Cartech vs TCD ? M30 turbo....

[bahnstormer]

http://www.cartech.net/bmwm30turbo.htm

http://www.turbochargingdynamics.com/tcd_catal_e_Turbo_m30.htm

those 2 pages look A LOT like each other.
anyone have exp with cartech? they have a very good rep....

sent an email to mike@cartech so we'll see what he says
as far as pricing goes....

so it looks like the m30 has 2 turbo kits avail =]

[spoolinturbo]

http://www.cartech.net/bmwm30turbo.htm

http://www.turbochargingdynamics.com/tcd_catal_e_Turbo_m30.htm

those 2 pages look A LOT like each other.
anyone have exp with cartech? they have a very good rep....

sent an email to mike@cartech so we'll see what he says
as far as pricing goes....

so it looks like the m30 has 2 turbo kits avail =]
hey keep me informed im interested in that cartech kit. keep it posted!
jeff

[bahnstormer]

i'll keep this topic alive til i get some solid info!

btw is there any demand for a m30 turbo kit besides
mine and jeff's interest?

[emw525E34]

The Cartech stuff looks very impressive. But I can't help think that the article on the E36M3 is trying to debunk the successful sales of SC (like AA Tuning kits). My key reservation of the SC is the belt snapping. I have seen several with rather disasterious results. Its the main reason my custom Rotrex SC is still in a box!!!.

A small well built turbo adding 60-90 hp would be a very welcomed addition to any BMW. I see that Audi and Volvo's OEM turbos were aimed solely to increase mid-range torque significantly, not necessarily HP per se. Jap built turbo just wanted to kick huge HP numbers at the expense of drivability (aka the Skyline!).

Wonder if Cartech would sell the bits they make minus Garrett , minus Greddy. Some owners already have these two items and would like to upgrade to Cartech. The kits price would likely too pricy for most.
eg. In my case, I could trade my SC parts outside with these 2 items easy, and would seriously consider the cartech system if priced right for the reminding components.

[Jon K]

The Cartech stuff looks very impressive. But I can't help think that the article on the E36M3 is trying to debunk the successful sales of SC (like AA Tuning kits). My key reservation of the SC is the belt snapping. I have seen several with rather disasterious results. Its the main reason my custom Rotrex SC is still in a box!!!.

A small well built turbo adding 60-90 hp would be a very welcomed addition to any BMW. I see that Audi and Volvo's OEM turbos were aimed solely to increase mid-range torque significantly, not necessarily HP per se. Jap built turbo just wanted to kick huge HP numbers at the expense of drivability (aka the Skyline!).

Wonder if Cartech would sell the bits they make minus Garrett , minus Greddy. Some owners already have these two items and would like to upgrade to Cartech. The kits price would likely too pricy for most.
eg. In my case, I could trade my SC parts outside with these 2 items easy, and would seriously consider the cartech system if priced right for the reminding components.

A supercharger belt snapping is not disasterous! How could it be?! It turns your auxillary components. Granted your water pump will stop, but seriously so will your alternator and your induction, so... it's really not that big a concern. Belt "snappage" is not a concern.

Trade two items? Trade your Garrett and your Greddy? Garrett what, greddy what. Rather silly post IMHO.

[Jose]

are these prices normal for the US ? They seem a bit high to me. A complete turbo kit with intercooler costs approx. 3600 US in Europe and we think that's expensive too.It seems to me that purchasing loose parts is alot cheaper in the US, at least it seems to be when looking on the net.....am I wrong here?

[bahnstormer]

the thing is, not many ppl have a kit for m30
soooo tcd can charge w/e they want to as
long as ppl pay for it...no competition, no
cheap prices...

[Rory535i]

i'll keep this topic alive til i get some solid info!

btw is there any demand for a m30 turbo kit besides
mine and jeff's interest?

i'm after one. in the process of saving the money to fund it. i'm considering making my own kit to cut down on cost. would prefer a tubular manifold too if it'll fit.

[emw525E34]

This is exactly my point, Jose. US kits are so pricey, they would not sell many. If they split into piece meal groups, they can probably sell more!. Most people who intended these kits already know what they are getting into and probably has links to a shop to help them with it.

For USD 6K , I can have a complete 99 M3 3.2 engine and 6speed tranny shipped, so why should I bother ?.
However, if I already had the key parts, then "upgrading" may not be so painful, if prices are not ridiculous, that is.

[Jose]

That's true, the parts for the M30 are not really easy to come by. For the Bi-turbo set we made the initial set up for the manifold ourselves and had it recalculated by an exhaust specialist. It set us back for 900 euro but the results were worth it( at least I wasn't paying for it on my own ). Seprateley sold parts in the Us are a lot cheaper than in Europe though. I've seen Turbo's for sale for 800 dollars that would cost me almost double here in the Netherlands. I don't know if it's reliable source but Import performance parts in the US have amazing pricing and parts on offer for all brands. I'm not sure if I got the name right,but it should be www.importperformanceparts.net. Take a look. It's a juicy site for performance parts lovers.

[BigKriss]

find me an exhaust manifold for a RHD m30 and I'll be in. TCD want US$1100 delivered for one.

[Jose]

why not design it yourself Kriss ? It may sound like " yeah right yahoo " but you can send a PM to me and I' ll let you know how we did it for our car.

[spoolinturbo]

yes im still interested haha.
And i can add to what others have had said about availability. I know very well, having previously owned a mitsubishi starion which is pretty damn rare that when theres not much demand, prices are steepy. Not to mention a BMW performance part is going to be expensive just because of the name, regaurdless of the vehicles year or how easy it is to manufacture. personally i have not read too much on either kit, because i am still dreading my rebuild which there will be a post here shortly so i can get some ppls links as to obtaining parts.
So with the addition of these turbo kits, i wonder if JC chips are still compatible? and what about fuel management? do these ppl run an SDS system? i know its a low boost level they are running, i beleive i read 5.5. but ide at the very least like to be able to get it up to 1 bar (14.7psi) im sure i'de have to lower my compression a tad (which im 99% sure they dont sell flatheaded pistons or thicker head gaskets...but ive run out of time, still have to do my post, ill reply soon. keep us updated with that email coming to you bahnstormer, and nice find!
jeff
jeff

[Jon K]

yes im still interested haha.
And i can add to what others have had said about availability. I know very well, having previously owned a mitsubishi starion which is pretty damn rare that when theres not much demand, prices are steepy. Not to mention a BMW performance part is going to be expensive just because of the name, regaurdless of the vehicles year or how easy it is to manufacture. personally i have not read too much on either kit, because i am still dreading my rebuild which there will be a post here shortly so i can get some ppls links as to obtaining parts.
So with the addition of these turbo kits, i wonder if JC chips are still compatible? and what about fuel management? do these ppl run an SDS system? i know its a low boost level they are running, i beleive i read 5.5. but ide at the very least like to be able to get it up to 1 bar (14.7psi) im sure i'de have to lower my compression a tad (which im 99% sure they dont sell flatheaded pistons or thicker head gaskets...but ive run out of time, still have to do my post, ill reply soon. keep us updated with that email coming to you bahnstormer, and nice find!
jeff
jeff


They DO sell thicker headgaskets and Ross and JE make low compression pistons as well. VAC sells ARP head studs and valve springs single or double in any rate you can imagine. These cars aren't so obscure as you might think. 14psi is very possible on an M30. stock compression is low already, I wouldn't doubt 10 psi stock internals with no issue

[spoolinturbo]

They DO sell thicker headgaskets and Ross and JE make low compression pistons as well. VAC sells ARP head studs and valve springs single or double in any rate you can imagine. These cars aren't so obscure as you might think. 14psi is very possible on an M30. stock compression is low already, I wouldn't doubt 10 psi stock internals with no issue
very very very interesting! m30 compression i beleive i read was about 9:1 right? im sure im mistaken.
but those things help me out for rebuilding my engine too! whos VAC? never heard of. any idea who sells the metal headgaskets?