may bin it.
You will certainly spin it, not infrequently at first.

Weight is more than offset by rear grip that makes the e36 so amazing, and aero
that makes it fast. The E36 has a LOT of heavy things you can take out, compared
to the E30.

But all that preached, if you WANT an E30 track car, by all means go for it! It's a fun
platform, and you'll learn a lot, and eventually go fast.

t

This is ultimately the main reason why I love my e30 build: from a over powered street car to handful of a race car lol. Being my first track car, its taught me so much about car control and how smoothness equates to fast laps. Yes, it will never be as fast a well set up e36 but it def put its all in perspective when you're out there overtaking cars 4 times the price and technology.

[TobyB]

S54 might balance things a bit.

But really, a nicely prepared E36M3 is a rocket.
It's not on rails- when you use 98% of
what it can do. Before that, it's just well- stuck.

An overengined E30 is a handful.
You will spend quite a while on setup, and you will
end up changing things as you learn to drive it. You may bin it.
You will certainly spin it, not infrequently at first.

Weight is more than offset by rear grip that makes the e36 so amazing, and aero
that makes it fast. The E36 has a LOT of heavy things you can take out, compared
to the E30.

But all that preached, if you WANT an E30 track car, by all means go for it! It's a fun
platform, and you'll learn a lot, and eventually go fast.

t

[TheDirtyS54Thirty]

I wouldn't underestimate the e30 capabilities. I've managed to go sub 2s at Buttonwillow with a 1:59xx but then again I'm s54 swapped :) The goal is to hit 1:57xx on my current NT01s (225/45s).

This next time around Ill have a more stripped out interior, full cage (half cage at the moment), brake ducting, different pads, rear end refresh with solid bushings/camber adjusters welded in, RTD shifter, and bigger balls.

[M-technik-3]

Aerodynamics, E36 is going to be faster and the fact that it has a more modern suspension, is only going to help it.

Love my E30's but I know an e36 is faster at the track.

[JRKOUPE]

I tracked a street legal e30/s50 for yrs.....I loved that car...

and like vitiokas said: e36M cars were faster at most events, if only just a wee bit. And Im comparing buddies w/ equal skill levels, tires etc etc


Id choose based on which car you like better.

its more fun ripping around a track in an e30 to me..most folks dont even know what they are any more..lol.....plus folks are amazed after they giv u point bys in newer 911's and bimmers....lol....."whatcha got in there" theyll ask.....

funny thing about it tho is that because you run faster times than these jerks, they wont lift on the straights !and w/ your 240 or so swap u cant get by a 350 hp 911 or bmw or vette...lol..so u often end up behind them for another lap or so!!!!!!!

better track car?.......lap times?......e36. others may chime in... "my e30 kills all e36's at trak "...and maybe it does,,,,,,,

but overall......e36 m


my next track car?....an m3 e36........these days its just a better value........more of them......and they are really better....but I like e30's more

[vitiokas95]

I race my s52 swapped e30 against e36s at GTS2 and all I can say that e36 are simply faster cars. It has better aero, better rear suspension etc. We all have to be at same weight to power ratio.

[1990m3]

Hard to walk away from a well swapped e30 track car. I drove one for about three track seasons and loved it. The lighter e30 will be cheap on tires and brakes. I used scrub tires and routinely got 6-8 track weekends on them. i know e30s are older and more primitive suspensions, but driving the lightest car around the track possible is really fun.

[BM5W]

Weight: keep in mind the e30 is quite a bit lighter than an e36. For this reason, in most cases an s52 e30 is going to be faster than an e36 m3.

I agree that the e36 is stiffer and has a better rear suspension design, but, if you replace all the old rubber bushings and put decent shocks and a stiffer springs on an e30, they can be really fast and stable.

How far are you going? Roll bar or cage? Stripping the interior?

[M-technik-3]

E30 is going to be less forgiving so in order to be fast you will need to learn from your mistakes.

E36 plant pedal to floor for straights and lift slightly for corners reapply just after apex. E36 makes you feel like rockstar while being not so good behind the wheel.

Remember to baffle the oil pan.

[TobyB]

The E36 is in every way imaginable a better track platform

this.

t

[earthwormjim]

The E36 is in every way imaginable a better track platform. Light years better rear end suspension design, much stiffer chassis, and the E36 M3 already has the engine you seem to want.

You can get an E36 to be pretty light weight too, lots of heavy interior stuff can be removed.

[MR E30 325is]

I have owned both a 1991 318is swapped with an S52 (supercharged, half cage, coilovers, 5 lug, 1 piece driveshaft, the list goes on) and 2 E36 M3's, one of which was an M3/4/5.

I have to agree with Simon above, almost entirely. I'd argue that the M3/4/5 is almost just as fun as a swapped E30. The mildly built 97 M3/2/5 I had was probably more fun to drive than my E30 in all honesty. The E36 M3 is just an absolute machine when it comes to a 'track car'.

[Hooffenstein HD]

E30's feel a lot sketchier when pushing it than an E36. E36's feel planted, however will be a little heavier so perhaps the extra cornering grip will be overshadowed by the extra weight to move down the straights.

I'd feel way less bad about crashing a four door E36 than a slick top E30.