How hard to turbocharge a 325i??

Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:10 pm

Hi all im craving for a rwd again and miss my white e30 coupe quite alot, i am also craving at the same time a turbo but having looked at the s13's and all the troubles they have with there 1.8 turbo's and seeing as a 325i is already a very strong 6 cylinder engine i was looking to turbo charge, now i am a mechanic so would do work myself but just wondering what i will need and if there is any guides or someone who may be able to help me out with the little bits and pieces?? O and a rough price might be handy as well, not looking for alot of hp at mo a simple 250-300 is quite sufficient for now!! thanks for any help

Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:14 pm

You can essentially strap a turbo on without too much hassle. The hurdles are obviously numerous; exhaust manifold, intercooler, tuning and engine management. Megasquirt is the after-market ECU of choice by most I've read or VEMS. Here are some people who've done it.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... 04&start=0&
postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=turbo

It does often work out to be very expensive from what I've gathered but I've driven a few of them and they are great. The BHP you are aiming for seems very sensible in keeping it as a usable road.

Are you interested in doing the work yourself as there are some turbos for sale including this one I think at £10K:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ight=turbo

Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:26 pm

http://www.fastbimmer.co.uk/projects/projectfridge.html

http://www.fastbimmer.co.uk/projects/projectdimmy.html

Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:27 pm

do you know what cost would be like, strapping a turbo on 325i engine management stuff frightens me cheers

Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:56 pm

Hi, I notice it's your first post baz, welcome to the zone. Costs are in the thousands for a drive in and out conversion. The management stuff is costly as it takes time to map the management correctly. The cost really depends on the specification.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 8:50 pm

If your willing to put in the time and effort, and do all the work yourself, you can do it for £1500.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:56 pm

toby wrote:Hi, I notice it's your first post baz, welcome to the zone. Costs are in the thousands for a drive in and out conversion. The management stuff is costly as it takes time to map the management correctly. The cost really depends on the specification.

Yes , mapping is 4 hours maximum(and I mean like an absolute maximum) + a few cold starts.

I´ve literally fuel mapped a car in 3hours on the road from 0-250kpa to be spot on the lambda targets. It would have been easier on the dyno still