Well, I am getting my gsr on tuesday the 23rd, and with the money that I sell my crx for (aprrox $5000) I am going to be using some of it to go turbo on the gsr.

So, just as the topic states, I'm having a hard time deciding which would be the better route. I have the patience to do the research and get all the right parts I need, but can you really save that much more money and get better quality?? In comparision to say the drag gen 3 kit group buy right now for 2700???

I'm not looking on any thing spectacular. Just around 8 lbs, intercooler, bov, wastegate, fmu, inline pump, (other misc. like gauges, turbo timer, etc.). Basically something very safe that I Don't have to worry about too much.

 

er..get the kit if you don't know the answer? Pretty much just research and find out exactly what you want. I pretty much know what type of power and where I want the power and so far no kit can provide it...therefore i'm building my own. Its fun but tends to be more expensive pecing one together.

 

yup, i agree w/ prophet. i started to piece my kit because i thought i can go w/ Quality parts at a lower price. but when you go w/ things you like and go for specific items, you will end up spending alot more than you expected. i think a drag kit would have been enough for me but too late since i got all my parts and ready to start installing in about a couple months.

 

Piecing it together is best in the end. You will not end up with stuff that you do not need. That's what I did.

 

Piece it!!
You buy more time before upgrading in the future

 

You say piece it, but I am looking for the most cost effecient route, but also avoiding pos pieces. Like for instance I have been hearing that if I buy the drag kit, I should go ahead and buy a different pump...either inline or in-tank, becuase the one the kit comes with is pretty shitty. I'm not worried about upgrading in the near future cause that is not gonna happen. I may add like a j&s safegaurd, afc, turbo timer..etc, but nothing that is gonna be needing to be replaced, rather just added on.

I'm thinking I'm just gonna go drag and get a different fuel pump. I should be able to do that under 3k no prob.

What I was idealy going for was everything under 2.5k, making my own intercooler piping with jc whitney stuff, and couplers from home depot...etc. Still get a new manifold/turbo and other parts, just save some dough on the stuff that I can. Are there really any negative effects to piecing together the piping with jc whitney stuff?

thanks

 

I know what HybridCRX is saying...

Basically in the end, everyone says "i wish i pieced it together" because that way you end up with really good stuff. But that is why he is asking, so he can possibly get someone to tell him what parts he needs... and just take ur word for it.

I really wish someone could answer this in detail, because this question has been asked many times (once by myself), and the question hasnt ever been asnwered well.

I guess if we knew of some sort of parts list, guestimated prices, and maybe some site to look at to get it all straight. I know about manifolds and blow off valves.. and all the easy stuff, but what about stupid things that u would get w/ the kit, like oil lines and stuff? how do we "just know" to hook that up?

 

Search for "setup" in Archived Forced Induction Threads. 117 came up. I'm sure that'll start for ideas. And inbedded in there are other people's specifics. Probably even part number's

 

I've been reading this board for the past month day in and day out...old posts and new posts. Information is your friend

A turbo kit is nothing more than:

1. turbo
2. wastegate
3. bov
4. intercooler
5. manifold
6. piping
7. fittings/clamps/etc
8. some cheap hack for extra fuel

All of that information is available at http://www.cse.uconn.edu/~yelevich/turbo/turbo.html

If you think about it, if you are going to want a bigger turbo, bigger piping(3 inch), standalone, and a better wastegate(deltagate = suck)...you might as well peice it together.

You could buy the kit and sell the parts online to some other newbie trying to peice their kit together but, do you want to hassle with that? The parts that come standard with the drag kits or any other kit for that matter is for the general public and is meant to stay at the recommended settings etc. Once you become addicted to boost (you know you will), you will want more. It is at that point those "standard" parts will no longer be enough for you.

Basically if you honestly feel that you won't want more than say 7-9 psi then go with a kit..it works out fine and you can expect a marginal increase in hp/tq. It is easier if you plan everything out. FI isn't something you just want to jump into.

Seriously use the search function on this board. It helps and it answers questions that you probally have and questions that you will want to know the answer for in the future. Look at dyno plots, fuel settings, etc.

 

i suggest goin with a turbo kit made for your car. in that case... all the piping and components are already there in one shabang. you might save a few $100 or end up spending more. the inline pump that comes in the drag3 kit is actually good enough. i know alot of people who still use that pump and run hard on the streets and the track. you can always sell it... and use the money to buy a bosche. you can always sell the deltagate and get a tial. either way... it will save you the drama of piecing things together. the only thing i recommend is gettin new oil lines.

 

Personally, I'm glad I made/installed my kit, as I learned a lot from doing it, but everyone is completely right about having to spend a whole lot more in the long run. If you can afford to not worry about long-term unforseen costs, or if you relentlessly stick to a budget, then you'll be fine, but otherwise these Drag kits are looking like an unbeatable deal!!

Nick

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Nikolai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Personally, I'm glad I made/installed my kit, as I learned a lot from doing it, but everyone is completely right about having to spend a whole lot more in the long run. If you can afford to not worry about long-term unforseen costs, or if you relentlessly stick to a budget, then you'll be fine, but otherwise these Drag kits are looking like an unbeatable deal!!

Nick</TD></TR></TABLE>
so what parts of the drag kit should I get for my 94 jdm gsr? I was just reading on the site that you can by individual pieces from them. so what parts will I be upgrading?
inline pump?
turbo?
wastegate?

 

most drag kits come with a walbro 255, mine did. i have a complete list of parts, what i paid for them and where i got them that i can post when i get home.

just an fyi, i was thinking along the same lines as you. i figured that the drag3 kit that i found for $2600 would be the fastest route to getting a simple turbo setup. i was wrong... lol. i ended up spending over $1k more on supporting mods and i really wasnt happy with the quality of some of the parts. the downpipe i got was pretty crappy and the charge piping is ceramic coated, but not bead rolled, so im always worried about pipes blowing off. in the end you get what you pay for and while i got some good core parts, i think i would have been better off piecing a kit together.