E46M3CB

Ok guys imma need your advice i've searched and read many links about turbo's bu there are a few things that was not covered and searching didn't help.

This is wat I have:

I have an 95 Integra w/ a JDM Conversion and CWest Front bumper:
- Will a spearco intercooler fit?

I have a Fluidyne Radiator + Fal Fans
- Will I have clearance issues w/ a drag turbo setup?

What is the difference between a 4 bolt and 5 bolt on the Turbo?
Which one is better? Which one do most of you use and Why?

My compression is 11:1 I have no intention of lowering it nor do I have any intention to go beyond that.
- How do I go about making sure that watever turbo I get will only do at most 5 psi?

T3 VS T3/T4, is it personal preference on which turbo to get? i.e. How much power I'm looking into making?
- I understand that a T3 is a smaller turbo which = less lag/ spool up but is there that much of a signifcant difference btw the T3/T4?

Manifold
- I have read and seen some post state there is an internal wastegate, so does that mean I won;t have to purchase a seperate one?
- Which is better? external or internal?
- I have also noticed that there are certain manifold that are more prone to cracking, can you steer me away form those and list which brand one to get? I understand that eventually overtime it will crack. However since I will be Jet Coating it I would like to own it for at least a year before replacing.

FMU
- There are a lot of different FMU but which one is right for mine? I noticed on Vortechs webiste they had FMU 12:1, 10:1, 5:1, ect ect ect which one is right for me?

Downpipe
- I currently have a JDM 4-1 Header w/ Carsound Cat, how much difference length wise will I be facing due to teh fact that I had to shorten my exhaust pipe?

Guages
- Which guages will I be needing/safety

ANd last but not least what do you guys do and how often do you maintain turbo what are teh things you check and what are teh intervals between those?

Sorry fo rteh long post but I am pretty excited about custom building my own turbo especially after reading that one post ealier this week explaning how it functions and how simple it is

TIA

E46M3CB

ne 1?


[Modified by serenity, 7:07 PM 5/10/2002]

OKSolSi

OK I will only answer what I know. As for the turbo choice, a T3 should be fine for anything from a 1.5L to a 2.0, unless you have a really built engine and need a shitload of boost. And as for the wastegate, and internal one is fine, but not adjustable, meaning you cannot adjust your boost PSI without a boost controller. I'm pretty sure external wastegates are adjustable. The manifold I'm really not sure about, I've never heard about any of them cracking. As for the FMU, the greddy ones work pretty good I hear. You need a boost gauge and an oil pressure gauge, neither of which I have yet but I'm finishing my turbo install tonight..hehe... they're not necessary but are a good thing ot have and I plan on getting them in the future.

sushibug

lemme try to cover all those bases....

will a spearco fit? spearco has several different sized intercoolers... measure your bumper, and read the specs on the intercoolers on their website.

dont know bought the radiator+fan... but fal fans are slim so i dont see why you would have issues.. i could be wrong i have a civic.

dont know bout 4/5 bolts... never heard of that.. so it must not be important.

11.1: compression? isnt that higher than a type-r? you refuse to lower your compression? you better be super-duper tuned because thats a big risk.

a t3/t4 is basically a t3 w/ the compressor of a t4... thats all i know...

no exhaust manifold out there should crack only after a year of use. most t3's and t3/t4s have external wastegates. the drag kit uses external... external is also better btw.

if you are using stock injectors, get a 12:1 fmu... but if you are getting the drag kit.. it already comes with one, and the required inline fuel pump to keep the fuel coming.

did you shorten the exhaust pipe behind the cat? no big deal.... just get a flexpipe to cover the distance.

all you really need is a a/f gauge and a boost gauge. if you want more, you can get oil pressure and an egt gauge.

turbo is no different then n/a... run full synthetic oil if you can, make sure the spark plugs are good, 1 degree colder gapped correctly. i personally check my vacuum and oil lines daily (only because my turbo setup is still fresh.) dont boost if you dont have to... it'll last longer, especially w/ that compression.

i probably missed a lot of things... but hopefully that was helpful in some way.

intekragsr

wassup. Aftermarket fans and radiator is not necesary. All you have to do is cut a tiny part of the shroud and move it over about an inch. Simple. You will have to file down about an inch off the webbing of the block to fit the compressor housing.

To make sure you only get 5 psi, get a boost controller. I dont have my boost controller yet, but I am only running 6 psi since the wastegate spring was set to .45 bar. Im assuming you have a gsr. You can run 7 max on the fuel management that comes with the drag kit.

Get the t3/t4. I have the drag kit with a custom turbo, different trim, which is supposed to give me more lag and great top end. I got the .63 a/r, .57 s3 compressor, compared the the .54 compressor that the drag comes with. I get full boost ( 6psi) at around 3500 rpm. How much sooner do you need it? Stick with the hybrid. "without lag, you have no torque"

Your drag 3 kit is external wastegate, and it comes with the deltagate. UPGRADE the wastegate to the tial 35mm. This should be mandatory and will be recommended by everyone on the board. External is better, internal is for weak street legal setups.

If you buy the drag 3 kit from importparts.com, which everyone on this board will also recomend, you will have a lifetime warranty on the manifold from cracking, which it shouldnt.

With the drag 3 kit, you get the 12:1 vortech fmu and airtex inline pump. This is good enough for what you probobly want to do, low boost settings.

The kit comes with a downpipe which will need to be modified by an exhaust shop. It needs a flange welded to the end of it to meet the catalytic converter (cut it off your stock header). Each downpipe varies, on my first install it was just about right and bent upward too much. The second install i did, the downpipe was bent too far to the left and upward, and too long.


I reccomend the apexi or greddy boost gauges and egt gauge. IMO, apexi looks better. Both are great quality.
Heres mine

From what your experience sounds like , you would be better off getting the drag 3 instead of a custom kit. Custom kits are a pain in the ***, and your car will be out of service for a very long time unless u are 100% prepared for everything.

If you need help, i can install your kit for you for a small cost. I will even use my towing service to tow your car to the shop for welding and stuff. Hope this helps.

intekragsr

Dont run synthetic. Its too thin and will hurt the oil seals on your turbo. Use castrol gtx 10-30.

Ri5e

You can get either 4 bolt or 5 bolt. Only difference is that the 5 bolt turbos have the wastegate hole for an internal wastegate flapper.