Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum and didn't see a general section where I thought this could be placed. I'm currently looking for a new car (driving a 2003 VW GTI currently) and am looking for something fast, reliable, and at least moderately comfortable. I've primarily been looking at WRX's, Turbo SC300's, B5 Audi S4's. BMW E36 M3's, and Volvo S60R's. If you couldn't see the trend those are all either RWD or AWD and all but one are turbo specific.

Now, upon looking around on Honda-Tech I've started to realize that there are a lot of 400+ HP, Turbo, Daily Driven cars. Where should I start and what should I look for? Honda or Acura? Hatch, Coupe, or Sedan? I'd want to stay under $10k (or damn close if it were well worth it). I'd be looking for a clean body, reliable as a daily driver, and heat and A/C are a must along with power steering. Not worried about traction control or ABS (and I don't know which of these cars even came with it).

Ideally it would be in the range of 300+ WHP on a daily, pump gas map and 400++ on pump, E85, or race gas for a track/race map. Turbo preferred. Even the small turbo on the GTI has me hooked on them.

So.... point me in the right direction. (If you're selling something that fits the criteria feel free to send me a PM.)

Thanks in advance for the help and advice,
Dan

Mods: If this is in the wrong section for some reason feel free to relocate it. Apologies in advance.

 

you have posted this in the correct section. lets start by saying that 400 hp can be achieved pretty easily on pump gas on a stock sleeved motor. if i were you i would research what body style you like (coupe, hatch, sedan). there are also a ton of engine combiations that can be used. (d series, b series, h series, k series.. etc.) its hard to explain everything in a short paragraph of all the combinations you can use. basically there are two types of Honda motors if you put it in perspective... VTEC and Non VTEC. b16's b18c1's b18c's d16z6 are just some VTEC engines while the b18b1, b20's, d15's DOHC ZC's are some Non VTEC engines. VTEC has to do with the head of the engine so it is possible to make a non VTEC block a VTEC... (LS/Vtec, b20/ VTEC, mini me)

my favorite chassis is an EH/ EG which is a 92-95 hatch.. a coupe and sedan also came in those years along with the integra rs/ls and a GsR from 94-01

i would do research if i were you and pick your favorite chassis then find one in the marketplace that is already boosted with solid parts and a fairly low compression motor to buy.. you will have a ton of fun!!

 

having a high horsepower DD with a/c and PS? i wish...

just find a a nice dd... nice turbo kit thats a/c and p/s compatible...good tune

then your set.. can be done easily... could even build the motor for 10k if you bought the car for cheap enough

 

Alright, first thing I notice is that you live in IL like me. As you may or may not know, IL has stricter emissions testing than some states (fortunately nothing like CA), and can make turboing cars a pain. Not only do you have to pass a sniffer test, but also an OBD-II check. To properly tune a 1996 and above Honda for boost, you need to switch to OBD-I... which means you won't pass emissions... (well, unless you know someone who can fake it for you I suppose)

Fortunately you can still look at models 95 and lower. Having A/C and P/S will definitely be a challenge, but it can be done. You may have more trouble hitting your higher power goals, but if you really want it, go for it. You'll definitely need to find a good tuner to make a tune that is emissions friendly anyway.

I wish you luck.

 

If the car is OBD-1 stock then you no longer need to take it for emissions in Illinois. If I register the car in Champaign where I currently live then there is no emissions here at all. I got lucky on that hurdle.

Honestly, I guess P/S wouldn't be a must. AC would sure the hell be nice though. So all of the high (or anywhere near high) HP setups have ditched it completely?

I've been reading a lot on here and am just in the beginning stages here. Thanks for the comments.

 

Hence why I said this for emissions areas. Damn, didn't know that about Champaign... I knew I liked that area for more than just the fact the U of I campus is there! Haha!

Yeah P/S isn't bad at all unless you are trying to turn the wheel under no throttle. I feel you on the A/C, especially if this is going to be driven a good amount. I personally don't like to use the A/C, but it sure is nice on those super hot days.

Obviously the advantages to ditching both or just one are that you have more space and can make a little bit more power. Sometimes some of the parts (turbo manifold, turbo, catch can, etc.) need the space that the P/S and the A/C system take up. However, people have maintained both systems while achieving your same power goal.

It will all depend on what car and engine you get exactly (which will determine your space).

 

I daily drove my DC2 (a/c and PS) for 5 years with between 380-430whp. 30,000 miles with no issues.

 

To purchase a car, turbo setup, tuning, and any motor swap/build you want to fund to hold 400+hp "reliably" is gonna run you more than $10,000, unless you buy a complete **** box of a car. For you to achieve your goals, your better off finding a car somebody has already built and purchasing it. Despite what many others on this forum will say, to buy a car, turbo it, and make it reliable for under $10,000 is nearly impossible, unless you get some amazing deals on a car and parts.

Stock motor turbo-ed is NOT reliable. Its a time bomb. You might get lucky and it lasts, but its still not reliable.

Cheap turbo parts are NOT reliable. Ebay turbo kits are junk, end of story.

Keeping heat shouldnt be an issue regardless of turbo setup and chassis, power steering and AC will be more difficult.

IMO, hatchbacks are the best. They, in most cases are lighter, so if you had to lose power steering, it wont really strain you to live without it.

Some companies make manifolds to keep AC and PS, but it will limit your manifold design, turbo size, down pipe size and location, and wastegate/dump tube location.

 

This is good advice. I spent over 10 grand on my set up. You can save a lot of money if you build it yourself and spend time finding good deals on parts. As said, a stock motor will not last at that power level. Cheap turbo parts are NOT reliable. Ebay turbo kits are junk, end of story.

 

for 10g's you could make your GTI pretty badass and for it to be reliable at the power level you want all you would have to do to the motor is change the rods...700 bhp has been run safely on the stock pistons since they are made by mahle and stock compression is between 8.75 to 9.5

if you did the work yourself you could either build the head for more revs with cams, valve springs, and valves.with that you could safely rev to about 8200 rpms and if you used the right cam with the right turbo choice your power won't fall off until after were you could safely rev
or......... you could do a 2.0 stroker and keep the revs to about 7400-7600

regardless the important thing is that all 3 of these will make for a reliable engine

so you could then get a turbo kit from pagparts and a eurodyne tune......unfortunately they don't have an e85 tune available yet but im sure a tuner could make one for you with the Maestro feature of the eurodyne software which basicly means you can adjust the tune of the engine.......i know this seems far from a big deal in the honda world but, this software option is the only one that that allows for this

keep in mind guys all the 1.8t engines from either 2000 or 2001 are drive by wire so.... just until recently when the eurodyne maestro software was introduced there wasn't any software that allowed the end user to adjust the tune, they were just basicly basemaps that used the o2's,MAF, and MAP sensors to try to make car run ideal as far as AF and Timing are concerned......and most of these did very well i have seen cars make 500+whp with these types of software

just an idea since you already have the VW
if you put 10g's into it, it could be made pretty badass, im thinking of 2 things that would be advantage for a honda
1.weight of the honda vs your gti
2. if you have a 5 speed and not the 6 speed, then the honda b,k,h tranny's are all better than the VW 5 speed, if you have the 6 speed in your VW then no worries as they are really strong and the gear ratio's on all of the 6 speeds are pretty badass except for the tdi one, since its geared for a diesel with about a 4k rpm redline

 

for 10g's you could make your GTI pretty badass and for it to be reliable at the power level you want all you would have to do to the motor is change the rods...700 bhp has been run safely on the stock pistons since they are made by mahle and stock compression is between 8.75 to 9.5

if you did the work yourself you could either build the head for more revs with cams, valve springs, and valves.with that you could safely rev to about 8200 rpms and if you used the right cam with the right turbo choice your power won't fall off until after were you could safely rev
or......... you could do a 2.0 stroker and keep the revs to about 7400-7600

regardless the important thing is that all 3 of these will make for a reliable engine

so you could then get a turbo kit from pagparts and a eurodyne tune......unfortunately they don't have an e85 tune available yet but im sure a tuner could make one for you with the Maestro feature of the eurodyne software which basicly means you can adjust the tune of the engine.......i know this seems far from a big deal in the honda world but, this software option is the only one that that allows for this

keep in mind guys all the 1.8t engines from either 2000 or 2001 are drive by wire so.... just until recently when the eurodyne maestro software was introduced there wasn't any software that allowed the end user to adjust the tune, they were just basicly basemaps that used the o2's,MAF, and MAP sensors to try to make car run ideal as far as AF and Timing are concerned......and most of these did very well i have seen cars make 500+whp with these types of software

just an idea since you already have the VW
if you put 10g's into it, it could be made pretty badass, im thinking of 2 things that would be advantage for a honda
1.weight of the honda vs your gti
2. if you have a 5 speed and not the 6 speed, then the honda b,k,h tranny's are all better than the VW 5 speed, if you have the 6 speed in your VW then no worries as they are really strong and the gear ratio's on all of the 6 speeds are pretty badass except for the tdi one, since its geared for a diesel with about a 4k rpm redline

LINK FOR THE EURODYNE MAESTRO info on vwvortex.com http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-advice-thread

if you search over on vwvortex you can find info on everything you would need to meet your goals on the VW and info on the 5 and 6 speed gear ratio's

 

Wait till winter/spring...thats when people start selling for good prices. TAX TIME!

 

The chassis you choose is really just going to be a personal preference. There isn't really a lot of differences between the models, Honda or Acura. The Integra is a glorified Civic, the chassis is very similar (parts are easily exchangable), but they typically tend to be optioned out more than the Civics (power windows/locks, leather, etc). The weight of the different chassis is fairly negligible, though the hatches are going to be a little lighter than the coupes or sedans.

I like the EF's and EG's because they have a huge aftermarket, but I also like the styling of the EK Civics and DC Integras...even though they are a little heavier.

Pick the car that appeals to you the most, and start from there.

 

I have 600 whp, AC & PS.... don't daily my car, but do drive it 30 miles each way to work pretty frequently on nice days and cruise on the weekend. Also road race the car. It can be reliable if you build it with quality parts.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/forced-induction-16/600-whp-420-ft-lbs-integra-type-r-22psi-evans-tuning-2795400/

 

I think you can build a 300-400 hp honda for under $10K, especially if you wait around looking for deals. I figure a peakboost a/c compatible turbo kit is $3500, building up the engine is another $2500-3000, which leaves about $4K for the car. If you buy stuff used, piece together the turbo kit, and install everything yourself you can save a bit more cash.

 

Roughly what I was thinking and why honestly, I was leaning towards something built, or that at least has a build started on it. I will never be a "What about this ebay part" guy so that really isn't an issue. I'd rather save up and buy the right part once than the wrong one 3 or 4 times. Walking outside into 90+ heat with high humidity is making me really want AC more so than power steering.

I can end the GTI build suggestions really easily, I have the 5 speed tiptronic slushbox. The trans is garbage and as you know you really can't build them. I had one replaced under warranty and need to have a mount heli-coiled on this one. All of this with nothing more than spirited daily driving with a stage I tune being the only modification as far as performance goes. When I bought the car at 16 I was living in Chicago and it was nothing more than a nice DD. Now, living in Champaign I've got some room, a lot less traffic, and the itch to enjoy off ramps and highways even more than I do now.

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. I'm leaning towards scouting a nicely built hatch or a near stock ITR (and then build it myself when funds are available).

Dan