# specs on the E36....questions....



## Nik (Jun 5, 2003)

Hey i was wondering if there was any difference in 1/4 mile times between the 95-99 years did they vary at all? Also, maintenance, i'll be gettin one with an estimated 60K miles so anything to look for? anything it'll need soon there after? Why are the 95's better? What is OBDI?? I owuld think that the newer 3.2's would be better since the new M3's are 3.2 but reasoning? thanx. 

Thanks tons,
Nik Chipps


----------



## JST (Dec 19, 2001)

Nik said:


> *Hey i was wondering if there was any difference in 1/4 mile times between the 95-99 years did they vary at all? Also, maintenance, i'll be gettin one with an estimated 60K miles so anything to look for? anything it'll need soon there after? Why are the 95's better? What is OBDI?? I owuld think that the newer 3.2's would be better since the new M3's are 3.2 but reasoning? thanx.
> 
> Thanks tons,
> Nik Chipps *


http://www.bmwfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30931

Rwg just started a "Common Maintenance Issues" thread; check that out.


----------



## Guest (Jun 6, 2003)

The 3.2L in the '96+ has more stock torque but the 3.0L in the '95 is easier to mod because it is OBDI.

OBD stands for On Board Diagnostics. Basically it's government mandated emissions control/engine management. A new standard was implemented for '96 (hence OBDII - as in 2). For technical reasons I do not fully understand, it is MUCH easier to mod OBDI engines.

So if you plan to leave the engine stock (as I would), go with a '96+. If you want to mod the engine, you're probably better off with a '95.

BTW, torque is usually the major factor in acceleration times, so, while I don't know the 0-60 times off the top of my head, I'd assume a stock '96+ is slightly faster than a stock '95. Both have 240HP, though.


----------



## scottn2retro (Mar 20, 2002)

I am not an expert, but I'll relay some of what I've heard.

The advantage of getting the '95 with the OBDI is due to several factors. One of them being, in Ca., you can put a newer engine in an older car, but not the other way around. I guess what that really applies to is emissions control equipment (which the engine management electronics is part of). So as I understand it, in Ca. you can put a '96 and later 3.2L in the car and use the OBDI system, but you can't take a '96 or later car and put OBDI parts in that.

Okay, so what's the advantage. Apparently, to keep the '96 and later 3.2L rated at 240hp and get it past emissions controls at the time, they had to put a more restrictive intake. So the popular mod is to take the 3.2L and put it in a '95 with the 3.0L intake and OBDI setup for a nifty hp gain. I think aftermarket software and parts are also cheaper for the OBDI cars.


----------



## JST (Dec 19, 2001)

TD said:


> *The 3.2L in the '96+ has more stock torque but the 3.0L in the '95 is easier to mod because it is OBDI.
> 
> OBD stands for On Board Diagnostics. Basically it's government mandated emissions control/engine management. A new standard was implemented for '96 (hence OBDII - as in 2). For technical reasons I do not fully understand, it is MUCH easier to mod OBDI engines.
> 
> ...


The 96+ cars also have a shorter (higher numerically) final drive ratio (3.15 v. 3.23, IIRC), which aids low speed acceleration.


----------



## Nik (Jun 5, 2003)

*reply to scottn2retro...*

I am not an expert, but I'll relay some of what I've heard.

The advantage of getting the '95 with the OBDI is due to several factors. One of them being, in Ca., you can put a newer engine in an older car, but not the other way around. I guess what that really applies to is emissions control equipment (which the engine management electronics is part of). So as I understand it, in Ca. you can put a '96 and later 3.2L in the car and use the OBDI system, but you can't take a '96 or later car and put OBDI parts in that.

Okay, so what's the advantage. Apparently, to keep the '96 and later 3.2L rated at 240hp and get it past emissions controls at the time, they had to put a more restrictive intake. So the popular mod is to take the 3.2L and put it in a '95 with the 3.0L intake and OBDI setup for a nifty hp gain. I think aftermarket software and parts are also cheaper for the OBDI cars.

__________________

Wouldn't it make more sense to put the better intake from the 3.0L onto the 3.2 motor or just go straight for aftermarket?? rather than puttin the motor where the intake is?? that makes no sense to me. but what would i know right? anyway, i'm planning on just intake, exhaust and whatever "chip" i need for the car to make it accept these mods or get anymore hp so any more info you have to put me in my place  would be great. Thanks tons.

Nik Chipps


----------



## scottn2retro (Mar 20, 2002)

Would seem easier, but I'm sure there are reasons (like being able to custom tune ODBI software - and maybe getting around emissions rules) why people do it using the 95's and getting '96 and later 3.2s for them.

Chuckiechz would be a good person to ask about that stuff.


----------



## jderry (Sep 24, 2002)

My two cents, I am 99% sure that the 1995 posts quicker 0-60 times and a quicker 1/4 mile time. Don't quote me though ... but, I am pretty sure the 1995's are supposedly quicker.

You will probably go with the euro hfm (or if you are fiscal, take the 540 hfm or even the 740 hfm) and get 24# injectors and JC software for a good net gain on OBD-I. You might also want to think about UDP's, fan delete, etc... 

For auto-x, I think the best mod is the nut behind the wheel though, heck, for any type of driving.

I would also think about shedding weight if possible-- drop off a good couple hundred lbs from the car ... you can feel the difference. I would highly recommend getting rims that weigh around 17 lbs ... the unsprung weight savings would make a huge difference when you accelerate ...

Besides, you can always go with a poor man's supercharger and get shorter gearing ...


----------



## Jetfire (Jun 20, 2002)

In stock trim, the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for the '95 and '96+ E36 M3s are nearly identical. The S52US32B (I think that's what it's officially called) engine in the '96+ cars have a better torque curve and are somewhat more powerful, but I think the real world differences are not that noticeable. If anything, a '96+ car will be slightly faster than a '95 car with equivalent weight.

If you're serious about engine mods, the OBD I-compliant '95 engine (the S50US30, or something) is the way to go. It doesn't have much to do with the engine itself; really, the higher-displacement 3.2L in the '96+ cars should be easier to mod for more horsepower. The problem is that the OBD II software adapts more engine parameters to its environmental factors in order to maximize efficiency (or lowering emissions, or choking power, depending on who you are). This means that the car will adapt to mods to the extent that some modifications will eventually net you very little additional power.

This isn't a death sentence. OBD II engines are still easily modded and people have been doing it for years now. Intakes and exhausts still work the way they've always worked, and there are things like superchargers, turbochargers, cam kits, etc. that will bump up the 3.2L engine's power quite nicely. Just don't expect to get a bigger MAF and see huge gains. The same goes for software upgrades, which will almost always improve driveability but very seldom show real HP gains IMO.

OBD I engines will react more enthusiastically to things like MAFs, revised intake manifolds, etc. I don't know the specifics because I owned a '99 myself.


----------



## Bruce (Dec 24, 2001)

*Engine codes*



Jetfire said:


> * The S52US32B (I think that's what it's officially called) engine
> 
> If you're serious about engine mods, the OBD I-compliant '95 engine (the S50US30, or something) *


E36 M3 Euro motor:
S50 B30 (S number is engine type, B number is displacement without the decimal point)- 286 hp
S50 B32- 321 hp

E36 US motor:
S50US B30 (also referred to as M50 B30)- 240 hp, 225 torque
S52US B32 (also referred to as M52 B32)- 240 hp, 236 torque

HTH,
Bruce
89 M3 S14 B25
95 M3 S50US B30


----------

