Because of mechanical realities of the early 90's and a jaywalker, let's just say that there is a very high possibility that I won't be ditching my Del Sol for an RX-8 like I had planned.

So! that leaves me with still desiring a faster, nicer, better handling car, only making it out of the car I already have. I have a pretty good idea what to do about suspension/tires/brakes in order to get it to handle better but power would still need to be addressed. What would be the best way to get to about 200hp given a budget of about $2500 USD (of course if I could save a little money, I would welcome it).

I was thinking about using a D series as a platform and then putting a small turbocharger off of a Volkswagen in it to get a bit of extra grunt. I found a turbo (jetta 1.8T) for $450 new in box and so the rest would be spent adapting it to work. It probably isnt tat good of an idea, but that is why I came here.

Leave your replies or tell me to screw off below, whatever works.

 

well. If your set on a d series and that budget the only thing I can see you doing is ebay turbo kit and bolt ons with a good tune. btw is this your only dd?
Take a look at my build if you'd like to see what you want to do with your delsol
https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...ild-p-3143698/

 

It is my only car, yes. To add to that, the roads here aren't the best so anything too low is likely to get smashed into a million pieces before too long.

An engine anything would need to happen outside of the car and then slotted in when complete.

Ebay kits concern me. I would feel a lot more confident getting a turbine from a manufacturer whose applications have lasted over 200k miles without incident (see VW, Subaru, and if I wanted to go nuts Cummins)

 

If you only knew where I live lol our roads are horrible. summer time they patch huge pot holes then in the winter time the plows dig them up and then are filled with salt and water so it gets back out here..

As for using a vw tc I dont know much about it. Way I would do it is slowly gather up b series parts and do a ls vtec.depending on the parts you put together and tune you could easily make 200whp.

 

stay away from the VW K03, it's too small even for your goals. The 1.8t has horrible VE and head flow when compared to the motor in your car at the moment.

D series motors are only reliable up to about 225hp, which is perfect for what you want.

As far as turbochargers, something like an SR20 T25 or a small straight T3 turbo would give you your 200hp goal. What is important is do you think you would want more power down the road? The SR T25 would definitely make 200whp at around 14psi but that's all the turbo is good for, after 14psi the compressor efficiency drops off, compressor outlet temps skyrocket, and turbo longevity also declines.

Something like a straight T3, 60 trim, would also make your power goals, it would be a little slower in the response department but would support a little over 300hp if you ever wanted more in the future.

If budget allows something like a ball bearing GT2860R would give you the best of both worlds. It's basically a gt28 turbine wheel with a 60 trim T3 compressor wheel. You could have the fast response you're looking for while also having a turbo that could support 300-325whp with none of the drawbacks.

So you really need to decide what your current goals and future goals are for the car and find a happy medium between the two

 

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