hey i know some of you have experience with turbos (polo), and i was wondering how efficient it is in a 94 civic ex. that is a sohc motor. what level boost should i run? what other parts should be upgraded for optimum performance? Is running a turbo worth it for a daily driver? which turbo kit do you guys prefer?

 

i have the same gen civic with a sohc v-tec motor. i'm going with a T3/T4 turbo at 6 pounds of boost. some of the guys here are going with up to 9 lbs of boost but since we have older cars its probably best to stick with 6 or 7. the greddy kit is another popular choice. slapping a turbo on your car should have little effect on your car's fuel efficiency and durability, depending on how you drive.

you could go up to 9 lbs after replacing the head gasket. after that are the more expensive items like fuel pump, fuel rail, rods, and pistons. bottom line is that turbos are awesome, especially for big power increases in civics.

 

you running an intercooler? what did you get with your "kit?" I wanna do it right. there are obvious upgrades but what do i need to get started? it is a daily driver so...
Have you already installed yours? How does it perform? was it an easy install? have you had it dyno'd?
thanks

 

lab, another Q...how much did your kit cost? roughly. thanks

 

ok if u get a kit and get it installed and tuned right then ur car will eb fine and the only fuel upgrade u will need is some injectors, pump, and fpr. Also for a daily driver 6-7 psi is fine with the kit tuned properly. If you wanna go more htan that u will have to redo the internals of the enie i.e. resleeve it, new rods/pistons, and other things but for a daily driver any kit will be fine but just make surwe to get it tuned right.Tuning is the most importnat factor when going turbo. Also when going FI(forced induction) then you will need a fuel management system and a boost controller to mkae everything run good. For a daily driver i wouldnt worry about anything but getting a place to get it tuned right.

 

ok if u get a kit and get it installed and tuned right then ur car will eb fine and the only fuel upgrade u will need is some injectors, pump, and fpr. Also for a daily driver 6-7 psi is fine with the kit tuned properly. If you wanna go more htan that u will have to redo the internals of the enie i.e. resleeve it, new rods/pistons, and other things but for a daily driver any kit will be fine but just make surwe to get it tuned right.Tuning is the most importnat factor when going turbo. Also when going FI(forced induction) then you will need a fuel management system and a boost controller to mkae everything run good. For a daily driver i wouldnt worry about anything but getting a place to get it tuned right.

 

thanks for the info, chick

 

i pieced the kit from ebay w/ turbo, intercooler, manifold, turbotimer, wastegate, boost gauge, and oil kit for $1100. i'm having a shop install everything, make all my piping, and tune it. thats running me about $600. if you go with ebay, just be careful with bad products. i heared that the stone racing stuff sucks.

 

iceman, the turbo goes in on july 5. but i got anxious and mounted the intercooler last night. i bought it from custom coaches of america (CCA) on ebay. it cost 228 after shipping (pretty cheap). its a good, big intercooler. i'm planning to hit the dyno and track on july 9. the install should take the shop no more than 3 or 4 days. i'll post pics and restults soon.