Supercharged E36 318ti - Any Experiences?
 

Anyone driven such an animal? The car in question is a '95 318ti, 5 speed, sport package with different suspension/sways/LSD, x-brace, Dinan chip, Supersprint exhaust, M3 brakes, overall nice condition. 150k on the car, about 20k on the Downing Atlanta SC install that was professionally done. It has a few minor cosmetic needs as well as needing suspension bushings front and rear. About 200 whp and 2700 lbs sounds like fun, what can I expect from the driving experience? The car isn't local so I can't just stop by for a test drive. I was seriously considering an E30 318is, but this is very tempting.....

Are they RWD? Is so it sounds about like a RWD Corrado... But better...

Yup, RWD like a proper BMW. E36 front suspension, E30 rear suspension. Supposedly they are much more tossable thanks to the E30 rear. Rather odd because they share bits of each, much like the Z3.

Argh! There is a Red one with the Cali top in Tejas... Hmm... Wonder what the Corolla would sell for....

Or simply buy a pampered sport package 6 cyl E36 and have similar performance with less potential headaches. :D

I'm with Tim, The 4 cyl motor does not have as good of a reputation as the tried and true straight 6. I always see them for sale cheap with blown head gaskets. I am sure a little extra cylinder pressure is not going to make this situation any better.

What headaches Tim? Regarding the SC? I'll take that risk for a car that's nearly 400 lbs lighter, has a hatchback, doesn't have the E36 interior that I despise;), and is as fast as an E36 M3. Rumor has it that these things are more fun to drive than a normal E36, I was hoping for some confirmation.

Keep looking..very disappointing and you think it is going to be fast but never quite impresses. I know a guy that poured ridiculous $$$ to supercharge his 318Ti and was very disappointed with the end results. 4cylinder engines and superchargers are not a blissful combination, which is why Mercedes killed them on the C230 Kompressor and Chevy on the SS Cobalt and Toyota only made them for 2 years on the MR2 Generation 1.

If it were turbocharged that would be a different story.
Yasin

Just sounds like a hacked up car to me that ultimately is not all that fast compared to a 328... That said, I am sure you have done your homework and if you buy it, it will likely be a nice car for the month or two that you own it. ;):D

Do you have one in mind?

Per several sources a supercharged E36 318ti is as fast as a stock E36 M3, it's a very common and fairly simple mod. Plus it's a pretty cool sleeper, and gets about 35 MPG when you're not in the boost. I'm looking for a DD (not a flip) so it might last a year.:D

Heres an Idea! Buy it... Bring it down to an Autocross... And we'll go head to head. Mom's M3 is bone stock still...

I quite liked the Blown G60 I had for a while... It was a maintainence nightmare tho... **** was always breaking...

I'm determined to finally try my hand with autocross, whatever I purchase.

Bring it down... Ours is a little less technical than some... And faster... We've got several good instructors as well. At some point I will have my 944 all sorted out as well.

Back when I hung out on the BMW side of this forum (under some long lost handle) none other than Wayne himself had one. He said it was a kick in the behind and that he enjoyed it more than a six. This is ancient history, you might do a search.

Larry

That's good to hear, I'm flying out to pick it up on Saturday.

Dont know about the blown versions, but the '95 318ti I bought my wife was at the top of the list of my regrets. Probably ones of the biggest pieces of crap I've ever owned.

Pictures, Matt. Pictures!


We'll let you slide on Autocross this month.... October though... No excesses...

Oh and the PCA will be hosting a Euro car show on 9/25. If you wanted to make the drive down.

There's several local BMW club guys that are involved with the SCCA, so I should have plenty of autoX opportunities. 9/25 won't work I'm afraid, I'm taking my kids to the airshow here in Wichita. Here's a couple of pictures, it's Alaska Blue (great color). You can see the primary cosmetic flaw, which is the scrapes on the front bumper. Good excuse for an M3 bumper.:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1283960900.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1283960907.jpg

Sort of has a Corrado esque look from the side... These are growing on me...

That red California really had me drooling...