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E36 318ic engine question

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  theironm0nk 
#1 ·
I was reading on a paper that said the 1.8L engine is a high reving engine. Does this mean if i shift gears at 4 or 5 thousand it will not hurt the car. My redline is around 7 grand. I dont want to hurt my car but i have driven the car at high RPM's and it does give it a really good kick.
 
#3 ·
The red line is built in for a reason... beyond that point on a regular basis is known to put more tear and wear on the engine. Not that normal driving doesnt wear on an engine... but the ratio between power and deterioration of engine parts is odd.

Shifting at 4-6k is ok... for sprinted driving. I would not say drive like that all the time.

Les
 
#4 · (Edited)
Yes 318i series are built with top quality parts that 325 and 328 must pay after market to get.(which is why there usually not availabe such as SSmanifolds, fored crank and pistons, ect) In turn you can really pound on these four bangers harder and more offten and still get better gas mielage than any other 3 series:rock But you will also need to keep on top of matenance more
For relaxed driving you can shift in the 2-3k to preserve the engine and save on gas mileage.

If your racing you will want to get really close to the red line in which the goal is to make the rpm not fall When you shift; in which there are very precise points for each gear. Finding them takes time.
 
#8 ·
Forged crank stock
Forged Rods stock
4 Valves per cylinder flows very well
New combustion chamber designed to maximize squish and fuel mixing for a complete burn
Integrated piston oil squirters (very beneficial for boosting, cools piston crown)
Sodium Filled valves (once again dissapates heat, great for boosting)
Strong iron block
No timing belt to break
Very well balanced and likes to rev

Also came with 4:10 LS and 5 spd (this is going to be fun)

found this on the pelican parts website, also on some other site i got this

The crank is forged (rather than cast) and is fitted with 8 counterweights. It can be used at revs up to 7200rpm. The forged steel con-rods are 12g lighter than the M40's due to finite element analysis techniques. Pistons are slightly lighter too, contain 20% of the combustion volume and are notched to clear the valves. A dual mass flywheel was fitted to reduce low speed vibration.
 
#9 ·
Nice info... all that came on stock 318i? Are you sure about that LS ratio? I've never heard of that being an option... but then again, I am not sure I've ever heard the ratio of the LS that came on so few 318's.

But to the question at hand, I have a 318i. with just over 170k miles on it (I bought it a year and a half ago with 144K miles on it). I drive the crap out of my car on a very regular basis (but then again while I am at school I only drive it about once a week). But I do so without any worries about blowing something up (in the engine, I still worry about the suspension and tires with the way I drive). The owners manual actaully recommends (for 5spd) that you shift at 3.5k for maxium performance and fuel economy. There is nothing wrong with shifting at 4 or 4.5 as long as the engine is warm. Enjoy those revs, you need to to enjoy the car.
 
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