MichaelD Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Has anyone put a Turbo on a Zetec Seven? What brand Seven? What frame mods required? What type Turbo? Photos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 (edited) My advice is don't do, high HP and low torque is ALWAYS the way to go with a light weight car. If I was going to go with a forced induction, I go with the SC. My 2 cents worth Edited March 18, 2012 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off Road SHO Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Ditto on what Terry said, but I would spec out a Roots style blower and not a centrifigal type. A Roots style is in bypass mode most of the time and therfore not a tremendous drag. Only when the vacuum goes away does it start to push more air. A Roots style also comes on right off of idle and will not have any delay whatsoever. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 http://www.rotrex.com/Home.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 My Caterham has a turbo and I wouldn't have it any other way. It has a Miata engine rather than a Zetec but since it is an SV there is plenty of room for the turbo. Turbo lag is a non issue, the car is quick without even getting into the boost. The car is totally docile in everyday driving and a rocket if you give it the boot. You cannot floor it coming out of an apex but you can learn just how much throttle it will take and roll into it and once you are straightened out mash it and blast down the straight. The turbo is a Garrett 2560 and no cutting of the frame was required. I cannot use the bolt in pieces of the frame that go forward from the firewall to the frame near the front suspension on either side of the engine. The turbo is in the way on one side and the intake manifold on the other. http://www.britishv8.org/Other/SkipCannon/SkipCannon-BA.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Not being able to get into the throttle at the apex is exactly why the Turbocharger with is instant boost issues doesn't work. In my opinion if you want to drive the car at the track it's not the way to go. Nice looking install. I guess that's one quick road car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Not being able to get into the throttle at the apex is exactly why the Turbocharger with is instant boost issues doesn't work. In my opinion if you want to drive the car at the track it's not the way to go. Nice looking install. I guess that's one quick road car! I didn't say you cannot get into the throttle at the apex, just that you have to learn how much throttle you can give it and still maintain control rather than just mashing it to the floor at the apex. The power comes on quickly but controllably when in boost but not like the old days with the Porsche 930 turbo and its on/off switch throttle response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOTTTCAR Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Scannon You are right! For me, I love having enough power to keep the car on the edge of traction while exiting a corner and blasting down the straight. Being the fastest car in the pack ....you don't have to watch your rear view so closely to see who is about to eat your lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayseven Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I have a turbo on my Nissan 7. I would never in a hundred years do it again, and this motor came with it. It is not needed, adds weight, and a ton of complexity. You can do more homework, and will always find those who think everything is a great idea. They don't have to live with YOUR decisions. Do you really need to spin your wheels easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Personally, whether it is turbocharging or supercharging, it really does not matter. I am in support of anyone who has a mid-life crisis and wants more power! :jester: Preparing for the NJMP June 2012 Sevens trackday are we MichaelD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I agree with the above statement, however as someone who is a long turn racer, I am always looking at not only how quick the car is, but how drivable it is. Over the years Caterham have done a huge amount of research on forced air induction and as you can see from their recent model line up, it never happened. In the end it's whatever works for you :hurray: What colour is that Blue? Looks like French Racing Blue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 We used a Rotrex in 1 of our cars and it is blindingly fast, and incredibly packed engine compartment. It can become a packaging nightmare to fit everything in there to make it work correctly. The biggest isssue is heat build up. Cooling and intercooling. It can work and is very effective and is fast but not as easy as you might first think. I have heard Dick Brink who is a Birkin dealer is building a Rotrex powered Duratec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I agree with the above statement, however as someone who is a long turn racer, I am always looking at not only how quick the car is, but how drivable it is. Over the years Caterham have done a huge amount of research on forced air induction and as you can see from their recent model line up, it never happened. In the end it's whatever works for you :hurray: What colour is that Blue? Looks like French Racing Blue! The color is Laguna Seca Blue from the BMW M3 series. Once your brain and right foot get calibrated to the turbo's responses the car is as drivable as any non turbo car. I'm not a racer nor are my skills on a level with racers but I have been doing track days with a turbo Miata and the Caterham for many years and I find my cars are as drivable as any other non turbo cars I have driven on the track. IIRC Caterham's top of the line Levante had a supercharged V8 in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedwagon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 there are more than 2 positions to the foot-feed. A well balanced turbo is hard to detect in the power band, in fact can usually be less tweeky than a non-turbo of the same hp/wt . there is no such thing as too much horsepower, there is such a thing as using too much of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I love that colour, does the car have a black pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoPho Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 IIRC Caterham's top of the line Levante had a supercharged V8 in it. It wasn't produced by Caterham though, RS Performance built it. It also used a V8 that was basically two motorcycle engines grafted together, so it didn't have a lot of low end torque (300ft/lbs @ 8500rpm). It isn't that much faster than an R500 either (at least on paper) there are more than 2 positions to the foot-feed. A well balanced turbo is hard to detect in the power band, in fact can usually be less tweeky than a non-turbo of the same hp/wt . Yes, but the turbo motor tends to put the torque peaks down low which on a low weight car, especially one with little weight on the back of the car, isn't necessarily ideal. A car like the Ariel Atom with it's engine in the back seems better suited to forced induction. A friend here in LA supercharged his Zetec 7 and ended up ditching it in favor of a NA Duratec motor, besides not liking the power delivery it also added something like 50-60lbs to the front of the car which he said had a negatively affected the steering and handling there is no such thing as too much horsepower, there is such a thing as using too much of it. I don't agree, if you have to spend most of your efforts pussyfooting around your horsepower than it is too much. I've driven cars like that and it is not fun and a waste Maybe if all you have is straight roads (not what a 7 is for anyway) than maybe, but I can barely use all 200 horsepowers on the roads I drive, the straights are too short and the corners too tight, i.e. perfect 7 roads Personally, I don't think turbos are in the spirit of the car, but to each their own http://www.websmileys.com/sm/sad/533.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I love that colour, does the car have a black pack? No, it came with the bare ali windshield trim and chrome headlights. Had I been the one to order it from the factory it would have been yellow with the black pack. Originally I intended to paint it yellow before putting it on the road but the blue has grown on me and until it really needs new paint it will remain blue. There are pictures of the whole car in the link in my sig line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 With my fiberglass hood, I'm a little worried about heat from a turbo... nowadays, you can tune the turbo for different boosts at differnt rpm & gears. I think the rotex takes up the least room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 The Levante is slower around the track than a N/A R500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 With my fiberglass hood, I'm a little worried about heat from a turbo... nowadays, you can tune the turbo for different boosts at differnt rpm & gears. I think the rotex takes up the least room. You can buy a boost controller.:party: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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