The X-type drivetrain is not strong enough to handle any more power than the NA 3.0L, 231HP engine can deliver..any more power/torque will rip the guts out of it.

 

Dennis is absolutely correct on this point... and some would go a step further and say the X-Type drivetrain will NOT handle even the 231hp that factory puts to it, and that it is a factor in many failures.

Having done this sort of thing myself, my recommendation is to find a JDM half-cut EVO. They can be had for under $5k. This drivetrain will take (some say) upwards of 700HP with readily available aftermarket parts. Your machining then is confined to an adapter plate for your motor, and sundries. There are other AWD setups that can be used as well, but few offer as much aftermarket support as this one. And the thing you;ve got going is that your car is a FWD platform, just as the Lancer / EVO is.

NOT a project for the faint of heart. But it can be done. I stuck one under an old Datsun 1600... 'cuz I love sleepers too.
Good Luck!

 

Been running not much more than stock at 241.6 on mine for 18 months and Racer82 ran 300bhp when he had it, didnt it??
I also have heard of reliability probs with mooded cars.
Saying that there is a car running around 400 (is it a Marcos?) which usesa 3.0 Ford/(Xtype)? turbo set up

 

uhhh... Buck.... help me out here....
One of us is drinking too much....
I have no idea what you just said after the first sentence. Are you agreeing or dissenting? Are you talking about a motor or the AWD drivetrain?
my head is spinning. It's probably just me.

 

crewchiefpro said:
If it will work what do I do the the AWD system to make sure it can handle it. I can get parts machined easily and I am not afraid to spend the money. I love a sleeper car so people dont bother me on the street like they did with my Mustang Cobras. I want a brutally fast car that does not look like it.

I agree with what the others have said... one reason why I drive a 2.5l rather than a 3.0l... I'm less likely to rip the guts out of my drivetrain... I did 2.5 gearboxes in on my old (Rover) Vitesse 2l turbo...

However not one to discourage folk... It's a question of engineering... The X-type is a brilliant car the styling is absolutely spot on and the AWD setup is great...as far as it goes... but it was built to a price... there's the crux... If you have the will and the budget, I'd guarantee there are ways of beefing up the drivetrain from clutch / torqueconverter right thru to transfer case driveshafts and bearings.

Should you do this you'd have a lot of folk hanging on your every move, every nut you undo and replace every bearing, shim, shaft you mod or replace will be watched avidly... succeed and I wouldn't mind betting that you'd have a large if not enormous bunch of folk wanting to benefit from your experience.

You might even create a way of creating an aftermarket way of bolting the 2.2 diesel together with the AWD system which would be totally awesome.

Mike

 

I'm not sure if Buck is agreeing or disagreeing either. If Racer put 300HP through his transfer case without it blowing up, I don't see why without adequate cooling (the shield) and proper maintenance of the t-case by keeping tabs on the fluid, why couldn't you put 300 HP through the t-case without any hiccups.

 

It's not the regular lube oil changes or the cooling duct that is the issue .it's the material srength of the gears and stuff like that, thatcan't handle the extra torque..I bet if you drove like grandma then it would not be an issue..but how many dudes do you know that have over 300 horses will drive itlike they are in a funeral?..

 

I am saying mine is running just a few hp more than stoci no probs and Racer82 was running 300bhp wasnt he with his??
I am also saying that when I started reading these forums I read at least a few times though of people who said reliability issues were encountered once over 250hp was realised.
On a side note...the Marcos?? runs a Ford 3.0 engine with twin turbos but not sure if its AWD or not.
It raced against a car on one of the TV shows over here a while back where it had to pull out from behind a lorry ,passit andthen pull back in front of it, I think it was againsta Viper and the Marcos won....maybe the race is on youtube??

 

Primarily it's the Transfer Case that is the weak link and possibly the differential as well...the Clutch (if a manual) would have to be beefed up a little too IMO.

 

A little O/T, but yes the Auto Trans is Jatco junk. It's had numerous issues in the X-Type and the Freelander.

 

If you use your complete drivetrain including transmission that you already know is up to the task you shouldn't have much trouble. Have a custom 2 piece drive shaft made as the multipiece(big fat one) shaft will fail internally with that much power. The transfercase would never hold up to that level of abuse in stock form and there isn't a lot of room to modify the unit to improve case strength which is there biggest problem. The case flexes, gears and bearings go out of alignment, BANG! grenade fragments on the roadway. I think the diff could handle the power as it is nearly the same unit used in the R model v8s. If you could get a hold of a non viscous coupled '04 and newer t-case cheap for experimentation and you have the resources and means to investigate it may be possible. Wouldn't be cheap, I would recommend replacing the iron gears with billet steel($$$) and reinforcing the entire housing and pinion bearing.