6 cylinder swap Vs. supercharger
 

Like the title says, lets get everything out on the table. Pros and Cons of doing the 6 cylinder swap vs. installing a supercharger. If you have one or the other, speak up and tell us what you like and don't like. Please include other necessary upgrades and maintenance costs if applicable.

i'd imagine cost is a big issue. i personally want a e36 M50 next aswell as a manual transmission conversion. but first i am gonna abuse it for work motorway miles.... oh yeah, i also need to save a few k for the conversion.....

This whole engine swap thing gets very played out.

Not that it's a bad idea, but everyone likes to ask about it just to make their dick feel larger.

I agree on doing the supercharging route. If you didn't want a 4 cylinder, then why did you get a 318ti. With a supercharger, you get the best of both worlds, without the complexity of a full engine swap.

I can name that tune in ONE note: $

according to your signature, you allready are supercharged

OMG...Your right, I can't believe I forgot my car was supercharged. Thanks for the reminder! :tongue:

Please excuse the sarcasm, it's early. I started this thread to help some confused members, I won't say any names, who think swapping a 6 cylinder motor is a better idea than a supercharger. The engine swap is a lot more expensive than some people think and I was hoping to get some prices posted. Anyone??

Here’s the price comparison;
M3 swap = $6120 (professionally installed by bmw certified mechanics)
DASC = $3495 + installations
M3 engine and ecu and complete swap kit= < $4000 + you install

Power comparison
DASC = 210 bhp no room for improvement on stock internals
m3 = 240bhp you guys know what an M3 is capable of
I don’t think the US version of the 318ti came with 6 cyl. I would not trade my 318ti for any E36 -E46 bmw out there, unless it’s an e46 M3. I love the way my 318ti looks. If the US market 318ti came with 6cyl I would have bought it, but unfortunately it did not. I have had my car since 1995 with 4 miles on it. It has not given me any problem at all, the most dependably car I’ve had. The reason why I opted for the swap is because the 4cyl motor lacked the punch I needed. Now that I have more power, I love my car even more than when I first saw it in the dealership.

I believe it cost the previous owner of my car about $8,000, parts and installation.

well i'm one of the fortunate one that did not overpay for a swap. This is the reason why im spreading the joy. I dont want members to get turned off by the swap becuase of price. We shoudlnt be paying that much for bmw products. Look at the force induction section for example. Come on!!!!! 6-8 grand for a kit. Thats unbelievable. When you look at other import kits for 2k-4k tops.

there are two kind of people in the world. The **** talker and the Doers. Let me ask everyone where do you belong?

I was right in the middle of this argument a few mounhs ago, i ended up going with a m50 vanos swap. I not saying you need M swaps because all M parts are not too different from standard bmw, but cost alot more!

First is the sound, my car will never sound like a honda again.

Second price, 3400 to get a DASC is not bad but it's not great. i paid 800 for a motor and will have to pay another 800 about for all the misc parts, granted i do my own work thats only roughly 1600 half of a dasc.

Third the power, my car will dyno at the wheels about 165 hp with the swap, dasc does about 175 hp at the wheels. but now i could go NA and put m3 cams a conforti chip and good flowing entake and exhaust and have 200-210 rear wheel hp (if you don't belive me look at some of the dyno charts on bimmerforums,com). and if that does not impress me i could go forced induction and SC it of turbo the m50 to reliable 300-350 hp (with drive tran mods).

Last is BMW made it this way in Europe, The 323ti was a m50 2.5 litter motor. the same weights the same horse power.

you can call me unfathful for going the six cyl route, but bottom line its what bmw is know for (there silky smoth sixes).

There is really somthing cool about having a motor with close to 200 hp that has tons of potential after that, compared to have a motor a few pounds lighter at it's peak at 200 hp.

Supercharger: Can be installed by anyone with 10 fingers and more than 6 brain cells, retain factory weight distribution and handling, still acts like a high-revving 4 cylinder, 30+ mpg, no need to remove engine, no other upgrades needed, BEATS STOCK M3s.

Engine swap: Should be installed by a professional $$$, multiple upgrades needed (suspension, brakes, radiator, etc...), front heavy, rear-end can't handle the power, costs about twice what the supercharger does for about the same amount of power, $$$$ invested in a car that doesn't hold value like other BMWs.

And that is why I want the DASC eventually!

When you say beats stock m3's you must be reffering to a 2.5l engine.

Anyone who wants to put a S/C on there car with high mileage and put all that extra strain on your engine go right ahead. Anyone that wants more than 200 hp on there ti will do a swap. If you swap the engines then you can get alot more hp out of your engine with upgrades,for the m42-44 engine there isn't anything you can add onto it to get hp.. The most you'll get is 5hp, Chips are wortless for these engines. If i get a chip on a 2.8l and up we are talking about 15+ hp gain.

I personally would rather save up the extra cash and do a swap. I can get a 3.2l engine with 35k on it for 7-8k and thats with everything you'll need except for trans mission. Thats what i'm saving for,i figure i'll have it swapped by the spring of next year.
If my car had 20,xxx miles on it maybee i'd S/C it.

I hear ya!

That is why I am not afraid to say what I plan on doing to my car regardless of what most other people think of my mods. The bottom line is, what I say I'm gonna do, I end up doing :smile: