Any recomendations for increased power in a E30 320i?????

[lodgy]

had the car about 3 weeks now and although very impressed with the car as a whole i feel it would benefit from a power hike of some sort?

[Mr_Sukebe]

With the unit as is, nope. I had an E30 325 and had that chipped. Did improve mid-range but buggered up slow running (started to stall in traffic) and resulted in the higher stressed engine blowing it's rings.

My recommended options would be:
1. Replace it with a 325
2. Look at a 2.7 conversion. I'm told that it was possible to use the 2.7 block of the 325E with the head of a 325, resulting in a nice hike in balls
3. Do a serious conversion with something like an engine from a 330 or M3.
The problem with options 2 and 3 is that they're not cheap unless you do the work yourself.
In most cases, you'd simply be better off replacing the car with something quicker.

[8Tech]

Your only real options for a decent improvement is to fit the 325 motor or turbocharge/supercharge the 2.0l motor.

That 2.0 is a lovely engine and strong but a bit gutless.

I would go for a low boost turbo kit to liven it up a bit and keep reliability.

[juliann]

lodgy said:

had the car about 3 weeks now and although very impressed with the car as a whole i feel it would benefit from a power hike of some sort?

You would probably be better to sell it and get a 325i Sport. There's a good market for E30 320i 2dr's amongst the Production BMW Cup drivers who sometimes look for a re-shell or a new build.

Alternatively, if you want to keep it, change pistons for early pre-cat domed ones, keep your late head and run a dizzy. Apparently good for c. 160bhp

[lodgy]

cheers for the ideas so far some are out of my price range even though my dads a mechanic. i definatly want to keep the car cos its an absolute minter and people ask me questions where ever i go. are the chips for the ecu's any good??

[jagdpanther]

lodgy said:

cheers for the ideas so far some are out of my price range even though my dads a mechanic. i definatly want to keep the car cos its an absolute minter and people ask me questions where ever i go. are the chips for the ecu's any good??

We have an E34 525i sitting on the driveway doing nothing...good engine for a transplant??? (24 valve, manual!)

[lodgy]

very tempting offer but i dont have the funds at the moment

[buggalugs]

With no funds your options are going to be limited, best bet for a real improvement would be an engine swap. Cheapest is to swap to the e30 325 lump - packages go on ebay all the time for a few hundred quid. Next cheapest would be to buy a 525 24v manual for its engine. Theres a massive thread on e30zone about it. I wouldnt waste money sticking bits and bobs onto it for a few bhp max, save up for something proper.

[lodgy]

your proably right. it'll probably want a bit of bodywork backend of next year anyway so ill think bout doing then.how hard is the swap and how succsesfull can it be in terms of the obc and check lights working after cos it annoys me when stuff like that doesn't work. what bhp are the 2.5's and is it really that noticable??? sorry for all the questions but i need to no lol thanks for everyone's advice so far !!!!!!

Edited by lodgy on Monday 19th May 14:09

[swiftpete]

325s kick out 170bhp. Yours is 125. Quite a big difference.