turbo questions for a b16a

[wiki671]

hey civic brothers so i have 92 civic hatch with a b16a, i want to turbo it now i was wondering if there is a turbo out there that i can bolt on without changing anything in the engine bysides tunning the ecu. my plan is to run anywhere between 7 to 10 psi so nothing big just a daliy driver and having a little fun. so please anythig helps thanks

 

[nathan_carmona]

do a leak down and compression test, as long as your motor is healthy, 7 pounds is definitely ok. depending on how its tuned at 10 psi, it might be ok. I've known people to run 12-14 on a stock motor without problems in the short term but any amount of boost is putting more strain on a motor so the more you run, technically the shorter life the motor will have.

 

[obracer12]

test the motor as stated above and any 13G mitubishi turbo or an holset HY 35. They tend to be the easiest to get and the entry level turbos up to 20 PSI Both use a T-3 flange and are easily clocked and have built in waste gates.

 

[nathan_carmona]

honestly, unless built in wastegates are your thing, having a tial (or other easily adjustable) or other external wastegate would probably be best. Its as easy us swapping out springs (and then tuning of course).


edit:

also from what I know, its easier to run an electronic boost controller with an external wastegate. Now I'm no expert on boost controllers but when I was doing my DA9 turbo build I looked into the external vs built-in wastegates with an electronic boost controller, i decided to go external. Chances of you wanting to/needing to run an electronic boost controller on such a low psi on a DD, are slim to none

 

[MistahJuice]

These guys^ nail on the head. If make sure the engines healthy and the tuner u go to has experience and does good work. If so u can run 7-10lbs on a small turbo all day, of course psi is relative, u should've shooting more for numbers, say 220whp-250whp Max on a stock b16 for the sake of reliability.

 

[nathan_carmona]

250 on a b16 with any bottom end power on a small turbo on 10 psi is unreasonable. Possible, but not going to last. With 200-220 on 10 psi with a turbo that spools around 4-5kish you can still keep a decent power band and it will be reliable

 

[hgocasca]

I wish people put more emphasis on the size of the turbo. 7-10lbs is different on each turbo. It can be as low as 190whp on the tiniest of turbo's to 400whp on a pumpkin sized turbo that spools at redline for a split second. Please note the exact turbo you have in mind when asking this question.

 

[wiki671]

thanks everyone for the help, i just heard from a buddy of mine that has a crx that you can put a turbo on without upgrading your internals. its my first swap i did and i just wanted a little more power, and honestly i don't know what turbo kit to go with, so any recommendations would help.

 

[obracer12]

build your own kit, it will do 2 things. Teach you a ton and get you quality used parts for a lower cost.

As far as wastegates go, noob = internal to keep from spring miscalculations, the turbo self regulates = dummy proof.

For any boost build you need to consider the following:
Fuel
Pressure
Timing
heat

your number 1 enemy in a turbo car is detonation (google it) keeping engine temps down, your timing right and fuel amount and octane per cylinder is key (AKA a tune)

to ride on hgocasca's comment, psi is determined by turbo size. 10psi on a 13G vs 10 psi on a R35 are worlds apart.

don't worry about boost numbers, worry about hp numbers. Those are the goals you are shooting for.

My first turbo build on a B (budget build) made 225/191 on 91 octane 71 degree day and 7 psi. it never reached a A/F higher than 14.9 (sweet spot for combustion) so it was a conservative tune for daily driving. Exactly what I needed at the time.

Do your research it will help you out in the long run and will speed up the process. Check the stickies posted in the forced induction section, they will explain more than any single question you can ask.