Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

M40 318i Worth Upgrading?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    M40 318i Worth Upgrading?

    I live in Greece and I purchased a BMW E30 318i with an M40 motor. Its 1.8l
    Here in Greece you pay end of year taxes on your car depending on the size of the motor. At the moment I pay 240 euro. If i convert to 2.5l I would be paying around 1200 a year in taxes for the car. My question is...Can I make a decent amount of power with the M40? I want to stay in the 1.8l size.

    #2
    No.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by DesertBMW View Post
      No.
      Damn, I was afraid of that.

      Comment


        #4
        If you like science projects, swap to M42 and add a turbo.
        As long as that doesn't bump your taxes.

        But it'll be REAL money, and unless you keep your car for almost ever, never pay for itself.

        t
        now, sometimes I just mess with people. It's more entertaining that way. george graves

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by TobyB View Post
          If you like science projects, swap to M42 and add a turbo.
          As long as that doesn't bump your taxes.

          But it'll be REAL money, and unless you keep your car for almost ever, never pay for itself.

          t
          Thank you sir, Yes I plan on keeping the car. Ill research and see how hard the motor is to come by here. Just ordered whole rear axle to convert it from drum to disk. Thanks for the help.

          Comment


            #6


            A little (not so light) reading. I don't think the M42 would make much more
            power than the M40- until you strapped a turbo on.

            Good luck!

            t
            now, sometimes I just mess with people. It's more entertaining that way. george graves

            Comment


              #7
              Considering the gearing both cars come with from the factory the M40 does not feel than much slower than an M42. Clearly the character of the two engines are vastly different with the M40 pretty much wasting your time above 4500RPM, and the M42 only coming alive above there. The swap from one to another should be very simple, as the transmission is the same, leaving only wiring, possible fuel system conversion, and a radiator swap being required.

              That said, if your M40 has not had it done it may well be worth it to order the stock cam/rocker/lifter kit available from several vendors as M40s do seem to universally suffer from severe top end wear. I can't say for certain, but you will probably pick up decent some power.

              It may just be easier to appreciate your M40 car for what it is, an economical runabout that is in a fairly fun chassis, rather than trying to make it something it is not.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by roguetoaster View Post
                Considering the gearing both cars come with from the factory the M40 does not feel than much slower than an M42. Clearly the character of the two engines are vastly different with the M40 pretty much wasting your time above 4500RPM, and the M42 only coming alive above there. The swap from one to another should be very simple, as the transmission is the same, leaving only wiring, possible fuel system conversion, and a radiator swap being required.

                That said, if your M40 has not had it done it may well be worth it to order the stock cam/rocker/lifter kit available from several vendors as M40s do seem to universally suffer from severe top end wear. I can't say for certain, but you will probably pick up decent some power.

                It may just be easier to appreciate your M40 car for what it is, an economical runabout that is in a fairly fun chassis, rather than trying to make it something it is not.
                This is very true. At first I was thinking of just leaving the motor the way it is and working on the rest of the car. I recently picked up a rear end to convert my car from drum brakes to disk brakes. I posted a few photos in the brake section.


                Hopefully after this swap I can work on suspension and slowly decide what to do with the motor. Living here in greece we have alot of winding roads and I want to take advantage of that. I dont want alot of power because I am also doing weight reduction. If i can get 200 to the wheels Ill be happy.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by SpartanE30 View Post
                  This is very true. At first I was thinking of just leaving the motor the way it is and working on the rest of the car. I recently picked up a rear end to convert my car from drum brakes to disk brakes. I posted a few photos in the brake section.


                  Hopefully after this swap I can work on suspension and slowly decide what to do with the motor. Living here in greece we have alot of winding roads and I want to take advantage of that. I dont want alot of power because I am also doing weight reduction. If i can get 200 to the wheels Ill be happy.
                  With a normal budget 200 wheel, 1.8L or less means M42 turbo as I seriously doubt that the M40 can support that power level without substantial work. Consider that you're asking for more than a 100% power increase from an M40 considering conservative drive train losses. Not saying it can't be done on an M40, but even an internally stock (with MLS headgasket/head studs) M42 will struggle to support much more than 200 wheel reliably.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by roguetoaster View Post
                    With a normal budget 200 wheel, 1.8L or less means M42 turbo as I seriously doubt that the M40 can support that power level without substantial work. Consider that you're asking for more than a 100% power increase from an M40 considering conservative drive train losses. Not saying it can't be done on an M40, but even an internally stock (with MLS headgasket/head studs) M42 will struggle to support much more than 200 wheel reliably.
                    True, I spoke with alot of people here in my town and they told me the same thing. Better off find an m50b25 and just using that and not filing it under my paperwork end of the year. They told me that is what most people do here anyway. Guess its time to find a motor. Thank you for the help. At the moment the motor runs great and I would hate to swap it out before it gives. So ill probably drive it around till i finish replacing everything else on the car.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X