Lets start a war. Why turbo a M20?

[Streetspec_iS]

You'd have a lot more grunt out back, so you can make the rear end rotate just fine.

:up:

[808BMW]

That is basically the mentality of the Honda crowd around here (read: Honda racers, not ricers).

A couple guys here have like 2-3 motors in thier basements or garages just in case they pop thiers. Then on thier spare time the tweak the standby motors to optimize what they have learned from running the turbo.

Pop one, jsut drop in another and rebuild the popped one.

If you can't afford to have your 1 car blow up and your sitting there without your daily driver, this method will keep you going to work/school. M20's are cheap enough that we can apply the same principle.

My friend has 9 spare motors for his honda, 4 motors for his lowrider mazda, and 3 toyota motors for his brother's mazda :P

[spencers]

My friend has 9 spare motors for his honda, 4 motors for his lowrider mazda, and 3 toyota motors for his brother's mazda :P

Good lord! Where does he keep those things?

[808BMW]

My friend has 9 spare motors for his honda, 4 motors for his lowrider mazda, and 3 toyota motors for his brother's mazda :P

Good lord! Where does he keep those things?

Arranged neatly on pallets behind his house, then covered with tarps.

[napa1m]

So, how much (and what) work and more importantly, $$$, is actually involved in making an M20 force fed with a single turbo, capable of handling say, i dunno, 12psi daily and up to 15-18psi for the harder runs. I would seriously consider it if I could pump out about 200 rwkw on those harder runs... I need to hand it to these darned 180sx's and s15s and VL turbos damnit. Going on cruises with these guys is no fun if you're getting left behind on all the straights... the twisties, well, theres no problems there, im all over them like a fat kid on a cupcake even with rooted rear shocks, but on the straights, Im so left behind it aint funny.

OK OK - so I looked around the site a little more so before you guys jump all over me like a pool of napalm about to get lit - ie: flamed, let me rephrase: what kind of turbo would you be looking at to push out the 200rwkw mark I so desire and how much boost would I need (anywhere up to 15psi would be what I'm looking at)? And while we're at it, how much would you estimate this would cost (ballparks are good)?

[SickE30]

12 psi daily is a hefty load on stock internals. I am turboing my 2.7i this summer, and I will run 6-8 on a daily basis. 10-12 @ the most. First of all, ANY turbo project you need to rebuild your bottom end and all new lines and hoses. Rule of thumb no upgrades unless everything else is in perfect working order. Half ass projects leave you bumming rides or driving mommy's car. Anyway, 15-18 psi is asking for problems, engine over heating blowing gaskets, lines, pistons. The list goes on and on. Forged internals could make 15-18 doable. But realistically my friend 6-8 psi on your daily rounds is more than adequate. The age old saying is this boss "No replacement for displacement". Build yourself a 2.7/2.8 M20 then turbo the hell out of it. Matt will be your hero, the man has my immense respect.

[rwh11385]

Matt will be your hero, the man has my immense respect.

word......

He just doesn't have luck with Dynos......

[SickE30]

But when it matters, that man will dust any N/A s50 s52 whatever. I would venture to say Matt's ride would edge an e46 m3 when he has his stuff running right.

[325 eta]

But when it matters, that man will dust any N/A s50 s52 whatever. I would venture to say Matt's ride would edge an e46 m3 when he has his stuff running right.

thats the key word "running right"

[diegom6]

12 psi daily is a hefty load on stock internals. I am turboing my 2.7i this summer, and I will run 6-8 on a daily basis. 10-12 @ the most. First of all, ANY turbo project you need to rebuild your bottom end and all new lines and hoses. Rule of thumb no upgrades unless everything else is in perfect working order. Half ass projects leave you bumming rides or driving mommy's car. Anyway, 15-18 psi is asking for problems, engine over heating blowing gaskets, lines, pistons. The list goes on and on. Forged internals could make 15-18 doable. But realistically my friend 6-8 psi on your daily rounds is more than adequate. The age old saying is this boss "No replacement for displacement". Build yourself a 2.7/2.8 M20 then turbo the hell out of it. Matt will be your hero, the man has my immense respect.

NOT True!! False!!!

First off, you don't have necesary rebuild your bottom, if it has good compression and the parts are in good shape and well maintended, you don't have to repair it!

My 325is Turbo has 93K mile son it,...and it's pulling hard and the cylinders head are so clean and soft walls... First I was pushing arround 6 PSI(Daily) I'm planing to run 9-10 PSI (Dialy)(and currently runing second stage 9PSI) and 15 PSI (second stage) and I won't change or repair anything, just you have to get a kind of fuel magnament as well for the spark advance...and most important! Bigger INJECTORS

There is also other guy who's put his Turbo in his 325i Turbo with 160K Miles and is pulling strong! no repaired bottom end yet...

Just take a look at your engine..how is she feeling and how healthy is she! :P

[SickE30]

Diego I'm not knocking you in anyway man so dont get offended. But your car had a pinging (bigger injectors would solve) and you blew your....head gasket? Without a properly rebuilt motor you are asking for trouble my friend.

[bimma360]

i will have to agree.... a turboed m20 is probably the best bang for your buck. But to me two words come to mind.... turbo lag. Kinda takes away from the spirited driving around corners in a BMW. But hey..... if i had 3500 to spend on a turbo setup... i would try and find a deal for a s50. As far as turboing a BMW...... i could totaly see turboing a BMW V8 enigne.... IF, I wanted it for the purpose to kill ferraris and porches. As far as ballancing an M30 in a e30...... thats not an issue. Move the fairwall a 1/4 inch, which isn't very hard for that distance and put the washer fluid in the drunk with the battery. Hartge did it and had retained the handling of the e30.

Bottomline...... NA power all the way. And now that the new M5 will have a V10.... you better believe i'm goin to put that in an e46 M3, after i finish med school and my residancy.... No turbo needed.

[matt325is]

m20 turbos are the way to go, in my book. For how relatively cheap you can get the power for, its a pretty good setup. Turbo lag is NOT that bad with it either. My t4 has like no lag. Sure, I dont get 10psi at 1500rpm, but i get it by around 3k. My hp and torque never drop below what it was when it was naturally aspirated, so it really isnt that big of a deal, its always more power than normal. I should probably be able to dyno it in the next week or 2, need so see what is leaking oil now... bah.

I'm interested in making or buying a WB o2 sensor setup, so I can tune on my own, and pay only for the hp readout, i've spent around $500 at the dyno, and havent gotten very far. I've tuned more of it on my own, just driving around. It would be a lot more accurate if I had a WB o2 sensor to read off of. Right now I just feel how it accelerates, and adjust accordingly. I still dont hear any detonation or anything, just bumpy sometimes (rich).

matt

[shahe]

becuase you either turbo the m20 or you throw i away. the only way to gt somekind of good power is with a turbo. or you can spend 6k and make a whoppping 190whp :)

[gstuning]

M30 ´s are cheap as hell, and plenty of them, they came in so many cars,
Turboing one of those is just to simple, 745i intake and exhaust system with the turbo, and you are basically good to go,

I love NA power, My fiat has small turbo and it still has lag, stefáns turbo has almost no lag,
my S50B30 has got the best throttle response I have felt in any car I have ever driven,

In my planning I am thinking about a turbo M30 E30 318i for a Winter car, first it´s starting as a 335i :) 215hp and 300nm torque for winter is just nice,

and forget handling issues, I have none in my S50B30 conversion and it weighs about the same as a M30 conversion would,

M20 turbo is good but alot of work is needed for gobs of power, thats why a M30 is the bomb, they are by nature alot stronger,

Best M20 turbo I know of is a 323i twin turbo in Danmark with only 350hp, it designed to be FUN, it´s got the whole work, engine balancing and whatnot,

now turboing a M10B18 for lots of power, now that is a challenge :)