Tata Nano swaps

skoloseven · 24th April 2009, 01:15

Hey everyone,

I was curious if anyone was considering a Suzuki Hayabusa engine swap into the Tata Nano? They swap them all the time into smart cars, which are almost identical to the Nano. The Tata Nano only weighing 1300 lbs is a great car for modifications. I wrote an article about modifying the Tata Nano, and it's performance parts. So far there isn't much availability for Tata Nano performance parts, but I expect things to change soon.

For now, we can swap Smart car parts such as suspension and other aftermarket components. Who all here is interested in swapping a 500 hp twin turbu 1300 CC Suzuki Hayabusa engine? My friends in India say the busa engine is very expensive. Is it possible to get the JDM version of the hayabusa engine for cheaper than USDM? I estimate that for under $10,000 you could purchase a Tata Nano, and swap a hayabusa twin turbo engine into it yielding around 500 whp.

Any other ideas for swaps? I like the Subaru 2.0 EJ20 h4, it's flat design might also work and be cheaper than that esteemed busa engine... food for though!

harry15 · 24th April 2009, 08:06

hey, i have actually thought of it and really even a stock hayabusa engine of around 200hp in a nano would be enough to give any other car on the indian streets a run for their money. The only problem is the safety department, i did actually go and check the car out. It is light cause there is not too many safety measures (structurally) even the doors are preety light. The problem after putting in a hayabusa engine would be that it would be awesomely fast and if by any chance you were to have an accident, it would really be all over for the person. And those engines are really expensive for the indian guys because the engines have to be imported.

chiragh_bir · 24th April 2009, 10:39

hayabusa engine will be a overkill for tata nano chassis !!

think for a 600 cc engine from Honda CBR or Yamaha R 6

dinar · 24th April 2009, 10:56

It will be very difficult to keep the car in one piece with that kind of power, to make it stable for this kind of power, you will have to put in a lot on thought and money to get the chassis to handle even 150 bhp reliably.
Only the shell will have to be used [after strengthening it ] and everything else will have to be custom built to handle the power. Will have to widen the track so it becomes stable.
A 600 cc Honda or a Kawasaki will be a great setup for this kind of job and may move up from there with a turbo.Kawasaki is a little cheaper to buy.

karthik247 · 24th April 2009, 11:03

A member on the forum has plonked in a Hayabusa engine into a Reva, with some mods on it ofcourse. Do a search and see.

So if its possible on the Reva, should be possible on the Nano too.

iceman91 · 24th April 2009, 11:05

I think first we need to see the car on the roads. See exactly what it is made of and what can be done to it, then start the planning. for all you know the amount of strengthening required would increase it's weight drastically

dinar · 24th April 2009, 11:14

Have seen the thing do 80 KMPH on high way and it does not look stable [this on the pune kolhapur road]. the driver was trying to overtake me. I was driving esteem.
The metal used is very thin and so not strong enough, to handle power figures mentioned.
But wouldn't be great, having a 200-300BHP rear wheel drive car under 4 lacs, what say Iceman.

iceman91 · 24th April 2009, 11:17

oh my friend now you are talking, a 200bhp rwd for 4 lakhs.. Where do I Sign???

GTO · 24th April 2009, 13:53

I just knew that Nano swaps are going to be the order of the day! And am willing to bet that we will see more than just one big-engine Nano at drag races. Cheap, light and ultra cool, it's easy to see why.

How many Tuners booked their Nano already?

dinar · 24th April 2009, 15:12

It would be fun to see something like this on a drag strip, and at last we will have some Indian car with RWD, and not something illegal , that can not be taken or public roads.

bblost · 24th April 2009, 15:18

and maybe these discarded Nano engines will land up on motor bikes.

nitrous · 24th April 2009, 17:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

I just knew that Nano swaps are going to be the order of the day! And am willing to bet that we will see more than just one big-engine Nano at drag races. Cheap, light and ultra cool, it's easy to see why.

How many Tuners booked their Nano already?

RWD! So, it can put the power down.

skoloseven · 25th April 2009, 05:18

That is some good points about the structural rigidity and safety. Weld up a quick roll cage with key points reinforced and it would be strong enough. Also, for the extra edge make the doors removable and expose the racing seats, harness, and roll cage. Modify the back so the busa engine gets plenty of fresh air. The best part would be the turbo whine would be so loud for the driving experience. Wider wheel base a must, but could be done with some easy custom fab and macpherson strut assemblies from some readily available cars. This is an exciting time!

dinar · 25th April 2009, 09:39

Getting a roll cage is a must, but to keep the weight in check get fiber glass panels. And you can keep the weight in check. The suspension needs changing putting wider tires only won't do.
The point being, the smart car was designed to be a city car and not the "worlds cheapest car'. Thea parts used on the smart are far better than the Nano.
Plus biggest change would be to get a bigger fuel tank, By bike has a bigger capacity tank than the Nano.

d3mon · 25th April 2009, 14:15

Remember the tata indica silhoutte concept v6?
3.5L V6 monster, RWD, mad body kit ?

Well, I think if enough people vote for a Nano V6, or something similar, TATA might be obliged to plonk one V6 in there after all !!

24th April 2009, 01:15	#1
skoloseven BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai-Tampa Posts: 67 Thanked: 0 Times	Tata Nano swaps Hey everyone, I was curious if anyone was considering a Suzuki Hayabusa engine swap into the Tata Nano? They swap them all the time into smart cars, which are almost identical to the Nano. The Tata Nano only weighing 1300 lbs is a great car for modifications. I wrote an article about modifying the Tata Nano, and it's performance parts. So far there isn't much availability for Tata Nano performance parts, but I expect things to change soon. For now, we can swap Smart car parts such as suspension and other aftermarket components. Who all here is interested in swapping a 500 hp twin turbu 1300 CC Suzuki Hayabusa engine? My friends in India say the busa engine is very expensive. Is it possible to get the JDM version of the hayabusa engine for cheaper than USDM? I estimate that for under $10,000 you could purchase a Tata Nano, and swap a hayabusa twin turbo engine into it yielding around 500 whp. Any other ideas for swaps? I like the Subaru 2.0 EJ20 h4, it's flat design might also work and be cheaper than that esteemed busa engine... food for though!
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 08:06	#2
harry15 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: hagerstown, MD Posts: 45 Thanked: 0 Times	hey, i have actually thought of it and really even a stock hayabusa engine of around 200hp in a nano would be enough to give any other car on the indian streets a run for their money. The only problem is the safety department, i did actually go and check the car out. It is light cause there is not too many safety measures (structurally) even the doors are preety light. The problem after putting in a hayabusa engine would be that it would be awesomely fast and if by any chance you were to have an accident, it would really be all over for the person. And those engines are really expensive for the indian guys because the engines have to be imported.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 10:39	#3
chiragh_bir Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In front of you :P Posts: 1,123 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	hayabusa engine will be a overkill for tata nano chassis !! think for a 600 cc engine from Honda CBR or Yamaha R 6
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 10:56	#4
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	It will be very difficult to keep the car in one piece with that kind of power, to make it stable for this kind of power, you will have to put in a lot on thought and money to get the chassis to handle even 150 bhp reliably. Only the shell will have to be used [after strengthening it ] and everything else will have to be custom built to handle the power. Will have to widen the track so it becomes stable. A 600 cc Honda or a Kawasaki will be a great setup for this kind of job and may move up from there with a turbo.Kawasaki is a little cheaper to buy. Last edited by dinar : 24th April 2009 at 11:05.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 11:03	#5
karthik247 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR, HYD Posts: 2,710 Thanked: 30 Times	A member on the forum has plonked in a Hayabusa engine into a Reva, with some mods on it ofcourse. Do a search and see. So if its possible on the Reva, should be possible on the Nano too.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 11:05	#6
iceman91 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: melbourne/banga Posts: 1,961 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	I think first we need to see the car on the roads. See exactly what it is made of and what can be done to it, then start the planning. for all you know the amount of strengthening required would increase it's weight drastically
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 11:14	#7
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	Have seen the thing do 80 KMPH on high way and it does not look stable [this on the pune kolhapur road]. the driver was trying to overtake me. I was driving esteem. The metal used is very thin and so not strong enough, to handle power figures mentioned. But wouldn't be great, having a 200-300BHP rear wheel drive car under 4 lacs, what say Iceman.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 11:17	#8
iceman91 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: melbourne/banga Posts: 1,961 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	oh my friend now you are talking, a 200bhp rwd for 4 lakhs.. Where do I Sign???
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 13:53	#9
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,464 Thanked: 299,983 Times View My Garage	I just knew that Nano swaps are going to be the order of the day! And am willing to bet that we will see more than just one big-engine Nano at drag races. Cheap, light and ultra cool, it's easy to see why. How many Tuners booked their Nano already?
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 15:12	#10
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	It would be fun to see something like this on a drag strip, and at last we will have some Indian car with RWD, and not something illegal , that can not be taken or public roads.
	() Thanks

24th April 2009, 15:18	#11
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 10,996 Thanked: 15,299 Times View My Garage	and maybe these discarded Nano engines will land up on motor bikes.
	() Thanks

25th April 2009, 05:18	#13
skoloseven BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai-Tampa Posts: 67 Thanked: 0 Times	That is some good points about the structural rigidity and safety. Weld up a quick roll cage with key points reinforced and it would be strong enough. Also, for the extra edge make the doors removable and expose the racing seats, harness, and roll cage. Modify the back so the busa engine gets plenty of fresh air. The best part would be the turbo whine would be so loud for the driving experience. Wider wheel base a must, but could be done with some easy custom fab and macpherson strut assemblies from some readily available cars. This is an exciting time!
	() Thanks

25th April 2009, 09:39	#14
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	Getting a roll cage is a must, but to keep the weight in check get fiber glass panels. And you can keep the weight in check. The suspension needs changing putting wider tires only won't do. The point being, the smart car was designed to be a city car and not the "worlds cheapest car'. Thea parts used on the smart are far better than the Nano. Plus biggest change would be to get a bigger fuel tank, By bike has a bigger capacity tank than the Nano.
	() Thanks

25th April 2009, 14:15	#15
d3mon BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 914 Thanked: 4,076 Times	Remember the tata indica silhoutte concept v6? 3.5L V6 monster, RWD, mad body kit ? Well, I think if enough people vote for a Nano V6, or something similar, TATA might be obliged to plonk one V6 in there after all !!
	() Thanks

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