Supercharging & Turbocharging

[SamuraiJack]

Hello all, Just had a quick question I wanted to post up in regards to supercharging. I found active autowerke's page and really want to get one of their 330Ci supercharger kits. especially now that it's gone down in price by $600 [Christmas Special (I still don't have the cash )] Ah but I digres....
My Question: Why are there no turbocharger kit on the market for the 330's? From what I have been able to gather they are only available for the 318's.
I think I may have an answer. There is nowhere to put it. Can it be that simple?
The question may be odd but my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

 

[brahtw8]

Packaging is not really much different for a supercharger versus turbocharger. A turbo takes a little bit more for the exhaust gas to be routed to the blower to make it spin, but beyond that the actual blower unit for either is similarly sized. I am confident you could fit a turbo set-up in a 330i.

There have been various forced induction kits offered for various models over the years. E36 6 cylinder cars were offered both from Active Autowerkes and others. Most people seem to go for supercharging BMWs. As for why, hard to say. Both have inherent advantages and disadvantages. Turbos suffer from lag and heat problems. Superchargers use some of the engine's hp and have problems with the belts breaking.

 

[SamuraiJack]

Cool thanks for the reply. One of the main reasons was exactly that, everybody supercharges their 330's and I wanted to take a different path. Is supercharging put less of a strain on the engine vs turbo's? (Using exhaust gases vs belt driven) However the turbo route may not be very cost effective. (HP/money spent) I'll keep looking around while I save up some cash, thanks again for your input. [driving2]

 

[landshark]

Speaking of turbos, has anyone on this board driven a Saab?

A friend of mine has a Saab 9-3 hatchback (the egg-looking car), and that car feels remarkably fast because of its turbo. When accelerating on the highway from 50, I remember hitting 90 in the blink of an eye without any theatrics. I was impressed with the acceleration.

During my recent car shopping, I test drove a 9-3 Sport Sedan and a 9-5 Sedan. The 9-3 Sport Sedan's turbo doesn't seem as strong as the hatchback. If you ever have a chance, test the 9-5 Aero. That thing is awesome. It has a 250hp turbocharged engine.

At the end of the day, though, my wife and I decided on the 325i because of the overall feel of the car. Just so much more refined than the competition. And, there's just a certain inexplicable magic behind the wheel.

 

[Akakubi]

Turbo is a bit harder to fit on the E46. The cats sit right at the exhaust manifold, so you'll need to either get rid of them or relocate (meaning new cats). The car will not pass emissions test.

S/C is a fairly straight forward install. No need to bother with the exhaust or even intercooler, since the boost is only 6-8PSI tops. Plus the S/C makes it's power down low, not high in the RPM range as the Turbo, so no lag. That's the reasons I bet they only use S/C-ers on the E46's.

I am not a big fan of any forced induction. I like the NA setup and engine response.
Our BMW's are not designed to be FI-ed. The car will never feel "right" after the S/C. I've seen many S/C-ed M-Roadsters and Coupes overheat at the track after several laps in hot weather... I'd rather put hotter cams, shorter Diff, lighter pulleys and flywheel and software adn get to about 265-270hp on the engine with all the linear NA response for about the same $$ as the S/C.

But a well sorted Turbo is also a lot of fun to drive. Saab is pretty goo, but runs fairly low boost for smoothness. Try EVO VIII or STi to see the real pull.

 

[SamuraiJack]

Hmmm.... NA is a definite option, instant response and major grin. But I moved to the BMW from a 1.8T and the turbo would kick in and So I really want to get that back. the GTi felt faster but the BMW is actually faster just with more finesse.

 

[MrElussive]

Go for a supercharger. Instant power delivery, and if it is installed just right, the engine will last forever (whereas a turbocharger will just ruin your engine over time).

 

[sketch]

just wondering, what are the potential dangers of supercharging, and also, can i use the Active Autowerk supercharger kit w/ the intercooler on my 330i ZHP? and also, would the results differ (HP, Torque), since the stock ZHP motor is tuned differently then a regular 330?

 

[MrElussive]

Supercharger can blow your engine, it will probably shorten engine life, and it will definitely have a signifcant effect on your gas mileage. As for your supercharger question, you should probably contact Active Autowerk about your questions regarding the supercharger w/intercooler for a 330i ZHP. They would know best if the car will take it or not.

 

[donmbmw]

Why would anyone want to turbocharge a bimmer straight six? I mean the whole point is to have this beautiful linear torque. [???1]

 

[SamuraiJack]

Why would anyone want to turbocharge a bimmer straight six? I mean the whole point is to have this beautiful linear torque. [???1]

That's a good question. I guess it is mainly HP/money gains, especially feeling the turbo spool up/kick in and Nice! But as Akakubi said the NA route cannot be dicounted.

 

[k3nny]

so from what i gather, i can do this supercharging thingy on my E46 318i?

will it void any new car warranties and what power will i be making @ the wheels?

 

[Akakubi]

so from what i gather, i can do this supercharging thingy on my E46 318i?

will it void any new car warranties and what power will i be making @ the wheels?

Yes, you can bye-bye to your warranty, mate.
Dealers will never honor the engine warranty if you have forced induction.

It's hard to tell how much power you'll be making. There are different kits in different parts of the World. I'd venture to guess that you may make 70 additional hp, depending on the boost settings.