to turbo or not to turbo?

[thachozun1]

hi i am considering adding a turbo to my 98 328i. i realize that i should expect to upgrade other things as a part of my decision to add a turbo. but what should i take into consideration, and what parts need to be replaced? i found a turbo kit on the following website. will it actually work on my car though? thanks in advance for any help.

http://www.modacar.com/products/BMW/3Series/MODAFOIN

[craka]

if youve got $, I would say go for it. But you must understand, turboing a car isnt like bolting on a CAI, its a much larger undertaking, and if you dont do it right, you can really mess things up.

[328ischef]

yeah man, once you go forced induction, kiss at least 10 grand good bye. MY brother started with a turbo MR2 for 5500, and now he is at 30k at least. Give he has 400 WHP, there is constant bullshit and the daily dirver realibility just is not there anymore. You will have to make sure your engine can handle it, and consider things like water injection, and various guages. A supercharger may be more reliable.
Given if you can pull off a turbo successfully, you will be VERY, VERY happy
Good luck
Check out my brothers shit, also
www.mr2warehouse.com <-His business where he imports JDM MR2 swaps
www.MR2000GT.com <- His Car, he hasnt updated dyno sheets, he added new turbo and other goodies. check out his mod list tho for things you will need

[Alpin3r]

hi i am considering adding a turbo to my 98 328i. i realize that i should expect to upgrade other things as a part of my decision to add a turbo. but what should i take into consideration, and what parts need to be replaced? i found a turbo kit on the following website. will it actually work on my car though? thanks in advance for any help.

http://www.modacar.com/products/BMW/3Series/MODAFOIN

Thats fine you want to buy a turbo... You may look at the prices and be like wow 850.00 for a turbo... SWEET! given those are nice turbo's and they can be found ALOT Cheaper but what you have to realize is what goes into turboing a bmw.

It also doesnt sound like your up to the challenge of installing a turbo/kit yourself since the question kinda proved that.

You need your
turbo~ 900$ for a bb t3/t4 or comprable
wastegate (tial 35/38 mm)~300$
Manifold (Turbonetics w/ external wastegate port machined)~CHEAPEST = 700$
Blow Off valve (hks/greddy) ~ 300$
Intercooler~300$ depending on size
Piping~300$
Connectors/Clamps~150$


You need all the custom piping made for you ~ 400$ and a mandreal bender (not a comon item for any exhaust shop)

Then to make full use of your turbo you need.

Vac .140 Head gasket ~200$
Apr Stud kit~ 250$

Install of the above 2 items MINIMAL=800-1200 depending on shop dealer=1400+

Then you need
Turbo timer~100$
Boost Controller~250
Boost Gauge~100$
Oil temp/Oil pressure~100$
Air/Fuel Ratio gauge... also a AEM UEGO or comprobable air/fuel monitor. ~300$

Then you need all this install'd and customized. Gravitational Oil feed lines; etc vanos/oil pan tap all has to be done.

Install @ Ics would run you around 1.5k-2k depending on how much time. (search ICS to see what they do)

Then you need the car tuned + New Injectors for that setup probably around #30. ~800$


Thats pretty much all you would need to complete a FULL kit for these cars. I left a couple things out because I was typing it off the top of my head.

Hope that helps.

-craig

[beatniks325]

i'd recommend hanging out in the FI subforum of our board to get a hang of the different things that go into turboing a car...

[thachozun1]

wow , there is a lot that goes into it. i kinda expected it to be around 3 to 5k for everything installed. i would be most concerned about the reliability issue. i drive the car about 80 miles a day to and from work. any problems, would be big problems. i'll do more research and study the forums. thanks again guys.

[beatniks325]

the supercarger is the "easier" of the two FI's to install and it is generally cheaper, have you considered that at all?

[thachozun1]

i haven't considered a super charger, is it much more reliable? also, what is involved in adding a super charger? should i expect to replace as much as with the turbo? thanks again.

[santacruisin]

You could get a dinan s/c for about $5000. Other charges go for about the same price. If bigtime power is what you want think about an engine swap. Reliability is less of an issue with a swap than with a turbo.

[thachozun1]

i'm looking for at least a 60-80 hp gain. i have looked at a couple of cold air intakes and a chip. i don't know which is a better route to go between the conforti and dinan software. i have also looked at replacing the exhaust but have not done a lot of research on brands there. i don't know if what i am in search of is plausable without a turbo or supercharger. thanks again.

[hellrot325]

FI on an E36 325/8/M3 is the act of the devil.

[bimmerboy328i]

i'm looking for at least a 60-80 hp gain. i have looked at a couple of cold air intakes and a chip. i don't know which is a better route to go between the conforti and dinan software. i have also looked at replacing the exhaust but have not done a lot of research on brands there. i don't know if what i am in search of is plausable without a turbo or supercharger. thanks again.

If your just looking for little gain and you want to go FI, go with the SC.

[eurotunerwerks]

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...t=supercharger

as you can see, you can pick up a nice s/c for around 3.5k

[BavBB05]

Before my first BMW, I owned a Civic. I put a turbocharger on it and the expression "Honda reliability" was no longer true by any stretch. Check engine light coming on, constant tuning, ect. was nickel-and-diming me to death. Now, I am clueless about turbocharging a BMW, but I would imagine it can't be much different. I'd stay away from turbo if you need reliability.

Just my 2 cents....