Matts96HB

So, I see a lot of new people to the site asking general questions about adding a turbocharger to their vehicle. There are a lot of repetitive questions, so I figured I would try to answer a few of them in a basic intro to turbochargers, and how to build a car for one. Having done this, I have learned a few things and I feel that I should share with others.

Lets go through a basic checklist of things you should do before buying parts.
1. Understand what a turbocharger is, and how it works. (How a Turbocharger Works)
2. Understand the difference between CFM and PSI, and also know that neither designates a power level (HP). (http://forums.evolutionm.net/lancer-...si-vs-cfm.html)
3. Once you have a basic understanding, learn how to read compressor maps. (Compressor Maps)
4. Now you're ready to choose a power goal. Choose this level in HP (example: I want 450whp.)
5. Using your knowledge of compressor maps and your personal preferences, you can choose a turbo that is just right for your application. You will be able to almost pinpoint where it will make the power, and how much you will be capable of making.
6. Now that you have chosen a turbo, we will go over the basic parts list for a turbo setup on any Acura/Honda.
-Manifold
-Turbocharger
-Oil/Coolant lines for the turbocharger
-Wastegate
-Intercooler
-Intercooler piping (as well as couplers, clamps)
-Blow-off Valve
-Boost, oil pressure, EGT (Exhaust Temp), wideband o2 sensor and gauge (narrowband gauges will not work with wideband sensors)
-Upgraded fuel system (fuel pump, injectors, depending on your power goal)
-Exhaust (typically you will want a larger than stock diameter to allow your car to breathe properly)
-Filter for the end of your turbo
-Vacuum line for gauges and compressor signal for the wastegate, blowoff valve, and other misc pieces (boost controllers, etc)
-Last and most importantly: a means of tuning the vehicle for the new setup.

Now lets talk tuning. When you add a turbocharger, you are forcing more air into the engine. To compensate for this added amount of air, you need to add more fuel. There are several methods for tuning. One way is to use a free program, such as CROME (< C R O M E >). This is one of the most common programs used and it is recognized by many tuners. Hondata is another option. Though quite expensive, this program is more in depth than CROME. The choice here comes down to cash, and obviously I didn't cover all of the programs available for tuning. Piggybacks are also available, but not highly recommended.

Now that you have a program to tune with, lets talk about getting that fuel into the engine. Stock Honda injectors are fairly weak (averaging about 200cc's overall). This is not a sufficient amount of flow to support any power over stock really. Upgraded injectors are needed. For this, you can turn to DSM (Mitsubishi, Eagle) injectors as a cheap solution. A set of 440cc injectors can be had for anywhere from $25-$150 used. If your build demands a larger set (though small sets are available elsewhere as well), you will most likely find yourself turning to an aftermarket manufacturer. RC, Precision, etc all make injectors ranging from 310cc's all the way up to 1600+cc's. This is where you need to speak with the manufacturer about your build to ensure you get the proper sized injector.

After you have the correct injector size, it's time to look at the fuel pump. OEM Honda fuel pumps will most likely not support your power goal (anything over 200whp, and its a good idea to change the pump). For this, most turn to Walbro for a cheap solution. $100 gets you a brand new 255lph pump and installation kit. There are other solutions, but again, Walbro seems to be the most common.

Now that you have fuel and a method for tuning, lets talk about the person who will be doing the tuning. If you are a driven soul and fancy learning how to use CROME, more power to you. I will say that your first build is NOT a good place to be testing out your skills with CROME. Your car is in better hands with a tried and true tuner who has had decent experience with CROME, Hondata, Neptune, Turboedit, or whatever program you decide to use. This is the most important aspect of your build. Ask around your area and find the most reputable tuner, or even look out of your area if none are readily available.

Now that you have the air/fuel aspect of your build taken care of, a power goal set, a turbo kit, the only piece missing is the build on the rest of your car.

Lets talk about the engine itself. Your first concern should be reliability. Any time you tamper with the stock internals, you obviously will be tampering with the reliability as well. How much that reliability is affected is in the hands of the builder. Your engine should be properly built for the power goal you have selected. Anything over 400whp and you should be considering sleeves, pistons, rods, head studs, head gasket, rod bolts, and main studs at least. Reliability will be a direct product of the parts in your build, and just how much time and effort you have spent to make everything absolutely perfect. If you lack experience in this field, its a great idea to find a machine shop and have them do the work.

Another aspect of the build that is most commonly overlooked is drivetrain and suspension. The more power you put to the pavement, the faster you're gonna go. The components that should be looked at here are:
-Differential
-Axles
-Engine mounts
-Struts/Springs
-Traction bars
-TIRES
.. The list could go on. I focused most of my effort in this department of my build. I added solid mounts, upgraded axles, suspension, and a traction bar to ensure that I was getting my power to the pavement. A decent set of tires, mounts, suspension and axles will usually suffice for builds under 300whp. Over 300whp, you should be considering an LSD (Limited Slip Differential), and traction bars.

Now you have a vehicle that is well built, makes a power level that you want WHEN you want it, puts it to the pavement, and is tuned well. This is just a basic overview obviously. Things will vary somewhat depending on your specific situation.

Static Compression VS. Effective Compression
I read a lot of questions on this topic. The effective compression of your engine is basically when your car is bone stock, no add ons. Each time you add boost/pressure to the equation, you increase what is called the effective compression.
Example: Bone stock B18b1 sitting at 9.0:1 compression. We add boost to the equation, say 10psi, and the effective compression ratio will be in the neighborhood of 12.0:1-15.0:1. So we see the importance of building your engine for your power goal. Set the static compression too high, and you won't have room for too much more. The good thing about a higher static compression ratio is that it will take less additives to make the same power level as a lower static compression engine.
For further detail on this, we can look to a thread found right here on Hondaswap. (Static vs. Effective Compression)

Air-Fuel Ratios
You'll here this more often than you want to, but tuning is absolutely key in this process. You MUST compensate for the turbocharger with more fuel. My reccomendation to you is to start by learning what an air-fuel ratio means exactly, and why it is so important.

Most will tell you that an air-fuel ratio is simply the mass of air present in the combustion chamber in relation to the mass of fuel present in the combustion chamber. Well, just about anyone could have figured that one out. Say you have a wideband gauge (AEM, Innovate, etc. all make them) and you want to know "How does this help me? What do these numbers mean?" On a wideband gauge, you can think of it this way. ___times the mass of air to fuel. Fill the blank in with the number shown on your gauge. For example, say your car is showing a 12.0. That would be 12.0 times the mass of air to fuel.

Now, how is this useful? The whole reason you put this turbo on your car is to make more power. Using the air/fuel ratios accompanied by the other gauges in your setup, the tuner will now be able to tune your car properly (provided he/she knows what they are doing.) The "ideal" mixture is 14.7, but many tuners will have different variants of this number. 14.7 is commonly heard of and referred to as "stoich". Anything wildly below that number is considered "rich", and anything wildly above it is considered "lean".

Most tuners will run your car slightly richer than where you would like them to. This is simply because rich is safer than running the car lean. Running a car too lean creates heat, which we all know is the enemy of any internal combustion engine.

The difference between narrowband and wideband o2 sensors and gauges is this: Narrowband reads only 14.7 and a small range above and below it. Whereas a wideband gauge and o2 sensor will read ratios from ~10.1-~17.0 depending on the brand.

Any help from members is greatly appreciated. Corrections, additions, whatever. I got bored and thought it'd be a good idea to try and answer some of the new guys' questions with a thread. LMK what you all think.
-Matts96HB

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95b16coupe

rep'd

should be stickied..

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Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic.

Matts96HB

Thanks mang

Also, returned. EDIT: If I could return it... damn rep

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B

replace
with

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B

also, forgot injectors

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Matts96HB

Already had em, B

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efhondakid

x2 Couldnt rep you though.

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^ (dont listen)
Dont PM me with tech questions. I will not answer them.
There is a hidden message here.
"Motor swaps, turbo kit installs, diagnostics, minor repairs, minor fab and bodywork. Located in Akron-Canton area PM me for more details."

"In the dice game of life who gets the last roll?"

austin20110

repped... great write up

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Matts96HB

Werd, the thought is what counts. Thanks mang
Thanks bro

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Luis998

Sonofa...I have to spread my kayak around more. Anywho, I'm printing this sucker out...on company ink. Though I have only read half of it, it looks GREAT, Matt. Thanks.

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Max? There is no max. Max just means you gave up.
This is my thread: http://hondaswap.com/engine-building...g-wind-110848/

http://hondaswap.com/members-lounge/...thread-278554/

Matts96HB

Thanks, Luis. I will be revising it as I remember little bits and pieces that held me up in my build.

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Luis998

Awesome man. I look forward to the revised version. Though I've been busy with work and toggling back and forth between posts, I did print out version 1.0 and will be checking out when I get a second. I'm a freakin' multi-tasking FOOL!

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Max? There is no max. Max just means you gave up.
This is my thread: http://hondaswap.com/engine-building...g-wind-110848/

http://hondaswap.com/members-lounge/...thread-278554/

austin20110

Luis is going to get fired for hondaswap lol jk bud

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MthaFuknGreen

ive never seen so many thumbs.

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fuckin mustangs..

Go Green
^go listen.
its me.

Luis998

haha EVERYONE in the office knows that I get on HS all of the time. They also know that I can multi-task like a champ which is why no one gives me any crap.

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Max? There is no max. Max just means you gave up.
This is my thread: http://hondaswap.com/engine-building...g-wind-110848/

http://hondaswap.com/members-lounge/...thread-278554/

SlushboxTeggy

At an internship, I was "asked", "what is this.... Honda swap.com? We found it in the history of your computer.?.?" Wooops.

But great write up. Repped.

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Matts96HB

Added a piece on Static Compression VS Effective Compression, includes a link to an older thread in the tech section.

Thanks for the everyone

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HonCiv99

Good info bro! Wont let me Rep tho

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"You gotta pay to play"

Mod list:
-GSR swap
-Skunk2 60mm Catback
-C.A.I.
-Halo Projectors
-HID Conversion
-Infiniti speakers
-Sony Deck
-Sony 600 watt amp w/ cap
-Two 10" Kicker Subs
-Si Spoiler
15% Tint(5 + hp )

Matts96HB

^thanks man. hopefully will be adding more info soon

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madracer

Great infomation, well done, thanks for spending your time on this write up...

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Have a nice time on the Race Track..
Boosting on a B16A2

Matts96HB

^No problem.

Added some more info on Air-Fuel ratios.

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cuzimkenny1

damn this helped me alot lol

Matts96HB

That's what it is here for.

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midoriEKturbo

yo i was reading the post about the retard the make the car turbo with out retuned and thats how i get to here i have b16a2 turbo t/3t/4 but i find out yesterday piston one its not making any change to the engine when i take the distributor cable off also car used to run 11.3 on 12 psi 450cc rc inejectors i have a new manifold setup the i shut go up? in injectors? and where is a good begining for find out the problem of the piston? thanks dude

midoriEKturbo

and for me this is one of the most conplete articles the i ever read on my live this some good motivated shit