project bmw M3 tds endurance

[M3TDS]

ive hesitated long enough ,its time to practice what i preach
the stock 3.2l gas engine is out and i have a dealer in the uk with an assortment of replacements.
ive narrowed it down to 2
3.0tds
2.0tds

i would love the power of the 3.0
but the efficiency and weight of the 2.0 makes it more appealing for a endurance race car .
i dont know if anyone out there is familiar with bmw diesels as they are pretty much non existant in the US
a car similar to mine with a 2.0 won a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring 6 laps ahead of the 2nd place driver

anyone know any west coast machine shops that build smaller motors
and how much power could i possible get out of it realistically :rockwoot:

thanks

 

[Holeshot]

Go with the 3.0L I6.

Depending on how much power you want to make, the 2.0L I4 will probably eat just as much fuel as the 3.0L making the same power. I'd venture to guess that the I6 would be a bit more torquey as well.

One could argue that the I4 would have less frictional losses, be easier to work on since its smaller, and has two fewer cylinders to feed than the I6.

With that in mind, I'd still vote for the I6...that extra 1.0L of displacement will allow you to make more power down the road and still be able to pull the fuel back on your 'economy tune' and get ~38mpg on the highway. (The 3.0L I6 IDI Mercedes diesel engine (OM606) in the '98-'99 E300 TD routinely return that mileage with a pretty heavy RWD car.)

Last but not least, the sound of an I6 is lightyears better than an I4 and they're naturally balanced. :Cheer:

Keep us updated on the project - I'd LOVE to hear more about it.

Later,

Matt