[roopakr]

Originally Posted by karthik247

And guys, since anyway the car's engine is going to be worked up from scratch, how about getting a 99model Baleno for less than 2L?? That way i can have some more money left for the mods

What say guys?? Need to choose btw the following two..
1. 1999 Model Baleno for under 2L
2. 2006 Model Baleno for 3L

karthik I think it would be better to go for the 2006 for 1L extra because , even if you are literally modifying most parts of the engine, remember there are other parts as well in the car.
If you are not planning to change the car atleast till you finish your schooling in bangalore , the 1L you spend extra will be worth (just my opinion).

Regarding the one time mod you mentioned, . lets see, I dont think this would end up in just one time mod.
Anyway keenly watching, to see a hot ride evolving.

[srijit]

Rahul, could you please give a ballpark figure on how much TC'ing a Baleno would cost? What would be the drawbacks / special things to consider? Would everything be available in India, or would stuff have to be imported? TIA.

@Karthik, I think there was a blue Baleno in the Classifieds below 2L.

[karthik247]

Originally Posted by srijit

@Karthik, I think there was a blue Baleno in the Classifieds below 2L.

Yes i saw that sometime back, will have to call him up first thing in the morning.

Are any available in TVM???

[iceman91]

Originally Posted by srijit

Rahul, could you please give a ballpark figure on how much TC'ing a Baleno would cost? What would be the drawbacks / special things to consider? Would everything be available in India, or would stuff have to be imported? TIA.

All depends on from whom and where you get the parts from

[karthik247]

OK... till now we were talkin NA and FI... now why not bring a swap into this equation

C'mon guys, help me out here. Where are all the Baleno and OHC gurus!!

PS - This is what sleepless nights does.

[absynthguzzler]

Karthik, are you planning to get the jobs done in Hyd or B'lore?. I'm not a performance oriented person but as an outsider with some logical thinking on the value front,I'd say go for an OHC.

I think you'd be more happy with a "Vtec" and a "Honda" and the general feel good factors you get with this brand over a Suzuki. Ofcourse the performance may be the same once you get all your checklists ticked,but the OHC looks better imho.

[BlackPearl]

@Karthik, no matter what the gurus say, IMO the decision is yours. You have to decide after driving both the cars which one you want. This debate has been famous in many threads on TBhp and there is no conclusion. Both the cars have their merits and demerits, but both are impressive. So you have to take the final call.

[kutlee]

Originally Posted by karthik247

Turbo is kinda risky i suppose unless there is some tuner who can ASSURE me proper reliability, which i doubt. So i guess it has to be the NA way.

suspension kits for ohc are limited. just a couple of brands and they are bloody costly and costs outweigh the performance many times. fds etc are available for baleno. nothing beats the lightweight ohc + turbo fun. sadly i am in kerala when you are here for the may meet. could have given a ride. if you plan to keep the speeds below 120, it is huge fun. other than the suspension thing, i think ohc should be the better choice.

[pedrolourenco]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is NA and FI?
IMO you should go in for the older Baleno. I heard that the older Baleno's were better built. In any case if you're modding the car better to go for the cheaper base care. I don't think there's anything wrong with an older Baleno. It's quite reliable.

[greenhorn]

NA = Normally Aspirated
FI=Forced Induction = Turbocharger, supercharger etc.

Karthik, have you settled on a choice of a tuner? I'd think the importance of a reliable tuner with experience on those B/G series engines( read as "verified third party reports of being able to run the same engines without blowing them up") is more important than the choice of car itself.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by srijit

Rahul, could you please give a ballpark figure on how much TC'ing a Baleno would cost? What would be the drawbacks / special things to consider? Would everything be available in India, or would stuff have to be imported?

I would say anywhere around 1.5-2L. That would include brand new turbo, intercooler, bov, silicon hoses, piping, ECU, manifold, engine rebuild, labour etc. All parts have to be imported, but there are certain tuners/performance stores that stock these parts and could be readily available as well.

As for the NA vs FI debate. I personally think a NA build would get boring after a while, as and when you get used to the power. And unlike a FI build all the power comes at one revv band. Like 4,000-6,500 on my baleno. But a turbo is a whole different ball game all together. You have boost starting from 2,000 rpm and one will never get bored as you can always keep increasing the boost levels.

Also, another added advantage with going FI is, when you scrap this car, almost all parts can be used on your next car as well. So in a way it is like a one time investment.

However, these are just my personal views.

[ram_hyundai]

hey kartik the 1999 baleno would be an SGP one.go for it.This one is capable of takking the beating more than a newer one IMHO.The parts of baleno would be much easily available and less costly than the OHC.I have asked my men to start the hunt ,lolz.Will get the info by evening,

ram

[srijit]

Thanks Rahul. I do realize that the amount would differ from tuner to tuner. But it is nice to get an approx amount.

[crazydiablo]

Karthik you are very confused. You really need to decide the purpose of the build, the car etc etc.

Both cars are good, both respond to mods well. I am head over heels in love with the Baleno. If you decide on Baleno you can compare notes with Iceman (pioneer in baleno mods), Mclaren (been there done that), Binz (hardcore baleno fan, perfect example of student modding, very sensible fast reliable car).

Its really one thing to have a really fast car which you can drive on streets and race on sunday. I would love to have a car like Wolf's car but I can never afford one like that. The amount of money, dedication, time and effort. As a student, I would stick to NA, yes it gets boring, but its a huge trade off.

@Rahul: enough leg pulling man.....I agree with you on the rods. Damn life is tempting.

[karthik247]

Sadly, the 99model one got sold.. :(

There is a 2000model one, 70k kms for 1.5L. What say guys??

Im coming across a lots of Balenos, but can't seen to find too many OHCs.

BTW, if the guys who drive OHCs share their views, it would be great.

@crazydiablo
Purpose is to have a fast reliable daily drive car. Peroid. NA, FI doesn't really matter as long as all the money im putting into the car is worth it. The car is not being modded to compete or race in events, i just need a fast car thats all.

I personally like both cars, i need to know by putting in around 2.5-3L, which one would give better resuls.