[JackFig]

I have been doing a little research and from every other interaction I've seen on forums, when someone asks if they can turbo their 328i everyone gets mad. I'm going to do it again anyways because I'm full of hope and naivete. The reason I haven't given up yet is purely because I was flipping through mybmwoemparts.com and noticed that the site claims this turbocharger fits on my 2011 328xi. I'm hear to find out why either the website is wrong or why it is nearly impossible.

[ricx]

Used 335 are cheap n plentiful. Buy one tool around with it. Simipler than reengineering a 328.

[E93_Savage]

When I want to test fit something I usually buy it and if it works cool. If it dosnt then bend over pay to return it and pay the restock fee and try to justify it. Just me tho.



As if it fits no idea, id call....btw I bought a 335 good luck tho.

[relative4]

First, that's an error on the website.
Second, there's a LOT more to turbocharging an engine than finding a turbo that will bolt up to it.
Can it be done? Yes. Will it cost more than buying a 335i? Almost certainly. Will it deliver performance anywhere near that of a 335i? Absolutely not. Will it take months of banging your head against a wall, that you could spend driving said 335i? Definitely.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by relative4

First, that's an error on the website.
Second, there's a LOT more to turbocharging an engine than finding a turbo that will bolt up to it.
Can it be done? Yes. Will it cost more than buying a 335i? Almost certainly. Will it deliver performance anywhere near that of a 335i? Absolutely not. Will it take months of banging your head against a wall, that you could spend driving said 335i? Definitely.

This. Buying something that comes with a turbo out of the box from the factory will always be easier, cheaper, and more reliable (even a 335i).

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by JackFig

I have been doing a little research and from every other interaction I've seen on forums, when someone asks if they can turbo their 328i everyone gets mad. I'm going to do it again anyways because I'm full of hope and naivete. The reason I haven't given up yet is purely because I was flipping through mybmwoemparts.com and noticed that the site claims this turbocharger fits on my 2011 328xi. I'm hear to find out why either the website is wrong or why it is nearly impossible.

Because turboing(or supercharging) the n52 is stupid when the N54 exists. Sorry n52 owners, it's true. You want a great NA engine get the S65 in the m3. Want a great turbo engine, get the n54 in the 335i. Let the n52 do what it does best, commute you to and from work with few failures.

It's rare for a chassis to have both a commuter, great turbo, and great NA engine to choose from.

It's a waste of time and money and you will be slower than a 335i.

Also, that turbo does not fit and as said above a LOT more going into a car than just bolting up the turbo.

I had an n52, good for commuting, that is it.

[neilvan]

The only time turbocharging an N/A car makes sense is if that engine or engine/car combo also came turbo (think Miata +BP, Nissan +SR20, Toyota +2JZ or 3SGE).

Adding a turbo to an engine not designed for it will automatically make it a ton less reliable unless you dump a ton of $$ and engineering at it. That makes the N54s look reliable and economical like corollas...

I think the Realoem error comes from euro getting models/engines a year before us so the N20 in the F 328s appeared there in 2011

[relative4]

That was NOT realoem. Just some retailer.

[b92]

Buy it and let us know how it goes. You know, for science.

[E92.Dom]

Do yourself and everyone else a favor and just get a 335

[Thorin]

Why just turbo it? Make it run on diesel, too.

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by neilvan

The only time turbocharging an N/A car makes sense is if that engine or engine/car combo also came turbo (think Miata +BP, Nissan +SR20, Toyota +2JZ or 3SGE).

Adding a turbo to an engine not designed for it will automatically make it a ton less reliable unless you dump a ton of $$ and engineering at it. That makes the N54s look reliable and economical like corollas...

I think the Realoem error comes from euro getting models/engines a year before us so the N20 in the F 328s appeared there in 2011

No.. the SR, 2J etc. have completely different versions for the NA. Kinda like N52 and N54. Compression ratio being the biggest, the higher compression ratio of the NA variants make them much less accepting to boost.

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by Antetokounmpo

No.. the SR, 2J etc. have completely different versions for the NA. Kinda like N52 and N54. Compression ratio being the biggest, the higher compression ratio of the NA variants make them much less accepting to boost.

Sometimes yes, Sometimes no. I owned an Sr20 that was internally indentical to the turbo version of it (it was not a S chassis version).

But it is doable in most cases I just didn't want to be picky and write a paragraph

[Antetokounmpo]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Sometimes yes, Sometimes no. I owned an Sr20 that was internally indentical to the turbo version of it (it was not a S chassis version).

But it is doable in most cases I just didn't want to be picky and write a paragraph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_SR_engine#SR20DE

According to wiki, all SR20 non turbo have higher CR, so different internally.

9.5:1 for DI and DE, 8.3-8.5:1 for DET.

[rick100]

its been done twice. 1 is a proper turbo charge N52 making over 450whp on stock internals but with a N54 transmission . It still has full functionality

second one is BPC n52 turbo charge , making around 400 whp , is also on stock internals , however the air conditioning unit had to be removed in order to fit the turbo

Both this were done by BMW shops , so aside from parts cost , labor cost was pretty much cover by the shops.

Interestingly enough , and against what the majority was saying about the n52 being a weak engine , both these turbo builds were done on stock engines , and both these builds are running over 400 whp , no blown engines so far and both these builds are over 2 -4 old. The transmission on the other hand seems to be good up to 350 whp before you need to go the N54 tranny route


Now , money wise it is possible to do it , talk to BPC if you are serious about it , the cost is roughly 10 k ( AC unit has to be remove)

Of course this will only be a UNIQUE build , you would be the third person with a turbo 52 that we know of., with a turbocharge n52. However at this point , with the prices of the e90 335 , there is not question that buying a used 335 is the best way to go , that is if you really want a turbocharge e90

[W37V]

Have you seen what cobramarty is doing? Google N52 turbo and check out his thread on the other forum. (Cobra got banned from this forum for BS).

If you really want, you can do turbo route. There are at least 3 to my knowledge N52 with turbo. Check out youtube clips. It's not unheard of. It's just tricky.

It might be cheaper to go 35 route, if you already got a car, why the heck not?

[W37V]

Originally Posted by rick100

its been done twice. 1 is a proper turbo charge N52 making over 450whp on stock internals but with a N54 transmission . It still has full functionality

second one is BPC n52 turbo charge , making around 400 whp , is also on stock internals , however the air conditioning unit had to be removed in order to fit the turbo

Both this were done by BMW shops , so aside from parts cost , labor cost was pretty much cover by the shops.

Interestingly enough , and against what the majority was saying about the n52 being a weak engine , both these turbo builds were done on stock engines , and both these builds are running over 400 whp , no blown engines so far and both these builds are over 2 -4 old. The transmission on the other hand seems to be good up to 350 whp before you need to go the N54 tranny route


Now , money wise it is possible to do it , talk to BPC if you are serious about it , the cost is roughly 10 k ( AC unit has to be remove)

Of course this will only be a UNIQUE build , you would be the third person with a turbo 52 that we know of., with a turbocharge n52. However at this point , with the prices of the e90 335 , there is not question that buying a used 335 is the best way to go , that is if you really want a turbocharge e90

BPC doesn't do tunes anymore since Bob left. Highly doubt they would be too eager to help out with it. Better suggestion is to talk to StagePF (Bob's new shop).

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by W37V

It might be cheaper to go 35 route, if you already got a car, why the heck not?

Unless you already have a modern turbo and can fab everything yourself AND tune it there is no way it is cheaper than just selling and buying a 335i.

[colorado.e9x]

togs_n52 on instagram built himself a 400+hp turbo N52

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by Antetokounmpo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_SR_engine#SR20DE

According to wiki, all SR20 non turbo have higher CR, so different internally.

9.5:1 for DI and DE, 8.3-8.5:1 for DET.

Do you really trust wikipedia? In the chassis I had both na/FI were actually 9:1.

That being said if compression ratio is the only difference who cares, just adjust the fuel/timing tables and run a touch less boost.

For Miatas it doesn't matter if the oem engine has the 8.8 pistons or the 10.5 ones. Same turbo bolt on each, just gotta tune a bit different.

The point was the engine architecture was originally designed for boost so it all bolts on: Manifold/turbo/lines even intercooler piping and IC. Injectors are easy and sometimes the ECUs are plug in play. Oil squirters are there for the pistons, the parts are designed for the extra torque, even the head flow charastics and cam overlap/lift just works. That just makes the whole process much easier

[Timothi2]

Originally Posted by JackFig

I have been doing a little research and from every other interaction I've seen on forums, when someone asks if they can turbo their 328i everyone gets mad. I'm going to do it again anyways because I'm full of hope and naivete. The reason I haven't given up yet is purely because I was flipping through mybmwoemparts.com and noticed that the site claims this turbocharger fits on my 2011 328xi. I'm hear to find out why either the website is wrong or why it is nearly impossible.

The website probably isn't wrong and it definitely isn't nearly impossible, just improbable. You can make any turbo fit on a car with some modifications, like cutting a hole in the hood to fit a turbo that's too big or taking out the A\C because it gets in the way. The point here is that it's 110% not worth it lol. The amount someone would spend turbo'ing their 328i would be much more than the extra they would pay for a 335i. If we were talking about a car that doesn't come with a turbocharged variant, like a mustang or corvette, I can see wanting to turbocharge the engine that came from the factory. But when you have the option between a factory turbo inline-6 that can handle 600whp, and an almost identical non-turbo inline-6, the choice seems pretty simple to me.

[JM98]

People are still asking this in 2020? I think OP is just trolling lol