Building the motor; gathering info stage
 

Ok, I have been considering building on the motor I have instead of swapping to a 6 cylinder. I'm not technically inclined though, so I need as much help as I can get.

The first thing I want to do is learn and get information so I can make an informed decision.

I have been thinking of stroking the motor, getting some more aggressive cams, and lowering the compression ratio, to supercharge the motor down the road. While the motor is apart, would lowering/raising the compression help? What/how much could I stroke it? What about larger pistons?

Like I said, I'm not technically inclined, but I want to learn!

This would be a good starting point:
http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showth...&highlight=S42

Keep us updated. SEAM was considering putting together a package with new internals, but I haven't heard anything from them lately.

Stroking the motor is going to increase compression unless you're going to change the timing (aka Miller-cycle).

Larger pistons require boring the cylinder, which I believe has steel sleeves because the block is aluminum. You'll also be increasing the weight of the rotating mass so you'll need a forged crankshaft. It might also hurt your balance at high RPMs.