I am thinking of getting a 5 series but I am also curious as to which I6 to get. The 540 is nice but for some reason I just like the I6.
Can anyone tell me/direct me to the list of things that can be done to which BMW I6? I know I can google search and find the world but I trust you guys a little more on recommendations than the big brother G.
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Hey, I just realized I avoid another which car thread with a which engine for a car thread. 
i recommend an E28 M5...
Yeah an M5 would be great but I am thinking in the E39 series
What do you want to know? I'd suggest all-motor mods to these engines (in the E39) offer questionable bang for the buck. The bottom ends are superstout, however, and you can make stupid amounts of power on the stock blocks. Tuning it is another matter: there are folks that can tune the BMW ECU, but they want $$$ for the kits. I'm not sure how the rest of the car would respond to a standalone - it's not bad on the E34's, but the E39 electricals are significantly more "integrated". Aftermarket FI kits are really, really pricey for BMW's.
I'd get the nicest maintained E39 I could find, with a bias to the 530's...and keep it stock. If you want more power, a 540i would probably prove to be less trouble than an aftermarket forced induction I6.
But that's just me. :)
Then again, the M5 E39 prices continue to plummet.... 
This is what got me thinking, (and a Japanese co-worker said I should drive a nicer car. If anyone here has worked for a Japanese company image is everything to them. You want to be the boss you first look and act like the boss.) This one has been played with, so it is out. I can get a hold of a BMW 3.0L diesel very easy, although not cheap.
i've long wanted an early e39 single-vanos 528i since it will relatively easily take an S52 from an M3. also the m52 single-vanos engines can swap in M3 cams which is a nice healthy bump to near M3 power. i'm not sure on the swapability of the later 528i with double-vanos (or the later 525i/530i double vanos) in terms of ECU and cam changes, you may be limited to exhaust/intake/tune bolt-on type mods or a blower but some of the BMW specific forums may have better info on the later ones.
mmm, howabout an S54 swapped e39? yummy!
as much as i love the 540i, i prefer the feel of the i6 cars and steering rack, unless youre talking about straight line performance. also a few less expensive maintenance issues to consider.
Yeah and I don't need something as fast as a 540. If I did, well the points on my license would return, or worse.
I want something that is comfortable I fit in and handles nice (not race car nice but street car nice.) So I really like the 5 series. I have been told that the I6 is a very durable engine and I want a manual so the automatic issues are out.
It is either this or an SUV.
Any little tweeks to the I6 that can be done for a little better power and fuel economy?
FlightService wrote:This is what got me thinking, (and a Japanese co-worker said I should drive a nicer car. If anyone here has worked for a Japanese company image is everything to them. You want to be the boss you first look and act like the boss.) This one has been played with, so it is out. I can get a hold of a BMW 3.0L diesel very easy, although not cheap.
How? Are you talking about a Euro diesel model??
The short answer is no. These engines are pretty well-designed to begin with, and there are few tweaks to be done without rapidly becoming expensive and significant amounts of work. The only exception I know if is that the M3 OE air filter element fits perfectly but lacks the foam pre-filter element that the E39 piece has; this has been shown on the dyno to add 4 horsepower. Not a tweak really, but changing out the VANOS seals really wakes up the bottom end on any of these cars (due to age).
The newer you get the harder it gets to make changes. You can add a supercharger or swap the engine. Nothing much in between that and stock (the aforementioned S52 parts swapping does work, but only on early M52s).
killerkane wrote:FlightService wrote:This is what got me thinking, (and a Japanese co-worker said I should drive a nicer car. If anyone here has worked for a Japanese company image is everything to them. You want to be the boss you first look and act like the boss.) This one has been played with, so it is out. I can get a hold of a BMW 3.0L diesel very easy, although not cheap.
How? Are you talking about a Euro diesel model??
I work for a subsidiary of Yanmar. Yanmar imports the BMW diesel under the BY engine family label. They have a few 6BY-260 (3.0L 6 cylinder 260 HP) here in the states that haven't been converted to 6BY2 spec (A 6BY2-260 has wet manifolds different crank and a few other tweaks to fix some "issues")
They are very rev happy for a diesel, and the availability of a standalone ECU that can be programmed is very enticing. Not to mention I can control emissions and not have to hack the BMW system.
So get a 528/530 and leave it alone. Got it.
Which one is a more reliable set up in the E39? 528 or 530?
Pretty much similar; 528i is iron block, 530i is all-aluminum. MY2000 have a particular reputation for bad ABS units. A few nice aesthetic tweaks in the post-facelift cars, but there is likely to be more to choose from in 528is. 530is seem to be the rarest variant.
So, um...how much for one of these diesel BMW engines. I'm kinda serious.
njansenv wrote:I will only tell you sitting down $14KSo, um...how much for one of these diesel BMW engines. I'm kinda serious.
