Eclipse GSX Turbo Upgrade HELP

I have looked all over the internet for information on this but haven't really been able to find any solid answers, but im sure someone on these forums will be able to help me out. :grinyes:

Alright, I recently got a 96 Eclipse GSX, and obviously, I want to get a bigger turbo.

What medium price range turbo would you guys reccommend?
And what all do I have to do to make sure that everying runs well with the new turbo? I don't want to mess up the car because I am on a bit of a budget.

First off, welcome to the forums. Please use the sub forums for your questions and give a quick search before asking a question as it may have been answered to great length already.

It all depends on your goals, what are you looking to do with the car? How much power do you want? Whats your budget?

Thanks for the reply, and sorry about posting in the wrong area...
I looked everywhere for answers to my question and couldn't find it. :S
Lets not worry about my budget for now.
What would you reccommend for a good turbo that will give medium HP gains,
and what would have to be done to the car to make sure that the new turbo and associated parts will not cause damage to the car?
The last thing I want is to spend money REPAIRING the car after ive already spent money improving the car :S

|My bet is you need a 16g. Get the evo 3 one if your going to get this turbo.
|Benefits; very fast spool. Cheap. Reliable. Maintains stock exhaust manifold/02 housing |(if you so choose). | won't rip up your trans and stock internals will hold
Makes up to 380whp on a gsx. Very nice mod.
Requires|: fuel mods |(fuel pump new injectors|) safc or some other form of engine management, a boost gauge |(obviously) and some form of logger or wideband o2, can use stock sidemount recommended almost a necessity front mount.
Cons: won't be beating any z06's best for autocrossing not really dragstrip (but still good|)

Thank for the reply man, I agree with you too.
I have been doing a lot of research (better safe then sorry) and I also believe the evo 3 16g looks to be the best for reliability and from what I've read/heard it isn't too much too handle.

Well, like I said I just got the eclipse and some old guy owned it.. (bahaha) so its been pampered pretty well, its all stock and has had nothing done to it... Got any idea what kind of exhaust I should get for it? I have been looking around and from what I have seen exhausts are either really cheap, or REALLY expensive... and because of that its hard for me to tell which one would be good for what i want which is just a nice exhaust system that isn't over the top

Also, have had some trouble with fuel pumps in the past (my T/A) and I didnt want to have to cut my car all apart to replace it because it had been welded together previously :nono: so I asked around to see how much it would cost to have it professionally done... the estimate was like 600 dollars... thats not including parts. LOL ... any suggestions there? and pointers to a good fuel pump?

Sorry for the questions but, I figure I ought to learn from the ones who know and not the ones who dont :grinno:

definitely not 600 dollars to get a fuel pump done
|It took me 30 mins to switch mine you get it from under the back seat no prob. I have a walbro 190 its great no need for a fpr. walbro 255 needs one. They are like 90 bucks and the install you should definitely do yourself there is a write up on vfaq.com
As for the exhaust... well all an exhaust really is a metal tube that spits out gas. So its not like one company really makes a better one than the other. Mandrel bent piping is the best I guess as for diameter a 3 in turboback is the way to go. hi flow cat and stainless steel flex section. As long as it fits the car and the hangers are in the right spot your good to go.

Lol sorry I am kind of unknowledgable, what is a SAFC or a wideband o2? :S i feel so newbie :uhoh:

SAFC = Super Air/Fuel Controller. This while allow you to make adjustments to how rich/lean your car will run.

Wideband o2 sensor is a more accurate oxygen sensor. It has a wider range than the stock o2 sensor and will let you know your air/fuel ratio.

SAFC = Super Air/Fuel Controller. This while allow you to make adjustments to how rich/lean your car will run.

Wideband o2 sensor is a more accurate oxygen sensor. It has a wider range than the stock o2 sensor and will let you know your air/fuel ratio.

Ahhh i knew that... Now i feel stupid the front or side mount is what confused me :P

If I get that turbo and do a couple other minor upgrades to the car, what do you personally think would be a good boost pressure level to adjust it to?

You really need to check out www.VFAQ.com and 1000 allready answerd questions..

For a "medium" setup, heres what I would do (actually, this is what I plan on doing eventually):

-Evo III 16g
-190
-650 or bigger injectors (limited to 650's if you go with SAFC/pocketlogger combo)
-Either SAFC/pocket logger or DSMlink (DSMlink FTW)
-Boost and oil pressure guages
-Boost control (manual boost controllers are fine)
-3" turbo back exhaust (brand doesnt mean shit)
-K&N filter
-FMIC and hard piping (eBay shit seems to be fine but for a smaller turbo like this dont go TOO big)
-BOV (1g if <20psi, HKS SSQV or Greddy RS if >20psi)

Other stuff that would be nice:
-Better clutch (ACT 2100, Fidanza 2.1, Exedy Stage II are all decent clutches IMO)
-Cams (I would personally go with Forced Performance 2 cams but FP1, HKS 264, or HKS 272 cams would all be good)
-1g head swap (In my opinion, a 6 bolt swap for a 16g is rediculous overkill, however that 2g head is worthless IMO. I would swap it for a 1g head, keep the 2g exhaust mani and get a 1g intake mani)
-Shift stuff such as short throw, bushings/bearings, etc
-Suspension
-Tires
-Good brakes

Yeah, thats pretty much what I would do if I were you, but not in that particular order. Check the upgrade path on dsmtuners if you are unsure what to do first.

|My bet is you need a 16g.
Makes up to 380whp on a gsx. Very nice mod.
380!?!?! are you sure!? that seems kinda high...

SBR made 422hp/462tq on an AWD. Linky (http://www.slowboyracing.com/downloads/dyno%20graphs/Evo-III-16G/E316G%20Tubular%20vs.%20Cast.JPG)

I highly suggest you take care of the supporting mods first, such as a BOV, injectors, fuel pump, fuel controller, exhaust, downpipe, cat / test pipe, intake, plugs, wires, timing belt, etc. Then worry about a new turbo. :)

I agree, save the turbo for last. Also, you might want to look into a 50 trim; its a close contender, if not better, than an EvoIII16g.

I would go with the evo3 16g, and nothing else for what you want. This setup is easy to tune, easy to learn with, and is proven to make over 400 hp. I know someone that has gone sub 10 sec 1/4 on a 16g. So the power is good enough for you.

Also, if you get all the supporting mods, then you will with a good tune do no damager to your car (99% of the time if you arn't a tool bag). These including your fuel pump, injectors, exhaust, and upgraded intercooler (not neccasary, but certainly wanted). You will also need a type of tuning, logging software. The best choice being DSMlink by far. Yes it is expensive, but it is a $550 well spent. You can tune, and log at the same time. This is what will save your engine and your car. If you go this route, I suggest getting nothing lower then 950 cc injectors, since DSMlink can handle those just like stock injectors, so you wont even notice a difference until you let that turbo spool. Also, just get the 255 fuel pump while your at it. You will not need a FPR (fuel pressure regulator) with this setup, only if you flow more air with a bigger turbo you will need one.

With this in mind, adding an exhuast, an intake, and making sure you have no boost leaks with a boost leak tester (check out VFAQ on how to build/use one), this setup will make for a killer street Daily Driver, that can be reliable if done right. I hope this helped, and that i didn't miss anything.

I beg to differ on the 255 deal. Kevin has done some pretty extensive writing on that in this forum as I remember and yes, you will need an aftermarket FPR. The reason for this is has nothing to do with the air flow, if I remember Kevin's posts right its not because of WOT flow problems (at WOT the stocker is sufficient) but its idle that is the problem. The inside diameter of the fuel passage just cant get rid of the extra fuel quick enough at idle. I'll try to dig it up if I can but I wouldnt chance it.

Oh yeah, welcome to the forums TheRover.

:1: for kevins post! the only reason i bothered with the FPR with my 255 was because if kevins post! you NEED it for that much fuel

Well I beg to differ on that, becasue I run an evo3 16g with 880 injectors, and a rewired 255 pump with a stock FPR, and my car idles and drives like a dream :p. Yes, it would obviously be better, but if you don't have the money, you do not NEED one. I don't plan on putting one on my car at all. This again is for the money-needed people.

Edit- Of course, getting a FPR is MUCH MUCH better, but if you cant get it, then you don't need it. They do help though obviously with Kevins loggings and findings.


Thanks for the Welcome Thor, but I used to be !$GSX!$ or something like that, but that name was to ricey and pointless. It is now TheRomer, not TheRover :wink:. Rememeber me?

If you want the car to run properly, you need a FPR with a 255lph pump.

I hope Kevin (kjewer1) doesn't mind, but I'm going to paste a reply of his to the same discussion over at dsmtuners.com.

The stock FPR will also bollix fuel pressure in a very predictable and repeatable fashion, but it will not be a linear change. That's what makes it tough to tune around, though it can be done. I'm a big fan of giving the ECU what it expects, and that's 43 psi across the injector at all times.

To provide a quick illustration of what is going on, simply check your base pressure and compare it to expected base pressure. For example, if the stock reg and 255 is giving you a base pressure of 50 psi, that is 7 psi over what the regulator is trying to achieve. At everything up to 7 psi of boost, fuel pressure will remain at 50 psi. Once you get to 8 psi, it will start to rise 1:1. So everything from 7 psi and under is banjaxed, and anything over 7 psi is normal. You can see the non-linear relationship as boost pressure rises. At 2 psi you are 5 psi too high, and at 6 psi boost you are only 1 psi too high. At 20" of vacuum, fuel pressure is 17 psi too high. And that makes it pretty obvious why this is a much bigger problem at idle/cruise.