We get asked this question quite a lot so here is an introduction thread to cover the basics of adding a turbo. Feel free to add your suggestions and pointers below.
(THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR QUESTIONS. They will be moved to their own thread.)
1) Please read these articles
http://www.torquecars.com/tuning/adding-turbo.php
https://www.torquecars.com/forums/threads/fitting-a-turbo-some-dos-and-dont-s.24176/
2) Adding a turbo is expensive and costly. Expect to pay around £3000 upwards for a turbo conversion.
3) Internal engine modificiations are required in pretty much every case as the high compression ratios of a NASP engine will result in detonation. The idea of the internal engine mods are twofold. a) It strengthens the parts that will be put under stress (pistons, crank etc...) and b) It will lower the compression ratio allowing for a turbo to compress more air into the cylinders.
4) External modifications are required. A turbo requires an oil feed, and needs to be connected to the exhaust and the intake. You will also need a diverter valve on the intake side and a wastegate and controller on the exhaust side. The engine will also need to be remapped or tuned to cope with the very different behaviour of a forced induction engine.
5) Forcing more air into an engine also requires more fuel. You will need to ensure that your injectors and fuel pump can cope with this extra demand for fuel.
6) Higher pressures in the cylinders mean there is more chance of detonation happening. Lowering the compression ratio will allow you to run more boost. We note that direct cylinder fuel injection helps negate the problems of detonation by cooling the intake charge. Water injection systems have also been used to great effect in Turbo charging applications.
7) Strengthening the engine is a VERY good precaution. Many cars will happily cope with an extra 30% of power but will start to fail at higher power levels. Forged parts, and uprated oil pump will help as will balancing and cryo treating the block. Forged parts are generally much stronger. Some cars can cope with much higher power level fairly easily, it pays to do your research. We find that most Japanese engines are pretty resilient and can often cope with power gains in excess of 50%.
Notes:
It is also a good idea to get the engine balanced, port the cylinder head and fit larger valves. A stronger gasket is also a big plus as in a lot of engines the gasket becomes a weak spot.
Cheap turbos can be purchased from breakers yards which are ideal for a try it and see type project.:bigsmile:
Please note that I don't think it is worth adding a turbo to an old car with a small capacity engine. There is nothing stopping you but the money and hassle will just not be worth the power gain you get. It is better to just buy a better car for your tuning project.
Adding a turbo is a major engineering task and without a kit with full instructions and all the parts you need there is a big risk of blowing up the engine. Expect to spend 50 hours upwards on a project of this type. This is not the sort of modification unless you are mechanically competent.
If you have read this thread and still want to go ahead then ask model specific questions about turbocharging in the relevent makes and models section.
(THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR QUESTIONS. They will be moved to their own thread.)
1) Please read these articles
http://www.torquecars.com/tuning/adding-turbo.php
https://www.torquecars.com/forums/threads/fitting-a-turbo-some-dos-and-dont-s.24176/
2) Adding a turbo is expensive and costly. Expect to pay around £3000 upwards for a turbo conversion.
3) Internal engine modificiations are required in pretty much every case as the high compression ratios of a NASP engine will result in detonation. The idea of the internal engine mods are twofold. a) It strengthens the parts that will be put under stress (pistons, crank etc...) and b) It will lower the compression ratio allowing for a turbo to compress more air into the cylinders.
4) External modifications are required. A turbo requires an oil feed, and needs to be connected to the exhaust and the intake. You will also need a diverter valve on the intake side and a wastegate and controller on the exhaust side. The engine will also need to be remapped or tuned to cope with the very different behaviour of a forced induction engine.
5) Forcing more air into an engine also requires more fuel. You will need to ensure that your injectors and fuel pump can cope with this extra demand for fuel.
6) Higher pressures in the cylinders mean there is more chance of detonation happening. Lowering the compression ratio will allow you to run more boost. We note that direct cylinder fuel injection helps negate the problems of detonation by cooling the intake charge. Water injection systems have also been used to great effect in Turbo charging applications.
7) Strengthening the engine is a VERY good precaution. Many cars will happily cope with an extra 30% of power but will start to fail at higher power levels. Forged parts, and uprated oil pump will help as will balancing and cryo treating the block. Forged parts are generally much stronger. Some cars can cope with much higher power level fairly easily, it pays to do your research. We find that most Japanese engines are pretty resilient and can often cope with power gains in excess of 50%.
Notes:
It is also a good idea to get the engine balanced, port the cylinder head and fit larger valves. A stronger gasket is also a big plus as in a lot of engines the gasket becomes a weak spot.
Cheap turbos can be purchased from breakers yards which are ideal for a try it and see type project.:bigsmile:
Please note that I don't think it is worth adding a turbo to an old car with a small capacity engine. There is nothing stopping you but the money and hassle will just not be worth the power gain you get. It is better to just buy a better car for your tuning project.
Adding a turbo is a major engineering task and without a kit with full instructions and all the parts you need there is a big risk of blowing up the engine. Expect to spend 50 hours upwards on a project of this type. This is not the sort of modification unless you are mechanically competent.
If you have read this thread and still want to go ahead then ask model specific questions about turbocharging in the relevent makes and models section.
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