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ike84 · 03-29-2023, 08:43 PM

This is a very loaded question. It all depends on your goals, both performance numbers and what you want from the final build.

Widely available bolt on upgrades make trivial differences. God forbid you sink a weeks paycheck into that stupid ipd plenum.

Swaps for bigger m96 motors are possible and have been done. Forum sponsor documents them well. The one thing that EVERYONE misses with these swaps though is that the 2.7 intake and exhaust are not properly sized for a 3.4, and many a poor soul have walked away from a $7-10k 200hr project with only 260hp.

Overhaul of the intake and exhaust can be good for an extra 25-30 hp on the 2.7. Yes, it's true. I did it. Woody did too. It's not anything close to stock, but it can absolutely be done (and it's not terribly complicated from a build standpoint).

After that, get two turbos from a Mazda speed 3 and plumb them up. Run at 5 psi the setup should be good for close to 400hp and the flattest torque curve you've ever seen. The internals will handle this, but do not go any further despie how ready it is to keep torquing that knob on the waste gate. When FI kits were being sold for these cars, there were plenty of heartaches for those that got greedy (the rods won't hold).

You can push it farther than that by dropping the compression ratio and jacking up the boost, but be ready to spend a fortune on upgrading internals. Not to mention the poor 5 speed... (It's good to 350ish, maybe 400hp hp according to the one guy in NA who really truly knows them inside and out.

Guys have successfully performed all sorts of engine swaps - LS, 1.7t, 2.0t, Audi V8, and V8 twin turbo (yes, you read that right). It's never been done, but a w12 will work too. Keep in mind though that there are no commercially available kits to accomplish these tasks, and it is an ill advised undertaking for anyone isn't a baller fabricator AND a whiz with wiring/ecu/sensors, etc.

I spent over a year of my life careening down the very slippery slope of this rabbit hole. Be careful which pill you choose sir.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

03-29-2023, 08:43 PM	#3
ike84 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: KY Posts: 1,216	This is a very loaded question. It all depends on your goals, both performance numbers and what you want from the final build. Widely available bolt on upgrades make trivial differences. God forbid you sink a weeks paycheck into that stupid ipd plenum. Swaps for bigger m96 motors are possible and have been done. Forum sponsor documents them well. The one thing that EVERYONE misses with these swaps though is that the 2.7 intake and exhaust are not properly sized for a 3.4, and many a poor soul have walked away from a $7-10k 200hr project with only 260hp. Overhaul of the intake and exhaust can be good for an extra 25-30 hp on the 2.7. Yes, it's true. I did it. Woody did too. It's not anything close to stock, but it can absolutely be done (and it's not terribly complicated from a build standpoint). After that, get two turbos from a Mazda speed 3 and plumb them up. Run at 5 psi the setup should be good for close to 400hp and the flattest torque curve you've ever seen. The internals will handle this, but do not go any further despie how ready it is to keep torquing that knob on the waste gate. When FI kits were being sold for these cars, there were plenty of heartaches for those that got greedy (the rods won't hold). You can push it farther than that by dropping the compression ratio and jacking up the boost, but be ready to spend a fortune on upgrading internals. Not to mention the poor 5 speed... (It's good to 350ish, maybe 400hp hp according to the one guy in NA who really truly knows them inside and out. Guys have successfully performed all sorts of engine swaps - LS, 1.7t, 2.0t, Audi V8, and V8 twin turbo (yes, you read that right). It's never been done, but a w12 will work too. Keep in mind though that there are no commercially available kits to accomplish these tasks, and it is an ill advised undertaking for anyone isn't a baller fabricator AND a whiz with wiring/ecu/sensors, etc. I spent over a year of my life careening down the very slippery slope of this rabbit hole. Be careful which pill you choose sir. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk __________________ 2000 Box Base, Renegade Stage 1 performance mods complete, more to come When the owners manual says that the laws of physics can't be broken by this car, I took it as a challenge... Last edited by ike84; 03-29-2023 at 08:49 PM.