K03 hybrid

[DavidT]

There must be a few UK cars with this setup as Dialynx offer it.

[jeffw]

The bulk of the cost is in the work to get the engine out and then back in....K03 hybrids may be better than standard K03s but you will still need to upgrade the fuel pump/injectors/intercoolers and custom re-map to make use of them. I would be surprised if the cost difference between the Hybrids and K04 route is more than £800.

[MarkB]

Interesting to hear you can do the swap engine in place for K03's but not K04's but I do think the time take is about the same because of it being a PITA to do with the engine in.

If DIY then engine in could be good if you don't have an engine lift etc.

How do you tell which turbo is making most noise? Mine just sounds like turbo noise from the engine area...

[MarkB]

I would be surprised if the cost difference between the Hybrids and K04 route is more than £800.

£800 is still £800 you may not want to spend. and fueling upgrades aren't compulsary

[S4TAN]

There is talk on AW of being able to remove K03's without removing the engine. just a K04 can't go in the same way.

A K03 to K03 hybrid swap may be possible without engine out

Now I am VERY interested ... If it were verified that this could be done then I would definitely go down this route. Don't get me wrong: I like Doug and Mihnea, i think they're really good guys, but I don't want to give them a grand just to hoik my engine out! I also don't intend to go much further with my car on the power upgrade front (that said, there is a whiff of some used RS4 i/c's on the horizon which, if the price is right, i will certainly be going for).

If my turbo(s) start failing/go pop, then of course i will be forced to swap them out - however, it would be nice to pre-empt this by installing nice new hybrid 03s prior to any failure which may then have a detrimental effect on other parts of the engine (and thereby incur further associated cost), especially if it doesn't involve an engine lift!!!

[DavidT]

I would be surprised if the cost difference between the Hybrids and K04 route is more than £800.

£800 is still £800 you may not want to spend. and fueling upgrades aren't compulsary

From memory 360-370 is the max on standard fuelling? still a good upgrade from a 320 bhp chipped car on K03's. It will feel stronger than that too as the hybrids will be able to run lots of low down boost I expect, just like the K04's do.

[MarkB]

It looks like our US cousins are raising the fuel pressure to get a bit more out of the fuel system. A 5bar fuel pressure regulator being mention quite a bit. No idea of cost though. They also seem to be using seperate boost controlers also.

S4TAN, would you be getting you hands dirty swapping turbo's. I think a garage price for the swap would stay much the same regardless.

[MarkB]

I would be surprised if the cost difference between the Hybrids and K04 route is more than £800.

£800 is still £800 you may not want to spend. and fueling upgrades aren't compulsary

From memory 360-370 is the max on standard fuelling? still a good upgrade from a 320 bhp chipped car on K03's. It will feel stronger than that too as the hybrids will be able to run lots of low down boost I expect, just like the K04's do.

Is there really no more lag from K04's over the K03's?

I did some quick sums on the K03/K04's and a pair on exhange would come to less than a grand so looks really good value to me...

[S4TAN]

S4TAN, would you be getting you hands dirty swapping turbo's.

Highly unlikely - unless it was in a purely 'assistant' role! I am no mechanic, and although I've done upgrades myself like the Milltek exhaust, changing plugs and oil etc I certainly wouldn't risk a turbo-swap ...

Mark: when speaking to Doug about turbo-swaps (as I have several times) he quotes 20hrs labour for the engine lift alone - do you reckon it would be the same labour time if it could be done from underneath without the engine lift?

[GrahamS4]

How do you tell which turbo is making most noise? Mine just sounds like turbo noise from the engine area...

I have an unmistakable whine while spooling from the left hand turbo.

Quite loud, but not alarming, but perhaps why I am a little more interested in this than some!

[S4TAN]

From memory 360-370 is the max on standard fuelling? still a good upgrade from a 320 bhp chipped car on K03's. It will feel stronger than that too as the hybrids will be able to run lots of low down boost I expect, just like the K04's do.

Certainly sounds like a winner to me! (providing the bloody engine doesn't have to come out ...)

For me (and after a quick cost/benefit analysis) I would be very happy with 360/370 bhp@crank, with a nice new reliable set of turbos to boot ...

[MarkB]

Mark: when speaking to Doug about turbo-swaps (as I have several times) he quotes 20hrs labour for the engine lift alone - do you reckon it would be the same labour time if it could be done from underneath without the engine lift?

I think it comes down to 'would they do the work without lifting the engine?'

If you can find someone you can trust who is willing then maybe its a 'GO' If it is possible to get the labour cost down I would be interested.

The advantage of the engine out is that you could also do a clutch swap out at the same time.

[jeffw]

360-370 on standard fueling on K04s....then your turbos melt....I know all about this since I've paid twice to have the engine out of my car and the Turbos replaced, twice.....Do it once and do it right. KO4s don't spool up later than K03s particular and within a few weeks you'll not notice.

[MarkB]

360-370 on standard fueling on K04s....then your turbos melt....I know all about this since I've paid twice to have the engine out of my car and the Turbos replaced, twice.....Do it once and do it right. KO4s don't spool up later than K03s particular and within a few weeks you'll not notice.

It's not a case that the turbo's will melt because the fueling isn't up to the job, it's the fact that the map you had allowed the turbo's to run beyond the fueling capabilties.

[jeffw]

You'd probable need no-cats or sports cats plus decat downpipes (or a full Milltek) to see 360-370 on K04s with fuel changes.