N/A question about the etec-II

[Kasstastrophy]

Is it possible to safely and reliably attain 150 - 175 horsepower on the 1.6l ecotec engine while leaving it naturally asperated?

[Andrewkittens]

you say etecII, but your car has the ecotec.
either way, i believe its a stretch, but attainable.

[Kasstastrophy]

Thanks... i swear i saw etec-II somewhere.

So its doable though albight impractical

[Daox]

You'd have to do a fair amount of work to get your power up to 175 ponies. At that point you'd be revving really high and have no bottom end torque which IMO doesn't make for a fun street car at all.

[Kasstastrophy]

So what would be best for better acceleration. I am not looking for top end speed or lighting quick off the line.

[Daox]

I think in the end turboing is the way to go if you really want a substancial bump is power. Almost every upgrade you make to an NA engine sacrifices low rpm power to gain high rpm power. The farther you go, the less low end you have. The turbo solves that problem.

[Kasstastrophy]

Which is gonna be very expensive since there is no turbo kit or anything made for my engine.

[Daox]

There are plenty of ways to make up a cheap turbo system. Knowing what you're doing is the hardest part of it.

To get up to 150-175 hp you would need to tear apart the engine and completely rebuild it with new pistons, probably new rods to accomidate higher rpms, ported head, along with stiffer valve springs, new camshafts, header, new exhaust and more. All those parts are going to need to be custom made too.

If you went with a turbo, all you need custom made is an exhaust manifold (modify the stock one for cheap) and the rest of the exhaust. Pretty much everything else you can bolt in and make fit with purchased parts.

[Kasstastrophy]

Any ideas what the cost comparison would be??

[Daox]

Hmmm, it'll be really general ballpark numbers, but lets take a look:

NA setup:
Intake - $150
Bored Throttle Body - $100
Head work - $300+
Cams - $300
Springs - $150
Pistons - $500
Rods - $500
Header - $350
Exhaust - $400
New gaskets & rebuild parts - $200
Engine management - $600

Total: $3550

Now, you have a car that is tuned to whatever rpm band you want. As I said, the higher you go, the more the low end is hurt. You also may not need every single item on this list, but you won't know until you try.



Turbo Setup:
Intake plumbing - $300
Blowoff valve - $50
Intercooler - $100
Turbocharger - $150
Oil and water lines - $150
Turbo manifold - $150 (modified stock manifold)
Exhaust - $400
Engine Management - $600

Total: $1900

Now, you have your 150-175 hp easy with no hit to low end at all.


There will probably be additional expenses on top of that for both setups. There are always miscellaneous parts you need, but I got all the big ones. But for a down and dirty turbo setup you can do it for under $2k if you are patient (waiting for cheaper parts) and do it all or mostly yourself. If you knew how to weld you could make your own turbo manifold and exhaust and save $400. Of course, if you want crazy power you'll need pistons and rods on top of that too.