cheapest / most reliable car to hybrid turbo?

[Mirinjawbro]

hello

find myself with a bit of spare money at the moment so looking at a project to get going with a turbo upgrade

can anything beat a 335i ?

looking for something semi reliable and cheap to bolt on and upgrade

thanks

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say if you want to upgrade a car then also think about what happens to the rest of the car when you upgrade that turbo, there's also no such thing as a cheap upgrade ask me how I know.

I'd start with a 2.5 Focus ST there are lots of upgrades at sensible money out there the engine can handle sensible amounts of boost or if you plan on getting into big figures then get the block/liners modded.

You also get a nice handling boosted car for sensibleish money.

Or buy one where someone else has done some of the work save a bit on things like clutches/brakes etc:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194706972563?hash=item2...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203770505793?hash=item2...

[Mirinjawbro]

what happened to you

i was hoping for 500 bhp +

[ZX10R NIN]

Mirinjawbro said:

what happened to you

i was hoping for 500 bhp +

You said cheap if you want 500bhp monsters then you have to pay

[Jakg]

Mirinjawbro said:

can anything beat a 335i ?

Mirinjawbro said:

looking for something semi reliable and cheap to bolt on and upgrade

a 335i isn't exactly the peak of reliability.

Do you want a hybrid turbo? Or 500hp?

If you want a project, £3.5k, hybrid turbo 335d... https://www.facebook.com/groups/518526821643136/po...

ZX10R NIN said:

Or buy one where someone else has done some of the work save a bit on things like clutches/brakes etc

This is where I'd go. Mods don't add value, but engine conversions even less so - something like a Clio 197 with a Megane 225 engine is interesting, can be project-ified if you want and don't sell for that much.

Edited by Jakg on Thursday 6th January 22:38

[anonymous-user]

A 335i may be cheap to buy but it won't be cheap to repair or modify and is unlikely to be reliable.

[InitialDave]

Changing a turbo is a route to a goal, not a goal in itself.

Decide what the end result you want is, and work backwards from there.

[Swampy1982]

InitialDave said:

Changing a turbo is a route to a goal, not a goal in itself.

Decide what the end result you want is, and work backwards from there.

This is the best advice in the thread.

Cheap and easy - mk4 golf 1.8t BAM

Doesn't mean it's the best option

[Mirinjawbro]

thankyou for the replies .

now im WFH i want something to mess around with really.

end goal would be a straight line monster

[RussNC]

If you want reliable and cheap to upgrade, buy the best car you can and go from there, an F10 M5 with just a remap would be mental and still reliable. Boosting a 335i to 500hp, well what happens to the rest of the car, it adds up fast.

If you just want to mess around, find a car you enjoy, you'll be more likely to part with cash for things you dont want but need to replace.

[M.F.D]

Not sure why you are specifically wanting something to "hybrid turbo". There are literally hundreds of cars that you can bolt on upgrades to and see brilliant gains.

More important things to consider are whether or not the specific engine would require forging (in most cases it will), the cost of this along with drivetrain/gearbox/management etc.

There are not many cars out there where you can just slap on a big snail and off you go. As always, it all comes down to budget.

[Mirinjawbro]

ive remapped cars, DP, HPFP, springs the lot

just thought something fun to mess about with by doing a "complete" build

doesnt have to have a hybrid turbo just assumed they would be cheaper to begin with

[Jamescrs]

ZX10R NIN said:

I'd say if you want to upgrade a car then also think about what happens to the rest of the car when you upgrade that turbo, there's also no such thing as a cheap upgrade ask me how I know.

I'd start with a 2.5 Focus ST there are lots of upgrades at sensible money out there the engine can handle sensible amounts of boost or if you plan on getting into big figures then get the block/liners modded.

You also get a nice handling boosted car for sensibleish money.

Or buy one where someone else has done some of the work save a bit on things like clutches/brakes etc:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194706972563?hash=item2...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203770505793?hash=item2...

I owned a Mk2 Focus ST also aorund, 7 years ago and threw a fortune into it, I don't recommend a hybrid ST turbo on them as they don't add a great deal more power, maybe upto 360ish BHP, I did that then took it all off again and ended up fitting an RS turbo instead and getting the engine forged, changing to RS ECU software and a few other required bits to make it all work, the car was featured in Fast Ford magazine and I still have the magazine somewhere.

With other modifications to suspension, brakes, some aesthetics I ended up over 20k into it and that doesn't include buying the actual car, I did make mistakes along the way that cost me money. It was running about 440bhp when I sold it, as much as I enjoyed the journey with the car and everything that came with it, club meets, shows etc, I wouldn't do it again.

[M.F.D]

Mirinjawbro said:

ive remapped cars, DP, HPFP, springs the lot, its fun

just thought something fun to mess about with by doing a "complete" build

doesnt have to have a hybrid turbo just assumed they would be cheaper to begin with

If you want to do a complete build on something, there is no point in messing around with fitting cheaper things to begin with. Make a plan for your build and take the time to do it right.

You're question is really vague. Depends what you want to build. Drag car? Track car? Just a really fast dull straight line hero road car?

[Mirinjawbro]

- 6 cylinders plus
- 500 bhp plus capable (without engine rebuild)
- car budget 5-8k
- straight line hero
-diesel or petrol
-100-200 over 0-60

[M.F.D]

Mirinjawbro said:

- 6 cylinders plus
- 500 bhp plus capable (without engine rebuild)
- car budget 5-8k
- straight line hero
-diesel or petrol
-100-200 over 0-60

Good luck to you is all I will say.

If you can spanner yourself, then maybe look at what Stavtech done with old AMG V8 turbo builds.

I would be surprised/shocked if you manage to bag a decent 335i @ 500bhp for that money.

[Mirinjawbro]

sorry just the car for 5-8k

extras, whatever

[ZX10R NIN]

My leftfield pick is the Insignia VXR:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112090...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112070...

[Mirinjawbro]

ZX10R NIN said:

My leftfield pick is the Insignia VXR:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112090...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112070...

not sure if ive ever seen one

looks good in blue

[ZX10R NIN]

Mirinjawbro said:

not sure if ive ever seen one

looks good in blue

You may well have done but they're a but anonymous.