Suggestions & advice on turbo kits for 96 honda d16y8

[HighPressure]

I recently purchased a 96 civic ex and am looking to do a lot of work to the car, i have already put adjustable coils and camber kit on the car and now am looking to purchase a turbo kit for it and was looking for some advice or suggestions on what routes to take as far as manufacturers go and where good places to purchase them are. Keep in mind i am only 20years old and only make 10 an hour so funds are not the best however i know that you usually get what you pay for so i have nothing against higher end products im just trying to save as much money as possible without being too cheap. I really appreciate all of your guys help in advance!!

 

[HeX]

Wanting to turbo an engine properly requires money to do it right. Making $10 an hour, I suggest you save alot of money first then decide if thats still what you want to do. A D16 engine will require several internal upgrades to handle the turbo issue-free. Youre likely better off swapping in a B-series engine first to maintain reliability and still mull the turbo option later on. Do it right; do it once. Who knows. You may save a good chunk of cash & decide to upgrade cars, perhaps an already swapped or turboed engine.

 

[XpL0d3r]

You can build a reliable boosted D-series even with stock internals, but, from personal experience and being your same shoes a few years ago, I always wanted even more power. I ended up swapping to a B-series motor and then boosting that.

B-series motors generally handle boost better. I made 250whp on stock internals with mine. I'd say~ 200whp at most with a D series on stock internals.

With that being said, research quite a bit before anything. There won't be one thread or one answer for all the information you'll need to do this right, especially if you plan on installing the kit yourself.

As a general rule of thumb, set a budget first. The tune is the most important part of forced induction - set $500 aside for tuning alone.

In terms of aquiring parts, check out Go-Autoworks. I worked together with Greg (the owner) and he helped me customize a kit for me that fit my needs exactly. His kits fit great, and I had 0 issues. I had a few clamps break on me when installing, so I let Greg know, and he overnighted me a few more free of charge. He's a good guy and I vouch fully for his work.

Good luck!

 

[Bhikku]

Both of the above replies covered the important bits, but hands down this is the place to start:

As a general rule of thumb, set a budget first.

 

[HeX]

You can build a reliable boosted D-series even with stock internals, but, from personal experience and being your same shoes a few years ago, I always wanted even more power. I ended up swapping to a B-series motor and then boosting that.

B-series motors generally handle boost better. I made 250whp on stock internals with mine. I'd say~ 200whp at most with a D series on stock internals.

I shouldve added that D-series engine internals can only handle being turbo'd if you baby them, which somewhat defeats the purpose of adding the turbo. Daily Driver engines should only have upgrades they can handle long term. Otherwise, you're just asking for repairs and rebuilds within a year or two. For someone on a tight budget, that just isnt logical. D-series engines are designed for efficiency above all else. The best way to efficiently get extra power out of them is to upgrade them from the inside out; port & polish, upgraded pistons & rings, headers, etc. I base all my comments on all I've read and discussed on the topic.

 

[mc360]

You can build a reliable boosted D-series even with stock internals, but, from personal experience and being your same shoes a few years ago, I always wanted even more power. I ended up swapping to a B-series motor and then boosting that.

B-series motors generally handle boost better. I made 250whp on stock internals with mine. I'd say~ 200whp at most with a D series on stock internals.

With that being said, research quite a bit before anything. There won't be one thread or one answer for all the information you'll need to do this right, especially if you plan on installing the kit yourself.

As a general rule of thumb, set a budget first. The tune is the most important part of forced induction - set $500 aside for tuning alone.

In terms of aquiring parts, check out Go-Autoworks. I worked together with Greg (the owner) and he helped me customize a kit for me that fit my needs exactly. His kits fit great, and I had 0 issues. I had a few clamps break on me when installing, so I let Greg know, and he overnighted me a few more free of charge. He's a good guy and I vouch fully for his work.

Good luck!

all that extra money for a b swap then turbo for an extra 30-50whp? i would say either run the limit for the D series or use that $2,000+ that you would spend on a swap and only use 1,000 to put rods and pistons in the D series. i dont get why people are willing to shell out double the money for a "stock block B" to have a 30whp higher limit.

i have turbo'ed two civics, my 96 hx d16y5 (made 166hp 149tq) daily driven up to the redline just about every gear every time i drove the car, this car gave me not one single problem in over a year and a half of abusing it and i put over 30,000 miles on it with the turbo installed. Now i have a 99 EX sedan d16y8 turbo (making 222whp 179tq) by no means am i easy on this car either, i dont take it to redline every gear nowadays but i do give it full boost every time i drive it. so far i have only put about 5,000 miles on it since the turbo was put on, i have only had one problem with it and that was my fault (i forgot to put 91 octane in) so i popped the headgasket running 87 octane, other than that this car has been pretty reliable even with a shitty tuner.

if you want reliable you do not want to be super high into the limit for the stock block but you can turbo a D series reliably, the stock limit is anywhere between 200-250whp and im not recommending it but i have seen a few 300whp d16 with stock internals also

 

[Failsafe88]

I agree with mc. If you want to swap engines feel free. The best part about d series engines are they can be found for cheap. You can build a d series for about the cost of a b swap. I agree on go auto works kit. If you want to do cheaper can try and find used turbos for sale and order stuff separately however you will probably have a harder time doing so and staying cheaper. If you are ok with risk buy and try emusa kit. I would check wastegate and have turbo checked though.

 

[XpL0d3r]

all that extra money for a b swap then turbo for an extra 30-50whp? i would say either run the limit for the D series or use that $2,000+ that you would spend on a swap and only use 1,000 to put rods and pistons in the D series. i dont get why people are willing to shell out double the money for a "stock block B" to have a 30whp higher limit.

i have turbo'ed two civics, my 96 hx d16y5 (made 166hp 149tq) daily driven up to the redline just about every gear every time i drove the car, this car gave me not one single problem in over a year and a half of abusing it and i put over 30,000 miles on it with the turbo installed. Now i have a 99 EX sedan d16y8 turbo (making 222whp 179tq) by no means am i easy on this car either, i dont take it to redline every gear nowadays but i do give it full boost every time i drive it. so far i have only put about 5,000 miles on it since the turbo was put on, i have only had one problem with it and that was my fault (i forgot to put 91 octane in) so i popped the headgasket running 87 octane, other than that this car has been pretty reliable even with a s***ty tuner.

if you want reliable you do not want to be super high into the limit for the stock block but you can turbo a D series reliably, the stock limit is anywhere between 200-250whp and im not recommending it but i have seen a few 300whp d16 with stock internals also

It's not all about HP though. It's easier to get a little more torque out of B-series motors too. My B18B saw 249whp/210tq @9.5lbs, with a sticky injector. Never really pushed it too hard though. I had fun with it, but wasn't bouncing off the rev limiiter at every shift.

250whp is DEFINITELY pushing it for a stock D-series though, IMO. The tuner pretty much got all he could out of my setup while also keeping it a reliable DD. Had over 15k miles on the setup, and the only issue I had was with the head lifting off the block under boost. Threw a set of used ARP studs on and the issue went away.

B-series motors are way less than $2k nowadays too. I'm selling my long block right now for $700. When I purchased my swap back in 2010 I got it complete with tranny for $1100. All the other parts (axles, ECU, etc) was a couple hundred more though I'm sure, I don't really remember.

I'm not saying a D-series is bad by any means, but in terms of having a reliable DD, you'll get more power from a B-series than you will with a D-series. At a cost, of course.

 

[mc360]

you can get just as much torque out of a D as you can a B if its tuned correctly, im not sure what the torque limit is for a d16 but everyone says torque is what kills the rods so im sure a 250+whp civic with only 190-220 torque would be alright. also i didnt mean i bounced off the limiter i just meant that i take it right up to the limit, i have my shift light set for 6800rpm so i usually shift by 7,000

 

[XpL0d3r]

you can get just as much torque out of a D as you can a B if its tuned correctly, im not sure what the torque limit is for a d16 but everyone says torque is what kills the rods so im sure a 250+whp civic with only 190-220 torque would be alright. also i didnt mean i bounced off the limiter i just meant that i take it right up to the limit, i have my shift light set for 6800rpm so i usually shift by 7,000

Rods bend because of the rod bearings failing. Bearings fail generally because of heat (and also hydrolocking). That heat can build up for many reasons, such as metal shavings or even just dirt in there. Over time the bearings can form a raised spot caused by dirt/debris, which can hit the crank journal. There is supposed to be a film of oil between the bearing and crank journal, but if they're hitting each other that film of oil isn't there. Excess friction = excess heat, and eventually the bearing will break.

Rods also bend when there's too much pressure, ie turning up the boost too high. But in this case they bend due to jumping timing or an issue with fuel injectors (clogged, etc). If timing is off it can dramatically increase the pressure to the cylinder walls. With a clogged injector, the system is starved of fuel, thus leaning out, and also causing issues.

Detonation is what usually causes the biggest failure with FI setups. Detonation is caused by heat and pressure. D-series motors have a slightly higher compression ratio, which means more air to move around, and "more" fuel to burn. I say "more" in quotes because even though the engine is smaller, the ratio is larger, which means more air is being displaced. In return, this causes more heat (this is why intercoolers are highly recommended on any FI setup). When detonation occurs, there's a huge spike in pressure, which can cause a pinging sound, and eventually cause parts to break.

You can get the the same amount of power from a D-series, but for the reasons stated above, they aren't as reliable when it comes to handling boost if they were of equal power and pressure. At least IMO -- I've never built a D-series so I can't speak from personal experience. I actually believe B16 and B20 motors have higher compression over a D-series though.

Oh, and I didn't mean to seem like I was calling you out on the rev-limiter thing, I was just stating that I never really beat on that car. Probably never even brought it to red line more than a coupe times

 

[Failsafe88]

So lets say 1500 for all the necessities needed for a b swap. For that price he could buy a spare d16 block rods and pistons and have all the work done for a reliable d series engine that could easily take on more power than a b series. When it comes down to making more power yes the b series can make more. Lets be honest though after 300 hp the drivability of the car becomes more of an issue. I'm not sure what the ops true intentions are nor do I know or do any of us know of his mechanics skills or ability to do much. The fight between b and d continues. With b series engine what block are we talking about him getting. What head are we going to suggest a Frankenstein. I way much rather throw a rod in a stock d series than a b. That's just me. I know I could go pull one from a junkyard or find one on CL for under 300 bucks. Their have been plenty of people riding around on stock boosted d setups. Lets all agree the biggest key will be tuning. I'm actually looking into etuning. With etuning part throttle tuning is more common as well which is and can be nice for daily driving. I still want to hear more from op.

 

[Esotericimage]

Im surprised all of you forgot to mention the shitty oil pump with the Y8 which will need to be ported or run the risk of oil starvation.

Theres also alot of parts not mentionned that will be needed to run a reliable street set up.

OP: I see you havent chimed in, im guessing you posted this same post elsewhere. But with a 10/hr job, just leave it alone until you save 3 grand to do it right. Saving 3 grand when makinng 10/hr is a long frustrating process.
Theres plenty of writeups and research needing to be done before dropping your savings down on what people tell you in a furum. Do the research and get to know what you plan on doing. Then youll have an understanding of what your getting yourself into.

 

[my93civic]

Oh don't forget the oil pump. He he

 

[mc360]

Im surprised all of you forgot to mention the s***ty oil pump with the Y8 which will need to be ported or run the risk of oil starvation.

Theres also alot of parts not mentionned that will be needed to run a reliable street set up.

OP: I see you havent chimed in, im guessing you posted this same post elsewhere. But with a 10/hr job, just leave it alone until you save 3 grand to do it right. Saving 3 grand when makinng 10/hr is a long frustrating process.
Theres plenty of writeups and research needing to be done before dropping your savings down on what people tell you in a furum. Do the research and get to know what you plan on doing. Then youll have an understanding of what your getting yourself into.

I personally see no need to port the pump, boosted my y5 (with the turbo you sold me) and it lasted 30,000 + miles on a stock y series block, if you check your oil regularly and keep it at the full mark you should have very little worry. If that car was not rearended it would still be going strong, now 8m on a y8 block making 60hp at the wheels more and same scenario not one problem with my oil pump

 

[Failsafe88]

Well if you want to talk oil issues can bring up the oil journals as well. Get a gauge and use the right type of oil. Their are plenty of things in between I think the op may be a one time post

 

[HighPressure]

i appreciate all the advice and help that everyone has provided, im just new to this site and dont know how to fully navigate it yet plus i thought it couldnt hurt to wait a week or two and see what different responses i would get