914 1.8 Turbo Setup, Questions On a Turbo Setup Options

[Sammy]

Nopers, I did all the tuning myself.
The 914 I did old school reading plugs and exhaust pipe and by ear. It worked, even with a side draft weber which isn't the easiest thing to modify.
For the 911 I used an LM-1 wideband O2 sensor thingy. It makes it alot easier, no guess work, no james bond spy stuff.

If you get serious about it and really go after this project right, plenty of guys here will jump in and provide technical support.

BTW, with 7 psi on an otherwise completely stock 1.8 you would prolly be close to 150 hp but the cool thing is your engine would rev happily to 6500 without falling off at all. The more it revs, the harder it pulls. That's because the turbo provides pressure to overcome the restrictions of the intake system and the restrictions in the heads. That means the engine doesn't run out of breath at high rpm like a N/A engine.
That 150 hp would feel like 300 and you wouldn't be able to scrape the shit-eating grin off your face with a shovel.
Now I wouldn't recommend going to 6500 with one of these engines but you could do it if you wanted to. I had my turbo 2 liter to 6500 plenty of times.

[Brando]

Sammy, did you also use a non-stock cam? I have desires for a 1.7 or 1.8 turbo project in the distant future... Chit, 150ish HP at .5Bar... almost makes it worth the risk to go 1Bar on a purely-fun motor...

[Jake Raby]

I'd look into some 2.0 heads or twin-plugging the 1.8 heads (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

what does it take to twin plug the 1.8 heads.

These started life as 1.8s...
75 hours later.....

(IMG:http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/galleries/msheads/slides/Arnett%20manx%20057.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/galleries/msheads/slides/Arnett%20manx%20064.jpg)

More info

Turboing a TIV the smart way is even a challange for me. I have been doing Turbo R&D this entire year and can say that i have opened doors that most would not believe.

Its all in the combo, unfortunately you'll break parts before that sinks in... I have tons of used shit thats in good shape that i sell cheap, so break away- thats how I have learned. I have 3 more engines to intentionally scatter under boost before years end!

Turbo power is in the cam and the first step you'll have to success is tossing the stock cam as far as possible. This year alone I have designed and tested 7 turbo grinds...

[Joe Ricard]

Damn you can throw a tennis ball down that port and never touch the sides. round exhaust port ? that must have been a trick.

[Sammy]

LOL,. I was just gonna say that the stock cam works very well with a turbo based on my experience, but I don't have a dyno and various grinds to test.
I do know that the stock cam works better than the average high performance cam.
High lift is good, Duration should be kept to a reasonable level, and overlap should be very conservative. Maybe split duration and lift.
I'd guess (just a hunch) that the biggest improvement would be in the timing of the cam lobes, I imagine the exhaust having as high of a lift as reasonable and closing as late as possible, the intake having a little smaller lift and closing early.

Am I even close Jake?

[Jake Raby]

I do know that the stock cam works better than the average high performance cam.

Its according to the characteristics of the cam... The stock cam should be eliminated as it creates cylinder head temperature issues no matter what the application, Turbo is worse...

I have several turbo grinds, but only two are released to the store presently, both are .500 lift with .050 duration that is very low and split. They idle like stock.

Damn you can throw a tennis ball down that port and never touch the sides. round exhaust port ? that must have been a trick.

Those are our turbo exhaust ports.. They have entirely different stub pipes and a totally round, super heavy duty exhaust sealing surface. These exhaust ports are available on the LE200/LE220 and the LE 220/ LE 230 hybrid heads specifically created for turbo. The port work is all done via CNC.

I have seven Turbo engines in the works as we speak, as small as 78X91 for my wifes convertible beetle all the way up to a 650HP 86X102 thats twin plugged, intercooled with every trick in the book..

I have made huge headway in 2006 with the TIV turbo program, I have learned many things NOT to do and I'll be sharing these in my writings soon, as they are verified with more experience and further test work.

"Its all in the combo"
That quote of mine can literally mean life or imminent death for a Turbo engine. Do it right and do it smart or it'll look like a horror film of 3 mile island-