# 1.8L Turbocharged? It possible to put the 1.4 turbo on the 1.8?



## mattsCruze (Dec 9, 2012)

Has any1 found out if there is a turbo system for the 1.8L Cruze yet? Or has any1 custome made pipes for custom fit for it to work? Also does any1 know if I can buy the factory turbo for the 1.4 and put it on my 1.8L? Also what else might you need in order to put a turbo on the 1.8? And for my last question.. what is already out for the 1.8L that i can bolt on or do to get more hp? Any help will be highly appreciated. 

Thanks
Matt


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

"Put the turbo from the 1.4 on the 1.8"

No. 


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

"put 1.8 turbo from the opel astra"

Yes


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## MikeW (Nov 29, 2010)

Yes, with enough money to throw into the project it is "possible". But with all "is it possible" questions like this, the other side of the question should be "is it worth the time and effort to do so?" In this case, no it is not.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Anything is possible but you would be much better served just mocking up a different turbo. Cheaper and easier. Also remember there are a plethora of other upgrades, it isn't as simple as bolting it on and going.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Cheapest EPA friendly way to do this, is to trade it off for a 1.4L. Not only everything under the hood has to be changed, but the PCM, BCM, radio, and the vehicle wiring harness plus the entire exhaust system.

What is really difficult to change is the VIN, that tells your insurance company and EPA that your vehicle was modified. These considerations should have been made before you purchased your vehicle. 

As a kid growing up in this once great country, engine swapping was a daily deal and a great deal of fun. Can't even do that anymore. No such thing as an add on turbo or supercharger, engine has to be extensively modified to handle the additional loads. Know of many guys that tried this, worked great until they hit the gas pedal the first time. Engines don't run very well with a connecting rod thrown through the block.


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## The_Madcat (Oct 6, 2012)

There are a crapton of LS V8's with addon turbos/superchargers, it's not as uncommon as you are making it out to be. In this case, the effort is not worth it and I agree there. The cost is very prohibitive with these vehicles.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

LSX engines are also built like tanks, the 1.8, while stout enough for low boost, aren't designed for the punishment an LSX engine can take. For the trucks they took a proven performance piece and toned it down for service, but at it's guts it is still a Corvette engine minus the exotic. the 1.8 is a bare bones people hauler motor that doesn't have the foundation for big power,If you do go this route I'd be leery of pushing it past 225-250HP.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

If you want more power from the 1.8, get the Trifecta tune.

Otherwise, sell it, and buy a car with more power to begin with. The 1.4 or the 1.8 Cruze don't have a whole lot of potential without spending thousands on it. And even then, a V6 Honda Odyssey will still kick your butt.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Take those thousands and your Cruze to the nearest Buick dealer to trade on a Verano 2.0T. Similar gas mileage to the LS, but 250 hp/250 ft/lbs stock.


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## Hoon (Mar 18, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Take those thousands and your Cruze to the nearest Buick dealer to trade on a Verano 2.0T. Similar gas mileage to the LS, but 250 hp/250 ft/lbs stock.


Do those have an OEM LSD?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Hoon said:


> Do those have an OEM LSD?


Nope. Though I imagine it does something with the brakes like the Focus ST does to keep a wheel from spinning.

Still not as good as the real thing though.


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## mattsCruze (Dec 9, 2012)

Lol none of you have anything positive to say about this. You all make me sad. Y has no1 even tryed? Cruze would be a perfect performance car and beat out a lot. Does it take money yeah i guess unless you know what your doing. Im going to do this and ill post a budget for other people to read and do themself or by a shop and get the performance. I refuse to let the 1.8L Cruze go down im shame! Did i buy the wrong cruze yeah cuz sadly my ex gf had a decision into it cuz of my son and i should have never listened lol. But My credit and finances right now i cant simply trade it off. Cant happen so my next step... make what i got worth it. Trust me ill be posting a thread about a budget and shops in MaryLand that can help accomplish a turbo system and internals and what parts swap.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

So, got plans for a LSD as well? Wheelspin is already bad in 1st and 2nd on an untuned 1.4 because of the low gearing. Same in any powerful FWD car.

I hope you do some brake upgrades as well. Power = crap without something good to stop the car with.


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## Hoon (Mar 18, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Nope. Though I imagine it does something with the brakes like the Focus ST does to keep a wheel from spinning.
> 
> Still not as good as the real thing though.


Hmm, that really kills any desire i had to look into a swap in a few years. 



mattsCruze said:


> Lol none of you have anything positive to say about this. You all make me sad. Y has no1 even tryed? Cruze would be a perfect performance car and beat out a lot. Does it take money yeah i guess unless you know what your doing. Im going to do this and ill post a budget for other people to read and do themself or by a shop and get the performance. I refuse to let the 1.8L Cruze go down im shame! Did i buy the wrong cruze yeah cuz sadly my ex gf had a decision into it cuz of my son and i should have never listened lol. But My credit and finances right now i cant simply trade it off. Cant happen so my next step... make what i got worth it. Trust me ill be posting a thread about a budget and shops in MaryLand that can help accomplish a turbo system and internals and what parts swap.


You don't have a clue what you're getting into.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

mattsCruze said:


> Lol none of you have anything positive to say about this. You all make me sad. Y has no1 even tryed? Cruze would be a perfect performance car and beat out a lot. Does it take money yeah i guess unless you know what your doing. Im going to do this and ill post a budget for other people to read and do themself or by a shop and get the performance. I refuse to let the 1.8L Cruze go down im shame! Did i buy the wrong cruze yeah cuz sadly my ex gf had a decision into it cuz of my son and i should have never listened lol. But My credit and finances right now i cant simply trade it off. Cant happen so my next step... make what i got worth it. Trust me ill be posting a thread about a budget and shops in MaryLand that can help accomplish a turbo system and internals and what parts swap.


We're being realistic, not negative. For the cost of any significant mods to any of our cars, it's about the same to get a more powerful car to start. Spending $3-4k on mods on a $20k car when a faster from the factory car is in the same ballpark isn't worth it to most of us, especially when the factory has sorted out all the fiddly bits. 

There are lots of excellent reasons to mod a cheaper/lighter car, such as better power to weight, better handling, or more moddable engine. Whether it's worth it is up to you.


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## Calintz (Jul 21, 2011)

Take my word for it don't turbo the 1.8L unless you have the money to burn and the maintenance that comes with it. My 1.8L is a fun car not the fastest car but fun nonetheless. I like to drive normal so I hear my exhaust and see peoples faces when I pass by. I been complemented on how my car looks and sounds when I park next to them. I mean there were times I wanted to change my 1.8L for a 1.4T but I already spend time and money in this car that its not worth the hassle. Enjoy your car bro Chevy made a good decision bringing the Cruze over to the US. Now if want to make it fast buy a intake, exhaust system, a tune, and you should be fine. IMO.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

The fastest we've gotten these cars is about 7.5 seconds 0-60 and high 14's in the 1/4 mile. That's with 4 figures in mods. 

These engines are meant to be killer daily driver engines, not speed demon engines. For daily driver duty, both the 1.4T and the 1.8 excel. Given the performance/economy blend of both, I can't think of another engine I'd rather have under the hood of a daily driver. 3800 V6 power and hybrid-like fuel economy? Yes, please!


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

just slam it and put some rims on it and call it a day.The cruze isnt meant to go fast,its meant to look good and sip gas.if you want power wait about 5 more years or so,ill let you know what fits into the engine bay


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

It has nothing to do with being negative, you can make a Cruze perform if you want to spend big money to do it, but by the time you are done you could have probably purchased a used Corvette. If you feel like investing **** near what, or more, than the car is worth to make it a middle of the road performance sedan that's up to you.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> It has nothing to do with being negative, you can make a Cruze perform if you want to spend big money to do it, but by the time you are done you could have probably purchased a used Corvette. If you feel like investing **** near what, or more, than the car is worth to make it a middle of the road performance sedan that's up to you.


It really depends on what kind of performance your talking about straight line performance is not what thia car is about, but if you wanna hang in the turns it not that expensive to do lower it set some sticky tires on it and beef up the chassis and you will go fast around any turn.

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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> It really depends on what kind of performance your talking about straight line performance is not what thia car is about, but if you wanna hang in the turns it not that expensive to do lower it set some sticky tires on it and beef up the chassis and you will go fast around any turn.
> 
> Sent from my Droid using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Exactly.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

You can drop 30000 in a used vette well then you could have bought a porshe it goes on and on. I myself am building thus for circut track look on youtube adac cruze those are 1.8 stock with few Mods.

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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> It really depends on what kind of performance your talking about straight line performance is not what thia car is about, but if you wanna hang in the turns it not that expensive to do lower it set some sticky tires on it and beef up the chassis and you will go fast around any turn.
> 
> Sent from my Droid using AutoGuide.Com Free App


The OP was asking about a turbo upgrade for the 1.8, there is no useful purpose for a turbo for "hanging in the turns" . The Cruze does have a decent chassis so yes it isn't too hard to make it handle OK, again I don't see you being able to compete with performance cars on the cheap, especially with the overall height of the car and it's fairly narrow track width and limited room for tires, but you will certainly be able to hang with or beat similar cars for not much dough. But again, that has nothing to do with the OP


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> The OP was asking about a turbo upgrade for the 1.8, there is no useful purpose for a turbo for "hanging in the turns" . The Cruze does have a decent chassis so yes it isn't too hard to make it handle OK, again I don't see you being able to compete with performance cars on the cheap, especially with the overall height of the car and it's fairly narrow track width and limited room for tires, but you will certainly be able to hang with or beat similar cars for not much dough. But again, that has nothing to do with the OP


yes you right i did post something not relavent


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

It's totally relevant, just wasn't the question asked . I agree with you 100% and that is pretty much where I am going to stop my mods, handling and a tune.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> It's totally relevant, just wasn't the question asked . I agree with you 100% and that is pretty much where I am going to stop my mods, handling and a tune.


im adding everything possible to my chassis to stiffen it up.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> im adding everything possible to my chassis to stiffen it up.



That always helps but tire width will probably end up being the limiting factor unless you go to a super soft compound. I put on some of the braces, the rear sway bar and am going to end it with the coil overs I have sitting in the garage and some slightly stickier tires. After that I just don't see the cost warranting the gains , but I also have another car to mess around with too.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Should read this before considering a modification:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/enforcement/air/documents/fuelwaivers/vehicleengine-penalty-policy.pdf

Granted, the odds are in your favor of never getting caught if not subject to vehicle emission testing, *OR* never involved in an automotive accident whether its your fault or not. But are you willing to take this risk? 

Will be going against a judge highly in favor of the EPA, and high powered attorneys that work for insurance companies.

How do I know this, for over 30 years was called in as an expert witness. Not just a quick reply on a board, but involves weeks of study and testing.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> That always helps but tire width will probably end up being the limiting factor unless you go to a super soft compound. I put on some of the braces, the rear sway bar and am going to end it with the coil overs I have sitting in the garage and some slightly stickier tires. After that I just don't see the cost warranting the gains , but I also have another car to mess around with too.


When I autocross ill be using r compound tires.

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## daktah (Mar 17, 2013)

jakkaroo said:


> "put 1.8 turbo from the opel astra"
> 
> Yes


not to revive a dead thread, but are you saying this for sure or just speculating?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

This is what engine swapping is all about.

Gups 1200 HP Australian Holden HSV Power Cruise With Sonnys 727 Cubic Inches Motor - YouTube


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## P_Jamil (Sep 5, 2019)

mattsCruze said:


> Lol none of you have anything positive to say about this. You all make me sad. Y has no1 even tryed? Cruze would be a perfect performance car and beat out a lot. Does it take money yeah i guess unless you know what your doing. Im going to do this and ill post a budget for other people to read and do themself or by a shop and get the performance. I refuse to let the 1.8L Cruze go down im shame! Did i buy the wrong cruze yeah cuz sadly my ex gf had a decision into it cuz of my son and i should have never listened lol. But My credit and finances right now i cant simply trade it off. Cant happen so my next step... make what i got worth it. Trust me ill be posting a thread about a budget and shops in MaryLand that can help accomplish a turbo system and internals and what parts swap.







Please keep me posted. There's a certain sense of accomplishment when you do simmering no one normally does and are successful at it. Also i agree it IS worth it. I also gave the 1.8 and i believe no one has even started giving it a chance. I'm sure the transmission and fuel line addition and ECU modification can be a bit of a pain...but essentially well worth it. I already added a cold air intake and flowmaster exhaust. The turbo is my next accomplishment. Then will come the drivetrain conversion to AWD...bht that's a horse of another color...please, again, keep me posted!!


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## Touge_sonic (Sep 27, 2019)

, I've been talking with this guy, and so the 1.8l is a bored out 1.6l from the uk models, that 1.6l has a turbo option, so yes, it's possible and fairly cheap to do

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