Since my last post where i discovered metal in the IC on my 03 I have talked to my local tuner about doing the warranty work (Non OEM warranty). If the warranty company cuts him a check instead of require a new supercharger we may go the Turbo only route.

This is the way I see it:
Pros
1) Much more efficient
2) More Power and more boost earlier on in the RPM
3) Get rid of the dreaded belt slip issue all together
4) since my cat is gone bad the exhaust manifold will have to be replaced anyways.
Cons
1) chances are i will have to pay some diffrence allthough my tuner belives it wont be much considering just the Supercharger alone is much $
2) MY big fear is engine management this is a grey area for me and would love some input
3) Prolly will have to run lower boost till i get LSD and clutch
4) reliablility vs modded SC only?
5) Do i keep the cat??

My tuner actually brought up the turbo conversion idea i was already thinking it but i was probing to see if he would do even the work. All depends on how they pay him I guess. Id like to think going turbo would actually make it more reliable.

Im sure there is more in both catagories. Im thinking a super 60 as it was the turbo of choice it seemed on the focus boards i used to frequent for about 300 hp.

I know alot have gon twin charge route why so? is it just easier or cost effective than Turbo only? Mabye my tuner may need to get ahold of Fireballed tim or some other Coverter out there. If i go turbo its cause the SC is bad and wont have one to TC anyhow.

Worse case senario is a new SC instaleld for $200-$400 deductible.

Oh and like last time i will be adding picks of the damage and the ressurection to include dyno before and after. Im sure you expect no less of me .

From what I have seen these guys do some high quality work. So any helpful insight will be of great use and appreciated indeedy. I have boostlust after talking to my tuner

 

If you want info on twin-charge and full turbos send Tuls a PM. He is the man with the knowledge. There is also Fireballed, they have an ECU for turbos.

 

From a cost comparison a brand new SC from a dealer will run ~ $2K in parts whereas from my research on going turbo only it will run ~ $10k in parts.

 

Wow thats a big diffrence. Why such a huge diff is it the piping and ecu?

 

Many of the parts are very low production so expensive to make.

Take the Exhaust Manifold for example. When I spoke to one vendor they told me they have them made when they need a few. So this is not a part sitting on a shelf waiting till you need one. What happens if it breaks, how long will the Mini be sitting waiting. Turbo is a viable option for some. I have a second vehicle I can use as a daily driver anyway and the cost of going turbo was not an issue. What became an issue to me was the extreme "one of" prospect.

I understand what you are trying to do, if the claim will cover $X then why not take that and put it towards something "better". You need more info before you commit. Contact some of the places that do Turbo only setups for a Mini and ask how much for the kit and what does it include. Then you can truly make an informed decision as to how you want to proceed.

 

The ECU certainly is a gray area. It's better if you're intimately involved in the ECU industry or have great experience. The stock ECU will not work properly, even if you have the ability to reflash your tables.

Expect to pay ~$10k in parts, expect lots of driving down-time, and expect to re-engineer the whole engine setup. It's not for newbies or faint-of-heart, that's for sure.

 

Hmm the piping is not an issue supposedly according to the guy however the ecu for sure. my main end goal is 250hp to the wheels and as close to that in tq as possible. with a head arent people getting there with the m45 and like 17% total reduction with tune and stuff? This guy has experience with the hydra nemisis so mabye thats an option. anyways first things first got to find out the warranty payout rules and see the damage.

 

The factory ecu works fine when recalibrated but the system requires the integration of other controls for proper fueling and OBD2 compliance. Stick with the supercharger as the cost to turbo just isn't worth it.

 

This is one of the best running M45 cars out there. When I say best running I mean that it's flawless at track events and it has no CELs and has wizzed through New Jersey smog tests. This represents a well designed system. Consider all your options before abandoning the M45 platform. This has been the course of action taken by most people who could not deal with the complexity of the stock configuration.