M42 turbo or m52

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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 6:54 pm

After the summer I'm going to be taking my IS off the road to receive some much needed tlc, my idea was to rip out the m42 1.8 and fit an m52.

I was just wondering what's the deal with turbo-ing an m42 because it would be nice to keep the original engine, not after huge power 200hp to match an m52 would be good.

So m42 turbo or m52... Discuss :)
magpie
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Sat May 10, 2014 7:18 pm

Boost FTW!

brrrm... ptttssssh!
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BHadley
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Sat May 10, 2014 7:41 pm

I'd go m42 turbo, sounds cool and apparently the four pots handle better, the bottom end of the engine is very strong so yep....... Unless its silly money to do....
magpie
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Sat May 10, 2014 7:52 pm

the almighty m42 has a forged crank :D
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:04 pm

Yeh I did about 5 minutes of googling and found out that it has forged bits and bobs, I think it would be cool and keep the light weight handling.

Just need more info really, costs and basic how to info
magpie
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:07 pm

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... forum&f=28

i've not checked it but one should be in here ^^^^^
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pacerpete
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:07 pm

5k should cover it and then it will be faster than a 325 :)
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:43 pm

5k! My mates doing an e30 m52 turbo for 2k so how does that work haha
maxfield
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:44 pm

davelarge wrote:5k! My mates doing an e30 m52 turbo for 2k so how does that work haha
Because he's cutting corners....
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magpie
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:45 pm

davelarge wrote:5k! My mates doing an e30 m52 turbo for 2k so how does that work haha
i'd like to see the fault codes :mad:
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:48 pm

Whys that?

I can understand 5k if I wanted to hit huge power because of forging and making sure it can handle the power but for an extra 64hp over standard.
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:51 pm

Anyway that's what he said the engine will roughly cost when finished, that's him not me so back on subject.

Gonna cost me 5k so obviously m52 is better option?
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Sat May 10, 2014 8:54 pm

Yeah you can do it with a Chinese manifold/intercooler/turbo/nasty replica Tial wastegate etc and no doubt have change from £2k, but after the manifold has cracked/turbo shat itself/wastegate has got stuck etc and you have to redo it all you will be kicking yourself and wishing you hadn't p1ssed 2k up the wall on shite.
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:07 pm

I have no idea what he's using, so you are saying it's gonna cost me a fortune to turbo an m42?

I know some people on here say it costs £2k to put in a normal m52 :mad:
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:14 pm

Management, loom, injectors and live mapping will come close to 2k.
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:17 pm

Ill do some research, do you need standalone management or can you just map the standard e30 one?

Has anyone on here done this?
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:24 pm

It has cost me over £2k to stick an m50 in. Of course you can do it on the cheap, or you can do it properly.

You might be able to use the standard ecu as you are going for a small power hike and use the MAF, but a MAP based standalone would be a better way of doing it.

Budget around £5k to do it well
NoTurbo
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:40 pm

Modifying the m42 is not the cheap option. Bmw cut loads of corners when designing it and to make decent power reliably you need to fix them. Turboing properly will need the same money as building a stroker. Either way 200bhp+ is possible. You might as well just build an m42 stroker. For a simple design you need to fit 88mm crank and 138mm long rods that's 170bhp. Head work pushes it up to 200 bhp then you have additional options like supercharger, itbs etc.. light high reving and easy handling car.

All depends on your driving style. If you drive with low rpm go m5x if you like high rpm 4 cylinder screamers do the m42. End of the day total cost will end up about the same.
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Sat May 10, 2014 9:41 pm

i've basically rebuilt the whole underside of my car when i fitted 24v's in the bay.

the smile is worth every penny !
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 10:37 pm

I understand that when you put in a bigger engine you have to change other parts in order to make the car drive well with the power but I also have a certain understanding that things can be done on a budget.

What kind of money would a stroker/ the parts for a stroker be?

Nobody has said that they have done the turbo or that anybody on here has done it yet, so are these just estimated costs?
maxfield
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Sat May 10, 2014 10:47 pm

I'm comparing it to what I've seen turbo conversions to be done properly. When you consider what all the little bits costs it all adds up. You'd be surprised. 5k is about right...

In comparison. I know a guy with an R33 GTR skyline, he spent 6k on management, mapping and a custom loom.
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Sat May 10, 2014 11:05 pm

Supercharge it.
Search for "Appletree", he has one. :cool:
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davelarge
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Sat May 10, 2014 11:09 pm

Seen superchargers go for £1500 surely m52 is cheaper.

I know I keep talking about budget and cheap but mainly I'm interested in parts cost, I can do all the spanner work and have a mate who's a good welder. Not sure if he could fab a manifold however especially without something to base it on.
Last edited by davelarge on Sat May 10, 2014 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Rav335uk
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Sat May 10, 2014 11:10 pm

It is if you want to be a member of the "CR24V" possy
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CR24v??? Where's it all gone?? LOL
jimbom30cab
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Sat May 10, 2014 11:12 pm

I thought the CR24v click was dead and buried ?
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Sat May 10, 2014 11:14 pm

LOL, they are. :twisted:
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davelarge
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Sun May 11, 2014 3:02 am

Seems like because nobody's done it and made a how to guide then people decide it cannot be done! Found a 'budget' build on r3v running 11psi and making 200whp.

Going to keep researching because this seems a very tempting option, admitadly not the most simple but I would like to keep the original engine I think.
NoTurbo
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Sun May 11, 2014 6:41 am

Pm rix313 on here he has a kit available and all ancillaries for a supercharger. He can give you an accurate price. My stroker build is up to about £1500 already and I still need head work and mapping after its done.
appletree
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Sun May 11, 2014 1:55 pm

Mines low comp but running 12psi is getting me 285bhp
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M42 Supercharged 285bhp + M3 6speed box
NoTurbo
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Mon May 12, 2014 8:39 am

Appletree; is that standard internals, thicker head gasket and Saab turbo?
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davelarge
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Mon May 12, 2014 11:05 am

Still be researching this, a guy on R3V sells a bolt on kit which is designed to run at 9psi on standard internals and chipped ecu.
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bdx
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Mon May 12, 2014 12:46 pm

appletree wrote:Mines low comp but running 12psi is getting me 285bhp
Sounds interesting, can you provide more details?
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