Help! Should I upgrade or save $$$

My Eclipse is the 01 GS, and after 3 years of beating on it I'm tired of people asking me "is it fast?" and would like it to actually be fast. Thank god I bought the manual version or it would really suck. Against most normal 4 cylinder cars, I can make them eat dust (probably largely due to the fact they can't shift right), but I keep seeing Evo's and STi's out there and I'd like to at least be able to keep up.

I just came into a little bit of money, just over $4,000 and while I can't spend it all on the car, I need some suggestions on where to begin. I'm buying a new body kit, a spoiler from Wings West, an AEM cold air intake and a few other things. I imagine the only thing there to get me any gains would be the intake.

A friend of mine says he has an extra turbo if I want it. I think he said something like a T-4 or TR4 turbo. I'm not big on turbos, as I want the off-the-line power I hear superchargers give you, but he swears you can time it to do the same thing. Of course this means getting the intercooler and a shitload of other stuff.

What do you think? Can I get this car to a respectable 0-60 (say under 6 seconds) for not too much money? The most I would be able to devote to this project over the next 6 or 7 months is like $6,000 and that's if I leave the drums in the rear, don't touch the interior, and swear off rims for a while.

Help.

Well, you can buy a turbo kit for your car. They range from $3100 making 2000whp (up from the stock 117whp) at 5psi to $4650 making over 300whp at 11psi. And there is an 8.5psi kit which gives 265whp. That kit is $3900.

The type of superchargers available for this car are the centrifugal type and do not make max boost at a low rpm, but at redline. Check the links below to learn some more.
http://fiautosports.com/centrifugalchargers.html
http://fiautosports.com/positivechargers.html

not 2000 but 200whp ;) 200 is more than enough for someone and leaves room for upgrade at a later point

if you don't want to do FI, definitely invest in a very good suspension and tires even possibly 17" stock GT/GTS rims (not to expensive used) to get you off the line w/ less roll and less roll b/t shifts, stiffen the chassis, intake (read AEM reviews on neweclipse.org), exhaust, downpipe, exhaust manifold/headers but DEFINATELY stay away from a body kit, because if they are asking how fast u are now they'll be asking more when the kit goes on, and u'll wish u hadn't done it, stay away from wings, but weight reduction like carbon fiber, Limited Slip differential (Quaife), depending on whether or not u condone spraying, nitrous is an option, but without careful use it will destroy your engine tahts the best i have, after that invest in FI, the results will most likely kill any car you encounter (with the exception of exotics)

thats all i got, good luck! and thatshouldn't break the bank, butit may be close

I hate the GT/GTS rims. I will definately be getting rims, but I want to shop around and see what's out there. If I can get a decent set for around $1500, preferably chrome, that's what I want. Right now, because I am using my money in other areas, all I am doing is adding an AEM cold air intake, and getting a sweet sound system. I'm not sure if that will make much difference in hp, but it's just the first of a few things I'd like to do. In the next few months, this is what I was planning on doing:

OEM double-sided carbon fiber hood, and bullet style front fenders from bodykits.com

TC Sportline body kit, AEM Tru-power pulley kit (alternator and water pump), AEM air bypass valve, 2 AEM cam gears, magnaflow performance exhaust, and front strut bar from andysautosports.com

Wings West Bullet Series spoiler, and ANZO Carbon Fiber Altezza taillights from namotorsports.net

With what little money I have left, I want to get some body work done and get the kit parts painted.

That stuff probably won't add too much hp, but then I can go onto other stuff.

What do I need to add a supercharger?

u need the same amount of money or more than the turbo kit

sound system is the last thing you wantto do if your going to be fast, running subs and larger speakers is weight added to your car which will slow it down,
There is a guy in my town sells 18" rims for 1200-1300 w/ tires (missouri's largest tenzo distributor)

there are certain things you do for show and other things you do for go, the pulleys won't help much at all and may net less than 1hp gain, later on they will matter, but not now.
my question is why do you need 2 cam gears? aren't the 4g64 Single overhead cam?
good luck w/ it, can't wait to see some pics of the kit on the car

I have some pics of the kits and how they should look, but not sure exactly how to post them in the message as opposed to putting them in my personal gallery.

I got quoted $3600 to do the body work and painting to get my car back to the way it looked when I got it from the factory. My Eclipse is silver. I personally hate that color, but I needed a cosignor and my dad wouldn't go for any other color. Turns out he was right about key marks, dents, etc. They barely show. I'd really like to repaint the whole car a different color, but I was told that would be about $6,000 to do it right. Way too much for me to bother.

How much do you think it would cost to paint the body kit, fenders, and wing?

If I go for a supercharger, how much would that cost, and how much for the other stuff like the intercooler (if I need one?), headers, etc?

if you want a supercharger, you are looking at about $3600 for everything that you need. but you will also have to get headers. you can get those for $400-$700. for $4000, you can get the supercharger with methanol/water injection which acts like an intercooler but gets the air much colder which will add more horsepower. you can get more information from www.rippmods.com . they are the only company so far (that i know of) that makes a supercharger kit for our cars. hope this helps out

the custom body work guy here does the kit install and paint match for 600$

From that website, which stage supercharger is the best, 1 2 or 3? Also, the water/methanol thing sounds complicated. You have to realize I don't know a thing about cars except that I want mine fast. I can build a computer and tell you what everything does in detail, but as for cars, changing oil is as far as I go. I'd like something that is relatively easy to use once installed. This water/methanol thing, how is it regulated? It looks sort of like you have to manually fire it when you hit a certain level, and it has to be refilled all the time? Is there some sort of fuel guage for it like with gas? The intercooler you just fill once and check every now and then like normally, right?

Oh yeah, with headers, how's that work? If I get the magnaflow exhaust, are headers part of that or is it something extra I need to buy?

the meth cooler u fill every month to 2 months for 3$, (there's a formula u can buy at auto parts stores) it just works when it needs to, to give you the power and not run excessively hot air, you could do an air to air one, but it won't be as effective.

Headers are the first part of the exhaust system, they go from the engine blocks' outlets and guide the air to the catalytic converter (may include a catalytic converter), after the catalytic converter, will be your cat-back exhaust (magnaflow)

Where do I get good headers to go with the magnaflow, and how much do they cost? It's too bad the exhaust isn't bolt-on, or I would try to do the thing myself.

first, the methanol/water injection is controlled by a the "black/grey box" which is supplied by rippmods. its a stand alone engine management computer. it will tell the ecu when to inject the methanol. rippmods also does all the tuning, so theres no outside tuning required. its one reason that some people choose superchargers over turbos, b/c you dont have to be a rocket scientist to control it.

second, i think there are 4 companies that make headers for ours cars. Hytech, rippmods, XIRacing, and AMSS. these companies make headers for the V6, so im pretty sure they make them for the 4cyl.

third, from my understanding, the magnaflow exhaust system is bolt-on. i have the GReddy evo II exhaust and ive heard many people say that it was easier to bolt on the magnaflow than it is the GReddy.

How easy is it to put the supercharger on? And is the stock exhaust on my car right now bolt-on for easy removal? I'm talking to a girl on yahoo im who's telling me I should do all this stuff myself, and I'm trying to explain I don't know shit about cars, but she seems to think it's easy to do.

as you have stated that you dont know much about cars, then i would recommend finding a professional to install the supercharger.

as for the exhaust, yes the stock exhaust is bolt on too, so it is real easy to get off. all you have to do is unbolt like 3 or 4 bolts that hold the exhaust to the catalytic converter, and remove the hangers, and the exhaust comes right off. if you have air tools and some way to get the car off the ground safely, it shouldnt take you more than an hour to install the exhaust

ive you have a second car, you can ship your car to RIPPMODS and they will install the supercharger for you, tune it, and test it to make sure everything is running right.

Are the headers easy to install?

How much do you think labor would be for the supercharger and injection?

well it would take a professional about 12-15 hours to install the supercharger. so you would have to check out what professionals in you town charge by the hour. i think RIPP charges an extra $1200 for the install.

and just so theres no confusion, the injection comes with the supercharger kit. RIPP calls it their "Boost Controller". so its not something you have to go out and buy.

as for the headers, they dont seem to be that hard of an install. its just a couple of bolts. but looks can be deceiving

I meant the methanol thing. That doesn't look to come with any of the superchargers.

Ship my car? I bet that would cost more than everything else. There is a place here that might be able to do the work. www.pruvenperformance.com

http://www.rippmods.com/products/products_list.asp?menuid=3&vehcId=7

check out that link. the methanol is available with the stage 2 and stage 3. they dont use it for the stage 1.

also, RIPP has authorized installers around the country. check out this link and see if one of the shops are near where you live.
http://www.rippmods.com/generalpages/retailers.asp?menuId=1&pageId=66

what state do you live in?

CT. Virginia is the closest I guess.

What difference is there in stage 2 and 3? How much in hp?

yeah there is an install shop in sterling virginia. how far are you from staten island?

Staten Island NY? Pretty close, but they have auto shops on it?

umm...yeah thats where RIPP is located
you could just take you car to their shop. that would be better than taking anywhere else.

148 Lynhurst Avenue
Staten Island, New York 10305

so all in all what is the best idea for gaining hp say for under 2 grand? (I'm a newbie by the way) So far I have gathered Cold air intake, headers and exhaust. Oh and I have heard that you need to adjust your fuel intake (bring in more) when you increase your air flow, is that true? What else? I have heard super coil for a better spark, but I donno if they are worth it. I'll take all the sugestion I can get. I can't afford super of turbo charges. I'm jsut a kid trying to help my car. If there is nothing else then i'll just make my car look fast. lol

O I don't have an Eclipse...wish I did. I have a 93 honda accord. O and since I'm thinking about it. What can I do to the suspension? I see strut bars and coil overs, but they are all the same to me, I know nothing in this area...nothing.

if you are really set on getting a supercharger, there will be other things you will need to get. first thing is a new clutch. it wont last more than about 3000 miles.
second would be new brakes, cause eventually you are gonna want to stop. the stock rotors will start to warp after a little while.
third would be a limited slip differential. it will help put more power to the ground and you tires wont spin as much. this is not a must, but it is recommended

scuba....youve got the basics: intake, headers, exhaust. you could get a MSD ignition. ive heard they work good on hondas. other than that, theres not much else you can do unless you want to build the engine, but that will get expensive.
you might want to look into a turbo for you car. im sure theres plenty of different turbo kits for your car so you might be able to find one under 2 grand

Do i really need a new clutch and brakes right away or can i wait till i can afford to get them? my back brakes are drum, by the way.

no you wont need them right away, but it will be necessary in the near future.

how much hp will i have with the stage 2, magnaflow, and intake?

and what kind of 0-60, roughly?

will ripp remove the limiter on the car (reprogram the computer
0 or will i still be stuck topping out at like 120 or whatever it is?

it will give you about 330 to the wheels. if you go with the supercharger, you wont need the intake.

for a 0-60, im not really sure, maybe around a 5-5.5. but i think its like in the mid 12's for quarter mile times.

if you have a manual, then i dont believe there is a limiter. i have a manual GT and i dont have a limiter. ive gotten my car up to 142, is that fast enough for you?

Actually, it's probably too fast for me. I like going fast off-the-line better. I just hate the idea there is a limit.

What about the redline? My car is manual and it definately cuts out about 6,000 rpms. I found this out one day when I floored it onto the highway in 2nd and forgot to shift (I was changing cds). The engine just stopped climbing. When I shifted it came back on.

By the way, what the hell does Mitsubishi put drum brakes in the GS for? I've seen $10,000 Hyundais with 4 wheel disk.

I think you guys have sold me. If Ripp does do installs there at Staten Island, I'll go for the stage 2 and their headers in a few months and just have my car as a sleeper until I can afford to do the outside.
I am sort of getting this headers thing. The magnaflow would attach to the back of the mid section, right? I guess if that's the case I should get the magnaflow now and when I do the headers, they can do the rest of it.

sounds like you got it.

No one answered about the redline question.

The Ripp kit is the only supercharger kit for the 3G yes, but it will NOT give you 330 at the wheels. I have seen a stage 2 kit dyno and the guy only got 190whp @ 9psi, and seen another get 245whp. The ripp kit is very inconsistent with making solid numbers, and the numbers they state on their website is at the crank, not the wheels. The ripp kit also has to deal with belt slip, the water/meth loses power on the kit, and only cools the boost a certain amount. Plus you only make that power at redline with max boost.

The MSD ignition will not work on our cars unless you get a complete standalone EMS. It is a differnt igntion design that what we currently have.

The Black Box in the ripp kit is not a complete standalone, but a piggyback ECU much like a pre-programmed GReddy E-manage.

There is no speed limiter, but the car is designed to be drag limited. The transmission will run out to 172mph, but it will take alot more power to get to that point. There is a redline limiter between 6000-6200rpm.

With a turbo kit, you never need to refill the intercooler and it does gain you horsepower. You do not need to buy any engine accessories such as headers for more money, you make more power at less boost (dyno'ed 265whp @ 8.5psi), and install is easier/cheaper. It takes the average shop 8-10 hours to install, and the guy who makes it can do the install in 4 hours. With the turbo kits, you hit max boost at ~2700 rpm and run that up to redline.

More power is made by less boost, power is consistent (i.e., you will not be subject to belt slip/belt break, meth power losses, etc.), and the engine does work very well with the turbo. And no matter what Ripp says about the stock ECU, this car pretty much was made for turbo. The ECU is very adaptive and does pull enough timing to run 9psi with no piggyback ecu altering the timing. And for initial purposes, the turbo kit is cheaper, because you do not have to buy a $625 header.

i am looking at a dodge stratus r/t (which has the same engine that we do) and its dynoed at 311 whp at 11psi. thats the stage 2 supercharger kit from ripp. yes they have had problems with belts slipping but it can easily be fixed by getting a stronger belt. johnny is telling you dyno numbers of guys who had their belts slipping and belts actually breaking. what he isnt telling you, is the numerous people who have dynoed over 300whp with the stage 2.
"Up to approximately 20 psi boost, water/methanol injection will provide all the density increase/detonation control needed in most applications. Most air-to-air intercoolers are only 50-65% efficient. That means for example, that with 11psi boost and its 120°f air charge temperature increase, an intercooler reduces the air charge temperature only 60 degrees. Also, an intercooler will reduce boost 2 - 4 psi. on average."
that was taking right off RIPPs website talking about the methanol injection. i dont know where you got that the water/meth loses power, it actually gives you more power than with an intercooler. and come to think of it, i believe that you even said that in one of the other forums. the me find that post and i will show you.

i never said that the MSD ignition would work for our cars. the guy said he had a '93 honda accord.

yes the black box is a piggyback. thats what i was trying to get to that but it was 1:30 in the morning and piggyback just wouldnt come to mind.

what johnny doesnt tell you, is that about turbo lag. you stated that you wanted more off the line power. well a turbo will not give you off the line power.
i am also looking at dynos right now. i am comparing the dynos of eclipses running RIPPs stage 1(which is 5.8psi) to dynos of turboed cars that are running 5.8psi. they are running the almost the exact same horsepower. another thing is that i havent heard anybody say that theyve had their eclipse up to 11psi. but RIPPs stage 2 is safe up to 11psi.

last but certainly not least, johnny is biased. he sells turbo kits for our cars. he cant tell you that or then he will be advertising for his company and thats against the rules on this forum. i have no affiliation with RIPP, i dont even have the supercharger. but once i get enough money, i will have me the RIPP supercharger kit.

thats my .02 cents

i usually agree with johnny on most things b/c he knows his stuff. but this is one place where i dont agree with him. there are pros and cons for both superchargers and turbos. he is showing the cons for the supercharger but not telling the advantages of it. then hes turned around and tells you the pros of a turbo kit that he sells, but doesnt tell you the disadvantages of it.

i am continuing to look at dynos here. i just came across a turbo kit at 7psi making 290whp. i am looking at a stage 1 ripp kit at 7psi making 292whp. so tell me how that so much of a difference??

oopss. ok i am mistaken. i am looking at dynos for the GT and GTS. my bad. sorry for the confusion. i havent heard of a RS/GS eclipse running the RIPP kit, b/c most go for the turbo. but you dont have to go with everybody else, you can be the first with the RIPP kit. its still up to you. on RIPPs website it states that the stage 2 will net 330 hp. if that is to the crank, then that would be about 260-270 to the wheels, i would think. which is about the same as what johnny is saying. so its still up to you. if i were you, i would go with the RIPP kit, not b/c is superior to the turbo kit, but b/c its more convienent for you since you live close by them. but thats just me

he is a quote from another forum. this is from the RIPP forum on their website. a person started a post and questioned the hp outputs of the RIPP kit for the 4 cyl compared to the hp outputs of johnnys turbo kit. you can read it and then you can decide.

"My two cents. I've done some research the within the last 3 years. I've been studying the design and art of the turbo and the RIPP sds.
Just to hit a few main points:
I think with the right turbo you'll definitely get a fast ride. Turbo chargers are more efficient than superchargers (in the correct application). Example: 11psi will produce more whp with a turbo app than 11 psi with a blower app. The blower uses a small percentage of engine to push the blower... very small amount.
That being said (and I think it's true for the most part) we have the heat issues.
I believe a turbo charged 3g rs/gs engine can easily exceed 1500 degrees (operating temps, inside engine bay)! That's insaine and to me this means one thing.
Reliability issues will eventually arise. Components in the engine compartment are bound to be affected by such extreme temp's and therefor the engine will suffer (long term).
RIPP systems will not run as hot, I don't know RIPP engine operating temps (3g rs/gs), but I am going to assume they never will exceed 900-1000 degrees.
Therefor we have a prolonged engine life with RIPP sds.
That is only one attribute.
Yes with RIPP we also have a very fast ride.
I read a comment from a street race the other day. I think it was a RIPP sdscharged 4g64 vs a Mustang with some goodies.
The sds 4g64 one by a long shot.
Also look at the extensive R&D with RIPP. Their hours of research and design for the 3g, in general, will far exceed any R&D by all the other turbo app's- combined. I'm willing to bet on this statement.
Did I mention the engineered "black box" and new "gray box". This device will compensate for just about any weather or altitude factor that can be dished out at the RIPP system. So if a person lives in the mountains or valley, east or west coast, the RIPP system will perform.
The turbo app's will also utilize some type of standalone or piggy back system.
These turbo systems require more tuning and are not engineered to automatically adjust engine fuel and air according to changes in the car's atmosphere. More tuning= more money.
So for the same amount of money, a person can either go supercharged or turbocharged. Who will win in the end? I think RIPP.
Turbo= maybe lower initial cost, but maintenance will probably get ya in the end. Don't forget to mention support. Customer service with the turbo systems has had a history in the past to be poor.
RIPP= competitive pricing, excellent support backed up by professional service.
I remember not too long ago a turbo kit company (which I will not name) actually had some very horrible communication problems with customers, and this business did not straighten up their act until legal proceedures came into affect.
Hm, doesn't this make a person think? bla bla bla vs RIPP? Poor service vs. excellent service? Not proven (turbo vendor) vs. proven (RIPP).
RIPP is more reliable, is proven (by product and reputation), and gets the job done in an intelligent fashion (proof being in the amount of research, design, and testing that goes into every single RIPP product). I will end my remarks that I've also witnessed zero engine failures to date with the RIPP 4g64 kit.
When I do make the purchase, if that ever happens financially, my choice will be RIPP. I do believe they are a company that will remain around for a long time. What other turbo vendor can say that they have the reputation of RIPP?
Again, just my two cents. :)

death before decaf!"

here is the link if you want to read the whole thread on it
http://www.rippmods.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=545&whichpage=2

I'm so confused now. I keep reading all this stuff about turbo or supercharger and it seems fans of either don't like the other. If the SDS only nets 190 hp, that's just stupid for the cost. It's not worth $5,000 to me to ad 40 hp to what my car has.

I need to rethink this. The g3 Eclipse is a really heavy car also. Maybe I should just fix the body on the car, screw the body kit, pay it off, sell it, and use the money to buy a use WRX STi.

that 190hp is with the belt slipping. i think the stage 2 ripp kit will net you 254 to the wheels which is about 50 hp less than what the turbo is suppose to give you. i would like to see the dyno numbers for the 300whp if johnny has any.

sorry for all the confusion. yeah you are right. supercharger fans think that its more reliable than a turbo. which i think is true. but the turbo guys can get more horsepower from a turbo application, which is true too. and you car only has 117hp to the wheels with the manual transmission. so the 190hp is about 73 over stock. which i think is still not enough considering the money that you will be paying for it.

my suggestion is to go to www.howstuffworks.com
and read up on how superchargers work and how turbochargers work. learn the differences and then you make the choice of which one you want. then go from there

That to the wheels thing is confusing, too. How is that different than the car's overall hp?

Anyway, I looked up the WRX STi and found one used near me, a 2004 with 30,000 miles on it for $26,000. It's not the year I want, though. If I get one of those used, I'll go for the 2005 when they start coming out for sale used since I'm at least a year away from being able to put a dent in their sticker. If I save for like a year, and at the same time pay off my car, I might be able t put down like $15,000 on the STi.

That car comes stock with 300 hp and all wheel drive. It has no turbo lag and does 0-60 in like 4.7 seconds. The only thing I would change on it is to take out the stock fuel pump and put the Mighty Sumo Pump in it, and put the K&N Typhoon STi intake.

But either way, that car is just plain fast. The only thing I don't like about the STi and the Evo is their back seat doesn't fold down. Seems like no big deal except when it's your primary car and you go to Wal-Mart or Ikea and pik up a computer desk or something and you're like "shit, I can't put it in my car."

I wonder if the stabilizer bars in the back can be removed and the back seats swapped for some that do fold down, then have the sway bars go across from the top and bottom as opposed to the "X" design.

The other thing I hate about the Evo and STis are they don't look all that great. Personally, I like the STi's looks better, but it's annoying a company like Mitsubishi makes one car that looks super fast and even if you have the GTS, it just isn't, and another car that looks like a suped up piece of shit, and it is super fast.

if you have the money to get the sti, then go for it. sell your eclipse and get that monster.

I'm really disappointed with the Eclipse overall. I wanted the 95 after seeing the Fast and the Furious. The new Eclipses have lost the edge, not to mention the GS has issues beyond mechanics. I have had a slew of things start to break or not work right as soon as the car passed 30,000 miles, so it's all out of warranty. The seat belts, the radio, the glove box, the headlight wiring, the fuses, etc. All stupid little things that should be working without a hitch.

I am hooking my car up with a nice 500 watt system in a few weeks. If I'm keeping it as is for a while, I can at least hear some tunes nice and loud for a while.

Anyone know how much hp the K&N short ram or CCA ads to the car? Is it noticeable?

5-10 hp maybe. some people have posted that they feel a noticeable difference. i dont have one so i couldnt tell you from experience

I am slightly biased, have no qualms backing myself up. I was even interested in becoming a dealer for Ripp a while back, but I have seen in person what a Stage II Ripp kit has done on the dyno, and on the dyno, the belt was not slipping, the SDS has a 9-11psi pulley on it, but it just did not make the numbers is was supposed to. Granted the car was alot faster than stock, but for a big investment like that, it is not worth the money. i have also seen an SDS on the dyno hit 11psi (when he had the 17psi pulley) and not even get 300whp, and he lost 15hwp when he turned on the meth. On the dyno, witnessed. The guy could not believe he lost power, but he did.

In all my references to the SDS and turbo, I was speaking for the RS/GS. The V6 with the SDS will make 311whp with 11psi, but I know of a V6 turbo kit which makes 330whp at 8.5psi. So really, in efficiency, the turbo is a better system. And the intercooler we use for the V6 is an SMIC which flows 3x as much air as an FMIC of comparable size. it is even rumored to fit the SDS (no official data yet, just speculation). And as far as pressure drop, 2-4psi is ludicrous. Nowadays with more efficient intercooler deisgns, pressure drop ranges from .5-2psi.

For turbo lag, yes there is a slight amount, up to 1400rpm before the kit begins to make boost. 2700rpm is where max boost is hit, and you carry that all the way to redline. For heat, that is not an issue. Underhood temps do not reach 1500deg F. EGT temps from the pistons may reach that, running lean, but not on a properly installed and pre-tuned kit.

For the post made on the Ripp forum that was quoted:
The blower draws 1.5whp for every 1psi. on a 11psi kit, that is a draw of 16whp, but it is always present. Turbo's also have a draw, which is just the restriction in the exhaust until the turbo spools up, then the restriction it no longer in the equation.

turbo's claim to need a piggyback ECU, which is not true (FMU's are almost always in use, with the intro of the E-manage just in the past month for more tuning capabilities), but the SDS does require and use a piggyback ECU as well.

the SDS grey box or black box can only accomadate for weather conditions (but why would it need to?), but the turbo cannot be matched for adjustability. Boost can be altered on the fly and fuel management is much more easy.

Turbo's with the FMU do not require tuning. While tuning is a good idea, it is not a necessity. for the E-manage, it comes pretuned for a set maximum boost level. No need for tuning.

Prolonged life? I know of someone who jsut turbo'ed his car with 140,000 miles on the clock. Now he has 142,000 and wants to up his boost. I know another who ran for 25,000 miles with no issues. As a matter of fact, I have not heard of any reiliabilty issues with the 3G turbo's. Even V6 ones running for over 1.5 years.

For R&D, the turbo kits being offered now have been in development for over a year and a half, and items are still being updated and revised. The design of the kit never stops for the SDS or turbo.

For your STi, yes it is rated for 300hp at the crank, but really only lays down 240-250whp. Same for the EVO rated at 271hp, it dyno's in the 220-230whp range.

Prolonged life? I know of someone who jsut turbo'ed his car with 140,000 miles on the clock. Now he has 142,000 and wants to up his boost. I know another who ran for 25,000 miles with no issues. As a matter of fact, I have not heard of any reiliabilty issues with the 3G turbo's. Even V6 ones running for over 1.5 years.


What do you mean prolonged life? Do turbos blow or worse yet can you blow your motor?

yes, if you just stick a turbo on a car, and abuse the hell out of the car, then yes it will blow the motor. not literally blow up, but it will crack piston heads, break seals, and cause cause many other major problems

Same can happen with the SDS. If you abuse it, it will break. I have talked with Ross from Rippmods and he told me that someone was hitting the rev limiter, and melted a piston.

So no system is foolproof. You must take care and take your engine into consideration when driving it hard and make sure that your driving habits do not ruin the motor.

So what kind of 'safty precations' should I take into account when I turbo my car?

Don't bang the redline repeatedly or often. Use synthetic oils every 2500-3000 miles. We recommend Motul or Redline oils. Use quality fuel, 91 octane or higher.