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can i turbo my c20xe astra??

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tomsjapcars

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i bought a cheap astra c20xe as a project, can i use a let manifold and turbo along with decomp plate to achieve turbo power?? what elts do i need?? ps im on a budget and dont want to spend out on a let lump
 
drill out oil thingys in back or something... and low comp pistons i think is needed :)
 
There are many other parts you will need including a Turbo Top hat ( replaces the SFI box), intercooler and many oil feed mods. It is possible but hard work and only really if you have a good strong XE as a lump. I have been toying with the idea as well but got advised against it although a friend of mine did it and he hasn't had any probs in 2 years !!!!
 
hmmm i duno about cheaper


however i am goin to be doin this eventually cause it is cheaper in the long run

have an xe....spend money turnin it into a let

buy a let....will turn out its old and tired like they all are....have to spend money freshenin it up

mite turn out about the same

will need to drill n oil return out in the block, put low comp pistons, u will bascially need a whole let set up, without the head lol
 
are ya geting high lift kams and port polish ya head? maybe get bigger valvs to that will get you a bit more powere
 
not doing any headwork yet, just trying to source all the bits first, why will i need a turbo tophat?? shouldnt the powercap be fine with the standard throttle body? does anyone no iff i need a let ecu and injectors??
 
to do a c20xe turbo conversion you will need the tophat from a LET, also use the c20let engine loom and ECU as there is a few more sensors on the turbo, you need the tophat as there are 2 sensors on it that aint on the c20xe.

also need to drill a oil feed for the turbo which needs to be drilled in the back of the block( same place as the c20let. you will also need c20let pistons as the c20xe pistons are a different compression ratio to the LET ones.

the rods and everything else is the same in each engine.

also need to get a intercooler and the pipework and a turbo of coarse inc the turbo coolant feed pipes.

all in all it can be done but is lot easier just to buy a C20LET imo
 
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what is the highest boost an xe will take on standard ecu and injectors iff i lower compression, just so i dont have to source a let ecu and loom
 
You don't have to change the pistons TBH. A mate of mine turbo'd his using the standard XE pistons and 2 years on its still fine holding boost etc with no problems and he hammers it most of the time :) A top hat is deffo needed tho as described above as it has a few sensors and it connects to the air flow from the turbo unit. Also you don't really need to change the injectors etc and you can use the XE ECU with no worries. Hope that helps.
 
yeah you can use the XE pistons but will need a thick head gasket to lower the compression ratio. also forgot to mention you need the throttle body from the LET for the vacumm hoses so the ecu can read the boost which is another reason why you need a LET ecu and loom
 
ok thats good info, what sort of boost is your mate running on his xe?
 
For the hassle it will cause chap it just easier to buy a C20LET. To but all the parts separetly will probably cost you more than just buying a c20let. Yes it can be done, is it worth it no imo. Its better to have everything you need sitting in front of you as theres a few small bits that are really important that can be missed.

Few Example prices and parts

Loom -100
AFM - 75
Turbo - 200
ECU - 100
Pistons - 100
Amal valve - 30
Tank vent valve - 20
Top Hat - 20
Injectors - 20
Hot start valve -10

Also the cost of parts for a re-build, you could probably pick up a rebuilt C20LET for 1k

How ever if you want to turbo you xe back in the day courtney sport did an xe bolt on turbo kit, and there happens to be one on ebay right now! He is breaking this GTE, this kit is rare

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230336545536&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123
 
And you could sell you XE complet for £250, so in therory a C20LET for £750?
 
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