Noob questions about turbo upgrade.

[ant1234]

Hi, I'm looking at getting a Charade gtti for Sprinting/Hillclimbing. I was loooking at upping the power a bit & thought bolting on a bigger turbo would be the easy way of achieving this.

As im completely new to petrol turbo engine tuning i though id asked someone in the know.

So, is it a simple as bolting on something bigger?. i.e a turbo designed for a bigger engine?

Should i stick to 3 cylinder turbos only? i.e. ford eco boost 3 cylinder

What other ways can i achieve more power?, apart from a bigger intercooler, cams etc?

Would fitting over sized valves help things?

Would i need a tuneable engine management device.? Boost controller etc?

I'd rather keep it simple to start with. What is the best bang for my buck upgrade?

Thanks

Ant

[Graham]

in the first instance, some sort of remap/standalone ecu to increase fueling and boost will make the most difference, and be the first stage of any modifications, whatever you do you need to be able to change the fueling.

simply bolting on a bigger turbo on its own will do nothing
.
intercooling is always good, internal modifications such as big valves, cams etc will have little benefit. properly tuning turbos is anything but simple

unfortunately you want to keep things simple on a car pretty much no one tunes which makes things anything but simple.

that said, there were a few tuned back in the day spend an evening on the internet and you should be able to find something.

[katana]

This is going to be controversial but I don't give a stuff LOL! Forget engine tuning and power for the moment - cheapest way of going fast in things like Hill climbs and auto tests is HANDLING! If you get the car handling right such that you are nearly flat everywhere and hardly need to touch the brakes it will be quick! Only then should power adders be needed! A car that smokes the wheels on accel isn't quick or locks the brakes at every turn isn't quick, one that launches with a little chirp and only needs a dab of the brakes pre corner will be quick! Note I said quick not fast - in a timed competition, quick is required ie, speed over the ground. HP is for fast between A and B but if you lose that advantage at ever bend / corner / turn you won't be quick! Plus chassis work is generally cheaper, lasts a lot longer AND helps when you do have more power!