TCD's Turbo is in and Running

[Oldgreene34]

Now that I have the installation complete and am on the way to being dialed in I know it is time to let the forum know how TCD's kit goes together and works.

I drove from Toronto to meet Todd in Springfield MA, we had a great car guy chat and swapped some cash for the first E34 kit. And, he took me for a blast in his 325; pretty impressive. That was Friday August 1, I arrived home at 11:00PM after 1500 km. The kit was in and on the road late afternoon Sunday....I would have been quicker had I listened more closely to Todd and made fewer mistakes.

Before the turbo I had done the necessary MAF, cleaned up and port matched the head but not much else to the engine. My last dyno pull on a local DynoJet gave me just over 191 HP at 5300 and 215 pounds of torque at 4300. You can convert that to at-the-crank if you want, however, it is at the wheels that moves the car.

I am now in tuning mode, running intentionaly rich with lots of timing retard and the soft spring in the wastegate. The plan is to get the mixture as close as I am able and then move the timing back up. My car was pretty quick before and I am not there yet, at only 7 pounds boost and the results are amazing. I drive the car are tracks here in southern Ontario, (running with Bruno) at my last outing an instructor who was driving a supercharged late model Mustang commented that he was surprised at how little he pulled on me up the back straight....next year I will be pulling away from the Mustang.

Other mods I have made, strut brace, 850 brakes all 4 corners, H&R springs, RD Sway bars, Bruno's rear mount stiffening plates and a 3.73 Diff. and I had a custom clutch made pre turbo...a modified M5 unit with Kevlar facings.

The kit is great, super fit and finish, I have only met Todd, but if you want to work with a guy who has passion and loves his product....TCD is it.

Cheers,
Dave

[Kamil]

Take some pics. :)
When's the dyno run/tunning?


Hmm.... to sell the 535 and get a 330 or WRX or Mini or whatever.... or to keep the 535 and turbo it....

[George M]

Curious about your set up...you mentioned you installed the necessary MAF...why is adding a MAF versus stock AFM necessary for a turbo install...aside from its programability? Second, you mentioned that you are playing with your A/F and timing retard. What kind of device have you added to the motor that gives you the lattitude to supercede both A/F and ignition timing of your Motronic engine management...aside from changing your EPROM?
Congrats.

[Oldgreene34]

I will get pictures organized, at least a few over the next couple days. The focus is an upcoming track day on the 20th and everthing has to be ready to run to the rev limiter all day long.

[Oldgreene34]

I guess I wasn't clear....I had added the MAF over a year ago, and they are a necessary upgrade for a naturally aspired car. Stock you will see around 175 at the wheels, add a chip and you are in the 181 range, at least I was, but with the MAF you add another 10 HP. The but is the big torque number and great drivability. Regardless as I have the MAF it seems to me that I will only make more power with few restrictions, so I am not going to revert to stock.

I am useing a piggy back laptop based tuner which intercepts a number of signals from the sensors on their way to the DME.

Dave

[George M]

No, you were clear, just misguided. There is nothing necessary about a MAF upgrade for either a NA or turbo car. I should know, I worked with Bruno on his MAF development for the M-30. A MAF however is directionally correct for more horsepower and are less restrictive and more tuneable and offer better transient response but the stock AFM is clearly adequate for either application and whatever slight horsepower impairment can easily be compensated for.
Please explain to me what sensor or sensors your laptop intercepts from your DME to interpret/alter ignition timing retard or advance accordingly.

[Oldgreene34]

Misguided, OK, however you should assume a little tongue-in-cheek as my comment is intended. The MAF was necessary to me and I am pleased with the result on all levels regardless of the fact that the AFM is perfectly functional - I just wanted the thing!

I am intercepting and modifying the signal from the MAF, partly to compensate for 2 things, the differing signal and the fact that I am running beyond the air flow at which the flapper is pinned open, and the pulse from the crank position sensor. I am also monitoring voltage from the O2 sensor. This gives me fuel, timing, engine speed and air fuel ratio, at least as well as a narrow band allows.

Dave

[George M]

Good stuff Dave.
No offense on the misguided comment...a matter of semantics...know what you mean about just flat wanting something. :-)
Please share with us the piggie back engine management program/interface...company and model you have...perhaps a link if you have it...I am sure interested. Sounds like a powerful piggie back system with so much capability....probably fine to run off a narrow band O2. Bottom line is being able to tweak both air/fuel AND ignition timing...sounds like your system can do both.
I would like to hear how you interpret air/fuel but in particular how you have settled upon what you consider a retarded ignition timing curve. Did you establish a stock baseline initially and then offset the ignition timing curve accordingly?
Let us in on how the system works a bit...how much richer than stoich you are running for example until you hone in on a safe but efficient A/F.
What do you estimate your horsepower increase running 7 psi?
Congrats again and sounds like a lot of fun.
George

[AllanS]

Hi Dave, I was wondering what piggyback chip you happened to be using, and where you were able to get ahold of it. I was looking at unichip, but there doesn't seem to be much documentation online, and since they're SAfrican, getting in touch with them is... troublesome.

Thanks!

[Oldgreene34]

My piggy back system is an SMT-6 from Perfect Power in South Africa. Have a look at http://www.perfectpower.com

[AllanS]

thanks!

[Robin-535im]

My piggy back system is an SMT-6 from Perfect Power in South Africa. Have a look at http://www.perfectpower.com
I didn't see if the SMT-6 had an input for that... It would be nice to have a mechanical reading of that just in case.

[Oldgreene34]

I am running without a knock sensor. Windows up and everything off when tuning. I could well be missing some very light detonation, but, generally it is dead easy to hear and get your foot out. I expect it easier to tune withOUT the SMT-6 and you would get into detonation less frequently than I have during tuning...regardless our engines are pretty solid. My car has 270,000km on it.

[Oldgreene34]

Comfortable with my tuning at 7 psi, I put the 10 psi spring in the waste gate this morning before driving to the office. The re-tuning (slight adjustments) are not yet complete but I can report that there is zero lag, combined simply with great thrust and it's quiet!

Todd, has been telling me that when dialed in at 10 psi I will have added 100 hp at the wheels. I believe him!

I am now focused on getting the car ready for a driving school at Shannonville Friday the 20th and won't get to the dyno until after that.

Dave

[aussie540i]

Curious about your set up...you mentioned you installed the necessary MAF...why is adding a MAF versus stock AFM necessary for a turbo install...aside from its programability? Second, you mentioned that you are playing with your A/F and timing retard. What kind of device have you added to the motor that gives you the lattitude to supercede both A/F and ignition timing of your Motronic engine management...aside from changing your EPROM?
Congrats.
Hi,

can i just ask a blunt question?

why fix something that isnt broken?

i dont know of a better sports sedan EVER manufactured ...

i may sound bias but, is there really?

agreed age is catching up on the E34's but as we all know there are thousands of great examples around..... BMW have never made a better model or am i just biased?

i believe the model is a motoring icon... in years to come the e34 will be regarded as one of the classic motorcars along with (in my opinion) the T model ford, the E type Jag, the 911 carrrera etc etc, and lets not forget mercs...

the only thing i have found (my opinion) that is a worthy "performance" upgrade to E34's is a perfromance chip...(lets face it computer technology is far beyond E34 manufacturing dates) and greater flow air intake valve...... ( we all like a good suck :)

E34's are a motoring icon

best regards
steve mackney
1993 540ia

[Mr Project]

Steve, if I might jump in...if the 535i was 'perfect' and not to be improved upon, why did BMW build the 540? Or, an even better question, the M5?

I guess all I'm saying is that I am of the camp that feels there's always a tweak to make, always a weak spot to address, always one area that can be improved on, even in a great car like the ones we drive. A turbo is a neat way to enhance the power output of the 535i, a car that has now been surpassed from a power/acceleration standpoint by modern minivans and Accords.

Is power everything? No, of course not! But if you can enhance that area, and are willing to spend the time and $$ needed to do so, why not? Seems like a great way to keep a classic in the ballgame against modern competition, and it gives people that like to tinker something to tinker with. We all know some of us would be bored to tears with a 'perfect' car that didn't need our attention once in a while. :)

[G Feller]

I agree with you on the fact that these are some of the best all-round cars ever made, and for that reason, plenty of E34 owners keep their cars in pristine stock condition. This is my choice too (well, I try), but that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy driving a blown 535.

As long as there are cars, there will be people to alter them in ways the manufacturer did not intend.



i dont know of a better sports sedan EVER manufactured
1993 540ia

[Oldgreene34]

Good to see that we are all different....I happen to love having the car stand up on it's hind legs and whoosh off to the rev limiter. Safely! And, the E34 chassis is absolutely ready.

[aussie540i]

I agree with you on the fact that these are some of the best all-round cars ever made, and for that reason, plenty of E34 owners keep their cars in pristine stock condition. This is my choice too (well, I try), but that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy driving a blown 535.

As long as there are cars, there will be people to alter them in ways the manufacturer did not intend.
hi , you are right i do have 300hp already and i take your point... i wouldnt mind driving one either (heavily modified E34), but owning would be another story... i had a 525 and a 535 before and wanted a bit more power so hunted down a good example of a stock 540. i dont think we have the scope for "improvements" like the owners do in the states...

and yes many vehicles get altered in ways the makers didnt intend...

best regards from downunder

1993540i