Turbo On 325i - BMW Forum

Razziel24 · 08-29-2005, 04:46 PM

Hi, I just bought a 1995 325i (198 Hp Stock) and im thinking of turbocharging it, do you guys have experience on this ?
Do you have to change pistons ? rods ? how much psi can the original pistons take ?
what about electronics ? is is hard to do it ?

nobrakese36 · 08-29-2005, 06:07 PM

talk to active autowerke they are the best at turboing from what i read,

rej487 · 08-29-2005, 09:28 PM

Turbocharing is a WASTE OF TIME!!!

There is physically no way for your alternator to create enough power to turbo-charge ur engine without another source of power, not that would creaate any gain worth your hard earned money, IMHO.

Unless ur gonna install a generator in the trunk of your car, just spend ur money on useful upgrades like a cold air intake, exhaust, etc., etc., etc.

mrfunk · 08-29-2005, 11:06 PM

how can turbocharging be a waste of time? There's so much horsepower that can be gained from forced induction

vincentwashere · 08-30-2005, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rej487@Aug 29 2005, 08:28 PM
Turbocharing is a WASTE OF TIME!!!

There is physically no way for your alternator to create enough power to turbo-charge ur engine without another source of power, not that would creaate any gain worth your hard earned money, IMHO.

Unless ur gonna install a generator in the trunk of your car, just spend ur money on useful upgrades like a cold air intake, exhaust, etc., etc., etc.

[snapback]373240[/snapback]

what are you talking about. its been done many a times. you dont need to install a generator in the trunk

.... aatuning is a rip off. look online for other turbo deals. forced induction is a good way to go if you got the money. another alternative is supercharging your car.

jrhaile · 08-30-2005, 02:13 AM

That was seriously one of the most stupid posts I've ever, and I DO MEAN EVER read in my life. Thanks to you, this forum is now dumber.

There is a guy on bimmerforums.com (not trying to redirect people way from here) who is completing his 2.5l turbo project under the Forced Induction section. Very interesting and great information. It's called "My Modest Turbo Setup"

SpooldUp · 08-30-2005, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rej487@Aug 29 2005, 10:28 PM
Turbocharing is a WASTE OF TIME!!!

There is physically no way for your alternator to create enough power to turbo-charge ur engine without another source of power, not that would creaate any gain worth your hard earned money, IMHO.

Unless ur gonna install a generator in the trunk of your car, just spend ur money on useful upgrades like a cold air intake, exhaust, etc., etc., etc.

[snapback]373240[/snapback]

Ummm... yeah... turbos are not electric.

http://www.turbo-kits.com/how_turbos_work.html

www.google.com - for future reference

WALSRU · 08-30-2005, 08:14 AM

Wow, just . . . wow

Also you might want to check out ICS Performance. They obviously have experience and I think they'd be willing to correspond with you as long as you're sincerely interested in buying something

.

Gkamysz · 08-30-2005, 10:10 AM

This brainchild is thinking about the electric fan kits for boosting. They have some merit but the returns are minimal and a waste of time in my opinion. A properly designed unit could work however the efficiency of the electrical system in cars makes this method rather pointless. Not to mention the fans are not designed for this application.

Turbochargers recover energy from the exhaust gas to compress the intake air. This method is proven and efficient.

To see what he is thinking about.

http://www.electricsupercharger.com/

Rookie · 08-30-2005, 10:32 AM

Wow... that is all I have to say, wow. The guys on Bimmerforums.com will be able to answer all of your FI questions. There is not nearly as much of that on this forum.

rej487 · 08-30-2005, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gkamysz@Aug 30 2005, 11:10 AM
This brainchild is thinking about the electric fan kits for boosting. They have some merit but the returns are minimal and a waste of time in my opinion. A properly designed unit could work however the efficiency of the electrical system in cars makes this method rather pointless. Not to mention the fans are not designed for this application.

Turbochargers recover energy from the exhaust gas to compress the intake air. This method is proven and efficient.

To see what he is thinking about.

http://www.electricsupercharger.com/

[snapback]373343[/snapback]

ghead

I'm glad someone knew what I'm talking about, I didn't know he was refering to an entire system including induction...

WALSRU · 08-30-2005, 11:41 AM

Well, I was hoping that wasn't what you meant. And you're right, the electric one's aren't feasible or useful. Glad we got that straightened out. Sounds a little familiar doesn't it?

Razziel24 · 08-30-2005, 12:33 PM

Ok, first of all i would say.......Electric turbos SUCK !!!
Im talking about the real thing.......I turbocharged my old car (a VW) but it was much simpler than the Bimmer, im a turbo fan and I have no doubt than turbochargin is the best choice for adding more power to any car.
So having said this, I would like to gather info about the project before I start, my main concerns are:

PISTONS: Do the 1995 325i (german version) come with factory FORGED pistons ? how much pressure can they take ?

COMPRESSION: Whats the stock compression ratio on this engine ? does it have to be lowered for 12 or 14 psi ?

ELECTRONICS: Do I need to reprogram the ecu for timing adjustments ? can the curve be delayed with an aftermarket ignition such as the MSD 6BTM ?

INJECTION: Woud it be better to increase the flow with bigger injectors or adding more injectors with an additional injector controller such as the HKS AIC SiII will be fine ?

VANOS: Does it need any special set up ?

Thank you again for your answers

WALSRU · 08-30-2005, 12:54 PM

I'll stay away from the super technical stuff, but I've been told my 2.5 litre is 11:1 compression. So yes, that'll need to be changed.

Rookie · 08-30-2005, 01:36 PM

I heard a similar ration of 12:1 for the 328 engine, I am not 100% positive but it sounds kind of close. As far as injectors go most of the guys who run a setup like this choose bigger injectors, such as 24lb injectors. The computer obviously has to be chipped if it is an OBD-1 or reprogrammed if it is a OBD-II. I have heard of people running upwards of 7psi on stock internals, but the big boys run upwards of 20psi and have had to replace some internals. I know that with our compression ratio that if you turbo too much you will start to set off knock sensors, and get pre-ignition in the cylinders, if you do not run a super high octane race fuel. So obviously you will hit a point, and then you will have to do something about the compresion. There is a guy on bimmerforums running a stock 99 M3coupe at 19psi who got his compression ratio down to 10.5:1 with a thicker head gasket.

However most of the guys I have read about are pushing below 10 psi with a stage one kit, and most run additional alchohal injection kits, or have dealt with their compression in someother fashion, such as thicker gaskets, really high octance fuel, or by some other means.

I don't know of anyone that hangs on this forum regularly that has alot of turbo experience. You best bet is to hop over to bimmerforums.com, there is an entire section of FI over there, and all of those guys have actually done it and have experience blowing up engines. I think it would be better to learn from their mistakes. Note though that turbo-ing a BMW is a hell of alot more expensive than a VW. Expect to pay upwards of $8,000 USD for a decent kit. Not including your tuning time.