325i upgradeing to a turbo
Moderator: martauto
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HUSSAIN
- E30 Zone Newbie

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hi guys
im in two minds at the moment...
thinking of getting an turbo installed in my 325i E30.
BUT wer do i start from?? i need to find out the positive side and the
negative side of this conversion...
how much will it cost how much power gain there will be, and wot will need modifieing??
and who can do this for me??
help me out guys with this soo ive got a clear picture wot i need
and wot will it take to get this all done..
thanxs
im in two minds at the moment...
thinking of getting an turbo installed in my 325i E30.
BUT wer do i start from?? i need to find out the positive side and the
negative side of this conversion...
how much will it cost how much power gain there will be, and wot will need modifieing??
and who can do this for me??
help me out guys with this soo ive got a clear picture wot i need
and wot will it take to get this all done..
thanxs
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Jon_Bmw
- Dangerous when thinking

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Well i have one for sale mate, very very resonable at £1800. I did all the work myself. Makes a very quick car.
Here is the link if you are interested. You could NOT make one this cheap.
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=30640
Here is the link if you are interested. You could NOT make one this cheap.
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... ic&t=30640
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WillG
- E30 Zone Regular

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Postitive side is you have right engine so there are no fabricating mounting, prop shaft, bulkhead or inner wing mods that you might need to do with other engines. If done right it can make more power for the money then just throwing in a larger newer engine.
Down side is there is more research needed and quite alot more custom pipe work and then engine management which you will have to pay someone like ant to do.
e30tech.com is good place to find out about turboing the m20 engine. Read a load about it first then ask questions after you know more about stuff, you will get more answers with small questions
You need a manifold, exhaust system, turbo, injectors, intercooler, dumpvalve, engine management and a wastegate if you have a turbo without one and then some custom pipes for intake side. Cheapest you can get all this stuff for is probly about £1500 using second hand or low quality parts.
If you want to pay someone to do it I think ant does it so try speaking to him.
Down side is there is more research needed and quite alot more custom pipe work and then engine management which you will have to pay someone like ant to do.
e30tech.com is good place to find out about turboing the m20 engine. Read a load about it first then ask questions after you know more about stuff, you will get more answers with small questions
You need a manifold, exhaust system, turbo, injectors, intercooler, dumpvalve, engine management and a wastegate if you have a turbo without one and then some custom pipes for intake side. Cheapest you can get all this stuff for is probly about £1500 using second hand or low quality parts.
If you want to pay someone to do it I think ant does it so try speaking to him.
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WillG
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oh yeah and buy my spare manifold off me if your going turbo 


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Widge
- E30 Zone Addict

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WOW that is one hell of a manifold, how much is it going for? Would look good on the wall above my fireplace.
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WillG
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fuzzy
- He who sleeps with "Gingers"
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i wasnt aware that there was a down side to having a turbo
apart from high maintainance and things WILL go wrong along the line,generally meaning higher repair costs....or perhaps thats just my cosworth 
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WillG
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yeah but you have to compare it with what else you can do with money he can turbo with and he could do M30/S50 swap and make good power for maybe less money and its less work aswell if you can fit engines. Wont make as much power but engine swap is probly the easier way to get power. M20 internals will want looking at with high boost aswell and gets even more expensive then, it depends on how much work and money he wants to put in and how much power he wants.
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WillG
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oh yeah snap btw fuzzy, got a white mtech 2 touring sat on drive my bros had my red sport, it wont be white much longer tho the paint is pretty bad its getting stripped down for paint, thinking about going diamondswartz I dont think any zoners have that coulor touring? knows andys green, there is that dave tourings red one,what colours is widge?, 4 door ftw too stop the monkeys climbing over my seats, lookin for one of those dog cage things aswell to stop my m8s mut from scratching the door cards.
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Turbo-Brown
- Boost Junkie
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There's people running more than 20psi on the standard late engine internals, and when they break, you can get another one for peanuts 
Turbo power rocks! Especially if you don't lower the compression!
You get standard acceleration until the boost comes in whereupon you get a nice squeeze into the seat
Turbo power rocks! Especially if you don't lower the compression!
You get standard acceleration until the boost comes in whereupon you get a nice squeeze into the seat
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e30_Turbo
- Boost Junkie
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19psi was the max I've recorded on a datalog and the defi gauge was showing 1.3bar before I removed the boost controller. I had to be carefull as my map sensor is only good for 21psi!!
I'm running stock bottom end and std cam and no issues other than the odd headgasket blowing out. New 12.9 grade head bolts in now, so we'll see how they hold.
If you need any info on how much to chuck at a std engine, just speak to the Auzzies at bavariacars, they'll tell you straight they run 20psi+ on stock engines and have no more realiabilty issues than stock setups.
I'm aiming for low boost @ 1bar and high boost @ 1.5bar, with my new turbo it aint worth running less.
Some nice parts there, that manifold makes mine look like frankensteins ugly fat sister
I'm running stock bottom end and std cam and no issues other than the odd headgasket blowing out. New 12.9 grade head bolts in now, so we'll see how they hold.
If you need any info on how much to chuck at a std engine, just speak to the Auzzies at bavariacars, they'll tell you straight they run 20psi+ on stock engines and have no more realiabilty issues than stock setups.
I'm aiming for low boost @ 1bar and high boost @ 1.5bar, with my new turbo it aint worth running less.
Some nice parts there, that manifold makes mine look like frankensteins ugly fat sister
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Widge
- E30 Zone Addict

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Mines Blue of some kind! Royal Blau I think, will look latere, it's gonna look the doggies danglies with the grey leather I've got to go in it. Pity it doesn't move under it's own power! If I was you I'd be torn between Black and Lachs Silver. Do you have leather in it? and what colour is it?!


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WillG
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mines white and i dont have leather just cloth sport seats but ill probly put these
in the front in black and buy some recovered back seats in the end, can you make 3 door seats fit in the back I havent looked at the touring ones yet i wouldnt mind the convertible/M3 ones like in the motorsport in title in the back with the recaros up front the stiching on normal sport leathers doesn t really match the recaros very well, if they dont fit then ill probly just get full set of recovered normal black leathers
in the front in black and buy some recovered back seats in the end, can you make 3 door seats fit in the back I havent looked at the touring ones yet i wouldnt mind the convertible/M3 ones like in the motorsport in title in the back with the recaros up front the stiching on normal sport leathers doesn t really match the recaros very well, if they dont fit then ill probly just get full set of recovered normal black leathers-
Widge
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I think it would be a huge hassle mate, and you would loose the foldability of the touring seats. I'd try aand find a set of touring sports seats if I was you, but then I'm me and I have!!!! Good luck with it though I'm sure it'll look pukka
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WillG
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fozzymonster
Yeah ive probly gone OOT with pistons, that dude who ran 9.8 sec 1/4 mile in m20 e30 was using stock compression, you manifold is quite nice really, direct with short collector, abit like PPF and peakboost one, if I dont sell this one ill mod it and see how it goes
Yeah ive probly gone OOT with pistons, that dude who ran 9.8 sec 1/4 mile in m20 e30 was using stock compression, you manifold is quite nice really, direct with short collector, abit like PPF and peakboost one, if I dont sell this one ill mod it and see how it goes
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Widge
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Mate that manifold is a work of art, who ever made it should be super proud, reminds me of the ones they fitted on the M1@s althoug without the turbo flange obviously!
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WillG
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what do you mean by foldability, do 4 door back seats fit tourings?Widge wrote:I think it would be a huge hassle mate, and you would loose the foldability of the touring seats. I'd try aand find a set of touring sports seats if I was you, but then I'm me and I have!!!! Good luck with it though I'm sure it'll look pukka
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Widge
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4 door rear seats don't fit tourings. They are fixed, touring seats fold, the bottom folds up and the back folds down so you can fit big stuff in the boot, which IMO is the whole point of having a touring.
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WillG
- E30 Zone Regular

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oh yeah totaly forgot about that I wont be able to get matress in
, yeah i want seats to fold, ill have to get one I have covered in sport leather, that should be possible right?
Last edited by WillG on Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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WillG
- E30 Zone Regular

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Nah think ill fit these 


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slammed
- E30 Zone Newbie

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How much boost would a stock ecu cope with before spitting its dummy out ais there any way of mapping the factory ecu to run maybe 8 psi?
Throwing money at it will probably fix it. Throwing a hammer at it is far more rewarding!
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Widge
- E30 Zone Addict

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The stock ECU can't see boost mate, so it'll spit it's dummy out and fuel it all wrong a 1 psi. Any boost and you need different fuelling, weather that be bigger injectora and a RRFPR working in conjunction with alll the old AFM and stuff or megasquirt.
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slammed
- E30 Zone Newbie

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So using a boost sensitive fuel pressure regulator and larger injectors (saab 9000 turbo?) should mean that i can keep the stock ecu?
Does the afm need any modifications?
Does the afm need any modifications?
Throwing money at it will probably fix it. Throwing a hammer at it is far more rewarding!
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Widge
- E30 Zone Addict

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TBH mate, the amount of time and effort required to get such a system working you'd be better to covert to M/S NA to start with then think about turboing, at least that's the way I would do it. I'd go for throttle bodies too, that way you get in improvement in performance by going M/S on the NA motor, and better throttle response. Then go turbo as ans when.
I'm not really an expert though, and I'm not sure hoew the RRFPR's work, I have only ever heard of then being used on Carb turbo cars.
I'm not really an expert though, and I'm not sure hoew the RRFPR's work, I have only ever heard of then being used on Carb turbo cars.
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e30_Turbo
- Boost Junkie
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RRFPR are very primitive bits of kit.they use the boost pressure to up the fuel pressure on boost. This however is set to run at a certain ratio, which may be great at WOT but v rich off boost, setting it up to give good AFRS is not gonna happen, it can be used but only as a rough fueling aid.
If you do go this route, like jon_bmw did, then the AFM needs to be adjusted to suit.
Although I bought & fitted a RRFPR I never used it, so no hands on experiance here.
My RRFPR was about £75 and did only that up the fuel pressure, for a couple of hundred more you can MS that can do.....everything!!
PM Ant or me for details, you can even get a out of the box plug and play MS with map and sensors settings, easy as it could possibly be!
hth, Mark.
If you do go this route, like jon_bmw did, then the AFM needs to be adjusted to suit.
Although I bought & fitted a RRFPR I never used it, so no hands on experiance here.
My RRFPR was about £75 and did only that up the fuel pressure, for a couple of hundred more you can MS that can do.....everything!!
PM Ant or me for details, you can even get a out of the box plug and play MS with map and sensors settings, easy as it could possibly be!
hth, Mark.
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Turbo-Brown
- Boost Junkie
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Definately go for the MS / programmable ECU setup! You'll be much better off in the long run 
Also, another vote for throttle bodies here!
Also, another vote for throttle bodies here!
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Widge
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You got any photos of what yours looked like once you had finished them Brown mate? Before fitting them to the car, and on the car?
Cheers
Cheers
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Turbo-Brown
- Boost Junkie
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Can't seem to find many piccies off the engine, but here's a selection with them on:



and the transform plates that go from the round shape of the throttle bore to the oblong of the port:




and the transform plates that go from the round shape of the throttle bore to the oblong of the port:

