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Thread: Driving the M30 (3.5L six) engine hard

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    Toronto
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    Default Driving the M30 (3.5L six) engine hard

    Many of you know that my car is now a 5-speed, and has been for about a month. So I'm getting used to driving the car as a manual and extracting the most from it like I never could before.

    My question is about approaching the redline. As a habit, I never rev beyond 5500, even when driving pretty hard. But my car's no monster, so shifting at 5500 when really moving puts the next gear a little lower than I'd like in the rev range. Revving another 1000 RPM or so would make the next gear really fly, y'know?

    Anyway, I've never allowed myself to use that last 1000 RPM because of mechanical sympathy and wanting to spare the engine excess stress. On the other hand, I figure BMW knows where to put the redline, and if they say 6500 (redline) is okay, it must be.

    Anyway, am I wise to stay 1000 RPM short of the redline, or is using all the engine's RPMs harmless? What's the rev limiter feel like in a 535, and is there any harm in hitting it now and then? I've never let myself hit the limiter for fear of finding out the painful way that there isn't one.

    Please educate me. I want my car to last a loooong time, but at the same time I want to extract every ounce of fun it has to offer. Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by Jay 535i; 06-29-2006 at 08:08 PM.
    .


    Jay Lebo - Toronto, Canada
    1990 BMW 535i
    5-speed conversion
    Lightened flywheel
    Sachs Suspension Kit
    E.A.T. Chip

  2. #2
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    Default

    Do a valve adjustment and try it If in good condition she can handle redlining. I'd expect you'd need to increase the limiter or thrash (ie abuse as opposed to use) it quite badly to see any trouble. But someone with a few M30 builds to their name would be far wiser than I on this... Nick

    Join the Aussie
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    08/88 535i e34 M30+miller MAF, 'stiens, tints & teeth!

  3. #3
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    Jan 2004
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    I see redline all the time. About to turn 200,000 miles without an issue. I run 15w50 mobil one and change it every 5,000 miles. Valves are adjusted every 20,000.
    Derek A.
    90 535i 5 Speed - Style 5 17"

  4. #4
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    Dec 2005
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    Brisbane Australia
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    i think i took my m50 to 6500 in 3rd the other day
    its not like i could watch the tacho, by that stage your going pretty darn fast. but i saw it creeping up in my peripheral vision, though I haven't hit the cut off yet. (nor do i want to really)

    Germans: Why can't they make everything?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    4,150

    Default The torque peak or the point at which the maximum torque

    is made on your car is 4k rpm, the horsepower peak is at 5700 rpm, there is no point in revving past the 5700 if you catch the next gear close to the 4k torque peak. The torque curve on this engine is fairly flat so you're going to gain very little but revving past 5700 if any. Since your past the horsepower peak at that point the engine accelerates slower up until you shift, if you shift right at the horsepower peak and the gearing places you anywhere near the torque peak rpm of 4k then you won't gain anything by shifting later. You'll have to check what rpm each gear ends up at if you shift right at the hp peak of 5700. If you continually bring the engine up the 6500 you eventually will bounce it off the limiter, if you bounce it hard enough such as a missed shift or a downshift to the wrong gear then you will float the valves and you will bend valves and break rocker arms if this happens.




    Quote Originally Posted by Jay 535i
    Many of you know that my car is now a 5-speed, and has been for about a month. So I'm getting used to driving the car as a manual and extracting the most from it like I never could before.

    My question is about approaching the redline. As a habit, I never rev beyond 5500, even when driving pretty hard. But my car's no monster, so shifting at 5500 when really moving puts the next gear a little lower than I'd like in the rev range. Revving another 1000 RPM or so would make the next gear really fly, y'know?

    Anyway, I've never allowed myself to use that last 1000 RPM because of mechanical sympathy and wanting to spare the engine excess stress. On the other hand, I figure BMW knows where to put the redline, and if they say 6500 (redline) is okay, it must be.

    Anyway, am I wise to stay 1000 RPM short of the redline, or is using all the engine's RPMs harmless? What's the rev limiter feel like in a 535, and is there any harm in hitting it now and then? I've never let myself hit the limiter for fear of finding out the painful way that there isn't one.

    Please educate me. I want my car to last a loooong time, but at the same time I want to extract every ounce of fun it has to offer. Thanks in advance.


  6. #6
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    T·O·R·O·N·T·O
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    I usually take her to 6k if I'm in a good mood and like to hear the roar through the K&N. Enjoy it
    :: HIDCanada.com | Illuminating Your World


  7. #7
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    Rev it till it won't rev no more!
    Seriously, are the engines in the same state of tune (cams,fuel & spark maps) for automatic and gearbox equipped cars?
    "The gas pedal wouldn't go to the floor if it weren't meant to be there"

  8. #8
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    Someone, Jim Rowe of Metric Mechanic I think, had some thoughtful words on the redline issue. IIRC, and it's fuzzy, a couple seconds above 6k or so is fine, but not to leave it there for many many seconds or minutes.

    Not a scientific measurement... but I (and others) push it up to the "no more gain" point like Bill said on a regular basis, and surely it reduces the total life of the engine but it makes it more fun to drive. I see it like I'm paying an extra fee for enjoying the car to the fullest, and that fee comes in the form of a slightly shorter life to the engine. Then again, I bet 99% of the M30 cars die from some bozo causing an accident, and not from engine failure - so you're probably most likely to total the car in an accident than to ruin the engine no matter how hard you drive.

    Now if you miss a shift... it's toast!

    - Robin
    Robin

    72 Chevy K10
    01 E39 M5

  9. #9
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    Oct 2004
    Location
    Estonia
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    If all the bearings are fine and oiling works and valves are adjusted and springs are good then i wouldnt worry about hitting the limiter too much.
    But take it easy for a while untill you are 100% confident with the gearbox or you may miss a gear, i have gone to 3rd when i wanted 5th because i had just got the car and didnt know the box very well, thankfully it was at like 100km/h so no damage done.
    Now each time i have to change to 5th i take the extra second and make sure i am going to 5th.
    3rd and 4th are rather hard to miss.

  10. #10
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    you can really feel the the tourque peak,at 4000 i never rev to the redline and its seconf to third that has the biggest jump once youre in third 5500 6000 is really ok,unless youre aiming for a top speed run where a few hundred rpm makes ALL the difference...so keep it around 5500 and enjoy the best of both worlds..
    Gone but not forgotten

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