Also remeber in 1996 the US M3 went to 3.2l from 3.0l. And like was stated previously the U.S. Spec cars have a single throttle body configuration as opposed to individual throttle bodies. However the current generation E46 M cars do have the individual throttle bodies.
Another thing to note is the U.S. Spec E36 M3 engine really isn't a TRUE "M" engine, the Euro cars engines were hand built and produced 286hp as a 3.0l and 320hp as the 3.2l, the U.S. spec cars are basically a bored and stroked and tuned 325/328 motor and both the 3.0l and the 3.2l have 240hp.
Here are specs for a 1998 3.2l U.S Car:
Weight Unladen: 3175lbs
Also remeber in 1996 the US M3 went to 3.2l from 3.0l. And like was stated previously the U.S. Spec cars have a single throttle body configuration as opposed to individual throttle bodies. However the current generation E46 M cars do have the individual throttle bodies.
Another thing to note is the U.S. Spec E36 M3 engine really isn't a TRUE "M" engine, the Euro cars engines were hand built and produced 286hp as a 3.0l and 320hp as the 3.2l, the U.S. spec cars are basically a bored and stroked and tuned 325/328 motor and both the 3.0l and the 3.2l have 240hp.
Here are specs for a 1998 3.2l U.S Car:
Weight Unladen: 3175lbs
Also remeber in 1996 the US M3 went to 3.2l from 3.0l. And like was stated previously the U.S. Spec cars have a single throttle body configuration as opposed to individual throttle bodies. However the current generation E46 M cars do have the individual throttle bodies.
Another thing to note is the U.S. Spec E36 M3 engine really isn't a TRUE "M" engine, the Euro cars engines were hand built and produced 286hp as a 3.0l and 320hp as the 3.2l, the U.S. spec cars are basically a bored and stroked and tuned 325/328 motor and both the 3.0l and the 3.2l have 240hp.
Here are specs for a 1998 3.2l U.S Car:
Weight Unladen: 3175lbs
Yeah....so you typed a munch of Manufacturer engine codes....well 2JZGTE, B18C5, 3SGTE, LS1, SR20DET. And yes it is just a tuned bored stroked version of the 325/328, why? It's not hand built like the Euro cars.
Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that...
Quote:
The differences between the US and Euro BMW M3
There is a quite significant difference between M3's in the USA/Canada and M3's elsewhere (Europe/Asia etc.).
The "authentic" M3 (often referred to as the "Euro Spec." M3) has the real M-engine:
S50 B30 in the 3.0 Liter Euro M3 (built from 1993 to 1995)
S50 B32 in the 3.2 Liter Euro M3 (built from 1995 to present)
The S50 B30 develops 286 hp at 7000 rpm, the S50 B32 develops 321 hp at 7400 rpm.
The following are the engines of the US M3:
S50us B30 in the 3.0 Liter US M3 (built from 1995 to 1996)
S50us B32 in the 3.2 Liter US M3 (built from 1996 to present)
The S50us B30 and S50us B32 both develop 240 hp at 6000 rpm.
The US M3 engine is - from a constructors viewpoint - a tuned standard 3-series 6-cylinder motor: The S50us engine is a bored and stroked M50/M52 engine which was/is used in the 325i(s)/328i(s).
The Euro Spec. M3 engine is a hand-built engine which has Double-VANOS, 6 single throttles (one individual throttle body per cylinder) and has the characteristics of a racing engine: High engine speed red line almost at 8000 rpm, High specific power output of over 100hp/liter. The single throttles are a typical feature of all M-engines from the late Seventies M1 to the allnew E39 M5 8-cylinder. They all had/have single throttles. If you compare a picture of the US M3 engine with the Euro M3 engine with the hood open, you can see the difference by looking at the engine bay, even from distance.
Beside this essential difference, the US M3 also has a softer suspension, other headlights, wheels of different materials and other more or less minor differences. Also the US M3 is available with an automatic transmission beside the 5-speed manual gear box. The Euro Spec. M3 is only available with a 6-speed manual or a sequential gearbox (called "SMG"), which either works like a manual gear box (but without a clutch) or automatically. In 1995 the 3.2 Liter Euro M3 also got the 1994 M5 3.8 high performance brakes with compound discs, which made it one of the best braking cars on the German market (even competitive to the Porsche 993 TT for example).
Most likely reason for the "De-Tuning" is the fact that the Euro M3 might be too expensive for the US market (in BMW's opinion) and would never have reached the successful sales numbers of the US M3. And offering the Euro M3 as a special edition for those who can afford it was obviously not an option for the following reasons: 1. Adapting it to the US emission regulations and having it certificated for the US market would have been too expensive for BMW, related to the small number of cars that would have been sold with the financially much more attractive S50us-powered M3 aside and 2. the US M3 would have lost some great amount of prestige (Keep in mind, that many US M3 buyers find out about the Euro M3 actually AFTER they purchased what they thought was the "original" one...). So, although the US M3 unfortunately is not a 100 percent "genuine" M-car, it still remains being a hell of a machine :-)
to teh max...I just wanted to try it out for myself but, it turns out it's gay, so I won't say that anymore.
__________________ Garrett GT2871R...18psi by 4500 RPMS...VROOOOOM!
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"Without question."
"Don't agree with me, it just pisses me off more."
Yeah....so you typed a munch of Manufacturer engine codes....well 2JZGTE, B18C5, 3SGTE, LS1, SR20DET. And yes it is just a tuned bored stroked version of the 325/328, why? It's not hand built like the Euro cars.
Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that...
to teh max...I just wanted to try it out for myself but, it turns out it's gay, so I won't say that anymore.
I came pretty close to purchasing a 96 M3, but decided on a 98 z28 and a 98 Suzuki sidekick Sport winter beater instead. Hard to go with the M3 when the z28 had less than half the mileage (43k for z28 vs 87k for M3). Overall, it wasn't anywhere near as quick as the z28, but the feeling of driving it was something else. Excellent machines. I'll probably look at one again if the early E46's come down into my price range 4 years from now.
Garrett GT2871R...18psi by 4500 RPMS...VROOOOOM!
to teh max
. Excellent machines. I'll probably look at one again if the early E46's come down into my price range 4 years from now.
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