Hello HT friends. I am planning to turbo a bone stock (for now) B18C5. Initially I am looking to do close to 300whp on the stock block but would eventually look to do 350+ after I build my block. Here are the two turbo options I am looking at:

Precision 4381B (advertised up to 375 hp) GO-AUTOWORKS Turbo Kits Honda Civic Acura Integra D16 B16 B18
StreetX GTX465 (GTX2867R) (advertised up to 475 hp) GO-AUTOWORKS StreetX Turbo Kit Ball Bearing D16 B16 B18 B20 Civic Integra Del Sol CRX

I am going with Go-Auto since I have heard nothing but great things about them (and choice number two is their version of the Garrett turbo). For the initial phase before I build my block would it be wiser for me to get the turbo for my maximum power goals (GTX2867R) or stay with a smaller entry level turbo (Precision 4381B) then upgrade later after I rebuild? I ask because I'm not sure how efficient the GTX2867R would be if I wanted to keep the power level below 300 whp on low boost.

PS. This is going to be a street car so I'm not looking for crazy numbers or to be a dyno queen.

 

 

GT(X)2867R would be perfect.

Late edit: Just now realized that you didn't exactly specify how much over 350 you may want to make. If you wanted over 400 then a 3071 would be better.

 

Allways buy once. Unless building the block later means after 2 years+ later , i would buy the big / good turbo from now.
Get this with the Silver surfer turbo or turbnetics billet 5454:
GO-AUTOWORKS RR A/C Turbo Kit 250-600hp Civic Integra D16 B16 B18 B20
Its perfect turbo kit as i see it and no, ball bearing is not needed unless you really need to keep your turbo 10 years.
And will not make the turbo spool faster from maybe 100-150 rpm.

 

I would suggest doing it once w/ the "better" turbo option.The GTX will work just as fine at the lower power level as it will at your higher goal.

Here's a nice reference vid of something similar.

 

Does Hondata suck or did it just suck for you? I mean before I went with Motec I was on Hondata and had no issues running mid 9's on a 62mm setup with Hondata, COP worked great, the only thing I did not like was Hondata Traction control.

 

Thank you all for chiming in. Greg and everyone else convinced me to go with the GTX2867R turbo on the Street X kit. I haven't started the install yet as I still need to do some maintenance first (timing belt, water pump, etc.).

The kit is mostly complete but I still need a couple of things to complete it. I need some recommendations on a filter for the turbo inlet. I've seen those Turbo-Guard mesh screen filters.... is that effective or even safe? Or should I go with a traditional filter (and if so, if there is a specific brand I should go with?). I normally buy AEM or K&N filters. Thanks again everyone!

 

K&N is best, and you want an intake tube, not just a filter at the end of the compressor inlet. You actually lose response by filter only...

And never, ever just use a screen.. Even dust can erode the compressor wheel rendering it useless.

 

TheShodan! Thanks for the input. Yeah I was sketchy with those screens, like even bits of sand or small pebbles can go in. So regarding the tube. Should I have "x" number of inches from the filter to the compressor? I'm sure it varies but what's the magic number? I don't have any means to fab one so hopefully I come across something I use with minimal cutting/bending/etc.

 

For some reason I thought Go-Auto's kits came with an intake tube as an option..

Well, anyway, you want about 4" or more of tuning from the compressor inlet. The further away from the engine bay and radiator, the better.

 

Not on the Street (or other a/c) kits.
The K&N compact filters are always kept on hand. Most people just 45 deg. bend off the compressor and add filter for the "simplest" option, or you can route the filter even further depending on what is/isn't in the way as that differs car to car setup to setup (fan type, overflow type, cyl head type [side or front upper water neck placement], etc.)

 

Hey HT friends! Here to update this thread and give a shout-out to Greg @ GoAutoworks. For someone doing a turbo build for the very first time, I have to say the pieces included in the kit saved me a lot of time and hassle as oppose to going out and buying individual pieces on my own. Super high quality and excellent service from Greg. I can't say enough about his craftsmanship. The quality speaks for themselves. There was minimal customization on my end and everything fits nicely! If anyone is in the market for a new kit, look no further! Here are some pictures of the kit installed on my car. I also have a couple of links to my first dyno tune as well as a video of the underside of the engine highlighting the open dump tube.

GoAuto S-X500 kit with Garrett GTX2867R
GO-AUTOWORKS StreetX Turbo Kit Ball Bearing D16 B16 B18 B20 Civic Integra Del Sol CRX

7-9 pounds on stock B18C5
243.7 whp @ ~8500
155 tq @ ~6000

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mYGDDNm4uLvvJcgn7

 

 

remove that filter and watch it gain 7hp on the dyno. Don't ask me how I know. LOL

 

At the risk of having FOD entering the compressor wheel and causing damage. The 7hp gain isn't worth it, when you can always increase boost pressure.

I'm Just sayin'....

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess FOD is "foreign objects and debris"?
I ran my turbo at first with no filter and it sounded awesome, buuuut. I was CONSTANTLY worried about sucking something into my friggin turbo.. I rectified the situation pretty fast.

 

Yes - FOD = foreign object debris. I used to work in the turbine engine industry and saw my fair share of "fodded out engines".

 

Oh damn, lookie there.. I learned something new today!

 

This should be a ton of fun! Great choice going with go autoworks!

 

Ah, bless you. Thanks! The car looks great. Enjoy.
How do you like the power delivery in comparison to the supercharger that was on it?

 

Yay!! Great choice for a B18C5! I'm curious as to feedback regarding comparison to the supercharger as well.

 

Congratulations on the setup! Did you have to do any modification to the bumper?

 

Thank you! It's actually my weekend fun car but yes it has been super fun to drive. Greg has been really helpful throughout my pre-purchase process as well as even during/after the install. I believe he's running a one man show so I applaud him for keeping up with his excellent customer service.

Thanks again Greg!

So let's get into some back story. When I started looking into going forced induction there were lots of variables I considered. One of the main concerns for me was trying to stay street legal and this was the reason why I decided to go with a JRSC setup over other boosted applications. But when I began to build the setup I wanted to get the most out of the supercharger and ended up making the car non-street legal lol. In the end, I only made 226whp / 170 tq on 12 psi with an aftercooler, which is about the max you can push it before things go bad. I've read other people having better success with their JRSC setup on less boost. To be honest, I don't think I got the most out of the supercharger setup. The car did not feel fast with the supercharger and it was like I was not even boosting at all. I'm not sure if it was my setup, my motor or perhaps a combination of the two. So I moved on.

In comparison to the supercharger.... it's like night and day. I made way more power on less boost and it felt like the car really woke up. With the supercharger... when I was WOT I was seeing 11- 12 psi on the goost gauge but my car didn't feel like I was going anywhere fast. With the turbo.. power comes on at around 3500 - 4000 rpm and boost hits hard. Man, I can't describe it but all you turbo guys know what's up. It's just a lot of fun being in boost. IAT temps are also a big difference. I don't remember excatly but I was seeing over 140 degrees on the supercharger crusing and on the turbo I'm seeing under 120. As for tuning, my tuner had an easier time with the turbo over the supercharger. Overall it's easier to make power and I have room to grow, unlike the supercharger where I'm pretty much maxed.

In retrospect, I can see why all the turbo guys roll their eyes at the roots supercharged b-series dudes. But having been on that side of the (supercharged) camp... I know people are trying to do more than have a dyno queen. They are trying to push the boundaries of what a roots supercharger can do on a b-series. I respect that.... kudos to them. Everyone builds their car for different purposes and for different accomplishments... and not just for peak hp/tq numbers. For me I'm happy that I can finally have a litle canyon carver that can play with the big boys. It's just so much more fun. I would not go back to a supercharged setup on a b-series.

Being new to turbos, I'm now dealing with high engine bay temps as well as high ECT. The other day I was driving to work and I got a check engine light for high ECTs. I probablly didn't completely burp the coolant system as I've had to top the radiator twice now. Anyway, I'm really enjoying this new setup.

Thanks! Yes I had to cut the inner parts of the bumper grill as well as chop off a chunk of the metal bumper light support bracket that screws into the front bumper. I used a dremel trim the bumper and an angle grinder to cut off parts of the metal bumper light bracket so that I can have the front bumper fit flush. As you can see in my picture above I do keep the original bumper grill intact. Everything that was hacked off is mostly hidden from view.

 

And another thing was that I had to cut my bumper support so that intercooler can clear the bottom side of the front bumper. Initially I was just going to mount the intercooler below the bumper support but I didn't want to cut the bottom "splash guards" of the bumper. I used an angle grinder to cut a "u" shape into the lower part of the bumper support so that I can slide the intercooler in and have it bolt up to the top of the support. I then drilled two holes on the upper side so that I can bolt up the intercooler using it's stock integrated mounting tabs. The only issue I encountered doing this was that the intercooler sat up higher than usual. This caused a little misalignment when isntalling the cold side charge pipes where the lower piping was rubbing up against the passender side mount. It wasn't a big deal since the couplers allowed for some wiggle room so that the lower and upper intake charge pipes can connect without me having to cut their length for fitment.

Here's some before/after pictures of the bumper support mod:


Before



After: support buttom view



After: support top view



View of intercooler mounted on bumper support (with bumper support mounted on the radiator support)




View of intercooler mounted on bumper support (with bumper support mounted on the radiator support)

 

Very interesting ! I can totally understand what your trying to explain with the JRSC setups I too once had my LHT JRSC pretty much maxed out with 12psi and only made 285hp and the way you describe the power band is pretty much how I tried explain it. I since moved on to a different style SC (Pro Charger) and its a whole lot better, kind of like a funky belt driven turbo that sounds like a jet lol (gets annoying sometimes), im around 350hp now on the Stock B18C5 block and I really like it, My IAT's on my JRSC was also around 140 and with the SC I have now the IAT are like 80 to 120 depending on the weather, the other night I did a few pulls and temps just stayed around 85! it was a cold night but even with the LHT JRSC temps will rise after a few pulls. Its fun but peak psi comes around red line which kinda sucks but it almost feels like I have a strong V6 now. Boost tapers up as rpms rise Im still improving this setup as time goes on.. but who knows maybe ill go turbo too some day i wanna feel that punch you describe from the instant boost! lol, GL and car looks amazing!