I am new to this site. I want to boost my car and I am just curious to see other peoples answers. I could really use any help. I have a 94 CX hatch with a 95 USDM LS engine. The bodys got 123,000 miles on it and the Engine has close to 100,000 miles on it. I want to throw a turbo on, but my engine is 100% internally stock...

So am I good to put a turbo on?
How much PSI am I safe to run at with stock Internals?
How much can a stock LS handle?
With my engine having 100,000 miles and my body 123,000 -will I still be safe to boost my car?
I know i hafta get rid of my intake and header, but Am I safe to keep my 5Zigen exhaust? (basically, Do I have to upgrade to a 3" ?)
What is the best Turbo brand and size that you all reccomend me buy? Im not trying to spend alot,but i don't want anything cheap. I don't want to go all out either and be the fastest or anything-----I just want the best speed and performance for the dollar!
Lastly, Will this make the reliability of my car go down?


The kit I want to buy will come with a BOV and an Intercooler, I just got my axles replaced.(Even though that really doesn't make a difference because My car wouldn't be powerful enough to need some good axles)

I 'm not a car expert and I was reccomended to come to this site to get some good answers.

Any help would help alot, Thanks.

 

Forced Induction Forum
Do a search as-well, this has been covered a million times.

Edit*-
I searched for Turbo LS setup ..... it returned 987 results

 

OK.

You can put a turbo on it with 100,000 miles on it.
With stock internals I would say around 8-10 psi, with it tuned safely.
I think stock LS's are good for around 300hp, at least that's what I've seen a lot of.
As far as the exhaust goes, you could keep it I think, but for a more secure answer check the forced induction forum.

A buddy of mine had a boosted LS and ran 10psi for months tuned with Uberdata. No problems, until he turned up the boost to about 12 psi. Cracked a sleeve quickly.

Sounds like you aren't too familiar with turbos so a few pointers.

Having a turbo can decrease reliability if not done right.
Find a hp goal you want to reach as opposed to going for psi necessarily.
Building up the internals will make certain you are safer.
Tuning is key to making a good setup, not only to run well but to make it safe .
Check the forced induction forums, many peeps have a boosted LS as it's a great platform for turbo.

 

Ohh thanks ALOT guys...That helped alot...I didnt even bother to look and see the forced induction section......lol........Well since Im already here, if anybody else has anything to add that will be great!

 

i run 12psi on my stock LS all day long and it holds up fine. on the dyno it actually hit 15psi on accident and still held up. i run a t3/04e .50 trim from XS. i had it sized for my car and application and it rips. i think the most important thing is tuning

 

do a compression and leakdown test before you get boost happy. you'll thank me later.

 

Talk to DaX, he has a nice hatch with an LS turbo under the hood. he is one to do it right or not at all, so see what he has to say.

 

Tuning and the setup are the most important factors. I am on a completely bonestock internal motor (stock head, stock studs, stock headgasket, stock bottom end) and am running 15.4lbs daily. I have the proper fuel management and my car is tuned awesome. As long as you set some power goals and how much money you want to spend, then you can go from there. Just piece together everything and make sure you don't skimp out on your fuel setup and you'll be fine. I make 340/270 on stock ls and its been holding up great for almost a year now.

 

Everyone's answers are on point.

My friends experience...
stock ls head and block.
T25
MSD
Vortech 12:1 FMU
of course FMIC , BOV.
(stupid part)- stock fuel pump,injectors...and a prelude (i think) ecu.

It's been holding 10 psi daily for about a year. But the DUMBEST THING to do....he DID!!! he left a stock FP, injectors and DIDNT get it tuned.

Needless to say.....he has to put about a quart of oil in it everytime after he take it out to drive. Black smoke all over the people behind him.....uh, yea..... he now just drives his mom's car till he gets another 'long block' .


...moral of the story....
Just make sure you have the right fuel set up. If you want to cram more air into your motor...make sure you have the right fuel management to supply it with what it needs...when it needs it. And you definately should get it tuned....make sure you have adequate a/f .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JayDeEM-ike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am new to this site. I want to boost my car and I am just curious to see other peoples answers. I could really use any help. I have a 94 CX hatch with a 95 USDM LS engine. The bodys got 123,000 miles on it and the Engine has close to 100,000 miles on it. I want to throw a turbo on, but my engine is 100% internally stock...

So am I good to put a turbo on?
How much PSI am I safe to run at with stock Internals?
How much can a stock LS handle?
With my engine having 100,000 miles and my body 123,000 -will I still be safe to boost my car?
I know i hafta get rid of my intake and header, but Am I safe to keep my 5Zigen exhaust? (basically, Do I have to upgrade to a 3" ?)
What is the best Turbo brand and size that you all reccomend me buy? Im not trying to spend alot,but i don't want anything cheap. I don't want to go all out either and be the fastest or anything-----I just want the best speed and performance for the dollar!
Lastly, Will this make the reliability of my car go down?


The kit I want to buy will come with a BOV and an Intercooler, I just got my axles replaced.(Even though that really doesn't make a difference because My car wouldn't be powerful enough to need some good axles)

I 'm not a car expert and I was reccomended to come to this site to get some good answers.

Any help would help alot, Thanks.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

hey welcome to honda-tech

as for some of your questions, remember this before you go buying stuff: its not the psi that breaks things, its more like the actual whp and tq you are making.

with that out of the way, 200whp is easily done on an ls with a moderate tune safely, 250 is getting closer to borderline, and 300 is too close for my personal liking(though there are many people running stock ls at 300+whp)

do a compression test first to make sure your motor is healthy (look for #'s in the 170-190psi range) my ls' compression is 208,208,205,205, but ive got some gunk on the top of my pistons which increases the compression a little bit. if you get solid #'s dont let the 100k miles scare you(make sure you had timing belt and waterpump replaced!!) and do routine maintanance like oil change..blablabla

you will hands down need an upgraded clutch to handle the increased torque being produced. as for turbo selection, i am gonna say look toward either a t3 super 60 or a t3/t4 50 trim. go with the .48 exhaust a/r on the t3/t4, or a .63 a/r if you get a super 60. generally speaking, both of these turbos should put out 200whp or a lil more on roughly 7-8 psi. that will be nicely on the safe side if tuned, and more than enough fun for your first boosted car. the most important thing is tuning!!!(and dont forget to take out some timing ). good luck

 

My advice....ssss....if you expect this to be a daily driver and retain driveability, run some LOW boost. I think that you should mod the internals a bit, possibly sleeve the block. Im not too sure, but thats just what I think, around 5-10 psi possibly.

 

Oh and you really need to look into upgrading your clutch to deliver that ppower efficiently and look into your fuel management, along with opening up the exhaust end of your car, get a turbo full exhaust.

 

your 5zigen exhaust should be fine for lower boost setups, as long as the piping is 60mm (2.36inches) or larger. i wouldnt waste hundreds on a new catback, worst comes to worst i would just turn up the boost 1 psi

 

tuning tuning tuning. good tuning and the right fuel setup will give you both good numbers and reliability. don't skimp on this.

 

Aright thanks to everybody for their help! As I can See Tuning has been stressed several times. So That is obviously a must! But It was suggested that I should do a Compression and Leakdown test....

Can I get that done anywhere?
How much will that cost? (As you can see I'm on a tight budget)
If I don't upgrade my fuel management- Will It still be safe to be a daily (365 days a year) driver?
If I ever wanted to up my injectors, what size do you all recommend? ( Keep in mind Im not tryin to go all out and have the fastest and Im not going to build my motor up that much, AND I'm not trying to spend that much)


I don't really have any power goals at all (as far as numbers) I just want something faster than just an LS hatch . I'm looking at setting $3000 at my maximum limit on how much I spend (Not including labor to get it professionally installed, Or i might just do it myself w/help of others)

So basically I want the best deal I can get without building my engine.....the reason for that is because building my engine is more $$$ and I don't plan on keeping this car for no more than 2 -3 years.

My biggest questions are: Do I HAVE TO up my Fp and injectors , considering I would be aiming at just 8psi.?
AND
DO I really HAVE to upgrade my clutch? My clutch is alright now, it grinds in 3rd at High RPM's??????
AND How much does it cost to get my car tuned right at a good PROFESSIONAL shop?

Damn............., I know I ask ALOT of questions.....lol....But I just want to know everything so I can make sure I buy the right turbo, buy everything else I need for it, and Most importantly I want a good idea of how much $$$ I'm going to have to spend.

YEa I know I could go to the forced Induction section, but since I already started hear.......might as well keep on goin....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JayDeEM-ike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My biggest questions are: Do I HAVE TO up my Fp and injectors , considering I would be aiming at just 8psi.?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Fuel manangment is part of tuning, if you are going to force more air into your engine it is going to need more fuel to run safely. And with the stock injectors your car will struggle to meet the demands of the new consumption levels. Good Luck!

 

if your tranny is already grinding in 3rd, it might give out under boost. get some gm or penzoil syncromesh transmission fluid in there and see if it clears up the grind.

you can run stock injectors and a rising rate fmu, but thats not tuned and will not help your cause to have your motor last, especially if you have no way of taking out ignition timing, which if combined with a poor fuel curve will really suck it up for longevity.


go to an auto parts store and pick up a pressure gauge, it cant be more than 20 or 25 at the most. take out your spark plugs and unclip your fuel injectors. screw the gauge into the spark plug hole, go in the car, floor the gas pedal and turn the car over 5 or 6 times. then check the gauge and see what the psi went up to. viola, compression check. oh yea, the motor should be at normal operating temperature when you do all this. just remember to have no spark and no fuel.

you will definately have to upgrade the clutch, it will fry out on you shortly after you double the torque output of your motor.

you can find something like a used turbo kit for 1500-1800 bucks, and it will have just about all that you need to get started. i would look into that if i were you

 

what kind of clutch do you all reccomend? Im not tryin to get the best, just one that will be good for turbo......Do you all reccomend that I upgrade my entire fuel management system since i'm not aiming at that much power? or Do you just reccomend that I just up my injectors only? If so what size and brand thats good but not too expensive? .....b/c Im really not tryin to spend that much and I do not want that much more power......I just want it to be reliable and faster!

What is the reliability with used turbo kits? Will I be better of buying a new one? Whats a good website that sells good used turbo kits for my motor (B18B)?