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Which to go for V8 V10 V12

7K views 42 replies 13 participants last post by  fcsteve 
#1 ·
Hello there gents :D I have an E30 and I want an advice on which to go for V8 V10 V12 on an E30 and how hard can it be installing the V10 and V12 thanks in advance
 
#5 ·
Just seems like an awful lot of power for something so small i mean v8 i could go for v10 is pushing it a v12 is overboard but thats just my opinion and i can say by the look of the engine bay i can't help but think the car will need a bit of mod to fit the v10/12

Wicked Fast Entertainment
 
#9 ·
you won't twist the chassis. the e30 chassis can handle ALOT of power before it twists.

if money wasnt an option, i'd swap in an m5/6 v10 and boost it. plan on about $6000 to have it installed, $10k for just the motor, $2k for the transmission and if you want to boost it, add another $15,000 to $25,000.
 
#16 ·
you won't twist the chassis. the e30 chassis can handle ALOT of power before it twists.
power isn't twist. Torque is what you want, and E30s do that. have seen subframes ripped out one more than a few occasions, once with my own eyes.

Use the E30s agility to your advantage!
this. The E30 is a light and nimble chassis, it doesnt need a lot of power as it can hold the speed it does have through corners well, assuming the suspension is up to scratch. that should ALWAYs be the first place to upgrade anyways.
 
#10 ·
TerrorActivity, I think ask yourself 3 questions:
1) How much experience in swaps do I have or can I get somebody good to do that for me
2) How much money am I prepared to spend
3) In what condition is the rest of the vehicle & what will I have to do/spend before it can handle the envisaged power

Personally I would stick with a 6 cylinder that uses a similar crank-trigger arangent as the M20 motor and then use the Unichip to control the stock ECU, MAF and Vanos :thumbup:
 
#11 · (Edited)
Truth.

The V8, V10 and V12 all require extensive rewiring of the entire body of the car, they aren't plug and play in any sence of the word.

as for which one. thats a stupid question. first you need to ask your self these questions:
1/ Do i want a engine that is cool, not necessarily the best or cheapest, or do i want all out power, or do i want the easiest swap
2/ Does it have to be a BMW motor
3/ Is my budget $2k, $20k or $200k?

of the ones you said, the M60 is the easiest, M70 would be middle, and the V10 would be BY FAR the hardest to do. but bear in mind when i say the M60 is the easiest, its still a LOT more work in itself than an M50/M52 conversion, and close on half of people will balls even that up the first time they do it. Bolting any of these engines in is the easy part. making them run is the hard part.

Yes i do know what im talking about by the way. I have an M70 E34. There would be at least 200-300 cut and resoldered wires in that car and i love it to bits, but its to say i have a V12, not because i want all out power. For the V12, it is actually quite a low performance motor, reletive to other V8s and V12s of the day. probably why the 850Ci was never really that popular. I could have dropped an S54 in there for a similar amount of money, which would have been quicker, but i didnt want another I6
 
#12 ·
I think you should be going for just a turbo or stroker.

V8s and V12s are stupid heavy.

Use the E30s agility to your advantage!

Get something else for high speed cornering.

There are plenty of options, sport bikes, supras, muscle cars, E36s, and etc.

I think 300-400 whp should be the maximum, you should be more concerned about making sure you don't have too much weight over the front struts.

700 whp should just be no-tractionville.
 
#19 ·
With the number of bugs this type of swap could bring, you would end up being your gay auto electrician's sex slave.
 
#32 ·
why not an lt1 ? because that is a super heavy, cast iron engine. the ls1 is much lighter so you arent adding a ton of weight to the front of the car.

I'm not saying GM engines are better for the e30. i'm just saying as far as v8's go, the ls1 is better than a BMW v8. the ls1 will have more power right out of the box, the aftermarket support for the ls1 is better than anything BMW has and the ls1 can make more NA power for cheap than a BMW v8 can.
 
#36 ·
totally disagree with your M62 comments Steve. The M62 is a fantastic engine.

as with the M52, it is worth while converting it to OBD1 and fitting M60 intakes, very similar to the M52 in this regard. you can use the existing E30 subframe, but will require custom mounting arms as there is no BMW parts bin arms you can use (the M6x was never installed in a 3 series from the factory). you will not have to make a custom sump if you fit E34 M60 parts. with the M60 and M62, be sure to tack weld up the oil pump nuts if they are not already done, they were a BMW recall item.

im not sure on the gearbox side of things but a friends friend has an M62 converted E34 i could pick his brains, also know of an M60 E30 coupe as well.

as for would i do it to an E30, thats where i would agree with Steve, i think it will be too heavy to put in the front. you dont need a LOT of power to have fun in an E30. The M60 was designed for 5 and 7 series vehicles which aren't traditionally thrown around like a 3 series is.
 
#39 ·
totally disagree with your M62 comments Steve. The M62 is a fantastic engine.

as with the M52, it is worth while converting it to OBD1 and fitting M60 intakes, very similar to the M52 in this regard. you can use the existing E30 subframe, but will require custom mounting arms as there is no BMW parts bin arms you can use (the M6x was never installed in a 3 series from the factory). you will not have to make a custom sump if you fit E34 M60 parts. with the M60 and M62, be sure to tack weld up the oil pump nuts if they are not already done, they were a BMW recall item.

im not sure on the gearbox side of things but a friends friend has an M62 converted E34 i could pick his brains, also know of an M60 E30 coupe as well.

as for would i do it to an E30, thats where i would agree with Steve, i think it will be too heavy to put in the front. you dont need a LOT of power to have fun in an E30. The M60 was designed for 5 and 7 series vehicles which aren't traditionally thrown around like a 3 series is.
yea see thats what i wanted, since my friend already converted E30 engine and had 4.4L in it no modifcation to the car body and beat a HEMI charger 5.7L 2012 in a drag race Thats what I want speed power drifting...
 
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