I have seen a lot of misconceptions about turbo systems on this board in the very short time I have been lurking!
1. Choosing the correct Turbo Setup
One must sit back and decide what he/she is planning on doing to thier car! Are you a Road Racer? Drag Racer? Auto Crosser? All of these will determine what turbo is right for you!
2. Desired HP
This is a very important aspect of choosing a turbo. Do you want a Monster 500+ hp car? Do you want a 200 hp Street driven car? Do you want a 250-300 hp Street/Strip Car? Do you want 200-225 hp for Auto Crossing/Road Racing?
3. Lag or No Lag
This will determine what turbo you go with. Do you want big power and little lag? Sure, no problem, just make sure you have some $$$$$ for a ball bearing center section! Do you want your power band down low or up top?
4. $$$$$
How much do you want to spend? Are you trying to be a "Low Buck Brawler"? Do you have a money tree in the back yard?
Are you on a budget?
Now I will go a little in depth!
Turbo Setups-
1. Bluebird T25, Bluebird Manifold, Bluebird J-Pipe, 370cc Injectors
This is one of the *LEAST* Expensive routes to go when turbocharging! You can usually pick up a used setup for $500.00-$800.00 depending on the condition of the components! This will net you somewhere inthe 200-215 whp range! The stock wastegate is set at 7 psi. This setup pretty much maxes out @ about 10-12 psi. At these boost levels the efficiency drops dramtically. The 370cc injectors are only good for about 230-235 whp. At this point the stock DE/DET MAF is maxed out also @ about 5.12V. This setup is great for someone wanting to turbocharge on a *Budget* (NOT CHEAP)! This setup will be ideal for Autocrossers/Roadracers! Quick spool, but falls off up top!
2. GTiR T28, GTiR Manifold, GTiR J-Pipe, 370cc or 440cc Injectors
This is a very good Street/Strip setup that most people oversee! The T28 is capable of producing 300hp! Ideally, 250-275 whp is very attainable with this setup! You can get this setup for about $750.00-$900.00 used, depending on condition or you can get these parts brand new for about $1400.00-$1500.00. The 370cc injectors max out at 230-235 whp so in order to produce 250-300 whp, you must either use the 440cc injectors or get MSD 50 lb/hr injectors. The stock DE/DET MAF will also top out past 230 whp, so you will need a Cobra MAF. This is great for Autocrossing/Roadracing! This is a *GREAT* setup for the occasional Drag Racer. This setup has quick spool with great top end.
3. Hotshot Turbo Kit
This setup comes with a Stainless steel manifold, T3 Turbo, 370cc injectors, Deltagate Wastegate, 2.5" Downpipe and HKS 15"x5.5"x2.5" Intercooler. This setup is great for Street/Strip cars. This kit is overlooked often by the SR20 Community. Personally, I think it is a great kit for the occasional Drag Racer. It spools up somewhere in the 2500 rpm range and should create full boost in the 3000-3200 rpm range! The T3 turbo is capable of producing 300 whp! This kit produces 225-235 whp right out of the box, but has potential! If you go with the MSD 50 lb/hr injectors and Cobra MAF, you can easily accomplish 300 whp! The price isn' t that bad either ~$3299.00. great for Autocrossing/Roadracing.
4. FMAX Stage I
The setup comes with a Log Style manifold, T3/T04E turbo, 370cc injectors, deltagate wastegate, 2.5" downpipe and Spearco 24"x6.5"x3.5" intercooler. This kit is a good Street/Strip kit. Occasional drag racers would like this kit. It can produce 225-240 whp. The T3/T04E is one of the most common turbochargers used in the import aftermarket! This kit spools about 2800 rpms and has full boost around 3500-3800 depending on trims! I wouldn't recommend this kit to Autocrossers/Roadracers!
5. FMAX Stage II & III
This setup comes with everything that the Stage I kit comes with except these kits come with MSD 50 lb/hr injectors or 72 lb/hr injectors with a choice of 3 bar or 4 bar fuel programming with the 50 lb/hr injectors. The 3 bar 50 lb/hr injector program is good for about 300-325 whp! The 4 bar 50 lb/hr injector program *requires* an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator and is good for about 350-420 whp. The 72 lb/hr injector program has been able to support 525+ whp! The Stage II & III kit come with a Cobra MAF! You also have the option of Water Injection and a ball bearing center section turbo! These kits are ideal for Drag Racing/Street Cars! There have been numerour 350-400 whp street driven vehicles with these kits!
A couple of points I did forget to mention would be additional components required for turbocharging a vehicle:
1. Clutch - You will need a clutch that can support your desired HP *AND* Desired use! A drag racer might want a 6 puck clutch to hold the power, but a road racer may want a nice engagement of a full faced disc.
2. Ignition - The factory ignition can only support about 250 whp. Anything thereafter must be supported by an aftermarket ignition such as an MSD 6A or Digital 6.
3. Motor - I would hope no one would over look this , but I know that there is that 10% somewhere that will just throw a turbo on a car with 150K miles and has never done a compression test or leak down test! Make sure your motor is able to handle the stress of a turbo and make sure that regular maintenance has been done!
I hope this helps!