Good Begginer Turbo Setup

[Seanmc91Ex]

Hey,
Im wondering what is a good first turbo setup? im looking to make around 250WHP safely?
What all do i need for a turbo setup? ie. what should be included in the kit?
Any input on ebay turbo kits?
-Sean

[ceelooboob]

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/forumdisplay.php?f=62

check that link out. its the turbo section of the forum. if u search through there you will find the answer to all your questions.

[deevergote]

I would stay away from any cheap ebay kits. The pipes will crack, the wastegate will fail, the turbo internals can come apart and destroy your engine... They MIGHT be ok, but I wouldn't take the risk!

Honestly, there is no "beginner turbo setup". You need to know what you're doing, or you're going to blow something up. If you want to go cheap, you need to know what you're doing even more, so you'll know where you can cut corners.

There's also no guarantee that you're going to be able to double the horsepower of your engine and still have it be reliable.

[chessboxer]

Just buy my car!

haha, I kid. I kid.

No turbo setup is going to be guaranteed to be reliable or good for a beginner. Read up on how turbo systems work, what each component does, etc, before you boost your car. There will still be lots to learn once you get a turbo on your car, but, do lots of research before hand if you do not.

The cheapest, and most likely to be reliable way to boost is with a quality dsm setup.

This would be the exhaust manifold from a dsm, preferably a 2g dsm (95-99 eclipse, talon) with a NEW and REAL MHI turbo, the Evo III Big 16G is a great turbo and very capable of making the power you wish. You would also need an efficient fmic, bigger injectors, I would go with at least 560cc, which you can get from an EVO 8. You will need intercooler pipes, which you can get for about 100 off of ebay with couplers and clamps, and an oil feed and return line kit.

And once you have all this, and I advise going with new for the turbo and the oil feed and return line (no guess work if something has a restrictor in it, has been altered, bad seals, etc). and at this point the essential hard parts should be capable of making reliable power.

BUT WAIT THERES MORE!

Possibly the single most important part to having a reliable turbo setup is the tune. Get a good, safe, tune from someone that actually knows how to tune. Whether you reflash a P06 or get an aftermarket standalone ecu like a Haltech, ensure that your tuner knows what he is doing and does it well.

Get a dyno tune, and my opinion is that you should get tuned on a true load based dyno such as a dyno dynamics or a mustang dyno. Your power levels will be lower than on a dynojet, but your tuner is able to tune better via holding the dyno at certain load points. This part is not as relevant to your question, but its my opinion on what to look for with a tuning shop.

So, can you have 250 whp reliably with a turbo setup? Yes.
Is there a beginner kit to do so? No.

Do lots of research, and read lots in the FI forum here, its got lots of good info.

[project93]

I would stay away from any cheap ebay kits. The pipes will crack, the wastegate will fail, the turbo internals can come apart and destroy your engine... They MIGHT be ok, but I wouldn't take the risk!

Honestly, there is no "beginner turbo setup". You need to know what you're doing, or you're going to blow something up. If you want to go cheap, you need to know what you're doing even more, so you'll know where you can cut corners.

There's also no guarantee that you're going to be able to double the horsepower of your engine and still have it be reliable.

I wanted to say the exact same thing when i read this thread at 5am but my mind was not with it enough.

If you want a cheap and "semi" reliable turbo go with a full DSM setup. get the turbo rebuilt first and make sure there are no cracks and stress fractures in the manifold. i would defiantly rebuild your stock motor to make sure you can handle the boost. you will also need to get a chipped ecu AND GET IT TUNED! I say "semi" reliable because there is no such g as a perfectly reliable modified engine. the motor is designed to run perfectly the way it was designed. As soon as you start adding things too it you take reliability into your own hands. I cannot guarantee you will see 250hp but you will be quicker and as you learn more about turbo's and engine building you can tinker with your setup to make it more powerful.

[project93]

Just buy my car!

haha, I kid. I kid.

No turbo setup is going to be guaranteed to be reliable or good for a beginner. Read up on how turbo systems work, what each component does, etc, before you boost your car. There will still be lots to learn once you get a turbo on your car, but, do lots of research before hand if you do not.

The cheapest, and most likely to be reliable way to boost is with a quality dsm setup.

This would be the exhaust manifold from a dsm, preferably a 2g dsm (95-99 eclipse, talon) with a NEW and REAL MHI turbo, the Evo III Big 16G is a great turbo and very capable of making the power you wish. You would also need an efficient fmic, bigger injectors, I would go with at least 560cc, which you can get from an EVO 8. You will need intercooler pipes, which you can get for about 100 off of ebay with couplers and clamps, and an oil feed and return line kit.

And once you have all this, and I advise going with new for the turbo and the oil feed and return line (no guess work if something has a restrictor in it, has been altered, bad seals, etc). and at this point the essential hard parts should be capable of making reliable power.

BUT WAIT THERES MORE!

Possibly the single most important part to having a reliable turbo setup is the tune. Get a good, safe, tune from someone that actually knows how to tune. Whether you reflash a P06 or get an aftermarket standalone ecu like a Haltech, ensure that your tuner knows what he is doing and does it well.

Get a dyno tune, and my opinion is that you should get tuned on a true load based dyno such as a dyno dynamics or a mustang dyno. Your power levels will be lower than on a dynojet, but your tuner is able to tune better via holding the dyno at certain load points. This part is not as relevant to your question, but its my opinion on what to look for with a tuning shop.

So, can you have 250 whp reliably with a turbo setup? Yes.
Is there a beginner kit to do so? No.

Do lots of research, and read lots in the FI forum here, its got lots of good info.

i now hate you for posting this while i was writing mine!!!

j/k

[mozzandherb]

And another thing to add to the list, you might want to upgrade your clutch and other transmission parts. When you significantly increase your power, the clutch often goes, so you might want to look at that. Also, you will want to replace most of your gaskets (oil pan, rear main seal) because they are probably worn out and will need replacing...just some info to pass on, I learned the hard way

[Seanmc91Ex]

Thanks alot
I went to my tner shop down here and they quoted me about 3grand for a custom kit with installation.
Does that sound about right?
how much should a kit cost?

[deevergote]

Stop thinking in terms of a "kit"... There are no "kits" that are worth buying. You're going to have to build your own setup, or have someone like your shop do it for you.

Ask them what parts they'll be using. Mainly, the brand and type of turbo, the intercooler brand and size, injectors, wastegate, and blow-off valve. Then ask if tuning is included in that price, and if so, how they will be tuning it.

If the quality of the parts is decent, and the tune is included, then $3000 isn't a bad deal. If you're serious about going to them to do it for you (don't waste their time otherwise) ask them to write everything down parts-wise... and let us know what they'll be using. We'll tell you if it's worth their price.

[chessboxer]

Yeah, I forgot to mention clutch and doing all routine maintenance when you do this.

My clutch was the first thing to go on my car. Don't cheap out on your clutch either, and replace all gaskets and seals possible, water pump, timing belt, etc. It is your best bet to have the motor as healthy as possible when this is done.

And yeah, let us know the brand of the parts, that will determine if its worth it or not. 3k for a chinese knockoff kit is junk. 3k for all quality stuff is another story.

[mozzandherb]

$3K if they use quality parts is a great deal, but beware, and like mentioned have them write a list of what parts and what brand they are thinking of using, come back here with that list and then we can help you some more.

[BOOSTnBLOW]

The truth is a reliable turbo car is not any harder then a reliable n/a car. Its all about the qaulity of the parts you use and your attention to detail. Ebay turbos, crappy manifolds, reused gaskets, and any other ways to try to cut the cost is just going to bite your rear in the end. Do the proper maintenence on the car and don't be beating on it all the time, viola you have a reliable boosted car!

[deevergote]

The truth is a reliable turbo car is not any harder then a reliable n/a car. Its all about the qaulity of the parts you use and your attention to detail. Ebay turbos, crappy manifolds, reused gaskets, and any other ways to try to cut the cost is just going to bite your rear in the end. Do the proper maintenence on the car and don't be beating on it all the time, viola you have a reliable boosted car!

Not necessarily. Proper maintenance and a healthy engine increase the chances of reliability, but introducing boost to an engine that's 20 years old and not designed for it is risky.

[BOOSTnBLOW]

Not necessarily. Proper maintenance and a healthy engine increase the chances of reliability, but introducing boost to an engine that's 20 years old
and not designed for it is risky.

Yes that's true but what I am saying I guess is that the boost is really not bad if you have a good tune. If the parts are up to the task then the boost doesn't really increase wear on anything other than oil. Now if it the original pistons and rings then yes its not going to be easy....lol. My dsm has 181k and I've been running it 7lbs over stock boost for about 50k.