Hi, so i been definitely thinking about getting a small, light, decently powered, and fuel efficient car for awhile, after looking around for awhile. I came across the '92 hatchback manual civics... 47/53 cty/hwy or something like that, smallest car i could find(shorter then mr2 spyder....) and is only 2108lbs, curbweight, only problem with it is the power. Which could easily be brought up with a small turbo, even running at 3psi, should boost me up 50hp, so 150hp or so on that light car, brings me to a 14 weight:hp ratio...


So yeah, anyone have any words of advice or anything to add? - I'm not looking to supe the car up fully(i've done that with 2 cars... kinda useless now) just that i'm in college now, and my girl is in another, so making 65-80mph trips back and forth a few times a week, and easy 5 min drives to my college from my house...

I like the gas mileage on the civic, love how it's small and light. And from what i hear/read adding a turbo(if ya got someone who can do it) is quite easy, and won't mess with the gas mileage at all.

But my concerns is about the healthiness of the civic if i do make it turbo. What are some positives and minuses to turbo'ing a '92 manual?

 

Best thing you can do is run compression and leakdown tests to make sure the motor is good for the turbo.

Also, running 3psi isn't going to get you anywhere on a honda. It's pretty standard to run 8psi (stock gated on turbos such as Mitsu t25's, 14b's, etc..). As long as you use good parts,invest in propercooling, andget it tuned by a reputable tuner it should be a fun little car for a long time.

 

Thanks for the info!

But, i am not really looking for much power, just a slight increase(50hp would be fine)

Like i said, 4 things i want in a car. Small(length), light, fuel efficient, and decent hp/weight ratio.

Civic has all, except it's hp isn't as high as i'd like it.

Anything higher then 30-35hp is good. but i was told 50hp could be achieved from just a 3psi boost, which i wouldn't even need any computers for or anything, just the turbo and the accesories. But, please correct me if the info is wrong, how much psi should i be boosting for 50hp? on the '92 manual civic, has 102 stock, which everyone here should already now heh.

 

a T25 internally gated at 8 PSI would put you at like 180-190, maybe a bit more if you've got a good tune. T25's can be had really cheap (usually less than $100), and they come gated at a desirable PSI, i say just go with one of them. Plus you can buy oil line kits already setup for T25s

 

Ok, that sounds good, thanks! Although 180 is a lot of hp... i guess it could come in handy haha...

One last question... will the hp be kind of permanent? like still give a boost at low speeds? I've yet to drive a turbo'd car(even though i own a 88 turbo supra... for sale btw..) So not really sure how it all works...

Same as basically having that civic with a stocked 180hp engine? (meaning, no delay, and works at low rpm?? normal driving, not necesaarily racing..?)