The E36 and E46 M3s have, to state the obvious, amazing engine from the factory. But if you are looking for more power, the S50 and S54 engines respond extremely well to forced induction. This is a list of M3 turbo kits for the E36 M3 & turbo kits for the E46 M3s.
2014+ BMW M3 / M4 S55 Bolt On Twin Turbo Upgrade F80 / F82 / F83. We spoke with and listened to BMW tuners, racers and owners. It turned out what they wanted was fast spool, OEM reliability, and a lot more top end HP. With ZERO CORE CHARGES. Proven on the world stage endurance race circuit, and using 100% OEM components from the original. BMW ECU tuning, calibration and performance parts experts. W.3 Turbocharger Upgrade for BMW S55 Engine. BMW M2, M3, M4, Competition, CS, GTS F87 F80 F82 F83.
I heard of ICS performance from the dynoflash videos on YouTube. The ICS M3 turbo demo car was putting out around 700bhp on standard internals but this was the limit. Running at this level eventually hole a piston.
The Technique Tuning Turbo System for the 1995 BMW M3. Using custom developed software, the kit retains all of the vehicle's original smoothness and finesse during light throttle driving. But step on the throttle just a little bit more, and you'll be rewarded with the smooth rush of power that only a well engineered turbo system can provide.
SKR make M3 turbo kits for the E36 M3 and the E46 M3 as well as offering Rotrex supercharger kits for both.
Autobahn turbo kit is for those who want to get out cheaply. This kit is the cheapest complete kit on the market. There are cheaper kits but does not include everything needed to make it work. This kit however is completely installed and ready.
This is a basic kit that can be subsequently develop without changing any of these components, but only to bring more parts to charge more and thus get more power. A1 is upgradeable from step 1 to step 2 to step 3.
We recommend having the strongest terms that, in conjunction with Turbo conversion also upgrade the brakes, original brakes are not adequate for the new engine power.
As with most popular cars there are some extremely cheap M3 turbo kits available on the market. SpeedyRacer have the cheapest turbo kit we have seen for the M3 up until this point
Kit Includes
stainless steel wastegate turbo manifold
EMUSA T3 Turbocharger
matching T3 4 Bolts Flange downpipe
full Intercooler piping kit
27x7x2.5 Intercooler
Blow Off Valve
Fuel regulator
EMUSA wastegate with 3 different springs
all silicon hosing and t-clamps
Oil Line Kit and Oil Feed Line Kit
CES are a new name to us but their M3 turbo kits seem popular and well-respected.
The CES E36 M3 Stage II and stage III turbo systems are a culmination of over 2 years of engineering and testing to produce one of the most powerful, reliable, and complete systems on the market today. We designed our systems for the enthusiast who wants supercar performance, without the 'supercar' pricetag! Although it may not be the cheapest mod you can do to your E36, where else can you add almost 300 reliable, everyday hp for less than $10k? Fabricated out of high quality T304 Stainless Steel, and paired with the Garrett GT35R Dual Ball Bearing Turbo, the CES Stage II Turbo System increases power from the stock motor 240hp to a powerful 500+ peak hp and 500+ peak torque! The stage III brings the peak power to an even more stunning 600+ hp and torque! Also, unlike most systems available today, our CES Turbo Systems come complete with a full 3″ turbo back exhaust system with a unique V-banded interchangeable center section to allow for either straight pipe, high flow cat, or 5″ magnaflow resonator. With dual 3.5″ polished tips, it is truly a masterpiece of design and functionality.
Turbo specialities are one of the more famous turbo kit manufacturers. Their M3 turbo kit sits in the middle, not as cheap as the cheapest but not as expense as the top of the range turbo kits. If you are looking for a turbo kit with brand name parts but that does not cost the earth, Turbo Specialities might have what you are looking for
Extreme complete kit #BW28B1E includes:
- Garrett turbo and manifold pre-assembled
- Down pipe and gasket
- Polished charge piping
- High flow intercooler
- Stainless steel braided oil line and fittings
- Stainless steel braided water lines for turbo cooling
- Rising rate fuel pressure regulator
- Blow-off valve
- Map unit (black box)
- Heat shield
- Air intake (connects to stock air box)
- Oil return hose and oil pan fitting
- All hardware, pressure lines, hoses, clamps, and couplers included
Godspeed are more well-known for the suspension parts for drift cars but they also have a large range of turbos including an M3 turbo kit for the E36 & E46 M3. One of the cheaper M3 turbo kits available.
will fit the following vehicle:
-bmw 3 series 92-98 325 328 330 (2.5 , 2.8 , 3.0) M3 E36
-bmw 3 series 99-05 325 328 330 (2.5 , 2.8 , 3.0) EXCEPT E46 M3 (3.2l)
this comes with the following items
-e36 / e46 t3 cast turbo manifold
-Gt30 turbo charger (good for 400+ hp)
-Godspeed 38mm waste gate (set at 7psi)(come with extra 11psi , 15 psi spring)
-Oil line kit , oil feed , oil return (with all fittings )
-down pipe flange ( for customer to custom make the turbo downpipe)
note : this is a set up kit only, it requires the intercooler and intercooler pipe to complete the kit. we also recommend bigger injectors and upgrade ecu.
A massively famous turbo kit manufacturers. ATP produce a turbo kit for the E36 M3.
Some Things To Expect:
– Garrett GT30R (with GT35R option)
– 3.00″ Turbo Downpipe
– External Style Wastegate
– Blow Off Valve
– Large Front Mounted Intercooler Kit
– Larger Size Injectors
– Turbo options to support up to 500 HP
Definitely one of the high-end manufacturers of supercharger kits (okay, I know they don't do turbo but they are worth a mention). A huge range of kits for many BMW models including the E46 and E36 M3.
No one buys an M3 because they like limits. Here at Active Autowerke, we know that well. We also know that E36 M3 drivers want access to the same blower that powers our proven 500 HP supercharger system for the E46 M3.
Now they have it – and the amazing 150% power kick that comes along for the ride. This carefully engineered kit matches the HKS GTS8550 supercharger with the perfect hardware, software and tuning to take the factory 240 HP straight up to 360 HP (with the potential for even more power with additional upgrades).
Corrected, this is the cheapest M3 turbo kit was have seen! Probably not as complete as others but worth a look if you are prepared to piece together the rest of the kit.
Kit Includes:
-Front Mount Intercooler, Overall Size: 28″x7″x2.5″ , 2.5″ Inlet & Outlet
-BMW E36 Engine Stainless Turbo Manifold
-T3/t4 V-band Turbocharger with 8PSI International Wastegate
-Stainless Steel 2.5″ V-band Clamp and 2.5″ Donwpipe Flange Ring
Another new name for us but their kits are complete and they even cast their own manifolds
Complete kit less software. Choice of turbo compressor and turbine wheels available from 50 to 67 trim and S4 to P trim. Turbine exhaust housing from .58 to .96 also available. Please call Todd at 414-712-5201 or email for complete list of parts included.
No article on M3 turbo kits would be complete with HPF. HPF must have one of the most skilled marketing teams out there, there are not many BMW shows in the US where you will not see their presence with some kit ass, big power M3s
HorsepowerFreaks has created the most reliable and powerful E46 M3 production turbo kits on the planet performing on BMW M3s around the world. Our production turbo systems have set records for horsepower, 60-130mph, 1/4 mile ET, 1/4 mile MPH, lap records and top speed.
All in all there are a huge range of turbo kits available for the E36 and E46 M3s to suit all budgets. If your business supplies M3 turbo kits, let us know!
What is BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology?
Since the N55 engine, BMW has been naming many of their engines 'TwinPower Turbo', this is a bit of a marketing trick. The predecessor N54 engine was actually a 'Twin Turbo' engine. There are big difference as well as advantages and disadvantages of both setups. We will ease into the complex topic of turbos by defining some terms and functions of the turbocharged system.
What is the basic difference between TwinPower Turbo and TwinTurbo Power?
In both designs, the exhaust manifold is evenly split into two headers based off of firing order. The TwinPower Turbo (also called twin scroll turbo) is a single turbo powered from pairs of cylinders in an alternating sequence from two exhaust down tubes. The Twin Turbo Power has two turbos, each fed by one of the two exhaust down tubes. Reference the below image to visualize the TwinPower Turbo technology. Although the example below is from a 4 cylinder engine, the same design can be applied to 6, 8 and 12 cylinder motors.
Now that the basic idea is explained, we can further go into detail of why BMW switched to the TwinPower design and the advantages of this setup over the Twin Turbo Power design.
What is a turbocharger?
A turbocharger is a device that increases engine power output and efficiency of an engine by compressing air into the combustion chamber through an exhaust powered turbine. The more air the engine takes in, the more fuel it can take and more power it makes.
What is the purpose of the exhaust manifold in a turbo system?
The exhaust manifold is a set of tubes bolted on the exhaust side of the engine block which collects the exhaust gases from each cylinder and channels them into a down tube. This channeled exhaust gas is fed through the turbocharger turbine blades, which feeds compressed air into the motor. The exhaust manifold must be designed in a way to quickly and efficiently remove the gases from the engine. The tubes coming off the manifold can be created with equal or unequal length tubes, both with advantages and disadvantages of each design.
Car manufacturers want to keep the engine design as compact as possible to save weight and overall size, however, the performance of the vehicle is hindered as the result of unequal tube length. The engine's pistons create a series of pressure pulses based on the firing order creating a natural process called scavenging.
What is scavenging?
Scavenging is the process of pushing exhaust gases out of a cylinder and naturally drawing in a fresh dose of an air-fuel mixture for the next cycle. This is an essential part of a smooth running engine. Pressure 'pulses' are naturally created from the firing order of the cylinders which push exhaust gases out the manifold in a high-pressure pulse. This high pressure naturally draws a low-pressure pulse out from the combustion chamber continuing the cycle by sucking in new air. The desirable trait of scavenging can quickly turn undesirable if the exhaust manifold tubes are of unequal length. A negative effect of reversing can occur.
What is reversing?
Reversing, or reversion, is when the flow of exhaust gases is disrupted to the point where it can reverse direction and actually flow back into the combustion chamber contaminating the fresh combustion gases with exhaust gases. Computermagazin. There is a small overlap of the valves where an intake and exhaust valve are partially open at the same (even more so on race engines). This allows for the possibility of interference as the exhaust gases fight each other to be expelled from the cylinders.
What are the are the side effects of reversion?
- Higher combustion temperatures.
- Higher exhaust temperatures.
- Richer air-fuel mixtures.
- Disrupted ignition timing.
- Higher NOx emissions.
How do twin scroll turbos fix the possibility of reversing?
Twin scroll turbo design still contains a single turbo but the turbine is fed through two different inlet tubes (see pictures below for further clarification). The natural process of pulsating is fixed by equally separating exhaust tubes from the cylinders which naturally interfere with each other creating the pulsing effect. This creates a much smoother flow of exhaust gases. This increases efficiency of air entering the turbo as well as the quality of air entering.
F82 M4 Single Turbo
Because twin scroll turbos are more efficient at cramming more air into the engine, a higher ignition delay can be programmed into the engine. Leaner air-fuel mixtures result from cooler cylinder temperatures and lower exhaust gas temperatures. This improves fuel economy by as much as 5 percent and turbine efficiency by 7 - 8 percent.
What are the advantages of single scroll turbocharger?
- Compact.
- Light weight.
- Richer air-fuel mixtures.
- Durable.
- Relatively inexpensive.
What are the disadvantages of single scroll turbocharger?
- Inefficient at low rpm (turbo lag).
- Inefficient top end performance.
What are the advantages of Twin Turbo?
- A sequential setup can reduce turbo lag.
- Performance capabilities covered across the entire rpm range.
- Significant power increases.
What are the disadvantages of Twin Turbo?
- Heavy design compared to twin scroll.
- Takes up precious engine bay space.
- Typically higher maintenance costs.
- Typically a more complex design.
What are the advantages of TwinPower (Twin Scroll) turbo system?
M4 Single Turbo
- Smaller design package than Twin Turbo.
- Decreased turbo lag.
- Increased top end performance.
- Aggressive fuel mapping options.
- Increased torque.
- Increased fuel economy.
- Increased turbo efficiency.
- Lower cylinder and exhaust temps.
What are the disadvantages of TwinPower (Twin Scroll) turbo system?
- Typically larger in size compared to single scroll taking up more engine bay space.
- Twin scroll turbos are more expensive to replace than single scroll.
Important note:
Circa 2016 many BMW V8 engines went from Twin Turbo Power to TwinPower Turbo. V8 engines such as the N63TU went to dual twin scroll turbos. This adds another layer of confusion as the engine setup twin turbo but with twin srolls on each turbo.
M4 Single Turbo Kit
What is the bottom line?
BMW TwinPower Turbo systems offer similar power to a twin turbo system with more efficient power delivery, less weight and in a smaller package.
Where can I learn more BMW fun facts?
-Front Mount Intercooler, Overall Size: 28″x7″x2.5″ , 2.5″ Inlet & Outlet
-BMW E36 Engine Stainless Turbo Manifold
-T3/t4 V-band Turbocharger with 8PSI International Wastegate
-Stainless Steel 2.5″ V-band Clamp and 2.5″ Donwpipe Flange Ring
Another new name for us but their kits are complete and they even cast their own manifolds
Complete kit less software. Choice of turbo compressor and turbine wheels available from 50 to 67 trim and S4 to P trim. Turbine exhaust housing from .58 to .96 also available. Please call Todd at 414-712-5201 or email for complete list of parts included.
No article on M3 turbo kits would be complete with HPF. HPF must have one of the most skilled marketing teams out there, there are not many BMW shows in the US where you will not see their presence with some kit ass, big power M3s
HorsepowerFreaks has created the most reliable and powerful E46 M3 production turbo kits on the planet performing on BMW M3s around the world. Our production turbo systems have set records for horsepower, 60-130mph, 1/4 mile ET, 1/4 mile MPH, lap records and top speed.
All in all there are a huge range of turbo kits available for the E36 and E46 M3s to suit all budgets. If your business supplies M3 turbo kits, let us know!
What is BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology?
Since the N55 engine, BMW has been naming many of their engines 'TwinPower Turbo', this is a bit of a marketing trick. The predecessor N54 engine was actually a 'Twin Turbo' engine. There are big difference as well as advantages and disadvantages of both setups. We will ease into the complex topic of turbos by defining some terms and functions of the turbocharged system.
What is the basic difference between TwinPower Turbo and TwinTurbo Power?
In both designs, the exhaust manifold is evenly split into two headers based off of firing order. The TwinPower Turbo (also called twin scroll turbo) is a single turbo powered from pairs of cylinders in an alternating sequence from two exhaust down tubes. The Twin Turbo Power has two turbos, each fed by one of the two exhaust down tubes. Reference the below image to visualize the TwinPower Turbo technology. Although the example below is from a 4 cylinder engine, the same design can be applied to 6, 8 and 12 cylinder motors.
Now that the basic idea is explained, we can further go into detail of why BMW switched to the TwinPower design and the advantages of this setup over the Twin Turbo Power design.
What is a turbocharger?
A turbocharger is a device that increases engine power output and efficiency of an engine by compressing air into the combustion chamber through an exhaust powered turbine. The more air the engine takes in, the more fuel it can take and more power it makes.
What is the purpose of the exhaust manifold in a turbo system?
The exhaust manifold is a set of tubes bolted on the exhaust side of the engine block which collects the exhaust gases from each cylinder and channels them into a down tube. This channeled exhaust gas is fed through the turbocharger turbine blades, which feeds compressed air into the motor. The exhaust manifold must be designed in a way to quickly and efficiently remove the gases from the engine. The tubes coming off the manifold can be created with equal or unequal length tubes, both with advantages and disadvantages of each design.
Car manufacturers want to keep the engine design as compact as possible to save weight and overall size, however, the performance of the vehicle is hindered as the result of unequal tube length. The engine's pistons create a series of pressure pulses based on the firing order creating a natural process called scavenging.
What is scavenging?
Scavenging is the process of pushing exhaust gases out of a cylinder and naturally drawing in a fresh dose of an air-fuel mixture for the next cycle. This is an essential part of a smooth running engine. Pressure 'pulses' are naturally created from the firing order of the cylinders which push exhaust gases out the manifold in a high-pressure pulse. This high pressure naturally draws a low-pressure pulse out from the combustion chamber continuing the cycle by sucking in new air. The desirable trait of scavenging can quickly turn undesirable if the exhaust manifold tubes are of unequal length. A negative effect of reversing can occur.
What is reversing?
Reversing, or reversion, is when the flow of exhaust gases is disrupted to the point where it can reverse direction and actually flow back into the combustion chamber contaminating the fresh combustion gases with exhaust gases. Computermagazin. There is a small overlap of the valves where an intake and exhaust valve are partially open at the same (even more so on race engines). This allows for the possibility of interference as the exhaust gases fight each other to be expelled from the cylinders.
What are the are the side effects of reversion?
- Higher combustion temperatures.
- Higher exhaust temperatures.
- Richer air-fuel mixtures.
- Disrupted ignition timing.
- Higher NOx emissions.
How do twin scroll turbos fix the possibility of reversing?
Twin scroll turbo design still contains a single turbo but the turbine is fed through two different inlet tubes (see pictures below for further clarification). The natural process of pulsating is fixed by equally separating exhaust tubes from the cylinders which naturally interfere with each other creating the pulsing effect. This creates a much smoother flow of exhaust gases. This increases efficiency of air entering the turbo as well as the quality of air entering.
F82 M4 Single Turbo
Because twin scroll turbos are more efficient at cramming more air into the engine, a higher ignition delay can be programmed into the engine. Leaner air-fuel mixtures result from cooler cylinder temperatures and lower exhaust gas temperatures. This improves fuel economy by as much as 5 percent and turbine efficiency by 7 - 8 percent.
What are the advantages of single scroll turbocharger?
- Compact.
- Light weight.
- Richer air-fuel mixtures.
- Durable.
- Relatively inexpensive.
What are the disadvantages of single scroll turbocharger?
- Inefficient at low rpm (turbo lag).
- Inefficient top end performance.
What are the advantages of Twin Turbo?
- A sequential setup can reduce turbo lag.
- Performance capabilities covered across the entire rpm range.
- Significant power increases.
What are the disadvantages of Twin Turbo?
- Heavy design compared to twin scroll.
- Takes up precious engine bay space.
- Typically higher maintenance costs.
- Typically a more complex design.
What are the advantages of TwinPower (Twin Scroll) turbo system?
M4 Single Turbo
- Smaller design package than Twin Turbo.
- Decreased turbo lag.
- Increased top end performance.
- Aggressive fuel mapping options.
- Increased torque.
- Increased fuel economy.
- Increased turbo efficiency.
- Lower cylinder and exhaust temps.
What are the disadvantages of TwinPower (Twin Scroll) turbo system?
- Typically larger in size compared to single scroll taking up more engine bay space.
- Twin scroll turbos are more expensive to replace than single scroll.
Important note:
Circa 2016 many BMW V8 engines went from Twin Turbo Power to TwinPower Turbo. V8 engines such as the N63TU went to dual twin scroll turbos. This adds another layer of confusion as the engine setup twin turbo but with twin srolls on each turbo.
M4 Single Turbo Kit
What is the bottom line?
BMW TwinPower Turbo systems offer similar power to a twin turbo system with more efficient power delivery, less weight and in a smaller package.
Where can I learn more BMW fun facts?
Learn more BMW fun facts by clicking HERE
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