Where to start: turboing my LS...

[Garhard12345]

Hey guys. So I decided I will stick with my LS and build it up for turbo. Any suggestions on where to start? Also, you guys have any links to some good sites on this? Thanks for all your help.

[type-sman]

buy a bolt on kit for now and run like 6 or so pounds psi of boost turbonetics or greddy make good ones.what are your plans for your car ? is it your daily driver or do you want a track car or what ?

[WVU97GS-R]

Originally Posted by Garhard12345

Hey guys. So I decided I will stick with my LS and build it up for turbo. Any suggestions on where to start? Also, you guys have any links to some good sites on this? Thanks for all your help.

how many miles on the odometer, do a leak down test, how much HP/boost do you plan on running. that will tell us if you should go forged pistons or lower your CR. Are you aiming for peak HP or just extra umph. What events do you want to run such as drag race or auto-x..... Replace your clutch lighter flywheel are other mods you should do. If you haven't done your suspension first do that because more power will hinder performance.

[narfer]

piece together your own kit off of forums and ebay, its way cheaper and you can make it as good as you want. If you buy a kit most of them cheap out on something vital (greddy doesn't come with a BOV, lots of other kits just come with an boost dependent fuel pressure riser) and you end up dropping even more cash than the $3k you'd have to drop for the kit itself. You don't need to build your engine as long as its in strong running order and you're not planning on running more than like 10psi or breaking 250hp, not that more hasn't been done, but thats with very careful tuning.

[Garhard12345]

Originally Posted by WVU97GS-R

how many miles on the odometer, do a leak down test, how much HP/boost do you plan on running. that will tell us if you should go forged pistons or lower your CR. Are you aiming for peak HP or just extra umph. What events do you want to run such as drag race or auto-x..... Replace your clutch lighter flywheel are other mods you should do. If you haven't done your suspension first do that because more power will hinder performance.

100,000 miles on odometer, will do the leak down test, and I was hoping to run around 8 or 9 psi (do you think I should aim lower initially? since this is my first boosted car?). Eventually, I would like to aim for peak hp, but for now looking for a good sized umph. I am just about to do my suspension (definitely before I do any power mods). In the end I want boost ASAP to give me a good power umph, then eventually I want to build up my engine so that I don't regret the fact that I didn't swap out the LS.

[WVU97GS-R]

Originally Posted by Garhard12345

100,000 miles on odometer, will do the leak down test, and I was hoping to run around 8 or 9 psi (do you think I should aim lower initially? since this is my first boosted car?). Eventually, I would like to aim for peak hp, but for now looking for a good sized umph. I am just about to do my suspension (definitely before I do any power mods). In the end I want boost ASAP to give me a good power umph, then eventually I want to build up my engine so that I don't regret the fact that I didn't swap out the LS.

8-9 psi on what type of turbo. psi doesn't mean anything without turbo specs. if your engine is fine you don't need to lower cr unless you want a serious build. If it's a daily driver than your CR is fine don't let them tell you that you need 8.5:1 waste of money in my opinion. if you want to lower than go 9:1 or 9.5:1. The leak down test and Comp test will tell you the condition of your motor. If it's fine you can get an easy 220-230 whp with a decent turbo and a good tune. Your're care would be pretty quick that. THe LS motor is a perfect for boost. Since you want good power umph really soon then keep Stock CR. You only need to run about 6-7 psi with a decent sized quick spool turbo to get the gains you want. 8-9 is kinda high on a Stock motor. And last but not least like i said before CLutch flywheel and a good tune to take adavantage of the turbo. Get Hondata or Ubertdata. Remember you want a turbo with external wastegate and a FMIC. What exactly is your HP goal????

[narfer]

100k is just when honda engines break in Kits are reliable but most don't come with all the components you need, and they are expensive as hell. You'll spend around 3k for a kit with most of the stuff you need. I just finished my setup -- its a b18 boosted to 5 lbs for now until i hook up the boost controller. Here's what it cost me: I got a greddy manifold, turbo, downpipe, piping from intake to turbo to manifold, greddy type s bov, all flanges, oil feed line, boost gauge, narrowband a/f gauge for $380. Spent about another $150 on other piping, fittings, silicone couplers, vaccuum hose, oil drain line, etc. Got a brand new, beautiful CCA intercooler for $130. I already had an oil pressure gauge (absolutely necessary in my opinion) and I got my ecu chipped for uberdata with a perfect basemap by Xenocron for $75. If my calculations are correct, thats $735 for a turbo system that is more complete, makes more power, and is more reliable than any full kit you can buy without serious upgrades. I know that i used part of a greddy kit, but thats just because it was a sweet deal. You can buy a custom made tubular log manifold for about $150 and get a really nice 60/63 t3 for about that much too. If you can weld and have a welder you can fab your own downpipe and save yourself a ton of money for other things too. Sorry for the huge post, its just that i just finished my turbo setup and am really proud of myself :clap The flipside to this is if you have the money you can just order a kit and bolt it on in a weekend, while piecing stuff together takes more time and work. But i think the work just makes it mean that much more, and you learn a lot on the way. Like using hoseclamps on oil lines that see 70psi

[narfer]

Originally Posted by WVU97GS-R

8-9 psi on what type of turbo. psi doesn't mean anything without turbo specs. if your engine is fine you don't need to lower cr unless you want a serious build. If it's a daily driver than your CR is fine don't let them tell you that you need 8.5:1 waste of money in my opinion. if you want to lower than go 9:1 or 9.5:1. The leak down test and Comp test will tell you the condition of your motor. If it's fine you can get an easy 220-230 whp with a decent turbo and a good tune. Your're care would be pretty quick that. THe LS motor is a perfect for boost. Since you want good power umph really soon then keep Stock CR. You only need to run about 6-7 psi with a decent sized quick spool turbo to get the gains you want. 8-9 is kinda high on a Stock motor. And last but not least like i said before CLutch flywheel and a good tune to take adavantage of the turbo. Get Hondata or Ubertdata. Remember you want a turbo with external wastegate and a FMIC. What exactly is your HP goal????

A lot of people say to keep the stock flywheel because the revs drop slower inbetween shifts and keeps you in boost better. That and you rev so fast turbo anyway that you can hardly shift in time. But upgraded clutch is definitely a must. I don't need one yet because NY winter doesn't let me have traction

[WVU97GS-R]

Originally Posted by narfer

A lot of people say to keep the stock flywheel because the revs drop slower inbetween shifts and keeps you in boost better. That and you rev so fast turbo anyway that you can hardly shift in time. But upgraded clutch is definitely a must. I don't need one yet because NY winter doesn't let me have traction

i'm not saying like an 8 lbs flywheel jsut slightly lighter for better response. it's a preference thing and how skilled you are at shifting. But tuning is the key

[JDMThoughts]

Well what has been said I agree with and don't agree with. The leak-down test and compression test is a definite. Remember that the numbers should be similiar. Here is the specs that you need to know that no one is telling you.

Standard pressure is 199psi
Minimum pressure tolerated is 135psi
Maximum variation between cylinders is 28psi

Before you can go about any more turbo related talk you need to decide what is your overall goal for power. Is this a daily driver or more of a track car that you drive sometimes. Turbo sizing and fuel component sizing along with tuning is gonna make or break your car. Some of the kits on the market are overpriced, some of them don't incorporate all the essential parts like Narfer mentioned. The benifit of having a kit that has been manufactured is that there was testing and there is some assurance the kit will deliver more power and wil remain reliable if "TUNED" properly. However if you do your research and you don't wanna spend a lot of money then you can piece together your setup and save money and get solid performance potential. You just need to decide what you want as the end product.

[Garhard12345]

Thanks for everything guys, this has really helped me. I'm going to get started on it this week so I'll try to keep you informed.

[Us3rname]

what year is it. if it's not allready obd1 id get it switched.

[G2IntegraGS]

Originally Posted by WVU97GS-R

i'm not saying like an 8 lbs flywheel jsut slightly lighter for better response. it's a preference thing and how skilled you are at shifting. But tuning is the key

true true. It does take more finesse with the lightweight flywheel.

[WVU97GS-R]

Originally Posted by G2IntegraGS

true true. It does take more finesse with the lightweight flywheel.

finesse = style and i'm all about the S.T.Y.L.E!

[GotBoost98]

Originally Posted by Garhard12345

Hey guys. So I decided I will stick with my LS and build it up for turbo. Any suggestions on where to start? Also, you guys have any links to some good sites on this? Thanks for all your help.

See my signature, see turbo sizing................