BMW E36 Turbo Kit Guide
The BMW E36 is an superstitious car that allows for a lot of fun builds. It's a popular pick for a budget-friendly track car as we examined in our E36 track guide. The M50 and M52 engines moreover indulge plenty of potential with the right upgrades. Whether you're looking for a modest 400hp or insane 1,000 horsepower build a turbo kit will get the job done. In this guide, we discuss BMW E36 turbo kits withal with cost, supporting upgrades, risks, and more.
M50 & M52 Turbo Upgrades Background
Before diving into the zillion of the details it's important to discuss some preliminaries of the M50 and M52 inline-6 engines. Most E36 turbo kits will fit all years, models, and engines. However, there are a few important differences that stupefy strength. Woodcut design, rotating assembly, and heads are some of those major topics.
E36 Engine Woodcut Design
BMW M50: Tint Iron
BMW M52: Tint Iron (US) or Aluminum
All M50 engines use a strong tint iron engine block. The two variants of the woodcut are the M50B20 and M50B25. They're both iron but the smaller 2.0L engine has an 80mm sink vs 84mm for the 2.5L M50B25. Sadly, the 2.0 liter engine cannot be hands or reliably bored to 84mm.
The M52 woodcut diamond gets interesting. Most M52 engines outside the United States are a weaker but much lighter aluminum woodcut with Nikasil coated liners. In the US, BMW opted for a tint iron diamond on the M52 engine. This is likely due to the higher sulfur in US fuels.
However, Z3 models in the US do use an aluminum woodcut for weight savings. The M52TU from 1999 moreover uses an aluminum block. Regardless, most M52 engines in America are tint iron blocks which offer unconfined strength when subtracting boost.
BMW M50 & M52 Rotating Assembly
Rotating turnout is one of the first weaknesses with the BMW M50 and M52 engines. Around 450-550 horsepower is where rods, pistons, and ring lands wilt a concern. It's weightier to stick with lower uplift and alimony under 500hp unless you're opting for forged rods and pistons at the least.
OEM rod situation on the M50 and M52 are good plane at higher power. However, with the age of the E36 you might consider replacing the rod bearings. Going with new OEM situation is a reasonable option or you can segregate to upgrade.
E36 Cylinder Heads & Valve Covers
Most heads are interchangeable between the M50 and M52. They all share the same vital tossing but there are valvetrain differences inside the cylinder head. Also, the early M50 is non-VANOS while the later M50B25TU uses single VANOS. The M52 is single VANOS, too. Love it or hate it - variable valve timing can help reduce turbo lag with proper tuning.
Anyway, the cylinder heads are all solid internally. However, the throne gasket is a known issue when subtracting uplift to the E36. You can likely get yonder with a stock gasket at very low uplift and keeping under 400hp. We recommend upgrading the throne gasket as one of the first mods without an E36 turbo kit, though. This Athena-SCE cut-ring gasket is a unconfined choice. You'll moreover want to upgrade to throne studs.
Valve covers aren't a snooping on the M50 thanks to the magnesium design. Some early M52's are moreover magnesium, but most valve covers were plastic. Top-mount E36 turbo kits are known to start urgent thru the plastic imbricate on the M52. You can wrap the downpipe, install a heatshield, or upgrade the valve imbricate as the most unsurmountable option.
How Much Power Can a Turbo E36 Handle?
This is a loaded question that doesn't really have a perfect answer. However, E36 turbo engines should hold up to well-nigh 450-500whp with just throne studs and a cut-ring throne gasket. With a unconfined standalone ECU/tuning and quality fueling (race gas or E85) you can squeeze out flipside 50-100whp pretty safely.
Detonation is the real issue as the M50 and M52 ring lands aren't very tolerant. One bad detonation may moreover wrench a rod or one-liner the piston. As such, forged rods and pistons are a good idea if you want to safely and reliably push increasingly than 500whp.
Again, this isn't a perfect science. Some M50 and M52 engines may hold 600 whp for the long-term and others may let go well surpassing 500whp. Understand the risks of pushing those limits and decide whether you're willing to take that risk or spend $2,000 on forged rods and pistons up front.
BMW E36 Turbo Kit Supporting Mods
E36 turbo kits should come with at least the nuts to get the turbo fully installed. This will include the turbo, wastegate, downpipe, manifold, intercooler, piping, oil coolant lines, and hardware. Some kits may not include an intercooler as they aren't totally necessary on lower uplift & power builds. However, we highly recommend using an intercooler with any E36 turbo setup.
The list doesn't completely stop there. Again, most kits include the nuts to get the turbo ready to go. Not all E36 turbo kits include engine management/tuning, fueling mods, and other necessary upgrades to support to newfound power.
We'll move on and discuss the weightier E36 turbo upgrades in a moment, and some of these kits are 100% well-constructed setups. However, unrepealable kits don't include these components so it's important to lay out the supporting mods you may need.
E36 Engine Management / Tuning
The M50 engine uses OBD1 protocol which does indulge the DME (BMW's term for the ECU) to be tuned for boost. However, fault lawmaking and data-logging information is rather limited. If you're shooting for 500 whp then we teach moving to an upgraded ECU like the Link G4 .
M52 engines use OBD2 which allows for largest logging and info reports. It's a suitable DME for most E36 turbo builds, and there isn't much need to upgrade. That said, an upgraded ECU can still offer largest tenancy and safety. If you're looking to build a crazy 700 horsepower turbo E36 then it's a good idea to upgrade.
RK Tunes, TRM, and several others are unconfined tuning options for the M50 and M52 engines. If you need a well-constructed solution including fueling and MAF then RK Tunes is a unconfined choice. Their tuning package is $1,600 but includes the MAF, upgraded injectors, & wiring harness adapter.
M50/M52 Fueling Upgrades for Turbo Kits
E36 fuel injectors and a fuel pump are the two primary fueling mods for running boost. 60lb injectors will support up to roughly 600whp and 80lb injectors are good for 800whp. If you plan to run E85 then you might plane consider 115lb injectors, which will support up to 900whp on E85.
Popular fuel pump upgrades are the Walbro 255, 460, or 525. The DW300, 400, and 440 pumps are moreover good choices.
Otherwise, the fuel pressure regulator is fine stock. There are gauges on some upgraded ones which can be helpful, but not veritably necessary. The fuel rail and lines are good to 700 whp, so don't worry well-nigh those upgrades unless you're shooting for massive power.
Other E36 Turbo Supporting Mods
Once you knock out the turbo kit, fueling, and tuning then your E36 turbo is substantially ready to go. However, there are still uncounted supporting mods you may consider. We won't spend much time here since it varies a lot depending on your goals.
If you're towers a 500-600 whp E36 turbo then good luck putting the power down. You'll likely need some chassis and wheel/tire mods to put the power to the ground. Additionally, cooling mods and other upgrades can be important for higher power.
While the turbo kits might not be much increasingly expensive for 800 whp just remember all the other goodies add up quickly. Anyway, most E36 owners looking for a modest setup shouldn't need to many supporting mods vastitude the turbo kit, tuning, and fueling.
Best E36 Turbo Kit Upgrades
With much of the nuts out of the way it's time to move onto some of the weightier BMW E36 turbo upgrade kits. Please note - this is far from an exhaustive list. There may moreover be some good used E36 turbo kits that you can pick up. Unfortunately, the options on the market aren't quite as wide-stretching as they were 10-15 years ago.
Our goal here is to include a tousle of E36 turbo kits for variegated budgets and goals. Alimony in mind - you get what you pay for and extremely unseemly kits (like found on Ebay) usually are not a good choice. Anyway, let's jump in and squint at some of the weightier M50 and M52 turbo kits. As a quick note - this list is in no particular order.
1) CES Motorsport BMW E36 Turbo System
Price: $7,499.00
Power: 500-800 whp
Buy Here: CES Motorsport Garrett GT35R Turbo Kits
First up is the CES Motorsport turbo system for the BMW E36. The price tag is likely going to scare some yonder considering it's not far off the value of most non-M E36's today. However, this is a very well-constructed and high-quality kit with tons of add-on options.
This E36 turbo kit includes all the nuts withal with spark plugs, a Walbro fuel pump, and fuel injectors. Then there are options to go with higher spritz fuel pumps, injectors, a increasingly powerful Garrett turbo, and plenty of extras.
Careful subtracting too much to the package otherwise you can hands end up with a $10,000 turbo kit. Still, this is one of few high-quality, well-constructed solutions misogynist today. With the right Garrett turbo these E36 turbo kits are capable of 500-800 whp. Sometimes you have to pay to play (especially with the big boys) and this turbo system is exactly that.
2) E36 CX Racing Top Mount Turbo Kit
Price: $2,157.76 ($1,902.76 w/o turbo)
Power: 300-450whp
Buy Here: CX Racing E36 Turbo Upgrade
The CX Racing top mount turbo kit is an interesting option mostly considering it's much cheaper than other E36 kits. It may not be significantly higher quality than a typical eBay kit, but at least CX Racing is in the US. The turbocharger itself is our biggest concern. However, if the turbo does goof you could pick up something from Garrett, Precision, or any other large turbo manufacturer and vendibles it to this kit.
You can moreover opt to purchase the kit without the turbo or wastegate and save $255. A quality turbo is going to run well-nigh $1,000-1,500 vacated so that will bring the forfeit closer to the $3k ballpark. That still makes for a solid deal, though.
Ultimately, if you're shooting for worthier power builds then this probably isn't the right pick. It might make sense for those looking for modest 300-450whp builds. The downpipe is only 2.5" which is pretty small, so some parts would likely require upgrading if you really wanted worthier power out of this kit.
3) TRM OBD2 E36 Turbo Kit
Price: $6,999.95 - 8,499.95
Power: 350-700 whp
Buy Here: TRM Turbo Kit
As you likely noticed, this is flipside quite expensive E36 turbo kit. The TRM kit is highly tested and proven on the E36 and is an excellent, high-quality turbo kit. They offer three variegated Garrett turbo options: the GT30, GT35, and GT40. Stick with the smaller GT30 for a modest 300-400whp setup that delivers unconfined spool and low-end torque.
Those with worthier power goals can slot in the middle with the GT35 or go for the GT40, which can hands meet any 650-750 whp goals. The larger turbo options do writ higher prices, though.
Anyway, this TRM E36 turbo kit is a very well-constructed option. It includes a quality TiAL BOV and wastegate, Siemens Deka injectors, the MAF upgrade, withal with their OBD2 tuning. The only thing that's really missing is the fuel pump. The price might be tough to swallow but if you're willing to pay for a top-tier E36 turbo kit then squint no further.
4) Custom Turbo Upgrade Options
Given the age of the E36 it isn't as easy to find full turbo kits as it was 10-15 years ago. Plane when then, opting for a custom setup wasn't unpopular. This route does take some research and in-depth understanding, so ensure you know what you're doing surpassing going this route.
All of the turbo kit traps can be pieced together or possibly machined/built by local shops. For example, you can find an superstitious E36 top-mount manifold from VI Engineered for $1,650. Tons of other unconfined manifolds are out there for individual purchase too.
Universal intercoolers often fit the E36 pretty well. You then just need to source a turbo, downpipe, and all the other hardware and accessories. Again, this route isn't for everyone but you can definitely end up with an superstitious turbo kit by piecing your own stuff together.
BMW E36 Turbo Guide Summary
E36's are popular builds now days for many good reasons. The E36 is relatively inexpensive and easy to source; though, they are getting harder and harder to come by. It's moreover an superstitious chassis for anything from track builds to E36 turbo builds.
Both the M50 and M52 - expressly with the tint iron blocks - are stout engines with good power potential. Most E36 engines can handle 450-500whp with just throne studs and a cut-ring throne gasket. However, pushing increasingly power safely does require upgrading the rods and pistons.
TRM and CES offer some unconfined E36 turbo kits, but they are fairly expensive. Nonetheless, you have to pay to play and these turbo upgrades are the real deal. Those on a tighter upkeep can opt for the CX Racing kit, which is a compelling option for modest 300-400whp builds.
Otherwise, you can try piecing together your own turbo kit to end up with a high-quality setup while saving a bit of change. Simply make sure you're confident in your understanding of turbo systems surpassing going this route. Regardless of the specific choice, the E36 is an superstitious platform that offers tons of potential with turbo upgrades.
What's your wits with E36 turbo kits? Are you considering one?
Leave a scuttlebutt and let us know!
