m52 2.5 323i 2.5 170hp. Turbo, Is it worth it? So I bought BMW 323i 1998 coupe, full lether and shit i dont care about. Engine is clean elderly person had that bmw. I got it cheap because It has vanos rattle basically I 'll order tools and planing to replace vanos myself because thats kinda a big job and useful experience and tools to have. Question is following is it really worth turbo charging 2.5 engine? Will i find ecu for 323i(or its easy to map stock one?(I really don't know nothing about m50/m52 ecu's so feel free to share any info)) Or its all about engine size 2.5 engine will find ecu from 325i? will i'll be able to get result close to 2.8? I mean turbo charged 2.8. On the top end it will be close to each other or not? Understand that I'm not drag racer i just wanna a wheel spin. Few links just to read about something similar would help me alot, thanks in advance.
From what I understand turbo'ing a 6pot isn't a very easy or cheap ordeal, The exhaust fabrication, engine control i.e Megasquirt or try and coax the standard ecu to support the fuelling etc with chips etc. TD04 or something will be £300 or so, manifold/ general exhaust £400 , Megasquirt or similar £300 plus, Intercooler can be had for sub £100 that's just the headlines. It's a ballache when you delv into it, cobbling intercooler pipe work together, oil feeds for turbo, oil cooling is also another factor to think about. If you want forced induction from what I've researched it is marginally easier to supercharge a 6 pot due to not having to worry about exhaust work extra heat etc. A few I've seen have used CLK Supercharger with a smaller pulley. With regards to 2.8 turbo it depends on the specs tbh I'd imagine due to displacement the larger engine will have more torque / slightly different driving charecterictics. Just drop in a 3.0 3.2 M3 lump. Will probably work out cheaper.
So there's a question again Turbo charge this thing or just leave it for daily use and keep collecting money for s13/s14. In future work with s13/s14 much easier IMO. or i'm wrong? Its still everything about building first drift car and getting little by little into this sport.
Well for ease, I'd say S13 with various mods or buy a ready built E36 325/8. If you wana build it then M3 engine would be a good place to focus.
Few things from this thread. 1- Stock 323 engine will be fine to learn to drift, dont need a turbo or big power. 2- a TD04 turbo mentioned is tiny and totally useless on any 2.5ltr. 3- a 6cyl isnt really any harder than a 4cyl. 4- RHD BMWs are a total ballache to turbocharge due to lack of room. 5- Although final power figures would be almost the same, wether you turbo a 323, 325, or 328 engine, the engine will be by far the cheapest and most simple part (esp on a RHD as it's a total cunt of a job), so there'd be no point sticking to the 323.
not Worth it imo. especially if you are on a Budget. s50b30, or 32. drop in performance. or just stick With the 2.5
As others have suggested i personally wouldn't bother. Not because it cant be done but because you will have a major ball ache when it comes to mapping. I assume its running the Siemens MS41.0 ECU which just can't handle being mapped, it really doesn't take to it well. So you will have to look at an alternative option for ECU which will cost circa £1000 to buy and have wired in. Then lets not forget a day of mapping at circa £500. When you factor all of that in, it would be cheaper and easier, and more reliable to buy/drop in an M3 lump.
I would not opt to turbocharge it. But not for the reasons stated above. The problem is that the aluminum block is sensitive and vanos heads have problems with valve float due to weak valvesprings. If tou would like to turbo it you should go for the m50. If you have the tools and fab skills that is.
There are plenty of turbo engines with alu blocks, why does everyone shit on m52s for it. Just turbo what ya got m50 or m52, but as has been said rhd bmws suck for it theres no room for it without major work. Since i got my 328 i have been thinking about it and so far my fav idea is to mount it in the boot or ther abouts! Gets rid of the engine bay problem but introduces others such as oil supply to the turbo.
The threads in the block for the head studs give in and you blow the gasket. 400pounds for an m50 non vanos is money well spent when you are talking about doing a 4000pounds job.
