Beams or 3SGTE?, Opinions Options

[RyuCelica]

I know a few members have a Beams in their 6th Gens. I'm thinking about swapping my stock 5SFE with either a Beams or a 3SGTE but I want to hear about member's experiences with either. What are the pros and cons of both and why pick one over the other. I know the 3SGTE is amazing and powerful so why did some of you decide to got with the Beams?

Thanks everybody!

[richee3]

Get a 3S-GTE.

If you search the site, you'll find many posts from BEAMS owners saying "it's fun, but I want more." The BEAMS feels no different from a 5S until about 4,500 rpm, then it really comes to life. It screams to redline and still begs for more when it hits the rev limiter. And that's great and all, but unless you live on a track, you can't possibly keep a BEAMS in its happy rev range. You'll spend 97% of your driving time well below where the BEAMS makes decent power. That's where the 3S-GTE comes in. It makes 50 hp more than the BEAMS as soon as you drop it in, and you can easily get more power out of it with a few bolt-on's. It makes power much sooner than the BEAMS so you don't have to wait for it to rev up.

I chose a BEAMS over a 3S-GTE because I wasn't familiar with a turbocharged engine and I didn't want to get in over my head. I've daily driven mine for over 2 years and I've had a lot of fun, but I'm ready to move on. The BEAMS has been great, very reliable, 34 highway mpg, but I just can't use most of the power often enough. Just my two cents.