92 prelude turbo

[Russ]

I have a 92 Prelude with the 2.3 Si motor. I'm considering different mods, maybe an engine swap, maybe a turbo. What would be the best (reasonably priced and relatively easy installation) turbo kit for this particular application? Also, the engine has 112,000 miles on it. Should it be rebuilt before turbocharging and if so should I lower the CR, go with forged rods, crank, pistons, etc. I'm not rich so I must be as conservative as possible.

Thanks,

Russ <><

 

[calvin]

a t3/t4 is kind of small, but if you want to compare the outputs of turbos look for how many cfms they put out and watch for when they make their boost.???????

ever seen one?bigger then the greddy turbo

 

[posol]

Russ, please start your own topic for totally un-related posts. I split this off into this new thread.

If you're not "rich", perhaps turbo isn't the best way to do it.

really, it depends what you want out of the car- but more so, your wallet.

you can't build a race car for 2 grand.
you can't build a highly reliable decently fast street car for 2 grand either.

A turbo install isn't exactly "easy" but it can be done by someone with some car knowledge. A swap follows pretty much the same lines. This isn't changing oil anymore =)

If you are concerned about your motor's integrity, run a simple compression and leak down test (info on this in the general tech articles section). if the numbers are good, you shouldn't need a rebuild for a small turbo setup.

Calvin, t3/t4's come in all shapes and sizes. t3/to4b's are pretty small.
my t3/t04s, is well, see for yourself.

 

[Seany-izzle]

wow....its bigger than my hand. things that also depict what you are giong to do is what you want from your car. power goals? type of driving? where you want your power...

 

[Russ]

Sorry about butting in on the wrong thread Sol. Also, thanks for the input. I said I wasn't rich, I didn't say I could not afford a turbo kit and / or the necessary modifications that accompany such an install. I would appreciate any information that would help me decide which turbo kit would be the best value for my money. I don't want to buy junk, neither do I want to spend more than I should. Links to reputable vendors would be most appreciated, as would any technical information regarding this install. Also, dollar for dollar which produces more horsepower, boosting or raising the CR, changing camshafts, injectors, etc? BTW, this is a really cool site.

Thanks again for everyone's help,

Russ <><

 

[Russ]

To do a compression test, you remove the spark plug and put in the guage.

Sol, I took your advice and perused the compreesion / leakdown info and I have a question. Where in the world am I going to find a guage small enough to fit through the spark plug hole?

Russ <><

 

[posol]

they sell them at auto parts stores for like $15. ask the guy at the counter for a compression guage or something. tell him what you are attemtping to do and he shoudl be able to point you in the right direction.

I said I wasn't rich, I didn't say I could not afford a turbo kit and / or the necessary modifications that accompany such an install.

well, it's really a huge margin.

some people are able to bosot off $1000. Me, i spent probably close to $10k on turbo related parts alone, or upgrades because of the turbo.

I would appreciate any information that would help me decide which turbo kit would be the best value for my money. I don't want to buy junk, neither do I want to spend more than I should.

again, that comes down to what goal you have. if you're just looking for a bump on power, you can do this on less than 3k most likely. if you want 300 hp, we're talking 4-5k, 400+, 6-20k.

Links to reputable vendors would be most appreciated, as would any technical information regarding this install.

there's hundreds- all selling different stuff. why don't we decide whats good for you first so we can narrow it down a little. =)

Also, dollar for dollar which produces more horsepower, boosting or raising the CR,

im assuming you are comparing all motor vs turbo here- and thus, turbo will always win after 200 wheel hp. all motor gets expensive fast, and breaking 260 whp all motor in a street car is RARELY done N/a. turbos, all the time.

changing camshafts, injectors, etc? BTW, this is a really cool site.

cams are more for all motor guys as well. I've seen plenty of 600+ whp gsr motors still running stock cams. use the boost

injectors- well, they are required. more air (from a turbo) + no extra fuel = boom. its gotta equal out. if you throw in more air, you're going to have to throw in more fuel as well. how big, depends, once again, on your power goal.

so, what do you want to make at the wheels? 200? 250? 300? 400? 500? 600?
and realisticly, how much money to have to spend- out the door, final costs?
a turbo kit is one thing... but then, you're going to want to have a 3" exahust, a couple of gauges to monitor whats going on, some electronics, and upgraded brakes is always a good thing to have with your new found speed. right there, thats $1500 bucks, and we are still n/a
it adds up fast....

 

[Slammed90Lude]

yeah B is absolutely right- Before jumping into turbcharging your car there are tons of different things you have to consider- And besides considering your basic performance goals, also need to make sure you have enough money- and i don't just mean the 2500 or 3000 dollars for the kit- As we all know, nothing ever goes as planned and there will be expenses along the way that you didn't think would pop up- Plus besides that, you have to consider what you would do if something did happen to your motor, or if you had an excessive amount of downtime- I dunno, boost is a big step in any relationship

 

[Russ]

Wow! Thanks for the input! I'm not wanting to break things, just something in the 200-250 fwhp range to aggravate the S2000 dudes with. It's my 14 year old son's car (we have 2 years to work on it) so I want to keep it relatively sane. $3-$5k is doable.

Russ <><

 

[markie]

umm first off why u wantin to turbo a 92 prelude i dont kno bout that and having your sons first car be a t3/t4 prelude is kinda crazy you should just do some all motor mods it would be alot cheaper

 

[posol]

I totally agree.

I'm not a father... but the last thing you want to do is give your 16 year old son a car with power. Especially a front wheel drive car. Especialy his first car. Especially an import that's "cool" with the crowds.

No matter how good of a kid he is, he'll either end up in jail for street racing, or wrap him self around a pole due to lack of driving experience. I'm not going to tell you how to raise your kid or anything like that- but seriously, i think its a horrible idea.

When I was 16, i had the fastest car with 140 hp out of all my friends... and daily, we topped out our cars... taking S-curves at 110+. why? because we could. it was a rush. it was a new sense of freedom that turning 16 gave us.
I jumped my mom's lumina when i was 17 a good 100 feet over a street that goes up then drops off down a huge hill. had i hit it a couple mph faster, i would have nose-dived and flipped before the front wheels hit the ground, landing on the roof, and probably killing me and my 3 friends i had in the car with me.

While I haven't, most of my friends have lost their licenses for 3-6 months a peice for various "driving fast" related things.

and this was in 100 hp cars.

double or tripple that, and the car will be capable of hitting 150+ gear box limited. loosing it at 150 = death.

I'm 23 now, and far from old... but even at my age, i look back on shit i've done, and it's amazing how stupid I was. "boys will be boys" and there is nothing you can do to stop that. I shouldn't be here. I was lucky. unfortunately, I bet 90% of the people on this board can name someone they were close to who was killed in their car. I knew 4.

Well, I hope I scared you- but ultimately, it's your descretion as his father. If it were my kid- he'd have a paper route right now, saving up for when hes 16 to buy a $1000 piece of shit.
Kids respect shit so much more when they have to work for it.
if you hand it to them, even if he helps you work on it- its not the same. ultimately, you teach him two lessons at once- money/savings, and respect for what something is and the desire to not crash it.

honestly, i think thats why girls crash up all the time, and frankly, the majority of them are horrible drivers. Daddy buys them a car. they don't care- its just "cute". if they crash it, daddy will buy them another one.

but that's off topic....

 

[Russ]

No matter how good of a kid he is, he'll either end up in jail for street racing, or wrap him self around a pole due to lack of driving experience.

Well, how do I respond to that? To begin with, that is not necessarily a true statement because both you and I are here to talk about it, and, I know my son better than you do. I know a 14 year old kid working on his pilots license. Is he facing certain doom because "boys will be boys?" I don't think so because I know him and he is a very responsible young man. My first car was a 130 mph Mazda rotary. My second car was a 335 hp 1971 455 Trans Am. Guess what? No jail time, no pole encounters (I must confess several speeding tickets though). I appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that I will not jeopardize my son's safety, nor will I release him to drive on his own until he is properly trained. Plus, a friend of mine is opening a NHRA / IHRA sanctioned drag strip in Tallahasse FL which is not far from where I live. If we want to race, we'll go to the track. He's proven himself trustworthy on our 90+ mph modified Yamaha Banshee, I have no doubt he'll prove himself trustworthy in his car.

I shouldn't be here. I was lucky

No, you are blessed.

unfortunately, I bet 90% of the people on this board can name someone they were close to who was killed in their car. I knew 4.

I had two classmates die in single vehicle crashes. They were both driving 4 wheel drive trucks.

loosing it at 150 = death.

Losing it at 100 = death. For that matter, losing it at a lot less than that equals death for tens of thousands of people every year.

If it were my kid- he'd have a paper route right now, saving up for when hes 16 to buy a $1000 piece of !#%&. Kids respect !#%& so much more when they have to work for it. if you hand it to them, even if he helps you work on it- its not the same. ultimately, you teach him two lessons at once- money/savings, and respect for what something is and the desire to not crash it.

FYI, I own a plumbing business. My son works with me on the weekends and after school to earn money to put into his $2500.00 car, along with the money he earns for the chores he performs around the house. He is also a straight "A" student and we reward him for his diligence in his studies. He is a very responsible and mature young man.


Hey, you're going to make a great dad! Just don't teach your kids those ugly words. B)


Russ <><

 

[posol]

Well, like I said- you know him best. I just wanted to let you know my personal experience with it all.

and i'd be the worst dad. i can't stand kids. lol they drive me nuts, and i have LITTLE patience, and I swear to #$@ much =)

 

[Russ]

Thanks Sol. I can assure you it's different when the kids are your own, especially when they're good kids. You might be surprised at what a good dad you'd make. It's a learned behavior.

Russ <><

 

[Prelude92]

ok thats nice i hate to be mean but i would like to know more info on the turbo setup for the lude the t3 and t4 are the turbos that the kits have for them right about how much can those turbos produce max. in HP