Engine Swap Ideas

[griffiths1503]

I currently have a 320si with issues to the liners / stem seals
Work to the engine is expensive (as expected with a motorsport)

While I'm looking into the cost of fixing it, I thought it worth maybe looking into an engine swap as well.
What engines can fit into the 320si? Hoping to get a bit more power as well if possible

Hoping you guys can help
Will.

[Andy70]

hi, what year is the car? I looked into engine swaps and I wish I never bothered, if its an older car it may just pay to trade it in and buy a faster car as you can get older 330i's for not much money. Also if you swap engines for more powerful ones there is no hiding the fact from your insurance company so your premium would be under a modified class and I have had quotes for this, for example a standard 330i insurance for me is 200 quid or so but as soon as you chuck that engine in a car and class it as modifications, all of a sudden most main stream companies don't want to know and you'd be paying twice as much, purely for the fact the car is modified etc... etc... it goes on and on. you also need to know a decent garage that will actually carry out the work, a lot wont touch that sort of thing (unless you are doing it yourself), just buy a faster car!! I was looking at a 330i engine in a 325i compact by the way. The maths may be different in a more modern car but you still have insurance issues if you do it by the book. Go on compare the market and get a quote for a standard car, then all of a sudden edit it for modified and that's a different story

[BFleming]

320si is a 2006-only from memory; a car that should have been legendary but was plagued by issues from early days.
Logic says replace it with a 4 cylinder engine, but that won't give you extra power - it'll give you the opposite. I'd suggest a 6 cylinder transplant, but you would almost need to buy a whole car to get the parts you need. Sell it as is & buy yourself a 325i or 330i?

[Andy70]

I agree with the above, it will be a better option, in fact I ended up with an e90 330i for a few grand with moderate insurance premium, now I have a 335i and pay 30 quid more to insure

[Mr Tidy]

To be honest I'd sell it as it is and look for a 325i or 330i - more powerful and less issues.

Modified cars can be a nightmare on the insurance front, so you might as well recover whatever costs you can and get something standard. Mind you as a 330i owner I might be biased!

[BFleming]

Mr Tidy said:

To be honest I'd sell it as it is and look for a 325i or 330i - more powerful and less issues.

I'm printing & framing this - we finally agree on something

[Mr Tidy]

BFleming said:

Mr Tidy said:

To be honest I'd sell it as it is and look for a 325i or 330i - more powerful and less issues.

I'm printing & framing this - we finally agree on something

I didn't realise this was a 1st!

Still I suppose it had to happen eventually.

But you weren't too negative about my Z4M Coupe either - what am I doing wrong?

Edited by Mr Tidy on Sunday 19th January 01:24

[griffiths1503]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Gonna go with it and move it on, look for something with a bit more.

Will

[BFleming]

griffiths1503 said:

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Gonna go with it and move it on, look for something with a bit more.

Will

Probably the best move. People say they're 1 of 500, but that's the UK figure only. There were actually 2600 made to qualify the cars for Touring cars. The engine was hand built, but I recall these engines even failing when near-new at the time. The wheels were unique to this model, but that was about it - apart from the 7300rpm redline. At the time my local BMW dealer (in Maidstone, Kent) had one in the showroom for months back in 2006. I think they had a cheaper list than the 320i M Sport at the time. Unfortunately not that special.
Punt it on ebay 'as is', you'll get some money back.

Edited by BFleming on Tuesday 21st January 09:51