When buying a turbo, should the hp rating be more than the hp i want to make total, or just the hp i want to make with the turbo? i.e. if i want 300 hp with turbo and a 50-100 shot of nitrous, should i get a 400+ turbo or a 300-350 turbo?

 

400+ turbo, b/c the hp rating that the companies use to label their turbochargers are pretty much the highest amount of hp you'll see with it. A lot has to do with the efficiency, if you buy a larger turbo, and want to make 400hp, youll make it at lower boost and lower temps rather than having a smaller turbo at 25lbs of boost putting out tremendous stress and temperatures on your motor.... thats exactly what im doing right now, i swapped out my SC50 that i made 310 on at 13lbs, for an SC61, hoping to make around 400hp at 16 lbs or so...

 

there is alot more to it then that.. you need to size the turbo for the application.. there are alot of factors when choosing a turbo.. is it a daily driver or a strip only car? engine displacement? desired power level?

post your current setup info so we know what you have to work with..

 

it will be a daily driver for now, but im working on getting a new daily driver to park the honda. Im looking to get a new turbo and manifold for now, but later i plan on ported and polished vtec head swap, intake manifold and tb, i/c piping, bigger injectors, hondata, and a secondary fuel system for n2o with a direct port.
as it sits, i have sohc non-vtec stock rebuilt head, 310cc rc injectors, aem fuel rail, b&m pressure regulator, je pistons, eagle rods, balanced and knife edged crank, clevite bearings, smc alcohol injection, greddy turbo kit, intercooler(forgot what kind), custom getto i/c pipe, and type s bov. Im running e manage and eo1 for fuel management. id like to see what kind of power a sohc can make on turbo alone, then add n2o to help spool time and add a little power after i get rid of the alcohol.