swapping engines - cheap source of power?

In the late 1990s and early 2000s it was very popular for young guys to buy a cheap used Proton and swap out the engine for a much more powerful used Mitsubishi Evo engine or a 1.8 Mitsubishi turbo engine. Doing all this will cost less than RM50,000, however this cheap thrill has deadly consequences as many of the young hot blooded boy racers don't do all the way with their modifications. What I mean about this is that they often forget to upgrade the brakes, suspension and strengthen the chassis to handle the extra power. This naturally has resulted in numerous accidents.

Swapping in a much more powerful turbo charged engine is very easy and it definitely the most bang for your buck power upgrade you can do on your car. The simple Proton Wira & Satria does not have a strong chassis and being designed to only handle up to 140hp, swapping in a 260hp engine is literally stretching the limits of the car's structural integrity. The extra torque and power takes a heavy toll on the car's engine mounts, transmission and chassis. The amount of flex and twist that goes through the chassis is almost double what the car is originally designed for. One would argue that the same model was used in rallies around the world however they fail to realize that street cars are very different from tuned up cars that come out of the factory and also very different from race cars. Race cars only share up to 15% of the same components as a street car and maybe up to 30% of the same components of the tuned up cars that come out of the factory.

I have personally witnessed how several street racers with modified Protons race around KL streets at night. They may be able to go very fast on a straight road but when it comes to turning, the extra power and weight of the Evo engine takes a toll on the car's chassis and suspension. The car no longer handles as one would expect it to and the power delivery is sent to the 2 front wheels instead of the original 4 wheels like on the Evo. Naturally, having less traction also meant that the car will suffer tremendously from torque steer making the car difficult to drive. This is lack of control makes the car very dangerous especially in the rain.

I am not against modifications in the search for more performance but doing it right and doing it safely is the right way to go. Doing it half way and forgetting the safety aspects of it will result in dangerous consequences. Watching how the American's modify their cars, all cars modified with big power gains will be accompanied by suspension, brakes and chassis upgrades. Having big power is one thing but being able to control it means a lot more.