So anyone with a bit of experience in fitting a turbo to an E30, raise your hands now please
Turbo Wiki
Moderator: martauto
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Grrrmachine
- E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member

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Anyone want to help with this? It's a regular question in the Tech section, and there's a lot of info (and misinfo) knocking around.
So anyone with a bit of experience in fitting a turbo to an E30, raise your hands now please
So anyone with a bit of experience in fitting a turbo to an E30, raise your hands now please
'89 325i Touring | Touring Resto Thread | In-Dash Screen install
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Grrrmachine
- E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member

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Cheers
So far I've identified the following sections:
Parts List
Boost - Explanation
Size Of Turbo
Risks
Engine Preparation
If anyone can share some knowledge on any of those areas, post it here please.
So far I've identified the following sections:
Parts List
Boost - Explanation
Size Of Turbo
Risks
Engine Preparation
If anyone can share some knowledge on any of those areas, post it here please.
'89 325i Touring | Touring Resto Thread | In-Dash Screen install
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ross2009
- E30 Zone Addict

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heres a few links
good guide diy megasquirt
http://wiki.diyefi.co.uk/index.php?titl ... Conversion
phil ringwoods youtube channel very helpfull guy on megasquirt as he wrote the extra code for it
http://www.youtube.com/user/ExtraEFI
engine parts
http://www.catcams.co.uk/acatalog/Turbo.html
and of corse e30tech is full of turbo advice
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3237
good guide diy megasquirt
http://wiki.diyefi.co.uk/index.php?titl ... Conversion
phil ringwoods youtube channel very helpfull guy on megasquirt as he wrote the extra code for it
http://www.youtube.com/user/ExtraEFI
engine parts
http://www.catcams.co.uk/acatalog/Turbo.html
and of corse e30tech is full of turbo advice
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3237
- fowler
- Boost Junkie
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there is only few person who should write in this section Ant, Gunni, Poss me (mainly on experience rather than out and out knowledge) and Geoff bob, as the persons have seemed to have most experienece of fitting turbos to M10, M20,M30, M40, M42, M50, S50,also superchargers have been used as ther is a couple running about.
people are making it there business so all info can't be freely available as it would put them out of business...
Also have a directory of people to use for parts ect... and try and get discounts
people are making it there business so all info can't be freely available as it would put them out of business...
Also have a directory of people to use for parts ect... and try and get discounts
EX A-Tech Workshop bitch !!!
325i Turbo touring (Aka Project Fridge)
gone but not forgotten
325i Turbo touring (Aka Project Fridge)
gone but not forgotten
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ross2009
- E30 Zone Addict

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agreedfowler wrote:there is only few person who should write in this section Ant, Gunni, Poss me (mainly on experience rather than out and out knowledge) and Geoff bob, as the persons have seemed to have most experienece of fitting turbos to M10, M20,M30, M40, M42, M50, S50,also superchargers have been used as ther is a couple running about.
people are making it there business so all info can't be freely available as it would put them out of business...
Also have a directory of people to use for parts ect... and try and get discounts
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Morat
- E30 Zone Team Member

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Best get writing then 
Otherwise all the N/A M5x homos will get the attention with their poxy 220bhp!
(just trying to move things along!)
Otherwise all the N/A M5x homos will get the attention with their poxy 220bhp!
(just trying to move things along!)
E30 Touring 0.35 cD - more slippery than prison soap 

Praise the Lard... and pass the dripping!

Praise the Lard... and pass the dripping!
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ross_jsy
- Married to the E30 Zone

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But boost an m5xMorat wrote:Best get writing then
Otherwise all the N/A M5x homos will get the attention with their poxy 220bhp!
(just trying to move things along!)
Should be buying my turbo manifold Thursday
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Grrrmachine
- E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member

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Thanks for the comments and links. I'd love to have the article written by the guys mentioned above, but they're busy chaps; so far about 20 people have promised me various articles in the past three months; 2 of them were finished 
So I'll be compiling any words of wisdom the Zone as a team can offer, so that no-one feels too pressured to do anything. But if anyone wants to write a chapter, be my guest
So I'll be compiling any words of wisdom the Zone as a team can offer, so that no-one feels too pressured to do anything. But if anyone wants to write a chapter, be my guest
'89 325i Touring | Touring Resto Thread | In-Dash Screen install
I´m happy to share any knowledge I have. I´ll be posting the maps for the M50 turbos when I´m done with them as well, so everybody can look at the ignition and fuel tables as well as anything else they might like to see in the VEMS map.fowler wrote:there is only few person who should write in this section Ant, Gunni, Poss me (mainly on experience rather than out and out knowledge) and Geoff bob, as the persons have seemed to have most experienece of fitting turbos to M10, M20,M30, M40, M42, M50, S50,also superchargers have been used as ther is a couple running about.
people are making it there business so all info can't be freely available as it would put them out of business...
Also have a directory of people to use for parts ect... and try and get discounts
I can´t post other customers maps as they have paid for it, they are free to post them if they care.
If anybody has specific questions I´ll answer them, the information can then be compiled into a FAQ or a Wiki. I kinda don´t have the time right now to start writing loads.
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Grrrmachine
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Gunni, can you answer any of these questions?
What's the basic parts list for an M20 turbo conversion?
How does boost affect the engine?
What are the biggest and smallest turbos you can fit?
What's the basic parts list for an M20 turbo conversion?
How does boost affect the engine?
What are the biggest and smallest turbos you can fit?
'89 325i Touring | Touring Resto Thread | In-Dash Screen install
1. Thats way to wide of a question as it´s per install .
2. Boost raises the cylinder pressure, if to much boost then you can introduce too much heat and melt pistons, or to much cylinder pressure can lift heads, blow gaskets, bend rods.
3. Too wide, people have made 1000hp on a M20 block for instance.
2. Boost raises the cylinder pressure, if to much boost then you can introduce too much heat and melt pistons, or to much cylinder pressure can lift heads, blow gaskets, bend rods.
3. Too wide, people have made 1000hp on a M20 block for instance.
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Grrrmachine
- E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member

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Cheers Gunni. It must be infuriating to deal with novices so often, so I'll try to make the questions more targeted.
For #3 - Biggest and Smallest turbo, I mean the unit itself. For example, I've read that using the setup from the M21 (324td) is pointless on petrol engines, because the boost is so low it's not worth the expense of doing the setup. In comparison, you mention overheating and melted pistons; at what sort of boost range are we talking about, where that would happen to the stock internals of an M20?
I know it's very much a piece-of-string question, but there must be minimal, normal and mental points somewhere in the range
For #3 - Biggest and Smallest turbo, I mean the unit itself. For example, I've read that using the setup from the M21 (324td) is pointless on petrol engines, because the boost is so low it's not worth the expense of doing the setup. In comparison, you mention overheating and melted pistons; at what sort of boost range are we talking about, where that would happen to the stock internals of an M20?
I know it's very much a piece-of-string question, but there must be minimal, normal and mental points somewhere in the range
'89 325i Touring | Touring Resto Thread | In-Dash Screen install
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e301988325i
- E30 Zone Addict

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Is it possible to copy all of the guru's posts into the wiki, they could have their own sub section each?
The below, is a good starting point is a readable volume. Mentions thermal efficiency, pinking/knock, turbo/super, charge cooling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_induction
The below, is a good starting point is a readable volume. Mentions thermal efficiency, pinking/knock, turbo/super, charge cooling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_induction
I said:
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
The smallest turbo I´d ever use would be something like a 40mm inducer compressor. Good for about 270hp, But you could have 270hp from 4500-6000rpm . Perfect for drifting not so much for pure power, would be great around town.Grrrmachine wrote:Cheers Gunni. It must be infuriating to deal with novices so often, so I'll try to make the questions more targeted.
For #3 - Biggest and Smallest turbo, I mean the unit itself. For example, I've read that using the setup from the M21 (324td) is pointless on petrol engines, because the boost is so low it's not worth the expense of doing the setup. In comparison, you mention overheating and melted pistons; at what sort of boost range are we talking about, where that would happen to the stock internals of an M20?
I know it's very much a piece-of-string question, but there must be minimal, normal and mental points somewhere in the range
The 324td ´s turbo is so small it will restrict you so much that you might not even pass the 200hp mark. The simplest rule of thump for diesel turbos onto petrol engines is double the power of the original diesel engine and you are ballpark to what it will do on a petrol.
Boost is not a figure to dwell on to long, it´s a total representation of the restriction of flow out of the compressor and to the exhaust tailpipe tip.
Melting pistons is more about the fuel then power.. E85 fuel users have seen above 650whp on a 100% stock M20 with ARP studs. I wouldn´t want to run more then 450fly or about 380whp (at least thats what I reccomend now until I have personally tested otherwise) using 99octane petrol.

