To build or to Blow the 3.2

[Stitch]

has anyone built an obd-1 3.2 litre, or a 3.0 litre NA? im weighing the cost of a built motor vs. forced induction. also someone mentioned something about a "high compression 3.2 monster" i am curious. thanks

[Moteursport]

What do you mean by "built"? Cams, injectors, euro hfm, headers, throttle body, etc? Or custom tuning like stickley, mchenry, etc?

[nickmpower]

motoeursport i almost baught ur car but i got one with much lower milage instead. There is a link to it in my sig

[Stitch]

i was talking about serious internals, cams, pistons, port and polish, increased compression etc. but i havent heard much about these custom tuners you are talking about. are you talking about leaving the car having it tuned and then just paying for it when i pick it up?

[John]

You'll get more HP for less with FI. Going built NA is very very expensive and requires custom tuning of your car. I did the forced induction thing for 3 years on my 99 M3 making 330 RWHP, the power was silly but the headaches were severe.

All depends on your budget and how much and what kind of power you are looking for. Street or track, limited budget or unlimited.

If you have 10,000 you could have Stickley build you a 320hp NA motor. Or for that price you could get a 500hp turbo from AA.

CSS Motorsports AKA Charles Stickley builds US M3 motors for club racers and other racing venues. If rumors be believed he gets somewhere around 360-380 CRANK HP out of his fully built US 3.2s. Of course they don't last much more then 30-40 hours before needing a rebuild.

Honestly, you'd be better off doing a EURO 3.2 swap if you want NA power for the street. You'll be as faster or faster then 85% of the supercharged M3s out there and you'll be extremely reliable.

[Veno]

Originally posted by J.M3
You'll get more HP for less with FI. Going built NA is very very expensive and requires custom tuning of your car. I did the forced induction thing for 3 years on my 99 M3 making 330 RWHP, the power was silly but the headaches were severe.

I'm curious, what sort of "headaches" are you referring to?

I'm in a similar situation in making my decision. I really considered the NA method for a few months. Looked at the Conforti cam kit, or a custom cam kit and software... the numbers just don't work out.

For nearly the same cost, you can have a NA motor putting about 260 hp to the wheels, or you can have a supercharger putting about 300 hp to the wheels. It honestly isn't much more money going s/c than to try and create the same feel with a NA motor.

There are certainly some legit ideas that the s/c isn't going to feel as natural and responsive as a NA motor, but come on... if you have that much more power to the wheels, it will likely feel responsive.

Ultimately, do the research, read as much as you can, and ask everyone that has gone one way or the other. Pick what is best for you for what you want. If you don't feel you need 275, 300, 350 whp, then NA may be the best choice. You can improve the capabilities of your car some (not much) for less money NA. But the differences in price after getting all the little parts to make it feel faster come out about the same.

Good luck and let us know what you do!

[John]

Originally posted by Veno
I'm curious, what sort of "headaches" are you referring to?

My engine prompty exploded at 24,000 miles. Blew 3 spark plug down into the motor destroying the block. Was supercharged for about 15,000 miles, probably 3,000 of them on the track.

Also fried my first supercharger at around 8,000 miles. Oil return valve problems, supercharger fried, dumped all the oil back into the engine. Engine harness caught on fire. You shoulda seen the smoke screen. Wheew.

Couple bent sway bar links from launching the car a bit to hard.

Two snapped diff bolts. Ruptured my stock engine mounts.

Engine just bled oil. Would go through over a quart a day at the track.

Sold it all, bought a built club racer and an 88 E30 M3, never been happier.

- JM
I-Stock #321

[308hpobd1m3]

id say just tune the car... the s50 responds well to mods with obd1. (pre 1996) right now im putting down a good 255-262 to wheels. aa track pipe, aa gen 3 exhaust, r.e pulleys, dsr cams, ecis intake, ford racing 24lb injectors, dinan fpr, custom GIAC tuning. The car feels much faster than its 310 or so hp. I can smoke ls1's (new 315hp camaros) all day long, and other than launch my car is faster than my friends new evo 8. I have advan a032r's 255x9 on ssr gt1's so i can launch @ about 3.5 k.. id say tuning is a pretty fun way to go.

[Street Surgeon]

Either way you go, it's wise to build up the motor to handle the boost. Build it, theeeeen blow.

[jderry]

wow ... j.m3 ... sorry to hear your problems ... s/w tuning is key, not sure whose kit -- but, I can vouch no problems with AA's setup. It's tracked, auto-x'ed, driven to Canada, etc...

Although a 1988-1991 M3 3.2L sounds like a fun track car to have

I'd go f/i ... than a built engine ... easier to rip off the supercharger and return to stock ... you'll lose alot of money with the engine rebuild IMHO that is not recoupable ...

[viktorleivo]

I would go with a euro s50 or s52 swap, try finding one i us, if you dont find one buy one from europe i have seen some for sale for about 3800e= 4000 dollars. Another possibility is to build a 300hp engine with high compression pistons, sharper cams, headers and a ported head. I would never supercharge or turbocharge an engine which is not rebuilt, my opinion: woun't last too long.