318i And 318is

[scotte36]

can someone tell me whats the differance in the 318i and the 318is in the motor department?

[johnf]

In the U.S., none: both got the M42/M44 'is, 's' for sport, motor.

In middle Europe, only the 318is coupe got the four-valve, M42/M44; the other models received the two-valve M40/M43 motors.

I can't recall what Oz got -- which probably makes me completely useless. :)

[Ramine]

in UK 318i With M40 Engine - 8v - 113bhp
With M42 Engine - 16V 115bhp
With M44 Engine (actually 1.9)- 16V 140bhp

[johnf]

With M42 Engine - 16V 115bhpThat would be a waste of eight good, BMW valves.

Either the M42 should be an M43 or the 115bhp should be 140bhp.

Please choose one for us. :)

[kyle2blue]

actually i think the 'i' means 4 door and the 'is' means 2 door.

[johnf]

It does if you are under the sway of a New Jersey marketing group who decided to add an 's' to just their cars to distinguish a coupe from a four-door. As far as I know, the rest of the world added an 's' to a car with a sports engine, at least Europe did.

[Dr_S]

IS: Injection Sport

[kyle2blue]

i have never seen a 4 door with the
'is' on it. look here on tirerack.com

325i
http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WheelSearch.jsp?autoMake=BMW&autoModel=325i&autoYear=1994&autoModClar=
325is
http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WheelSearch.jsp?autoMake=BMW&autoModel=325is&autoYear=1994&autoModClar=

[johnf]

Oh, I bet you have seen plenty of 318is four door sedans, only they've all been misbadged. :)

There must have been at least one market or large group with M42/M44 four door cars that didn't snip off the trailing 's'. Take a gander in the parts catalog (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=&kind=P&series=E36&body=Lim&arch=0). Both the M40/M43 and M42/M44 models appear, as 318i and 318is models.

[siknis]

In australia the 318i and the 318is are different

i think it goes 91-94 318i = M40
91-94 318is = m42
95-99 i = m43
95-99 is = m44

my 95 318is is faster than any stock e36 318i that i have raced, raced a chiped 99 318is, only a tiny bit faster, possibly driver skill who knows.

the Is version is lighter and a bit more powerful, however the car isnt really that powerful anyway :)

hope that helps

[johnf]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, how many doors does your '95 have?

[frost_dxb]

In the U.S., none: both got the M42/M44 'is, 's' for sport, motor.

In middle Europe, only the 318is coupe got the four-valve, M42/M44; the other models received the two-valve M40/M43 motors.

I can't recall what Oz got -- which probably makes me completely useless. :)


We have IS M42 & M3 4D salon in Australia

[Ramine]

the IS came in 2 door and 4 door varients, the 4 door was i believe between 96 and 98, but johnf, the 16v engine did only have 115bhp, becasue it wasnt the sport model, onlky the M42 engine and M44 was the 140bhp i believe

[johnf]

The 115hp (85kW, 168 Nm) engine Germany received, at least, was the 8-valve, 1.8 liter M43. The logistics for the last E36 production year, got a little wierd, however, and some of the last E36 318i's received the 87 kW, 180 Nm, 1.9 liter engine destined for the E46. (Lucky them!)

[tom busby]

I have a '95 318i (4-door, USA) that had a leaking pcv (crankcase ventilation) hose at the top/back of the engine. After ordering the wrong part (by identifyning the vehicle as a 318i) I re-did my part-ID process in the ETK (EPC) and the 2nd time, I identified the vehicle as a 318is, and then ordered the correct hose the 2nd time.

I have the electronic parts catalogue installed on my PC. Yes, I should have typed in the VIN but didn't. (There are two different ways to ID a car in the 1st page of the ETK.)

To sum up, I originally thought the "is" designation only referred to the body style, but it doesn't on the e36.

[5haun]

i have a 1998 318is 4 door 1.9 16v 140 bhp they where only made in 1998-99