Hyundai Tiburon V6 Turbo Kit – A Good Idea Or A Waste Of Money?

Hyundai Tiburon was sold in America and Europe, but in Europe, it was known as Hyundai Coupe. It was a very beautiful vehicle with wonderful design and low price. If you had a look at the prices in this market niche, you would just be amazed at how big the difference was. Hyundai cost just like a normal sedan while the nearest sports coupe was two-three times more expensive.

That's why this vehicle was quite popular. But we should say that this model is a sports coupe only in design. If you take its engines and also other specifications, it's not a sports coupe, it's just a simple coupe. And today we'll try to understand if it's possible to improve this car much by investing a little money in it.

Here's what we are going to speak about:

1. Hyundai Tiburon V6 engines - is it good and durable?
2. Can you install a turbocharger on the Hyundai V6 engine?
3. What advantages can you get after installing a turbocharger?
4. What are the bad sides of turbocharging your Tiburon V6?

Let's get started!

Hyundai Tiburon V6 - main information and longevity

Hyundai offered Tiburon in 1996 and it was selling the first generation of the cool coupe up to 2001. The first-gen Hyundai Tiburon is not that interesting for us because of two reasons: it's old and it doesn't have a V6 engine. The second generation appeared in 2001 and changed the way we looked at this vehicle. Yes, the cheapest trims still had the 4-cylinder engines that couldn't make you happy, but the GT and SE trims offered the 2.7-liter V6 engine.

This was a revolution in the class of cheap coupe cars. This engine was equipped with a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The latter wasn't really good in terms of speed and gas mileage, so many people were choosing the manual option.

Here are some facts about the engine:

• this was the Delta family engine - the smallest V6 you could find in Hyundai cars;
• the engine offered 172 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque;
• the simple construction of the head with DOHC offered reliability;
• the gas mileage was stated at 24 mpg on the highway and 17 mpg in the city;
• the engine was very simple, there were no technical revolutions in it;
• thanks to the simple construction, the engine appeared to be cheap in repair and maintenance;
• owners haven't reported much about the problems, but there are still some bad things that we'll cover.

Among the bad things, we can think of some common problems with the intake. Namely, some bolts in the intake manifold can fall off after some time and get right into the combustion chamber which will obviously damage the valves. Also, the engine may have problems with oil burn. You should check the oil level regularly.

In general, it's a pretty good engine that can go up to 250 000 miles with no issues at all or just with minor issues. Of course, to drive your Tiburon that long, you will need to service it like it has to be serviced. Otherwise, you will most likely have to repair the engine much sooner.

Turbocharging your V6 Tiburon - possible?

First of all, not many companies offer turbo kits for the 2.7 Delta engines. You may think that buying a decent turbo kit is not difficult at all, but actually, you will have a hard time trying to find one for the Tiburon V6. We've still found some options, but we have to say that they were pretty expensive and they didn't contain the full set of parts you will need.

But technically, it's absolutely possible to install a turbocharger on your Hyundai Tiburon with a V6 engine. You will only need to find a turbo kit that is prepared to be installed on your car. Otherwise, you will just lose money and time.

Also, don't even buy cheap turbo kits by unknown Chinese manufacturers because they won't live long. Some of these turbochargers will die after a week or two. So, only good turbochargers are worth your money. But is everything so good? We have to show not only advantages but also some problems and difficulties in installing a turbocharger.

What are the good sides of putting a turbo kit on a V6?

First of all, your V6 engine is not that powerful. Hyundai only took 172 horsepower out of 2.7 liters of displacement. It's not that good if you look at other manufacturers and their big-displacement engines. We think that getting up to 100 horsepower from 1 liter of displacement is completely safe for all modern engines.

So, your Tiburon can actually be a much sportier car than you think. And it's not only about the power. Here are some important advantages you will get:

1. More power. The Tiburon V6 engine can actually get up to 300 horsepower with no major changes, but the turbo and ECU tuning.
2. Higher torque. You will feel that the torque has changed when you press the pedal the first time after the tuning is completed. The acceleration will differ much.
3. Better top speed. Owners often say that the acceleration and the top speed are the two factors that disappoint them a lot in their Tiburons. You can solve these problems.
4. Better engine sound. One more important advantage is the faster rotating engine that creates wonderful sounds every driver will love.

Of course, you will have to revise a little the exhaust and intake manifolds, the fuel supply system, and also some other parts. The high power will mean some other changes. But for a Hyundai engine, these changes will not cost you a fortune.

You can get a really much more powerful coupe car that not only looks cool but also drives pretty well. And this means you will get pleasure from every driving session in your vehicle. But let's think about possible disadvantages.

Should I actually turbocharge my Hyundai Tiburon?

Well, you may have thought that we are the biggest supporters of turbocharging the Hyundai V6 engine. Although we really love tuning, the Hyundai is not the best vehicle for this. First of all, you will spend a lot of money on a car that doesn't cost a lot anymore. And it won't cost a cent more after you invest $3000 or something in it.

But this is not the biggest problem. We've also found some other factors that should stop you from installing a turbo kit on your Tiburon V6 engine:

1. These vehicles are now quite old - the last Tiburons were made in 2008. Also, they most likely have high mileage and are not very reliable now. By installing a turbocharger, you will make the engine even less reliable and will lose its only advantage - durability.
2. You will have to invest more and more all the time. After turbocharging the engine, you will want a new intake manifold. Then you will understand that the old exhaust system is not efficient anymore. And this will continue and turn into huge expenses.
3. Your reliable Tiburon will start failing. Some minor problems will become the part of your routine because higher power and torque inevitably lead to more technical problems with different parts of your car.
4. You will not be able to get everything back. Selling your turbo kit and all other parts at a good price is impossible, so you will have to keep driving this car with a turbo even if you don't like this idea.
5. Also, the Tiburon will probably not be the best sports car you can imagine. Its suspension is not stiff enough, its steering is very weak and soft, and its brakes are not efficient for active driving.

As you see, you will have to replace and tune basically all important parts of the Tiburon if you want to make a real sports car of it. But it will cost you a lot. And sometimes, these investments are not correct. We mean, you can sell your Tiburon V6 which is still a very demanded car on the market, and then buy some other vehicle that will have a better engine and better other parts for active driving.

We still see that turning your Tiburon into a project car is a cool idea. But you have to be ready that the turbocharger will not be the only thing you will have to spend your money on.

Final words

If you own a Hyundai Tiburon V6 (2.7), you can improve the way your engine works just by installing a turbocharger. But you have to be ready for a lot of additional expenses, a lot of problems after your modifications. Turbocharging an old engine is never safe - you will always risk losing the longevity of the unit. But if it's your project car and you have some money to spare, then why not! You can try and make a real sports car from your Hyundai.