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Thread: 98' M3 U.S. Spec, Turbo, Supercharge, s54 swap?

  1. #1
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    98' M3 U.S. Spec, Turbo, Supercharge, s54 swap?

    Hello all, not another slow S52 Thread!

    98' BMW M3 Saloon 187,xxx Daily driven @ 210 RWHP.
    Dynoed the m3 the other day and achieved ^ 210 Horsies at the wheels on a mustang dyno. I don't believe that is all so bad especially after that many miles. I sold my built talon a few years ago and I am itching for just a little more power in the M3 after two years of ownership. Became a huge fan of the car but its just not enough and the handling on the car can use a little more power for a good balance.

    A rebuild is a must with forged internals for any forced induction at this point in my cars life. Runs great and very very reliable. I daily drive it as my second vehicle happens to be a 4x4 dakota but what fun is that to daily everyday???
    Spending is roughly 5,000 u.s. doll hairs. Probably more as time comes.
    Like I said 350-400 is my goal with ^ this much.
    The price of a rebuild and a supercharger is as much as a s54 swap said and done. or...
    turbo and rebuild, but I feel I will be putting more money in it in the long run with that choice but I may be wrong about that.

    May I have suggestions from other experienced enthusiasts ?
    Thanks all.

  2. #2
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    Just supercharge it as is without the rebuild. You will be a bit under HP desires, but you will also be under budget. A 30% hp increase is going to make it feel like a totally different car.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  3. #3
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    I dont understand how people can spend the entire value of their car on an upgrade that will add maybe 10% of the upgrade's value back when it comes time to sell

    Have you considered selling the car, spending the $5k for the car + the $5k on the turbo build for a $10k more powerful BMW? You can find E46 M3's in that price range. They will be convertibles and SMG's but you can find them... and then when you go to resale you will get the full value of the car instead of full value for the $5k car + $500 back from that $5000 turbo kit. Spend a little more and you can get a nice manual E46 M3.

    Swaps or turbo builds are going to be financially the same as routing your intake directly into your bank account.

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  4. #4
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    Right, why would car enthusiasts on a car website want to "mod" their car? Not everything in life is an investment. I'd rather have a 30k e36 than a 30k e46. Some people buy cars because they like them, not because they plan on selling them.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by notMpowered View Post
    Right, why would car enthusiasts on a car website want to "mod" their car? Not everything in life is an investment. I'd rather have a 30k e36 than a 30k e46. Some people buy cars because they like them, not because they plan on selling them.
    This absolutely. And with that said, do the turbo.

    Avusblau 1994 Euro M3 --> Journal Here
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  6. #6
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    blackxs, Sorry I am a car enthusiast, not a slimey sales man trying to flip cars with no attachment. I dont think a guy with a m6 that is for sale, telling me to buy a e46 for 15k+ that has a smg tranny and a convertible has the widths to tell anyone that selling their car will be the best decision. Like I said... I love the handling of the e36 M3, and I am no fan of newer body styles. The E36 platform fits my personality well, but just a little under-powered for my taste. Even if I did turbocharge or supercharge, I am still left with the questions as what tuning software, ecu, On-Board Diagnostic base harness, is best to be used in either path. Turner seems to have nothing for me, especially being obd2 and them being way, way, way, way, overpriced for what you even get. I think $5,000 should get me a extra 100-150 Horses, hopefully. If not I will try to get the most out of it. Thanks for the input so far. If I can get someone to point me where i should start on supporting software for a turbo, this may be my best way if I run low boost. Perhaps just enough to say it is boosted but a good running daily. Not trying to beat corvettes or anything. If not maybe I should look for a euro spec s50 ITB dual vanos and call it done.
    Last edited by BMWMPOWAA; 04-18-2014 at 04:14 AM.

  7. #7
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    The eurospec s50 route is by FAR the most expensive option being that you would need to ship an engine from europe, after you find one.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  8. #8
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    I would stay away from the euro S50, if you really insist on upgrading your car in this way, I would recommend going the S54 with some supporting suspension/brake upgrades. This will keep the car balanced while giving it a unique OEM+ style to it. A good idea would be to consider buying a wrecked E46 M3, you would be surprised how much of that suspension you can swap to your car, plus brakes and engine. (then you can sell the excess parts to recoup some money, maybe if I am sneaky about it, I can trick you into being financially responsible while still getting you the car you want)
    Turbos may offer more gains over an S54 but it will upset the linear power delivery of the car and can quickly get a lot more expensive than you intended. Even if money is no concern, turbo builds also take more time to complete, always tweaking this or that, getting a new tune, new parts, new this or that to support that other bit you bought recently. I think S54 E36's are some of the coolest BMW swaps out there right now, until someone figures out how to shove an N55 in an E36...

    And just because I dont lose money on all of my cars doesnt mean I am not an enthusiast nor am I a slimey car salesman - I just dont like throwing money away in any of my hobbies, so I find ways not to.

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  9. #9
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    Blackxs - There's already a guy who the entire N55 powertrain swap into an E36 chassis. Also, he swapped the whole interior dash from an E90 into the same E36 car in the FI section.



  10. #10
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    Blackxs - Was wondering if you got my pm about that N55 swap.



  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackxs View Post
    I would stay away from the euro S50, if you really insist on upgrading your car in this way, I would recommend going the S54 with some supporting suspension/brake upgrades. This will keep the car balanced while giving it a unique OEM+ style to it. A good idea would be to consider buying a wrecked E46 M3, you would be surprised how much of that suspension you can swap to your car, plus brakes and engine. (then you can sell the excess parts to recoup some money, maybe if I am sneaky about it, I can trick you into being financially responsible while still getting you the car you want)
    Turbos may offer more gains over an S54 but it will upset the linear power delivery of the car and can quickly get a lot more expensive than you intended. Even if money is no concern, turbo builds also take more time to complete, always tweaking this or that, getting a new tune, new parts, new this or that to support that other bit you bought recently. I think S54 E36's are some of the coolest BMW swaps out there right now, until someone figures out how to shove an N55 in an E36...

    And just because I dont lose money on all of my cars doesnt mean I am not an enthusiast nor am I a slimey car salesman - I just dont like throwing money away in any of my hobbies, so I find ways not to.
    I was saying I would have to be a "slimey" car salesman to get rid of this, it has some rust on the doors... but more concerned elsewhere.

    Thanks for the tip, as i already thought about doing this but I am sure the motor and harness may be cheaper route,

    1998 BMW M3 Saloon S52, M50, CAI, K&N Filter, Amsoil 0-40, H&R Coilovers, springs, Bilstien Shocks. Stock Block.

  12. #12
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    Those are all great options. I have not done the S54 swap but I have done the centrifugal supercharger and the turbo, and have found the turbo to be more reliable and more fun and more powerful, based on 4 years with each.

    200k is not the end of the world for an S52, but with higher cylinder pressure from forced induction, the headgasket may let go soon if it has not already been redone. The turbo kits come with a compression lowering gasket, so that preventative maintenance gets done with the turbo. If you want to refresh or rebuild, go for it. Certainly won't hurt. Might end up costing more than you think, but that depends on how much you do.

    The S54 swap would be more interesting to me if you could find a low mileage motor. Rebuilding or refreshing one of those is even more costly.

    I think an E36 with S54 would be a great car. However, I am a power junky so I would want more than 275 rwhp stock or 325 rwhp modified. Those numbers are about what a stage 1 centrifugal does on an S52, but less than a stage 2 and less than a turbo. The main advantage of the turbo is that it has torque since full boost is there at 3500 rpm where the centrifugal is making only 3-4 psi. The turbo runs away from the others in daily driving. It is also the most upgradeable should you want more power in the future.

    Tuning is no problem these days. All the issues with centrifugals and turbos have been sorted out. I don't know much about the S54 swap, but understand it is pretty well sorted out, even retaining OBD2 plug in.

    The N55 swap was very cool, but I think you have to be pretty skilled with the wiring end. Hakentt has those skills.

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