fastesttiburon01

does anyone know some links for turbos. i checked out the alpine turbo but couldnt read the table. if you know how much of a boost that is please post it. I want a real good one.

Random

Alpine developments, but you know of them
www.rpw.com.au has one. E-mail customerservice@sharkracing for more details on that one.

Ballistics will hopefully have their kit done in a month or two.

KORE is working on a kit, but they have not released specs or prices.

totoro001

you could just design your own?

Random

Yes...yes you could.

Start with an exhaust manifold from Champion in Korea (Cheuk) for about $400...and build it up from there...

Decker

random, would it be cheaper/better to build it up or just buy a kit?

totoro001

i know i'm not random, so you can yell at me for answering if you want, but just in the hopes of taking a little bit of load off of random's shoulders, it hink it'd go something like this..

ahem..

if you know what you're doing enough to design a turbo kit for your car, then by all means go ahead and do it. you could probably get more boost that way than if you buy someone elses kit, however, if you don't know what you're doing, or you aren't sure, either find help, or just buy someone elses kit. it's cheaper to do it that way then to try and design your own and mess it up, along with your engine.

in any event, for a good turbo kit (in case your wondering) you're looking at around 3500 to 10000 in price (us dollars)

skierd

you also get the satisfaction of lookin at the car when its all said and done, and say "I did that. I Owenz Ju."

Random

Cheaper? Yes, you can build a turbo kit cheaper.

You can make it fast and cheap, but it won't be reliable. You can make it cheap, and reliable, but it won't be fast. You can make it reliable and fast...but it won't be cheap.

To a certian extent, you get what you pay for, and there are not many "corners" than can be cut.

A used turbo from E-bay is a crap shoot. You are trusting that the turbo is good. Ditto for a used intercooler...used BOV, used wastegate..etc..etc..etc..

If you buy all used parts...and they are all in good working order, you could probably cobble together a "cheap" low power (6-7psi) turbo kit for about $2000. Now you gotta install it all and tune it.

Want more power? Then you've should replace the pistions and rods...that adds another $1000-$1200 to the cost if you want forged units, less if you go with the pistions and rods that Ballistics has, and you still gotta pay someone to rip your motor apart and install them. Now you need to retune the system, and turn up the boost...is your "cheap" fuel system up to the task? Is your "cheap" ECU/engine management system up to the task?

Don't get me wrong here, I'm NOT trying to discourage anyone from trying to build their own kit. Rather, I'm trying to educate. It should be possible to build a low power, cheap system yourself. But after a certian point, unless you can rip your motor apart and install new pistions and rods yourself...the costs go up very fast.

[ April 07, 2002, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: Random ]

skierd

I'm looking to spend around $3000+ for my custom kit to run 7psi fairly reliably. However, if/when i want more boost, the cost goes up DRAMATICALLY thanks to rods, pistons, and a haltech, lol.

Curtas

Random's dead on with the prices. I'm doing a 5 to 7 psi setup on my 1.8L for $2000 tuned. Mostly e-bay parts with some exceptions.

My design should be reliable, but won't make maddzz power. I'm happy with 200 crank at first and eventually 200 wheel with a few upgrades.

Skierd has it right, too. I am doing it myself, so I can point to it and say "I did that". I'm leaving the fine tuning of the fuel booster and wastegate to the pro's, though.

Trick to saving money on a DIY kit is to plan ahead and be patient. Know exactly what you want, wait for a good deal, and pounce on it. Case and point: I know I need a 12:1 rising rate fuel pressure regulator. These go new for $170 to $250. Going e-bay rate is $150 or more. everyone is looking for Vortech and Cartech. I found one from Powerdyne (exact same design and function as the Vortech unit) for $60. It's in great condition too. Do that with most of the other big parts and you can save 50% easily.

However, I'm sticking to my $2000 budget. If I save in one place, I'm splurging in another -- like premium oil and fuel line fittings and stainless steel hose. Better gauges, more dyno time, etc. I'm sure a new clutch and front brakes are in order soon too. I'm just spacing every purchase out so the ole' wallet doesn't get hit too hard.

good luck,
ac

ps. I'm a TSR member, how do I get that cool logo next to my posts?