Tuning Is it possible to turbo charge a 1.2l fiat 500?
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Tuning Is it possible to turbo charge a 1.2l fiat 500?
Anything is possible, but it’ll be far cheaper and sensible just to buy an abarth or an abarth engine and box.
It's not practical not only do you have the work of finding somewhere to mount it all the additional pipework you then need to get the ECU remapped to accommodate the turbo as without it the fueling and air mixture would be wrong
TrevC
Established member
Yes, if you want upgraded handling too, get an Abarth. If you just want more performance, get a Twinair. Even the 85 goes much better than the 1.2.
Also bear in mind that a modified car will be far harder to insure than a far higher performance 'standard' car, say an Abarth.
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Why are you trying to make it so difficult? It will all be so much easier and simpler just to buy an Abarth in the first place.
You’d need to fit rear discs, make sure you’ve got ESP and a load of other things. They already make the Abarth, don’t try and make your own.
It won't just drop in, it won't just work - for the amount of money it'd cost for the whole project, not to mention that the insurance on a heavily modified 1.2 is likely to be double that of a factory Abarth...
And how much will it cost to adapt the harness? How much for the gearbox? The driveshafts? The front brakes?
It will be cheaper to buy an Abarth :facepalm:
You want to hear that it’s easy, it isn’t.
Do whatever you want...
Every time this question is asked, a few things run through my mind. The OP has no idea by merely asking, usually young and naive, as said a money pit, insurance unlikely, the list goes on & on. I would, at a guess, you wouldn't be doing the work yourself. Even if it was possible to source a mechanic it would be mega thousands. No such thing as plug & play in this field. I could go on,but!!
I really don't want to burst any bubbles & this probably reads a bit strong & blunt, but that's the nut & bolts of it....
I really don't want to burst any bubbles & this probably reads a bit strong & blunt, but that's the nut & bolts of it....
I love watching stuff like MightyCarMods, Tom's Turbo Garage, The Skid Factory, etc on YouTube, but the problem with these channels is that they compress weeks of work into 1/2 hour videos, and almost never mention the costs involved. Project Binky is probably the most representative modified car series on the YouTubes as it's been going on for years and is quite clearly a money pit, and it's still up on axle stands!!!
Aye, I'm watching the American car programs on Sky Looks so easy as the swap engines & prduce machines that 500bhp plus... Love the shiny bits, their patter is diabolic & feeble, but even if you don't like the stuff they produce, they certainly do sterling work.
Love the shiny bits, their patter is diabolic & feeble, but even if you don't like the stuff they produce, they certainly do sterling work.
Hi.
If you had any issues with insurance at all for this type of conversion then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.
If you had any issues with insurance at all for this type of conversion then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.
Few points I don't won't to buy. New car I want to modify the one I have because as easy as it is to say buy a new car it's not as easy to do also my dad was a mechanic and has a mechanic friend so on terms of labour I would be paying potentialy only for ECU remap I'm aware it will cost a bit but I'm fine with it as I want a sleeper car and I don't want to really put a new engine in the costs for me anyways aren't extremely high and I think it's worth it which brings be to the original question this is for everyone will the abarth manifold fit on the 1.2 because obviously there's no place to put a turbo on the 1.2 manifold
Having a 1.2 over a 1.4 won’t make it any more of a sleeper.
Do what you want mate, if you want to take the ridiculously complicated way of doing it then do it that way.
I know it won't but again I don't want to buy a new car I just need to know if the turbo manifold from the abarth 500 will fit on the 1.2
*Exhaust manifold
The manifold as far as I know is not a straight swap, the abarth engine is incredibly tightly packed in the engine bay of the 500, even the badge acts like an air vent on the abarth to let cooling air in as it’s all so tight. Because of this the abarth engine does not sit exactly as the 1.2 engine will it uses a different gearbox, different drive shafts and different front suspension set up, most likely with different splines on the axles. You could make customs drive shafts but you would need them balancing afterwards and to know an exceptional welder.
The turbo on the 1.4 is matched to the multiair set up, I believe it’s a variable vein turbo, something your 1.2 ecu will have no provision to control. Neither will it have the ability to monitor boost pressure.
In the 80s when cars ran carbs and nothing electrical you could in theory bolt on a turbo, tweet the carb and get more power but it did require some know how, but could be done at home.
Knowing people who have build and installed customs turbo installs as well as following a few threads on this forum your choices are,
1. custom made parts, customs fitted and a bespoke ecu. Which can cause problems with how the rest of the car works.
2. You buy an abarth engine with all ancillaries and gear box and try to install it, still have to replace bodywork because the body was made to fit that engine to the abarth (so you’d not have a sleeper) then try and get it all to work and talk to each other without access to the Fiat Examiner system needed to program the whole lot to work properly.
3. You buy a £4K abarth as is and enjoy it. Which would still work out cheaper and more reliable than options 1 and 2.
4. Buy a motor bike which will go faster than most cars anyway. (Cheapest option, but most likely to get you dead)
The turbo on the 1.4 is matched to the multiair set up, I believe it’s a variable vein turbo, something your 1.2 ecu will have no provision to control. Neither will it have the ability to monitor boost pressure.
In the 80s when cars ran carbs and nothing electrical you could in theory bolt on a turbo, tweet the carb and get more power but it did require some know how, but could be done at home.
Knowing people who have build and installed customs turbo installs as well as following a few threads on this forum your choices are,
1. custom made parts, customs fitted and a bespoke ecu. Which can cause problems with how the rest of the car works.
2. You buy an abarth engine with all ancillaries and gear box and try to install it, still have to replace bodywork because the body was made to fit that engine to the abarth (so you’d not have a sleeper) then try and get it all to work and talk to each other without access to the Fiat Examiner system needed to program the whole lot to work properly.
3. You buy a £4K abarth as is and enjoy it. Which would still work out cheaper and more reliable than options 1 and 2.
4. Buy a motor bike which will go faster than most cars anyway. (Cheapest option, but most likely to get you dead)
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