A Few Questions About Turbo Kits

[estebones]

Holy shit

So is all of this stuff things I need to get right away? I know the turbo timer, wastegate and BOV valve, gauges and fuel controller are indispensable but all of this other stuff could be bought later right?

I know the oil cooler was going to be a must, the heat wrap, i had thought about it and the safc and engine mangagement? isnt this what Greddy's e-manage does?

that is a lot of good info man thanks!

[civic31g]

OMG that shi*t is expensive. if you have accsess to ebay to a custom turbo set up. cuz then you can buy exactly what your looking for. mine is only costing me about 1200 thats what a boost controller and a turbo timer..............

[estebones]

yeah but this is a brand new car(10k miles) and with a custom set up there is no research done into the kit functioning properly with your car, if it was my old school sedan I'd be all over a custom set up, but its not so I dont feel like risking it and fucking something up by rigging a set up together.

[hkspowers]

yeah man not all of that stuff is absolutly neccessary right away. for instance heat wrap u do not need if your pipes are stainless the stainless reflects the heat just as well. and yes the greddy emanage does manage your af very well. I have a huge article on the emanage I'll scan it and send it to you. just pm me if u have any ques.

[estebones]

thanks!!

[imported_Crimson490]

you don't need a new throttle body, exhaust, intercooler, or even boost controller off the bat. I've been boosting around for over 20,000 miles and I still don't have an upgraded TB or exhaust. should I get them? yeah, if i can afford it and want more power. But your car will be just as safe w/o them.

FMIC, boost controller, and turbo timer are nice things to have but are probably unessecary at 5psi. Start adjusting your boost and cranking it up to 6-7psi and higher and you'll need those things for sure. Turbo timer is a convenience issue. Are you willing to sit in your car for 2-3 minutes EVERY time you're done driving? If you're an impatient yankee like me, it's a must have.

I'm not going to say that gauges are a must, because from the factory your kit OUGHT to work correctly, but why drive blind? At the minimum, get a boost gauge to see that you aren't about to blow your car up so you can stop to figure out what you installed wrong.

Good idea to get a BOV no matter what boost level you're at. I've never been without one, so i can't speak to its importance at sub-5psi levels.

Good idea to get some thermal wrap and wrap up your A/C lines that are near the manifold. You can go crazy and wrap everything, but those are the biggest concern. Also, if you have any wires that are within an inch of your exhaust path, wrap either the wires or the pipe - my phO2 sensor wire is pretty close.

Get 1 step colder spark plugs, and run 93 octane.

Don't use Greddy's oil fitting. custom rig a safer oil feed line to the turbo. I've written up an article in the DIY section.

Greddy's FCU will handle up to 6.5-7.5psi? I think? Once you go above that start considering the hondata/motech/etc.

HTH

[spooninphilly]

Come to think about it....the type of setup you pick should depend on where you live. Most importantly, if you live in California....external wastegates are out of the question....how do I know....I used to live there, and they are really ridged about it. Some solve the the question by getting greddy kits. While there is nothing wrong with greddy kits, a large part of why they are "certified legal" kits is because of internal wastegates. An internal waste gate is not bad by any respects, but efficentcy will suffer due to a variety of limitations associated with integrals. And crimson490 is right, alot of those things I put down arent really needed right off the bat....but if you do put a turbokit on your car and fork over the dough for it....your not just putting it on your engine to look good....you want performance. You also want to make sure three weeks from install, you do not detonate.....and if you are unfamiliar with the term....think what would happen when you take a pick axe to a full, pressurized helium tank. equalibrium is not something you should aspire to in compression. Anyway, other options such as detuning are always good.

Greddy e-manage are excellent ways to keep the cost down and still maintain synergy within you engine....but e-manage was made to work at optimum conditions in conjuction with profec and e-01 series, along with various other options at an extra price. as long as you keep air/fire/fuel or turbo/ignition/....fuel in an equal basis, you'll be fine. Engine management, i.e. haltech, aem, etc should be used in high H.P. applications (280-300 +).....and if you can afford it before hand...by all means get it.

oh yeah...Point 1. greddy Fuel control units run from 5-8 psi....another limitation.
Point 2. Heat wrap was invented to isolate heat from its covered source, turbo manifolds, housings, and the like. Again heat sources should be covered and ambient temp. should fall because of it. Allowing heat to distribute and penetrate and isolating certain parts only makes your job harder and ambient temp. higher.
Point 3. No matter what you do, what kit you get....always have a blow-off valve. no one wants compressor surge( let off acceleration, your throttle gate closes, your turbo still in momentum and will to a certain factor force the compressor wheel in the reverse direction....not good...let go of the excess pressure.