Single Turbo Swap

[Yugen]

Hi guys I've been looking at buying an FD that seems in good condition and has had a lot of work done to it. One of which being a borgwarner S363SXE turbo. I was originally hoping to buy an FD with the OEM sequential chargers, is it still worth buying despite the conversion? Cheers!

 

[Myocardial Infarction]

is it still worth buying despite the conversion?

Only you can answer that question.

I've had both and if asked I'd recommend both.

But if you want a completely unmolested show piece in stock condition to put in the garage then no

 

[Yugen]

Only you can answer that question.

I've had both and if asked I'd recommend both.

But if you want a completely unmolested show piece in stock condition to put in the garage then no

Ive had neither so I have no reference, whats the driveability like with both? And how much hp can you get out of the stock turbos?

 

[Myocardial Infarction]

Driveability with stock twins is pretty epic, they're responsive and spool nice and early.

Check out this thread for HP: FD:OC Dyno Day Results and Comparisons (04 Nov 18)

If you're chasing numbers then you could upgrade to one of the modified twins such as BNR or Knighsport or get stock set modified by someone like Midland Turbos. But a single will tend to produce less heat due to lower restriction in exhaust and generally more power.

Big old truck turbos will provide big HP but the kick imo doesn't suit such a liteweight vehicle (but this is my opinion), whereas one of the more modern and very fast spooling turbos such as an BW EFR8374 will produce modest numbers but be alot closer to the twins experience. Anything much past 500hp and the car becomes pretty niche and not exactly very streetable. Great for the drag strip or drifting/racing maybe but I've no experience of this.

I can't recall who's running a S363SXE presently but sure I've seen someone mention that turbo recently.

 

[jdmr_neil]

I too have had both and would also recommend both options.

With the fact you have already mentioned power i think for you the single is the one. Chasing power on twins isn't the best due to their design.
If your gonna be happy and stay happy around 350bhp then the twins are awesome. I had more fun in my twins car than in single. I could drive it quicker and be on the limit much more confidently.

My car wasn't a powerful single either and there was only maybe 50bhp between them.

The big whallop of torque on spool of the single i didn't find as easy to put down around a track. The twins however being more progressive and a little less powerful i got on the power much quicker.

However twins get hot, they break, they are a nightmare to work on and they are very restricting, for space, other supporting mods and power.

Single is easy to work on, makes plenty power, manages heat better and has a huge aftermarket options potential.

Whatever you choose its now worth paying someone local with fd knowledge to look over any potential purchase.

These cars can hide many pitfalls and at the price they are selling for now, i know i would.

 

[Ceylon]

I've also owned both and I'd say it depends on how much you like tinkering and power goals. I love how they drive on twins and the sound characteristics that come with it. They are quieter pre transition so probably make a better road car. Also the noise change at transition is awesome. A single car is like a twins car always post transition sound wise.

350hp is safely achievable on twins and is plenty for a road car, these cars are light and awesome fun when lightly tuned. The downside is they are old and things like solenoids and vac hoses do wear out and if you're not mechanically minded can be quite frustrating to troubleshoot and fix, there is a lot going on in the rats nest.

If you're after more than 400hp single is the way to go as you'd really be pushing the twins by this point. Benefits of single are simplicity, predictability and power. They are far easier to work on with much more space in the engine bay, everything is easy access with all the actuators and rats nest removed.

Before you set your power goals, maybe reach out to a local owner for a passenger ride, FD's go really well for their power output and a 350HP FD is real fast compared to most other cars of similar output .

 

[Yugen]

Thank you for the reply fellas! Im going to view this car on sunday so I'll have a chat with the owner about it. Apparently the mods are good for 600hp which is wayyyyyy more than I need! I think my ideal setup would be twins pushing 350hp-400hp but these cars are so rare now so I may not find another in my price range. We'll see!

 

[Sturneyrx7]

Thank you for the reply fellas! Im going to view this car on sunday so I'll have a chat with the owner about it. Apparently the mods are good for 600hp which is wayyyyyy more than I need! I think my ideal setup would be twins pushing 350hp-400hp but these cars are so rare now so I may not find another in my price range. We'll see!

While that turbo may make 600HP if really pushed - it will take a huge amount of boost to do so

@Luke Hardy runs the same turbo and makes (if i recall correctly) 530HP at 1.3 bar. Its a fairly big turbo and will run 450hp+ even at low boost but will offer decent response compared to many singles of a similar size. Its a commonly opted for turbo at the moment.

I run the bigger s364.5SXE and its a great turbo, needs the revs up but very punchy when it comes on and as i have the 1.00AR exhaust housing keeps pulling up top too.

 

[jandesousa]

Just my 2 pence worth .... I still run the sequential twins but upgraded to hybrid twins with bigger billet wheels done at Midland Turbos. Running 370bhp at only 0.85 bar boost. Absolute dream to drive. Even managed to finish 3rd on handling track at TOTB2021

 

[Yugen]

Awesome! Thank you for the input fellas! I've bought the car now so I've just gotta get the engine in and mapped!