Haha, yep I've seen those videos. That's how I found Hartley's stuff in the first place.

I liked the idea of the H2 200+ NA Busa based engine that weighed in at 150lbs in a Fit. Not only add HP but improve balance with less front weight Not to mention roll up next to people at a light and they'd be looking around for a motorcycle

Again though, these are DREAMS to me.

 

That's the beauty of this site though. Your "dream" is a challenge to me. It makes me want to make it happen and see what WILL happen should I succeed! hahaha That's really the only point to this thread, to get "crazy" ideas out there.

 

The thing with the Fiat motor is that it might beat a stock K-series but nothing else. I bet my turbocharged fully stock L15 motor is faster than a base Fiat Abarth engine. If you really do plan on swapping something different, just make it more worthwhile! Maybe a Mitsubishi 4B11 with a custom FWD transmission.. Or make an AWD Fit! One thing to look at also is how you're going to do with the axles, you might have to convert stuff or run 5 lug... I have no experience in that area but just something to look at.

 

I'm not so sure. The abarth engine puts out a whopping 170 hp. Now, that isn't a lot on its own, but for a car as light as the fit, that would be plenty. Plus, I could say: "yea, I have an abarth fit. "

 

A turbocharged L15 will make 130ish whp, that's about the same as 170bhp.

 

A turbo L15 can make far more than that for way less than the cost of this Fiat Multi-Air swap.

Except it won't happen so maybe not.

The parts needed to build up an L15 are available right off the shelf and can be tuned by flashing the stock ECU with the convenience of using your personal laptop. The current L15A record is just about 440whp. The current L-series (LEA) record is over 530whp.

Hell a stock L15A1 or A7 longblock is good for over 200whp reliably.

Food for thought before trying to be a unique snowflake just for the sake of it.

You know what else is unique? The DRAGON VETTE!

 

I have been looking online for a bolt on turbo kit for the l15a without much luck... Anyone here knows anything about cxracing. Been seeing them on eBay but divided on build quality.

 

A. I love that vette hahahaha.
B. You may be right, there may not be a huge market to improve an abarth engine in the U.S. However, the abarth has been sold in the U.K for a while now, almost as long as the Fit I think. So, I think the market will come to the U.S. soon enough. It's getting to be a popular car, or at least, the 500 model is.

 

Having worked at an audi shop I can say the 1.8s are FAR more reliable then the 2.0TFSI's. The early 2.0's had a bucket problem on the high pressure fuel pumps that are cams and then engines if not found soon enough. They also coked up the intake valves really fast if driven too soft its whole life.

Not a fan of 2.0's based on the expensive as shit high pressure fuel pumps being a big hp limiting factor.

1.8t's on the other hand are an amazing little engine. Only died when people didnt do oil changes or other maintenance on them. Seen a TON of 1.8t's that shit the bed due to sludging of the engine.

I'd like a 1.8t powered Fit please. They haul big heavy german sedans around just fine.

034Motorsport | Performance Parts for Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen I love my Audi's!



I also thing stuffing a SR20 in a fit would be cool too. Be it FWD or RWD! My blacktop SR sits at 350whp in an s-chassis with a stock bottom end and mild head.

 

On 4.8/5psi I'm making about 140whp and a run on 8/9psi made about 180whp.

Bang for buck turbo wins, unless money isn't a problem the sky is the limit really.

Putting in a non-Jap engine would just be sacrilege IMO.

 

That's ~10whp/psi boost on a small compressor/turbine combo too.

Even staying within the frame size and stepping up to a slightly larger set of wheels .. 15-20whp/psi boost is not beyond reach. Especially when you get the meth system on line.

 

Running well within the potential of the current set up. Need to get some supporting mods in place before I go chasing a bit of power

But to avoid a threadjack I've updated mine:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...y-build-3.html

 

OP,

Just to again chime in, look into accordguyintake's build which started by using the GReddy bolt on turbo kit for the L15

He is easily putting down higher than abarth #'s for FAR less then it would take to put that motor in the car.... He's also tracking it and embarrassing MUCH larger car's on non performance 420 tread ware tires

I am ALL for dreaming big, that's why earlier I posted up a V8

BUT

The L15A1 in the GD3 is MORE than capable of putting down the numbers you are referencing through forced induction. Fabricating a custom turbo kit can be JUST as intense if not more so than your proposed engine swaps, and yet there are off the shelf parts that will put out the same results for this car and this motor.

If this type of discussion is to continue, Admins PLEASE move it to the Wasteland where it belongs...

 

well, power is power no,matter how you look at it. I was thinking of custom fabricating a turbo kit, but that takes more engineering skill than I will ever have. Swapping in an Italian motor would be more fun imo.


thanks for the replies and civility in the replies guys. I think you all had valuable input, minus mike. (who never does).

 

So its good that you are honest enough to acknowledging a custom turbo kit is beyond your skill, but the reality is that a motor swap.. is magnitudes of order more difficult and expensive than simply turbocharging the L15A.

 

oh most definitely. I might not know EVERYTHING that goes into a motor swap, but I have a lot of friends who know waaaay more than me who want to help in the future. So, I know that dropping a turbo in is easier, but I like the bigger challenge of putting in a motor that doesn't belong there. Hahahaha

 

You don't make any sense what so ever.

I hope you have $18-20,000 laying around when or if you get around to this.

Good luck, you are going to need it.

 

Mike was rather accurate and informative here...

And threads about what people want to do are great. If you really want to shush naysayers though, go find a salvaged Fiat/audi/whatever and buy it. Start a REAL build thread.

Till then, were all going to give you a bit of a hard time...

And to follow up on what dsm said...

When it comes to the level of complexity involved to complete, Custom turbo ≠ Non Honda motor swap. The comparison in difficulty is Apples to Kumquat's...

If you want to see a well executed custom turbo build, to get an idea of how involved they become... https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/othe...ml#post1144046 OR
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...y-build-3.html

And that is still a "simpler" task than trying to put one of your proposed motors into a Fit...

+1.... 18-20K is a conservative and polite estimate...

 

vs Evo


Vs "200hp" FR-S


Having something unique is cool, but are you really willing to go through that much pain and suffering to do it? Even if I had a Fiat engine sitting in my garage, I don't know if I would spend the effort figuring out how to swap it in. I think you will have to find a way to connect it to the factory ECU also b/c the ECU controls all your gauges. And I don't know about Fiat's reliability.. Just thinking aloud

 

Yup, this would be relying on a full standalone and something akin to a racepaq dash unit.

You would have to figure out a way to setup power-steering, A/C, and pretty much everything else that relies on the stock ECU.

Any of the Fiat motors sensors would be useless to you, and you would be looking at using AEM/GM type replacements after you figure out the thread pitches and adapters for things like engine coolant temp, IAT, MAP, TPS, crank/cam angle sensors, the valve phasing/lift controls for the Fiat Multi-Air head, etc.

The physical requirements to fit the engine and a suitable transaxle, with all the running gear, hubs, axles, etc would be daunting. Not only that but what vehicle speed sensor are you going to be able to use with whatever trans will fight the bill? Its not necessarily going to be the Fiat Trans that works.

How is going to make the bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, slave cylinder, throw-out bearing etc. for this mystery transmission and at what cost?

The electronic side will drive you mad and would be so much worse in terms of time and cost than the mere nickle/diming of a couple hundred bucks for a motor mount fab and any subsequent revisions to said simple motor mount.

Are you going to be able to mount the motor in a way that has an acceptable angle for the cv shafts to land in whatever hubs you end up with in the vicinity of where the stock hubs would be in the wheel well? What will that do for steering geometry? Will you bind? etc. and so forth.

These threads are maddeningly devoid of any consideration for these things by the original posters.

You are basically re-designing the ENTIRE CAR around your motor choice when you take a modern EFI engine and drop it into the chassis of another modern EFI engined car.