B16A2 Turbo Technicalities

[ian]

also related to this topic........
i've got a stock civic vtir coupe B16A2 (USDM).
i was looking at a GREDDY bolt-on turbo kit.
can this kit be just bolted on without any other modifications to the engine (apart from a new ECU)???
will it make a difference?

[pornstar]

yes they can be bolted on. ian if ur in sydney go to adrian norton at toda, bolting on a kit is easy, getting things to run is easy, getting things on and running well, and relioably is another story. U can spend 20k ona setup but still bnot run reliably, if u get the wrong thigns or go to the wrong places.

[**Ghost**]

i shoulda bought that s14 : ( ahhahaha

[luzinit]

if u look around on the net u can find the greddy kit for around 2300-2400 US. not sure how much that will be after shipping and whatever taxes may be involved tho, but yeh, the going price for them is a tad cheaper than the 3.1k listing price

[pornstar]

is that with cooler?

[Weq]

no greddy kits come with cooler or bov - thats the point of having a basic kit + your choice of addons. The b16 kits do some with injectors + emanage + more stuff then the d-series kits though. also a larger turbo. As for the tax's, its all about how u go for it. Seriously, check out this post i made back when i was researching a kit http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthr...eddy+turbo+kit

I had exactly the same replys. exactly the same comments. i put mine together for under well under 3k imported. list price was 5k+ in most shops. 8months with perfect compression. Some say u cant, some say u can. I might of just got lucky, who knows!! It can be done though. (u wont pick up a b16 kit for this price, but u can pick one up for way cheaper then aus retail)

but whats a cooler worth these days? if ur gonna run ~8psi, go with a small side mount or something, ~100 ebay. Johnnyracecar.com coolers (mine) for for 180USD, $35 shipping via USPS on the 6-8week service, or $45 on the 4-10day. No other tax's.

Turbo kits in the US is a big buisness. they get ALOT of markup. SEARCH around, people are out there who sell for 500USD++ under retail. My kit is listed was listed as 1890 on the GReddy site, i picked it up for $1380USD.

Toda: im only going to single out ur post because this is what all shops said to me to (regarding 1k in duty&tax) I payed $90tax all up. I have reciepts, and no, it wasnt shipped as a gift or 2nd hand items. Shipping is cheapest with USPS. They split my kit into 2 lots, and i payed $270USD in total - 4-10day service.

Basically the point of my post is - no one here is going to tell u how the tricks of the trade work. I had a little help from friends, but most of the stuff i learnt from 8months of research - and they do exist. Not 100% buy the book, but does these days??

But quit quoting retail guys, seriously.

[pornstar]

only thing is tho weq, what are you going to tell the next person when he gets thigns caught in customs? or that by paying a couple hundred less usd, that the goods they paid for never got shipped, etc. One good story is great, but for every one good one, i can also say that theres one bad one. IF your the bad one, i guess the cheaper kit isnt worth it?

[Weq]

Yep sure. u risk something everytime u buy online. i tried covering my ass with the way i paid and the way i shipped. But if ur stuff gets lost, dont expect a refund anytime soon. As for customs, yeah its a gamble to come extent, but u an limit the damage so to speak in most situations.

I dont garentee anything, thats why i dont sell them , all i am saying is i had no experience or 'hookups' when i started, but i did it. That says to me, anyone can do it, not that it CANT be done at ALL. How BAD do u want to save money? Saving money doesnt mean convience, u pay for that.

http://city-speed.com/webstore/eng_GreddyTurbos.html

These guys seem to have some good prices on kits, i found emailing the store the best way to start a sale. If they dont reply in a timely, friendly way, its time to move on.

I know B-series run a higher compression, but i honestly beleive (neive or not) that if ur sensible, u can run something 'cheap' and reliable.

[Lyle_Style]

Do not go anything less the Standalone engine management for boost
Chips and Vafc/safe and piggy backs are crap for turbo conversion and arnt as safe as a standalone computer
Good ones to invest in are Microtec Lt8, Hondata, Motec

[Weq]

re: standalone. Illegal for street use. thats what every engineer ive ever spoken to has told me.
I piggybacked. my AF's are fine, coldstart stock. idle stock. might not have the _most_ power, but ur not gonna sell me anything, sorry bud.

All e-manages come out of the kit ready for upto 8psi of boost. they are safe tunes (not max power) and have proved RELIABLE for years. Just add a cooler and ur set.

and toda:
US$3,149.00 list - that site has the 99-00 kit for 2084 and the 02-04 kit for 2384. Exactly my point, these things are marked up like no tomorrow. Apply your forumla again, and u already save money over local.

Im sorry if i have offended anyone or seem like a dick. Its just i think another POV should be put forward. Shops are good, will treat u right, but dont think for a second just because its a shop it means they know best. Ive seen 10K+ turbo setups which still use an extra injector on charge pipe... I mean, cmon!!
I know all the guys around here like toda and razztech will give u a MEAN setup. Those things will fly, but not everyone had that kinda cash to burn. I wish someone down under would promote basic setups like this. Something affordable that will give peeps a taste of boost. All you guys know what boost feels like, and we all know its an addiction. Shove 5psi into most of the civics around ozhonda and people will go crazy. SOon enough the shops will be inundated (sp?) with guys willing to build bottom end, sleeving blocks and big HKS turbos cause they love boost so much.... Every 3rd honda in the US is blown, downunder its a priviliedge set aside for the big wallets or knowledgble mechanics.. Its pretty bleek.

[Rufes1]

And I dont think many people can call weq's civic slow.

[imashy14u]

Weq, I'm sure everyone here understands what you're talking about. But I just put my point of view across to Ghost, just to let him know that it can cost more than what he is anticipating. Just in case the guy gets his hopes up and then ends up with less than what he expected, or spending much more than he expected. From my experience, and others I know, at first it seems cheap and easy to do, but as the ball gets rolling, the budget starts balloning.

Anyway, goodluck with the conversion Ghost , and let us know how it goes and whether you were on budget.