Which engine would you choose for a swap?

[Andrew325is]

If you were going to swap an engine into an E30 which would you choose? Would your decision be different if cost was not a factor? Which would make you smile the most behind the wheel? For any of these choices you can leave it stock, build it up for max NA power, or turbo/supercharge it. If you don't want to swap then select the one you're going to keep.

1, 24V (M50, S54, N52, etc)

2. M42/M44

3. S14 (any variant)

4. M10

5. M20

6. Big Six (M30, S38, M88, etc)

7. V8 (M60, S62, S65, etc)

8. Diesel (M21, M51, M57, etc)

9. Non-BMW engine (Chevy, Honda, etc)

[e30austin]

If the S14 was a B25 variant, the choice would be simple.

M54.

[MrBurgundy]

M54, hands down.

TORQUEEEEEE BRO

[nrubenstein]

S14 if cost no object.
M4x stroker for budget handling.
M54 for daily driver grunt - no other engine on this list will happily cruise on the highway with tall gearing and an overdrive.

[Motheye99]

Why is this a question

I paid 250$ for a junkyard m54. So that's 50-100x's less than a s14. The E34 oil pan is going to cost me as much :(. I have a m42 and spent a year reading on what it would take to make 200hp and it costs tons, and weighs marginally less than a M54.

[reelizmpro]

Depending on the purpose of the car and assuming this will primarily be a street car...I would go with the latest, most modern engine M54B30 as it checks all of the boxes and makes 230HP right out of the box.

[e30strokr]

S14 if cost no object.
M4x stroker for budget handling.
M54 for daily driver grunt - no other engine on this list will happily cruise on the highway with tall gearing and an overdrive.

? I keep on hearing about this..my 2.7I does wonderfully with the 2.93 LSD and has less power than all those.. (maybe combined due to age hahah)


80mph at 2300-2400 rpms with plenty to go

[JimmyP]

Have S14 in E30 MTech Cabrio. Choice made.

[Andrew325is]

Why is this a question

I paid 250$ for a junkyard m54. So that's 50-100x's less than a s14. The E34 oil pan is going to cost me as much :(. I have a m42 and spent a year reading on what it would take to make 200hp and it costs tons, and weighs marginally less than a M54.

That's a good deal. Most junkyard engines that cheap are high mileage though. I paid about $1500 with shipping for one with 30k miles for the Land Rover last year.

[Andrew325is]

Have S14 in E30 MTech Cabrio. Choice made.

That's sweet. I'd like one of those if I could find a fairly good deal. It looks like the going rate for a worn out engine is about $11k on S14.net, which is just silly. Here's one with 74k miles that was advertised for £2,990 in the UK last fall, so I guess it's still possible to find a deal.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/car-replacement-parts/bmw-m3-e30-motor-s14-cecotto-ravaglia-evo-215ps-engine-s14b23-23s2-complete/1316051275

[e30davie]

Who is paying?

Me paying - the cheapest choice, someone else paying: the most expensive choice.

[E30 Wagen]

It depends on what car you have. If you already have a 318is or 318i with the m42 then I think the obvious choice is to simply build the stroker out of it. Personally I would never swap any 6 cylinder into a 318is or 318i. Swapping in a s14 is stupid expensive.

I'm no longer keen on m54 swaps because of the drive by wire conversion you have do.

If starting with an eta I'd just leave it alone except for a chip and 325i exhaust.

But if money was no object and I had a 325i, I'd build the m20 with roller rockers, modified head, forged 81mm crank, custom rods and pistons, itbs, and some fancy ignition and ecu.

[nrubenstein]

? I keep on hearing about this..my 2.7I does wonderfully with the 2.93 LSD and has less power than all those.. (maybe combined due to age hahah)


80mph at 2300-2400 rpms with plenty to go

Your 2.7 makes great torque down low - basically cruising on the highway is what an eta is for. An M54+6spd will get you that and a lot more.

[varg]

Can an M54 be persuaded to make 250whp without forced induction or monumental cost? If so I vote M54. M42s suck (had one), S14s are too expensive for what you get. Personally I don't see any point in doing an engine swap for less than 250 naturally aspirated whp, since any stock E30 engine can easily make 250whp with a turbo. An aluminum I6 is the best possible BMW engine to put in an E30, you keep the smoothness of an I6 without the weight of the iron block DOHC motors. If you're only wanting 200hp, M54 is the easy choice and probably the cheapest. You can avoid the drive by wire and OBD junk with a cable actuated throttle body and aftermarket EMS.

[Julien]

D: n52


and wtf you forgot
E: Rob