I have a Honda Civic Hatchback '95 with a stock B18A1 engine, I plan on installing a turbo kit.

What should I upgrade first and change in my engine and suspension before I install the turbo?

Do I have to convert the engine to a VTEC, do I have to get Forged Pistons, what bore should I purchase if I have to change the pistons?

I have a lot of questions but I don't know what the questions are, because I'm not an engine guy.

I know I have to change the suspension and all that stuff, but since I'm new to fixing engines I need all the information I could get.

Thank you, hope to hear from someone soon.

 

is your car completely stock? if it is i would focus on building it to support a turbo setup before installing it. it will make the power useless.

No you dont need vtec, it makes for better power potentials, but its not needed. if you add a vtec head it is also HIGHLY reccommended you put arp rod bolts in as well.

 

yes it's fully stock.

so what should I change on the engine and the car itself to be able to support the turbo?

 

i would definately start with some suspension and some routine maintenance just to get the car stout so its not being pulled apart by the turbo. you dont need to build the motor, a stock LS will hold boost well as long as it is tuned right and done correctly. like i said a vtec head will make more power potential, but if you have never heard of a lsvtec or how its done you need to do some research on it. you can make 250whp on a stock LS and be safe without needing to build it. forged internals just make the motor tougher and able to hold boost better.

 

like 93egsleeper said u should definitely make the car able to handle the turbo setup. a good set of coilovers and braces and lower arm bars will work pretty good. my friend had a 93 civic coupe with a b18a1 turbo'd motor. all he had was a set of integra coilovers and a rear lower arm tie bar and 17" wheels. the car handled the turbo setup pretty well.

 

so I'll just have to change out the suspension and add braces and bars?

and then I could just forge the internals another time.

 

yea that would work good. the braces would help the car tie the suspension together. i have a 00 cx h/b w/ a b18a1 in it. im plannin on either turboin the ls or doin a lsv . my civic has coilovers and f/r strut tower braces. how much boost do u wanna run on the stock block? my friend ran mostly 8psi w/ 15psi max. u can run 5-8psi on the stock internals but if u want more boost then forge the internals.

 

I'm thinking of running 6psi. I'll just change out the suspension and add some braces before I put a turbo in my b18a1.

 

how much r u planning on spendin for suspension? i kno of sum good suspension companies to look into.

 

probably around $2k. not sure yet.

 

k just pm me if u have ne ?'s or post it here

 

which companies should I look into for good suspensions, and what kind of suspensions?

 

im doing ksport for coilovers, front camber kit, rear camber kit, rear toe kit, and rear lower control arms. the website is www.ksportusa.com locate a dealer if u want cuz my parts cost more thru ksport directly then thru their retailer near where i live. there a good company

 

do I still need shocks even if I have a coilover? or do coilovers take the place of shocks?

 

is this a good company to buy from online?

http://www.streetlevelperformance.com

 

if u have coilover sleves then get some performance shocks so they work better than stock shocks. the performance shocks allow u 2 lower the car w/o breakin the stock ones. i have coilover sleeves on stock shocks that came with my car and the shocks r busted. if u want dampening adjustablility get full coilovers.

 

yea they look like there good they have some good suspension companies on there so id say u can get suspension parts from them.

 

If you're looking for a turbo kit (or pieces, if you're piecing yours together), I highly recommend Greg @ Go-Autoworks. I don't have any personal experience with him, but everything I'm heard of him, in addition to the video of his EF hatch on YouTube, screams reliability, power, and experience.

I'd definitely spend the extra cash to get a pre-packaged turbo kit from Go-Autoworks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGA7VqzPFXQ

Oh, and don't worry too much about whether or not your motor can hold boost. Do a compression + leakdown test to make sure everything's in good, running order, and throw the turbo kit on and get it tuned.