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    318is turbo advice

    Hey,
    so after a few months of spirited driving in my m42 w/ k&n drop in filter , mark D 91 octane chip and an exhaust leak and 332xxxkm (still running strong although recently needs a timing chain tensioner), ive decided i need more power i know its a momentum/corner car but my previous car had pretty decent torque and i just cant get over having to drop a gear or using the entire powerband to move. I went through the possibilty of a turbo m42, m50 turbo, an m60 , s50 , and a ford 5.0. Ultimately ive concluded that id rather not ruin another 318is as they are somewhat "special" cars with the balance and lightweight and all, however I need some more jam...

    I love the balance and the somewhat purity of keeping the original 4 banger with the modern flare of a turbo. Realistically what im aiming for is retaining the handling characteristics of the 4 cylinder and at least 200whp Im hoping anyone can chime in and tell me if this is a good idea :
    Im planning on piecing together a turbo kit using a turbo the size of a wrx/sr20/evo/k04 (audi- vw) unit. I plan to use all stock internals on the current motor and have a spare m42 on an engine stand to build for some real power.

    As for engine mangement i cannot for the life of me find much info.. can i use the stock ecu and have a chip burned at dyno shop as opposed the getting a standalone? If I plan to run only 10psi is the stock ecu acceptable? At what point would I start to require a standalone?

    Finally, am I wrong for assuming the balance will be that noticeably poor and less sharp if i were to remove the 4 cyl for a 6 or 8? seeing as its obviously lighter and sits further back in the engine bay? My whole thing is i love how it handles, ALMOST like the euro ae86.

    Ive done lots of research and read many many threads,at this point im just confused and would appreciate some feed back

    #2
    Look at Jakes classic daily m42 turbo kit.

    Comment


      #3
      For what you are looking for jake's kit is probably perfect for you. It is designed to be just a bolt on turbo kit for a stock m42. He'll even supply you with a tuned ship for the car. He's very helpful and fast to reply via e-mail. I have one of his chips in my m42 turbo, although my car isn't very happy with it since the engine really isn't stock at all anymore.

      There isn't a lot of information out there for engine management stuff regarding the m42 I know varg is working on making a write up to make a megasquirt for our cars.

      Personally if I were you I would probably run jake's bolt on turbo kit for the time being and then refresh that second m42 you have on the engine stand in preparation to run more power. You'll probably want to do this for that engine:

      - 360 degree oil bearings for the crank and rods
      - low compression pistons (I have CP pistons you need to bore and hone the block for them)
      - ARP hardware
      - refresh the cylinder head
      - re-gasket everything
      - M20 clutch / flywheel setup

      What you decide to do is completely up to you that's just my two cents about the topic in your situation.
      -Dee
      5-lugged turbo 318is Barn car
      IG: @deebelmont

      Comment


        #4
        I boosted my stock M20 (well, stroked it to 2.7...nothing too wild), so I don't know what the M42 is going to feel like. But what I can tell you that it is going to be noticeably quicker, especially if you get rid of that AFM and convert to an IAT and have a nice standalone to complement it. You would be surprised on how restrictive that giant ugly box is. No matter what, boost is always going to be fun. That sudden surge of power is addicting.
        1989 325i - 2.7i, Holset H1C, 60lb injectors, whodwho MS-PNP.
        2012 Passat TDI - DD Duty
        2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali - Kiddie hauler/grocery getter

        Comment


          #5
          The thing about that kit is im in canada and the shipping and customs fees alone can buy me a kit sourced from random parts (not really but kinda). How about the handling part? I plan to do some light road course tracking and some "backroad rally" would a 6/8 cylinder swap effect handling to the point where id want my 4 back?

          In regards to ecu, if i get my own kit together can i simply run a manual boost controller until i go to a dyno shop and they will make a chip? But only if they have a eprom burner right???

          Comment


            #6
            Oh didn't even notice you were from canada lol. If you do make your own setup you'll probably want to run low boost unti you are able to get it tuned correctly. Because the problem is the more air you add the more fuel you need to keep the air/fuel ratios correct. Run too lean you'll make the engine super hot and blow it up, run too rich and you'll flood the engine / make it run like a pig. I don't know what size injectors the stock motronic ecu can handle but I have 440cc injectors and it ran wayyyyy to rich to the point that it was fouling the spark plugs.

            I don't know what a dyno/tuner shop would need to get you a tune. I know some people are able to flash the stock computer with a tune on it and others like jake's tune is on a chip made from a eprom burner most likely. Or you could run a standalone engine management like megasquirt to get it tuned. It really all depends.

            It's hard to speak for handling I don't think you'll want a v8 at all if you like how tossible the car is and IDK about 6 cylinder the only other car I know of was my 325IX with an M20 but that was AWD and was definitely heavier than my 318. But my 318 is pretty much a drift car so the way I want it to handle compared to you is pretty different. You can make pretty much the same power as a m5x swap while keeping the car pretty light. It would probably cost just about the same as well.

            You should try and make a list of everything you'll need to turbocharge your car and everything you'll need to swap it then compare the pros/cons prices and figure out what you want to do. This is what I did before I started to do anything with my car.
            -Dee
            5-lugged turbo 318is Barn car
            IG: @deebelmont

            Comment


              #7
              I was in the exact same situation , and I decided to go M50 turbo
              The first time I drove it after swaping the M50 I realized how heavy the nose is compared to the previous M42 ,(same feeling with my brother m20 powered car ) I m not able to attack the corners like I used to do
              Otherwise I enjoy every bit of the M50

              Comment


                #8
                ok im glad a former m42 owner was able to give some experience, i defintely enjoy the way the car corners and turns in quickly.

                Ccsdo much appreciated responses, where do i source these internals (360 bearings etc).

                Comment


                  #9
                  I'm talking from experience in the turbo charged world.
                  Get standalone management and nothing else, please.

                  1991 325iS turbo

                  Comment


                    #10
                    whats the cheapest/easiest standalone? i wont be running more then 10 psi maybe even 7 to start, is the stock ecu/ wastegate / boost controller not adequate?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      the cheapest/ cheesiest way to go would be to run stock motronic with a rising rate fuel pressure regulator to band aid your fuel issue. Itll work on low boost 6-8 psi.

                      Turbo M42 Build Thread :Here
                      Ig:ryno_pzk
                      I like the tuna here.
                      Originally posted by lambo
                      Buttchug. The official poster child of r3v.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The ECU is a separate entity that doesn't have an effect or is needed to run a wastegate / boost controller. (Electronic boost controller can be implemented in a standalone, but that's not the point.)
                        Even if you're going to run 5psi or not boost the car at all till two years from now, get a standalone system. Check out Megasquirt - great unit with lots of online info and forum help. You need to research my friend!

                        1991 325iS turbo

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