S14 into Ti

[JonnyM]

Hey guys, I have been thinking hard of an engine swap that would be different from the normal 325/328ti swap and was wanting opinions on dropping an S14 2.2 engine into the ti. Is 197hp enough from a light four pot or am i mad or should I just go for an M50 swap?

Thanks

Jonny

[Xenocide]

not sure of wiring on an s14...its more expensive and will probably slower than a m50/m512...

[JonnyM]

I thought with weight difference between the two and staying close to the ti's roots by going for another four pot engine that it may be around the same as an M50/52. The last thing i want to do is go to all the hassel of getting the engine in and running and it being really under powered and thirsty!!

[Shellback]

Might as well go MM

[budget76]

S14 swap would be awesome, but IMO it should stay in the E30 M3 it came out of. If it's really got 190 horses, then it's no slower than most M50/M52 swaps, and would probably come out lighter. Never heard of one going in anything but an E30 though, so I don't know about the wiring and how hard it'd be

Make sure to make a thread if you do it, and feel free to send me one of your spare S14's that you must have sitting around

[dahamler]

I was thinking about this swap also. The S14 engine is a true race engine with many proven bolt-on setups that could net some pretty impressive HP numbers.

I already own 2 S52 swapped TIs so I want to put something different in the third. There are many high output 4 cylinders out there (the s2000 F20, etc) or even a rotary to keep the weight down.

These type of engines give cars a much different character than the inline 6s and would essentially keep the TI as a momentum car.

[BMW_Hatchback]

I had the opportunity to get an s14, but I didn't

[budget76]

Originally Posted by BMW_Hatchback

I had the opportunity to get an s14, but I didn't

doh!

[FMD]

S14 will make you bankrupt in terms of maintenance and service required

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by FMD

S14 will make you bankrupt in terms of maintenance and service required

+1, hard to find, expensive, high maintenance, fabrication/modifications required to install = non-practical.

Everyone seems to think that the m50/52 s50/52 engines are soo much heavier. They're not, and for the amount of power gained by a 6cyl swap, it's well worth an extra hundred lbs. One guy was even bitching about the extra weight of a battery cable in regards to relocating the battery to the cargo area. Give me a break You're not going to notice less than 100lbs and if that's the case you might as well gut your entire interior, delete the A/C and power steering, install a racing seat, replace glass with lexan etc. What really cracks me up is when people rant on and on about the added weight of a 6cyl, but then they go and install 100lbs of audio equipment in the hatch.

The thing about the s14 is that it's been bored out to the maximum tolerances and everything about it is geared towards maximum performance. You can't expect a motor like that to last long when it's working harder all the time than a regular non-M motor.

[tiFreak]

I've seen it done before on a 318ti rally car, no info on it though, personally I think it would be an awesome swap just for the sake of keeping it a 4-cyl. and being able to compete with some of the larger engines

[dahamler]

Besides the ignition system and shimming the valves every now and then I don't see how this engine would be more labor intensive.

http://www.s14.net/specplus/comparisons.html

Also the 2.5L kit replaces the crank to get much of the displacement increase and the bore is only increase about .025.

Dollar for dollar any M5x engine would be more economical to maintain (in comparison to HP output) buy that not the point here. If you were to look at the history of how BMW develops the 3 series you will see that the next generation vehicle usually will have almost the same engine power as the previous M version.

S14 M3 vs M50 325i
E36 M3 vs 330i
E36 M3 vs 335i

What cannot be duplicated is the rawness of these truly build race engines. A high compression, high rpm inline 4 has a certain character and requires a different driving style. The s14 engine has an extensive race heritage and R&D history. Reliable 300 hp engines are somewhat common on the street and are reliable as well.

I wouldn't mind spending 8k on a S14 engine that produced 285 hp on pump gas along with all the parts associated with putting it in a TI.

Uniqueness is one of the reasons why we do these swaps in the first place.
Dollar for dollar I think that an E36 M3 will outperform any S5X Ti.

[AutoM3otives]

Originally Posted by tiFreak

I've seen it done before on a 318ti rally car, no info on it though, personally I think it would be an awesome swap just for the sake of keeping it a 4-cyl. and being able to compete with some of the larger engines

That was the S42, not the S14.

[mgbman69]

It would be cool, but being where you're located. If you're going to spend the money on a S14 why not pony up for a EURO S52? It's going to make a whole hell of a lot more power and in the long run might not be much more expensive.

Just always post pics and keep us updated on what ever you end up doing.

[spidertri]

Originally Posted by AutoM3otives

That was the S42, not the S14.

Oh man, now you're talking. S42 swap FTW. Besides the fact that it would need a full rebuild every 40 hours...I think it's the perfect swap candidate.