Discussion
ok, you may have seen my other posts about engine swaps upgrdes rebuilds tuning etc, I have an s1 with 100k on the clock it has no real vices but have been toying with he idea of a refurb/replace anyone got any ideas for tuning/ refubing without costing the earth???? want to achive 190-200 bhp would conider (and this may be unpopular) swapping the engine for something compleatly differant??? straight 6????? or just refurb plus cam ???? inspristion please
Sell it and buy a V8S !
Seriously you ain't gonna get another forty or so galloping horses cheaply and you stand a good chance of ending up with maybe an interesting car but one with very limited resaleability (is that a real word ?) People, and insurance company's, generally like fairly standard cars, IMHO.
To get the 2.8 or even the later 2.9 up to that kind of output wouldn't be cheap, maybe a "fast road" cam can give about 14bhp but I think the 170 claimed for the 2.9 was optomistic when new never mind twenty years later, but in theory that would be 184, perhaps gain a little more with some "porting and polishing" ? Maybe a Turbo or Supercharger could do the trick ?
While more powerful engines can be picked up cheaply (24v cossie v6's or maybe a Jap or Beamer straight 6) by the time you've sorted exhaust, engine mounts, ecu, gearbox, cooling and bits and bobs like speedo it could well turn into a money pit ? Fine if you have the facilities and enjoy the challenge but for time cost and effort involved I wouldn't expect to re-coup cost if selling a year or two later ?
Just my thoughts for what its worth
Seriously you ain't gonna get another forty or so galloping horses cheaply and you stand a good chance of ending up with maybe an interesting car but one with very limited resaleability (is that a real word ?) People, and insurance company's, generally like fairly standard cars, IMHO.
To get the 2.8 or even the later 2.9 up to that kind of output wouldn't be cheap, maybe a "fast road" cam can give about 14bhp but I think the 170 claimed for the 2.9 was optomistic when new never mind twenty years later, but in theory that would be 184, perhaps gain a little more with some "porting and polishing" ? Maybe a Turbo or Supercharger could do the trick ?
While more powerful engines can be picked up cheaply (24v cossie v6's or maybe a Jap or Beamer straight 6) by the time you've sorted exhaust, engine mounts, ecu, gearbox, cooling and bits and bobs like speedo it could well turn into a money pit ? Fine if you have the facilities and enjoy the challenge but for time cost and effort involved I wouldn't expect to re-coup cost if selling a year or two later ?
Just my thoughts for what its worth
phillpot said:
Sell it and buy a V8S !

Have to agree, and what about the drivetrain of your S1, diff and especially rear trailing arms, they would not be able to handle the power increase that you are looking for.Then you have to stop it safely, so upgraded brakes required, the list goes on and on. A V8 S is deffinetly the way to go if power in an S is what your after.Or buy a NICE BRIGHT RED CHIM sit back and wait for the quips concerning, golf clubs, hairdressing equipment,etc,etc. But once you have 






theres no going back!Dave Bruce has an S1 (that has won best S1 more times than I care to remember at S Club) with a performance cam in it - he says its quick but very peaky in power delivery and falls off the cam very quickly. I can't remember his PH Name.
With regard to other engines it gets very expensive very quickly - plus I think a straight six could well end up being too tall for the S bonnet profile.
With regard to other engines it gets very expensive very quickly - plus I think a straight six could well end up being too tall for the S bonnet profile.
I agree with others on this forum that buying a V8S is cheaper but if I was doing this I'd consider the following:
-> Fiat 5 cylinder 20v turbo from the coupe. I think this is 220bhp has standard but can be chipped up closer to 300bhp fairly easily. Not sure it would fit in the chassis given its length, but on the plus side you could get a complete coupe for £700ish.
-> Maserati biturbo V6. I saw a rusty one go for £720 on ebay recently. I think they were only 195bhp but the badge would look nice under the bonnet...This is a wide engine. Would it fit?
-> Early subaru impretza / Nissan skyline R32 engine. I think complete cars are approx £1500. Separating out the unneeded electronic gumpf could be a nightmare however both engines are massively tuneable. The Nissan (chipped & tuned) may be the cheapest route to 500bhp...
I have to qualify these suggestions by saying that I have no experience of engine swaps and have not even seen some of these engines in the flesh to make a visual assessment of whether they would fit or not.
Ralph.
-> Fiat 5 cylinder 20v turbo from the coupe. I think this is 220bhp has standard but can be chipped up closer to 300bhp fairly easily. Not sure it would fit in the chassis given its length, but on the plus side you could get a complete coupe for £700ish.
-> Maserati biturbo V6. I saw a rusty one go for £720 on ebay recently. I think they were only 195bhp but the badge would look nice under the bonnet...This is a wide engine. Would it fit?
-> Early subaru impretza / Nissan skyline R32 engine. I think complete cars are approx £1500. Separating out the unneeded electronic gumpf could be a nightmare however both engines are massively tuneable. The Nissan (chipped & tuned) may be the cheapest route to 500bhp...
I have to qualify these suggestions by saying that I have no experience of engine swaps and have not even seen some of these engines in the flesh to make a visual assessment of whether they would fit or not.
Ralph.
aruck said:
If it helps; I got a quote for 24v cosworth conversion into my S1 a couple of years back of circa £1500 + the replacement engine. Unless youre current engine is dead then that's just money you will never see again in my opinion.
hmm I do see your point but that's not the reason a bought an S so 24v it still is +60Bhp costs but IMHO will make such a difference. I already have cosworth breaks and diff.Cheers D
mikel003003 said:
swapping the engine for something compleatly differant???
For something completely different how about a VAG 1.8T 20 Valve Turbo AKA Golf GTI Easy 250HP, cheap, light and Spares/tuning bits in abundance.Or better still an Audi S3 engine, as in the Golf Edition 30, my sons just had his on a dyno, 349HP from a 2 litre and they sound incredible.
A 4 pot into an s noooo. Lol it's a great engine though excellent in an elise but just so wrong for the s somehow. That said I did consider the cosworth dohc pinto for mine for a while before getting the cosworth 24v
how about i6 m3 3.2 complete with bonnet hump or did someone say the chassis member would get in way?
Cheers D S3
how about i6 m3 3.2 complete with bonnet hump or did someone say the chassis member would get in way?
Cheers D S3
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