308 Turbo kit from Norwood... What you think?

I recently sent an e-mail to Norwood asking them about there 308 Turbo upgrade kit. Below is the responce I got back:

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Thanks for the inquiry. We have done more than twenty 308 turbos
over the years but just this year developed our system as a kit. We have
recently installed the first kit on a local car and should have dyno results
in a couple of weeks, once it is broken in. Since you already have the EFI
handled the hard part is done. Our turbo system will bolt on and can be used
with or without our intercooler system. The only cutting that is required is
to drill and tap a hole in the block by the differential for the turbo oil
drain. The system includes all new exhaust except for the front header,
turbocharger, wastegate, pop-off valve, boost control, oil hoses and
fittings, hose, clamps and heatshields. All the exhaust is 304 stainless and
is thermal coated, the aluminum parts are powder coated. The turbo is a
standard cartridge Garrett from Turbonetics. We use top quality materials
throughout and everything is TIG welded in house. For a stock engine we
recommend a max boost level of 7 psi although I have customers running 10
psi with an intercooler on stock motor with good results. We have a full
line of internal motor components: pistons, rings, copper headgaskets etc.
You may need to reconfigure your EFI a bit for the turbo with larger
injectors etc.. I don't have software for the TEC 2 but I can help you with
timing tables etc.

Pricing:
Turbo kit: $7210
Intercooler kit: $3770 (air to water)

We provide full tech support to all our customers. Attached are a few
pictures of the system we just installed. Feel free to contact me with any
questions and to talk about your specific application.

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Here are a couple links to pictures of the kit:

http://img81.exs.cx/img81/4940/P1010212.jpg
http://img81.exs.cx/img81/3241/P1010213.jpg
http://img81.exs.cx/img81/6991/P1010214.jpg
http://img81.exs.cx/img81/776/P1010215.jpg


What do you guys think of this kit and the pricing? One thing I found kind of odd is that it is a single turbo kit running one large turbo off of one side of the engine. To me this seems like it would create more backpressure on one side of the motor.

Has anyone purchased this kit?

 

I haven't bought one, but they must be on the up&up about just getting it installed, last I'd talked to them in the spring it hadn't been done yet.

Note that it does energize the turbine with both sides. That layout of the parts shows how they use the front bank to drive the turbo inlet.

As for the cost, I guess you gotta say "it is what it is". I think if you look back at some posts from mk_e about the cost to put a blower on your car like he recommends, it was in that same neighborhood. $6k or 9k???

 

Looks like you'll have to remove the oil pan to put it in but considering they've done so much work already, not that bad of a project.

Considering what some guys have spent on HC Pistons, new cams and an engine rebuild, $7K for an extra 100BHP (???) is not that expensive. Heck, even if it was only 75BHP you'd still have a more driveable car than rebuilding the engine with high lift cams and as much HP.

 

I'll play Devil's Advocate on this one, and point out that money would be the down payment on a TR! LOL!

THERE's your HP increase, baby!

Why torment your poor 308 motor? It is what it is..........resale equals $$zero the day you bolt this on.........

The higher you turn the wick, the faster the lantern burns out!

 

Norwood recently installed a stage one turbo system on my TR with the intercooler option. I am very pleased with the results and would recommend them without hesitation. Performance and drivability is excellent and support with system fine tuning has been outstanding. I would say that they met or exceeded all my expectations.
Best regards,
John

 

Regardless of if you decide on a turbo or not, my dealings with James and the Norwood crew have been remarkably good, with excellent unequalled fabrication product. I would imagine that no one would know how to do this better than them.

best
rt

 

Just my personal opinion here, but I hope every 308 get's turbocharged.
Even if it's one-by-one.....till they're all done.
This complaint of lack of horsepower comes up over and over and over.
"....they're a great car, but I just wish they had more power..."
Ya you can upgrade cars, but this same money will only move you into a 328 that wouldn't stand a chance against a turbocharged 308.

I know it doesn't sound cheap, but think of how much those 'ricers' put into their cars...and they get how much back?

Norwood's a good name in this, perhaps the best.
I say go for it!

Best!
Wes

 

I'll share my thoughts here as well. I've dealt with James and Norwood's extensively; here's what I've found:
These guys are PRO's! They have encountered many problems and ironed each one out- this is not an "experimental" kit. He knows what he's doing here.
Resale- "Zero"- I doubt it. All you'll need to be aware of, is that the target audience for your car will shrink, no doubt. However, once you let a previous 308 owner drive your Norwoodized 308, he'll NEVER go back! The big question here is how much of the $7k investment will you get back? My guess is some, not all.
"Here's your downpayment on a TR" Let your 308 eat TR's all day long, (as long as it's not a TURBO TR!)
Longevity. I think Norwoods could answer this question better than I but, I'd guess not a big difference unless you are in the boost constantly. In my case, I drive like a little old lady 99% of the time.

 

Hello

My first posting coming up...

The turbo upgrade looks wery professional done! I have been active in Porsche circles, but own nowdays also a 308 GTS QV. People usually want more power in their cars after a while, to keep the exitement! As far as I know it´s almost always cheaper to swap for a car with more power than upgrade the recent car. If you get bored at the car after the upgrade and decide to sell it, you probably won´t get any money back from your upgrade investment.

Ok, I have only owned my Ferrari for one year, so I´m no expert, but i think a car thats been upgraded with 75-100php also needs attention to the brakes and drivetrain.

I own a Porsche 930 (which I modify slowly) with 935 coilover suspenssion and tuned engine (b-group stuff) which I use for harder driving on track and autocross, which leaves the Ferrari for cruising.

 

Yea, 'Turbo Owner's' and "little old lady drivers' are right next to each other in MY dictionary, LOL!

I said I was being Devil's advocate....paint it metallic PINK if ya wanna........

It really depends on the year of the donor car, IMO.
There are less and less OEM carb cars, as time goes by....

NO experience with Norwood so I'm not trying to discourage him, life's short...be happy!

 

YO! Seb in Finland!!.......WELCOME!

...and thanks for chiming in........