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Turbo Kit (Newbies)

Posted: 09 Aug 2006, 3:58 pm
by meemo
Newbies dis all wat u need to build or understand the theory of buildin a turbo kit...

ok, lets start with the basics, you're going to need 1 turbo charger the turbo is one item in itself, it doesn't include the manifold! usually they come with an internal wastegate already so you don't have to buy a wastegate unless your turbo didn't come with one or you would rather use an external wg. a lot of common turbo's are t3's off of volvo's, saab's, old turbo mustangs and thunderbirds, and also all turbo's off of dsm's are pretty common for home made set ups.

the manifold is the thing that actually bolts to your head where your stock manifold/header was and is what your turbo is connected to.


an intercooler is not neccessary, but is highly reccomended, it cools the air coming from the turbo that goes in to your engine, cooler air equals less chance of detonation (not good) and you can run more boost safely. there are side mount intercoolers (smic) that people ususally tuck up under their wheel well, and there are front mount inter coolers (fmic) that go up front behind your bumper cover. which ever you want is up to you, obviously a frount mount is a little more effective since it gets more air flow, but an smic does a pretty good job also as long as you don't plan on running really high amounts of boost.

a 'bov' is what give you that 'cool' sound you hear when you're changing gears, basically, what it's doing is releasing pressure out of the charge pipes. when you let your foot off the gas and the throttle plate closes, the compressed air from the turbo is still in the charge pipes, if it's not realeased instantly, it will travel stop the turbo from spinning and cause it to spin backwards (compressor surge), you'll know when you hear comp. surge, it a loud fluttering noise. anyways, this limits the turbo's life, and you get really bad lag between gears also.

the wastegate (wg) is what controls how much boost the turbo pushes to your engine, it opens at a certain psi. and expels the rest of the exhaust gasses (that the turbo uses to spool) to hold it at whatever psi. it's set at. like mentioned if the 1st paragraph, most turbo's come with internal wg's, but if you choose to use an external wg (tial, deltagate, etc.), you have to have a flange to mount it on your manifold, and you have to use a 'block off' flange on the exhaust housing of the turbo where the opening for an internal wg is.

charge piping is the piping that connects the turbo outlet to the intake manifold which the air travels through. if you're not running an intercooler, the pipe only has to go from the turbo outlet on the compressor housing, to the intake manifold and is very simple to run. if you're running an intercooler, the piping has to go from the turbo outlet to the intercooler inlet, then from the intercooler outlet, to the intake manifold. you can buy prefab kits for your car, but they will always need modification because unless you use the exact same manifold, turbo, and intercooler as someone else, you're pipes are going to be different because the placement of these components determines where the pipes go. most people just buy mandrel bends (usually 2 or 2.5") and cut them to fit and put them together themselves.

last but not least u need engine managment,oil lines,injectors,vacum lines......

Posted: 09 Aug 2006, 4:52 pm
by mikeh
Nice writeup man! (Y)

Posted: 09 Aug 2006, 6:09 pm
by Jin
thanx bro!!!!
i did learn somrthing from tht!!

Jin (Y)

Posted: 09 Aug 2006, 8:40 pm
by meemo
Jin, how come ??! :|

Posted: 10 Aug 2006, 3:34 pm
by xheartx77
really nice piece of info ... this should be stickied ... i guess :)

Posted: 10 Aug 2006, 4:00 pm
by mikeh
done!

Posted: 10 Aug 2006, 4:37 pm
by xheartx77
mikeh wrote:done!
wow . ..thts quick response ...thanxx .. :D
really worth a read ...

Posted: 02 Sep 2006, 4:48 pm
by mani3_Z400
great information!!
thanks bro

Posted: 27 Dec 2006, 12:15 pm
by 04COBRAKID
that was a very infomative write up, but i had a question. i have a 04 cobra and was thinkin of changin to a turbo setup instead of the sc. what would be the advantages/disadvantages to a stand alone fuel managment system?

Posted: 27 Dec 2006, 7:43 pm
by mikeh
04COBRAKID wrote:that was a very infomative write up, but i had a question. i have a 04 cobra and was thinkin of changin to a turbo setup instead of the sc. what would be the advantages/disadvantages to a stand alone fuel managment system?
As long as you provide the right amount of fuel for the amounts of air you put in, there should be no problem.

Turbo's have the infamous lag though, with a supercharger (roots blower i suppose) you have instant responce, with a turbo, you don't.

Posted: 27 Dec 2006, 9:36 pm
by albertho555
nice one bro ... well done :-) need more enthusiasts like u here !

Posted: 29 Dec 2006, 11:16 am
by Accord98
wow - very easy to read and nicely said - gets the point across very clearly! -good job man! (Y)

Posted: 30 Dec 2006, 5:59 am
by 04COBRAKID
yea, i still am debating, a lot of guys i know tell me for real power go turbo, but i've heard a lot of horror stories about turbos blowin engines. is there a real difference in engine life and safety betweeen turbos and sc? thanks for the info before as well. its nice to be part of a forum where people are so nice and not ready to call eachother out ever other post.

Posted: 30 Dec 2006, 12:00 pm
by mikeh
04COBRAKID wrote:yea, i still am debating, a lot of guys i know tell me for real power go turbo, but i've heard a lot of horror stories about turbos blowin engines. is there a real difference in engine life and safety betweeen turbos and sc? thanks for the info before as well. its nice to be part of a forum where people are so nice and not ready to call eachother out ever other post.
PSI is PSI in the end, your engine's longevity will be affected by any of the two. Turbo's require more maintenance because of their nature, and more intercooling often. More parts in your FI application, more vectors you have to go wrong. Yet, turbo chargers give you more power than superchargers, if you are willing to wait when the lag is over :P

Posted: 04 Jan 2007, 6:08 am
by meemo
turbocharged cars also face some problems when it comes to welding and piping some parts may fall apart.