First time for me to turbo a honda

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Old Aug 9, 2021 | 11:50 PM
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91civic b18b1's Avatar
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Default First time for me to turbo a honda

So I recently picked up a 91 civic with a b18b1 and was looking into getting a turbo kit. I want to make 250 to 300 hp. I’ve been doing research and the stock internals will work fine for that. The main thing I’m struggling with is finding everything I need I don’t know exactly what all I should get. I planned on getting a cx racing kit but I don’t know if there’s anything else I need. Would I need a new ecu?
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Old Aug 10, 2021 | 04:11 AM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

Read a few of the longer threads in this forum to get a feel for what you need. You will need some form of a tuneable ECU, among a host of other things that do not come in a "turbo kit".

You are correct - stock engine can handle 250-300 whp, but how tired is it? It may be a good idea to freshen it up before you stress it with a turbo kit.
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Old Aug 10, 2021 | 04:46 AM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

Also consider the cost to have the car tuned and you will need a upgraded fuel pump at minimum. Buying the turbo kit will only be around 1/2 the cost because of the supporting things that go alongside.
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Old Aug 10, 2021 | 05:09 PM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

I did a compression test and it it was pretty good and just did all basic maintenance. I’ll look some more on here thanks
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Old Aug 10, 2021 | 05:32 PM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

Originally Posted by turboLScrx
Also consider the cost to have the car tuned and you will need a upgraded fuel pump at minimum. Buying the turbo kit will only be around 1/2 the cost because of the supporting things that go alongside.
what else besides a fuel pump? I know I’ll probably need new injectors and fuel pump. But I’ll look into more forms for what I need
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Old Aug 11, 2021 | 05:38 AM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

Are you planning on opening up the engine and looking things over, or just sending it as-is? If you open it up, I recommend you open up the ring gaps slightly and check the bearing clearances at a minimum...ideally hone the cylinders, re-ring the pistons with appropriately sized gaps for boost, and put in a new set of bearings. You will also want a new head gasket, flat head/block surfaces, and it's a good time to do ARP head studs.

Your China turbo kit (the $1,230 one from CX Racing) will come with turbo, manifold, intercooler, blow off valve, wastegate, oil lines, down pipe, dump tube, charge pipe, couplers, and clamps. You will probably want to buy a name brand wastegate sooner or later. I'm not sure of the quality of oil lines and fittings that come in that kit either. I've heard folks also say that most of these knock-off kits require cutting and welding of the charge pipe and down pipe to get them to fit. Just to give you a comparison, the entry level turbo kit from Go-Autoworks is the Street/Journal Bearing kit and it is $2,300 and it will come with name brand turbo, BOV, and wastegate, and the oil lines and fittings are high quality parts from Vibrant. The only welding I had to do on my Go-Autoworks kit was to weld the v-band flange onto the back of the downpipe, but you'll have to do that on the knock-off kit too.

What fuel will you run? If E85, it takes more fuel per HP, so you'll need a bigger pump and injectors than if you are just running pump 93.

Besides the turbo kit, here are some other things you'll need/want:
  • Tuneable ECU - this could range from as simple as a chipped stock ECU that someone tunes for you all the way up to a standalone system like FuelTech or Motec. Most folks go for an in-between like Hondata or Neptune.
  • Dyno tune by a professional tuner - once you build your setup, keep it safe by having a pro do the tuning.
  • MAP sensor - your stock MAP will work up to about 10-11 psi. If you run more boost than that you'll need a MAP that can handle it.
  • Fuel pump - stock pump flows 190 lph, you'll want a 255 or larger
  • Fuel injectors - no reason to not get some Bosch EV14 1000 cc/min injectors. You may be able to find some Lucas style injectors for cheaper, but your idle quality may suffer. I initially ran Lucas style 550 cc/min injectors.
  • Catch can - not a requirement, but a nice to have.
  • Slim radiator fan - depending on where your turbo kit places the turbo, you may need to run a thinner fan than the stock unit.
  • Clutch - stock clutch will only last so long with boost...especially if it's old.
  • Engine mounts - make sure they are in good shape and replace / reinforce as necessary.

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Old Aug 15, 2021 | 12:10 AM
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Default Re: First time for me to turbo a honda

Originally Posted by DaX
Are you planning on opening up the engine and looking things over, or just sending it as-is? If you open it up, I recommend you open up the ring gaps slightly and check the bearing clearances at a minimum...ideally hone the cylinders, re-ring the pistons with appropriately sized gaps for boost, and put in a new set of bearings. You will also want a new head gasket, flat head/block surfaces, and it's a good time to do ARP head studs.

Your China turbo kit (the $1,230 one from CX Racing) will come with turbo, manifold, intercooler, blow off valve, wastegate, oil lines, down pipe, dump tube, charge pipe, couplers, and clamps. You will probably want to buy a name brand wastegate sooner or later. I'm not sure of the quality of oil lines and fittings that come in that kit either. I've heard folks also say that most of these knock-off kits require cutting and welding of the charge pipe and down pipe to get them to fit. Just to give you a comparison, the entry level turbo kit from Go-Autoworks is the Street/Journal Bearing kit and it is $2,300 and it will come with name brand turbo, BOV, and wastegate, and the oil lines and fittings are high quality parts from Vibrant. The only welding I had to do on my Go-Autoworks kit was to weld the v-band flange onto the back of the downpipe, but you'll have to do that on the knock-off kit too.

What fuel will you run? If E85, it takes more fuel per HP, so you'll need a bigger pump and injectors than if you are just running pump 93.

Besides the turbo kit, here are some other things you'll need/want:
  • Tuneable ECU - this could range from as simple as a chipped stock ECU that someone tunes for you all the way up to a standalone system like FuelTech or Motec. Most folks go for an in-between like Hondata or Neptune.
  • Dyno tune by a professional tuner - once you build your setup, keep it safe by having a pro do the tuning.
  • MAP sensor - your stock MAP will work up to about 10-11 psi. If you run more boost than that you'll need a MAP that can handle it.
  • Fuel pump - stock pump flows 190 lph, you'll want a 255 or larger
  • Fuel injectors - no reason to not get some Bosch EV14 1000 cc/min injectors. You may be able to find some Lucas style injectors for cheaper, but your idle quality may suffer. I initially ran Lucas style 550 cc/min injectors.
  • Catch can - not a requirement, but a nice to have.
  • Slim radiator fan - depending on where your turbo kit places the turbo, you may need to run a thinner fan than the stock unit.
  • Clutch - stock clutch will only last so long with boost...especially if it's old.
  • Engine mounts - make sure they are in good shape and replace / reinforce as necessary.
Thanks that helps a lot I’ll definitely look into that kit and I’ll update you when I start it
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