e34 M60 vs M50

[fkong777]

I have a 93 M50 e34 since new..now at 140k miles and still runs great. In a search for more power I am hunting for a e34 540. Found a California car since new with only 2 owner to its name.

So I test drove one today and was disappointed. This 540 is a 95 with 93k miles on it. maintance is well documented. The car didnt have any rough idle or anything but upon driving it for about 10 miles.. it seems that this V8 is only slightly more powerful than the M50.. However the car almost feel Heavy footed.. More Mass to propel.. I felt this 540 lost some of the sportiness compare to my 525.. even with a slight power increase.

Is this Normal? Shouldnt a M60 be a night and day difference in power since it is near 100hp more on spec? I thought 100hp more would make the car tire burning fast. am I wrong or something is seriously wrong with this car?

[Rustam]

I have a 93 M50 e34 since new..now at 140k miles and still runs great. In a search for more power I am hunting for a e34 540. Found a California car since new with only 2 owner to its name.

So I test drove one today and was disappointed. This 540 is a 95 with 93k miles on it. maintance is well documented. The car didnt have any rough idle or anything but upon driving it for about 10 miles.. it seems that this V8 is only slightly more powerful than the M50.. However the car almost feel Heavy footed.. More Mass to propel.. I felt this 540 lost some of the sportiness compare to my 525.. even with a slight power increase.

Is this Normal? Shouldnt a M60 be a night and day difference in power since it is near 100hp more on spec? I thought 100hp more would make the car tire burning fast. am I wrong or something is seriously wrong with this car?

The V8 has heavier harmonic balancer - it takes more horsepower for given engine speed, so engine acceleration is not as fast. Stay with inline 6 - my advice - the best engine type.

[632 Regal]

should be night and day, something might be wrong with the car.

[Evan]

Something is wrong with the car you drove. I drive a 540i automatic on most days and it blows my 525 away. Look for another 540

[t_marat]

Maybe its engine is in a limphome mode?

I am definitely not an expert, so don't take that very seriously :)

[Qube]

Perhaps the PO has driven it so easily that a shogun reset is in order to awaken it :)

[632 Regal]

thats exactly what I was thinking too.
Perhaps the PO has driven it so easily that a shogun reset is in order to awaken it :)

[Alexlind123]

It should be tire smoking fast.

[tim s]

i just replaced my plugs with 28,000 miles on them & what a difference a set of plugs can make.
i drove a new 530 this week & there was a noticable difference in power even though i have 201,000 on my car.
tim s.

[ra_pro]

What makes the difference is whether you drive it in 'S' or 'D' mode. In 'D' it doesn't feel all that fast because you feel the power only above 3000-3500K RPM. However the transmission usually shifts well under 3K unless the car is driven with heavy foot all the time, then the transmission 'learns' to shift faster. However in 'S' mode and above 3K it's a different animal that's when you feel the power. But performance notwithstanding the amount of trouble these engines have is not worth the actual performance increase over the 6-cylinder at least to me after 4+ years of ownership. If I get another bimmer it'll be 6-cylinder.

[mholbrook]

Interesting that you did not include the M30. I had a 94 530 and it was ok but as the previous poster said, they are maintenance hots and lots of nervous stuff like nikisil and ZF transmissions that cost $5k, leaking gaskets that fry the coils, etc.

I'd look for a low mileage 535 5-speed if there is one and go with that. Really easy to work on and reliable. On the other hand, there may not be that much of a performance boost over the M50 although I think my car is faster than most if not all M50's without boost.

The other option is an E34 M5 which will certainly give you plenty of go fast but M5 means multiply x 5 for repairs.

[Incantation]

dude nice car.. i love those wheels on the e34.. any more pics of it?

[Traian]

I drive like a granny most of the time, and if the PO did the same and you left it in D, performance is sluggish. The car generally takes off in 2nd, and shifts to 3rd immediately, and the revs climb slooooooowly even when flooring it. Shift to S and weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (that's the best way I can describe it).

[E34 530]

I drive like a granny most of the time, and if the PO did the same and you left it in D, performance is sluggish. The car generally takes off in 2nd, and shifts to 3rd immediately, and the revs climb slooooooowly even when flooring it. Shift to S and weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (that's the best way I can describe it).

Kinda the same in my car, but not as fast lol.

[paul p (chi-town)]

Question...........is your 525 stick?
A well shifted M50 could feel almost as quick as a 540 in D round town. Even at 55 you’d have to give the M60 some serious leg to wake it. Try using S4 next time.
A warm 530T&A in traffic ( fan clutch active ) is a total slug till you can at least get up to jogging speed regardless of trans setting. When really hustling i’ve caught myself downshifting manually to keep the revs up.
The v8s totally shine on the highway tho, induce a kickdown to pass and you’re going triple digits easy if not careful.
If you don’t need the vagon or are simply crazy for technology try to find a clean big six.
Now if you run across a nice 540i 6-speed, that’s a whole nother ballgame.


”Hang up & Drive!” (http://homepage.interaccess.com/~motria/pablosgarage.html)
94 BMW 530iT&A 124K, ‘Helga’ ( uh....i guess she’s for sale *sniff* )
92 BMW 325i 126K, ‘Rolf’ ( he’s baaaaack *woohoo* Hers *sigh* )
91 Volvo 745T 194K, ‘Thor’ (13 psi, no power steering *grunt* )
93 Datsun NX2000 167K ‘Carla’ ( alive & thumpin....gettin ratty tho *squint* )
85 Toyo MR2 123K ‘Jerry’ ( tight *sqeek* so fresh & so clean clean quik.... )
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin.
Kinda makes the ‘Patriot Act’ an oxymoron, eh....

[fkong777]

Oh.. I didnt put it in "S" mode.. OK.. my next test drive will be in S mode.

My 525 is Auto.

Just found out 540i is about 240lb heavier than a 525i. That explains the mass..

I may still test drive a couple more 540s. but after seeing the milage and wear on most 93-95 cars out there. throwing in a tranny and engine chp to the 525 makes more sense.

[Evan]

S3