Turborize Me

[Brainmatter]

Both the Benz and Bug were 1.8L engines, twice the size of the Elio. The G60 VW blower pushes 350 cfm at 7 psi. If you look at my original post we only need 166 cfm at 9.7 psi to produce 100hp. The G60 unit is WAY too big to be effective on the Elio. As far as newer cars, technology has made it possible to run higher compression ratios through direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and variable vane technology turbos. I won't bore you with specifics but new turbo cars don't suffer from turbo lag and have adequate power when off the squirrel. The boost in performance helps get the car moving like a big engine but then once cruise speed is attained you get the efficiency of a small engine. There have been many books written on the subject of turbocharging and supercharging internal combustion engines. I have spent about 10 years learning how to properly tune turbo motors and am still learning new things all the time. A few things to remember are that manufacturers spend millions in R&D to build reliable turbo motors. Anytime you add a turbo or supercharger to an engine that was not originally designed to be boosted expect to spend a lot of money to get it right. If it was as easy as bolting on a junkyard blower everyone would do it. The key word here is Reliable.
As far as diesel engines go, the thermal dynamics inside the combustion chamber of a diesel is so vastly different from a gasoline engine that you can not directly compare them.

The 1999-2000 Benz engines were 2.3L
That aside, the nice thing about blowers is you can easily manage ultimate output with pulley size, turn it slower it produces less output.. (they are positive displacement). Plus factory ones such as the Benz units have bypass valves for pressure regulation. A 'too big' blower is fine, too small and you have problem. This is not so with turbos..... bigger = laggy and wasted output... yada yada, but you know all that.

I had a 2004 F150 5.4L I repurposed a Mustang blower for. It isn't difficult. I put 60,000 miles on that truck with zero problems (well, aside from Fords sticky spark plugs issue) before I sold it to my dad. Many of those miles pulling a camper. It made a huge difference when pulling. Not a huge increase under 'normal' conditions. But proper fuel/spark management is a must, but that's what I rely on experts for. A custom reflash is all it took, but again, modest boost levels of 6 psi.. If you are pushing more than that then you need a total system redesign IMO.
I don't want to discourage anyone from innovating on their own, nor do I want it to seem I'm saying "bolt 'er up, it will work". But it's not magic. Just make sure you get proper help where and when you need it. It can be done, inexpensively if you spend the time to do it right and use your noggin.
6 lbs of boost would do wonders for this little car with its simple engine design.

 

[jtmarten]

For lower boost levels, you could use one of those 'electric turbos' they sell on ebay for $19.95. Don't they claim huge gains?? Might be able to double Elio's power with one of those.

 

[Brainmatter]

For lower boost levels, you could use one of those 'electric turbos' they sell on ebay for $19.95. Don't they claim huge gains?? Might be able to double Elio's power with one of those.

LOL. Sure. You could.... if you like pieces of plastic flying into your engine when that bilge pump impeller explodes. And if you like the restriction it creates in your intake tract.
On a serious note, there were some companies who had electric superchargers or turbos which actually worked. They could only be used for short periods of time and required an additional battery and possibly beefed up charging system to cope with the power they drew, but they did produce boost. Ultimately though, they were too expensive and cumbersome. Not worth the gains in power they made. Or I should say the longevity of the power gained. I think max run-time was 90 seconds. Can't remember exactly.

If you just like to look at people screwing around, look at some youtube vids of the dyno results people have gotten from adding a leaf blower to their car. Yeah, leaf blowers.

 

[raybonz]

I'm way too much of a motorhead for this thread. Sorry about getting a little too techie but it seems like if I leave out a small detail I get lambasted for it. In simple terms....... Turbochargers=Money

LOL OK I understand that!

 

[mike171]

If anyone wants to know how to actually calculate how to select a proper turbocharger or supercharger set up PM me otherwise I'm done with this thread.

 

[Craig]

I think I read somewhere Mr Elio said you can put a Mclaren supercharger in it for around $800.00

 

[lafrisbee]

I think I read somewhere Mr Elio said you can put a Mc Claren supercharger in it for around $800.00

I am right on the borderline at $800... That Mr E says the most interesting things

 

[Craig]

I am right on the borderline at $800... That Mr E says the most interesting things

"That Mr E says the most interesting things"


And your point is?

 

[jtmarten]

I think I read somewhere Mr Elio said you can put a Mc Claren supercharger in it for around $800.00

Installing a turbo and integrating a turbocharger are very different. An $800 turbo does no good without proper tuning ($$$), and a properly sized intercooler ($).
If the complete, integrated turbo system is $800, I'd give it serious thought; if it's a factory option, I'll pull the trigger without hesitation.

 

[Craig]

Installing a turbo and integrating a turbocharger are very different. An $800 turbo does no good without proper tuning ($$$), and a properly sized intercooler ($).
If the complete, integrated turbo system is $800, I'd give it serious thought; if it's a factory option, I'll pull the trigger without hesitation.

I’m sure you are correct. From what i remember Mr. Elio said, Mclaren has had a major impact in the design and the cars MPG, maybe it will be an option.