List of Cars that Take Well to Forced Induction

[Polygon]

Well, us TD guys have found that the 2.5 common block has better torque than the 2.2 because it has a longer stroke but it suffers in the higher end. I guess if you have a 3,300 pound car or more you might need the extra torque, but I for one have a 2,900 pound car and I like having a good amount of speed in the upper RPM range.

I guess it just depends on what you want.

[beyondloadedSE]

Originally Posted by Polygon

10.2:1 and 10.6:1 aren't a whole hell of a lot different. However, both are too high to turbo-charge on pump gas IMO. If you want to keep that CR that high on the street you're asking for trouble. You can't run a lot of boost and I don't care how good your tuning is it won't save you from a bad batch of fuel or detonation at full boost. You'll be the owner of some new ashtrays. Hell, you could even throw a rod through your block.

I agree its not my favorite choice of compression for a boosted engine, but stock bottom end 2000 SVT Contours with 10.25:1 compression are boosting up to 12 psi on a GT28 which is the max psi that turbo can push on the 2.5L engine before it drops out of its efficiency. One of which is non intercooled and only has water injection. None have failed due to detonation. IMHO, it is all in the tuner. If you get some bad gas, thats what a knock sensor is for.

[Polygon]

Yeah, but a knock sensor won't save you at max boost. It will save you while just driving around but at max boost it will happen too fast and too violently for the kock sensor to compensate and thus you have ash trays.

I still firmly believe that 8:1 - 9.5:1 is where I would run on a street car. If you have a race only car then go to town since you will be running race fuel anyhow.

Just my humble opinion.

[SuperHighOutput]

I'd go with the LT1 Camaro and SC it.

[nissanfanatic]

Knock sensor on KA's is disregarded after 4krpm. So some knock sensors are pretty much useless anyways.

Water injection is a good way to run higher boost on high CR too with lower octane fuel. Once again, another thing you would have to monitor.

[beef_bourito]

my dream for a tuner would be to have everything electrical with switches and such on my dash. so if you have a high compression ratio or a turbo capable of high boost, have an electronic boost controler that you can switch from one boost setting to another by flicking a switch, you could have the high boost setting with tuned water or alcohol injection so you don't detonate. you could have alcohol or water injection on a switch if you want to run lower octane to save money. you can turbocharge any vehicle it's just the work that goes into it. for vehicles that take well to being turbocharged, go for a car that has a decently low CR so that you don't need to worry about lowering the compression ratio too much, you need a strong enough block (I hear Honda's H22's have thin cylender walls and you can't run more than like 5-8 PSI without extensive engine work before the cylenders crack), a car that has some well sized exhaust ports. you want a strong car that breaths well, is reliable, a knock sensor is always a plus, and if it has good power stock, another plus.
Now for cars that go well with FI: You've got the integra, the B18 (not sure what letter, probably all) has a lowish CR and you can run some decent boost without much work, the b16 (again not sure about letters) has a higher CR but apparently is very responsive to boost, it's available in civics and crx's, LS1 is good (camaros, firebirds), corollas, some of the engines have 10.3:1 CR so those aren't as good but the ones with 9.4:1, lower the compression with some thicker gaskets and you can run some good boost, these cars are light so you don't need as much power to get them moving fast, 240sx, there's more but i think this is good.

[travisto]

Mazdaspeed protege comes stock with a Garret t25 ceramic ballbearing turbo, ran a manual boost controller and with that tiny turbo my protege could handle 12 lbs of boost then I foolishly ran maximum boost on stock inernals not knowing that t25 would run 15 lbs with a 16.6 pound spike! I through a rod through the BOTTOM end!