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Well my 540 manual got t-bones at the lights last night so I now have a choice of the s50 or the V8 for the car

Both have the same power, v8 has the torque and 10kgs less. but it is not an m engine. S50 bolts up but requires sump mod's the m60 needs engine mounts but the sump is stock. Both will have exhaust issues.

One advantage of the 3.0 was for the time attack race series class, but makes no difference for racing at croft or knock hill.


Any input welcome, also I have a good looked after s50b30 and or m60 for sale

Jason

With the m60 being a V8 the weight distribution is more to the back, so better for the balance of your car. Also the V8 not being a m-engine means the parts like valves are cheaper.

I’m planning on using a m60b30 in an e30 tracktool, but it will have s62 cam and itb’s (among other adjustments). It should produce 535 bhp at 10.000rpm. But besides having the car and engine this project is still an idea.

I used to think S50 would be my ultimate engine choice in an E21, these days I'm not so sure. M3 engines are a big outlay, on their own they start at £1500+, unless you buy a donor car. If an S50 was destroyed in one way or another, you're looking at an expensive rebuild or another £1500 engine. In my M50'd E21 I would rather spend £1500 on turboing it to have more power than an S50, and the engines are cheap. On the basis of how much S50s cost and If they both need exhaust mods, my personal choice would be M60.

Sell the S50 and it will pay the whole M60 conversion + more!