real world driveability feedback...?

[canyoncarver]

guys...i know a number of you are both pleased and amazed at the power output your turbo m30s are making; frankly im envious.
my question lies here,.........

my driving style and road preferences lean toward twisties,..........lots of curves, the occasional long straight, but lots and lots and lots of curves.

my current NA motor is ideal for this,.............on the cam between 3500 and 6000 rpm it thrives in the 2-4th gear roads i like.
unfortunately,.it just doesnt make enough power. i guess thats a perceived issue as the car has already been radar verified well in excess of 150mph,..............what its missing is torque..........breath taking, smack you into the seat grunt, turn it sideways out of a turn kinda torque.

my ongoing plans had been for a large displacement m30 with more cam and compression,or to replace the m30 with an american v-8....... the cost to build or swap what i want for power is prohibitive...hence , the turbo motor is very appealing

my concern is this,...............not having alot of "real" world day to day experience with the m30,..im concerned that it will have quirks that will make it a difficult car to drive with ummmmmmmmmmmmmm ...vigor on the roads i tend to frequent..

id appreciate feedback from those of you who have used your turbo cars for other than straight line speed contests........

thanks in advance...!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Duke]

Thats funny.....I am on boost from 3300 to 6000 rpm, if I want to be. For normal (not pressing my eyeballs and brain to the back of my skull) driving, I just don't use more than 20% throttle. Oh I know when I am about to cross into the boost zone and so will you.

The car is a finely polished ballerina if I want it to be.................select high boost and add some pedal and it becomes a fire-breathing dragon with a burr up it's ass. I am spinning brand new 255/40 Goodyear F1s in third........if I want too

Once you learn the car, you will never go back.

[canyoncarver]

duke,..i do appreciate your feedback. as a long time knee dragging crotch rocket rider, the type of roads i enjoy are sportbike specific.
ive talked with TCD at length.......and i am leaning that way , particularly as his kits are becoming more and more refined.
frankly i miss the power reminiscent of my high school big block days,.......and would like to have that sensation underfoot.
its not uncommon for a weekend drive from the shop to include the gt40s or a cobra kit car or two...........along with the prerequiste 911's........
i just want the power reserve thats currently lacking.

[Duke]

I just want the power reserve thats currently lacking.

Get a TCD s3 kit and you are there. Did you read about me spanking that late model Vett a week ago or so? Who needs a V8 8)

[canyoncarver]

ive started a new shortblock...........knife edged and lightened crank......shotpeened and magged rods, block has been line bored and decked for squareness.
havent bored it yet as im still mulling directions.ie" lo-comp FI or hi-comp NA.
in any event will likley push the bores to 95mm.
once in hand, balancing will follow for reciprocating assembly, as well as block prep ( casting flash deburred, pained, etc)
ill use my current head.........and a much milder cam for FI, or 300plus degrees for NA.

id really like to ride/drive one here on the left coast..........it would help in my decsion process

[T_C_D]

Dave Read did 3500 track miles in 2006 with his e34 535i. I'll give him a call and get him to post some comments.

Todd

[canyoncarver]

im in the middle of moving for the next couple weeks,.......but we're dfinitely gonna do some phone here ,,,very soon

[Skeen]

Definitely go turbo, you can't do the same thing for the same money without it. I probably only put 500 track miles on the turbo this (last) year, but I drive it hard on twisty stuff all the time. The car is definitely up to it and couldn't be more fun. Go turbo, and practice throttle modulation. If the turbo is the right size (which it will be from Todd), you won't have any issues with the power "coming on hard." It feels very much like an NA car.

[Craig -535i- Seattle]

I haven't been on the track with mine yet, but you do need to practice more throttle modulation than with an NA car. It's not difficult, but you have to remember there isn't the linearity that you get with an NA motor.

That is neither good nor bad, just different and something that will probably feel a little weird at first until you get used to it.

[straight_6]

has anyone ever tried to supercharge an M30, i love the way cars with them drive, much more progressive than a turbo too, do any exist?

[Jeremy]

Jim -

M30 with turbo drives a lot like an m30 with a big cam. At WOT from low gears it moves along until it comes on cam/ turbo spools up, then BIG torque kick from behind your ass.

Differences are the turbo spools sooner in the rev range than the big cam comes into its own, so more torque is available down low, and there's a lot more torque available with the turbo setup. How big depends on boost levels and other factors, but it drives pretty much the just the same.

Driving the turbo car hard is a little different than driving a naturally aspirated car hard, but that's only because of the huge difference in available torque. It's always on tap, but only there when you jam your foot into it. As Skeen said, throttle modulation is ket.

Take that head of yours, plunk it on a nice 8:1 block and show those guys what a 20 year old sedan can do. You'll love it and will never look back.

Jeremy

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

straight_6 wrote:

has anyone ever tried to supercharge an M30

Yes there was a guy over on the RF E24 board that did. Loads and loads of fabrication (compared to a Turbo installation). I understand it ran well, but you are pretty much out there on your own with that project.

[Bill in MN]

Sir James

Since we've no snow and the roads have no gunk and salt on them, I'm pulling the turbo car out of storage and am going to drive it until conditions go sour. If you'de get your ass up here like you've been threatening for the past 3 or 4 years you'd get some "real world" experiences for yourself. No excuses this time.

This brings up a cold weather performance issue that I'll start in another post.

[canyoncarver]

bill...thats a genuinely gracious offer. unfortunately it wont be till summer rolls around that ill have time to sneak away.
might you have a cabin for two then,....?