Please ignore the noobness
 

What should I do before purchasing a turbo kit?


I am going to go with the Ptuning turbo kit. After all the reading...It's a done deal. I'm just wanting to know what I should to to prep the engine in order for it NOT TO BLOW!!!! (obviously it still might)


Can someone list the mods they would do? Internals especially.




Thanks!


I'm an "Exterior first" kind of person...Engine work is not my forte.


Thanks! :)

That's a vague question. Depends on how much boost you want to run. Talk to Ptuning and they'd be the best people to answer those type questions.

If you don't know what you're doing with engine building, I can't exactly recommend it if you're talking about doing it yourself. There's quite a few companies that offer built short blocks (FBM, MAP, to name a few) that would probably be your best bet at strengthening the block.

If you're trying to keep your power levels around 300whp or less (I know the Ptuning kit can do that with ease) on pump gas, there's probably no need to build the block. Obviously if you run corn juice, you've got a bit more leeway, but that's a whole separate discussion.

Best recommendations I could think of for a newbie would be an oil cooler and (depending on where you live in Cali) a bigger radiator. Keeping everything well lubricated and enough oil pressure in the system is priority 1.

If you're going for some bigger power goals, I'd recommend talking to one of the engine builders. Keep in mind, building an engine can easily cost close to what your turbo kit costs now (or more, depending on what work you want done).

I'm looking to push 450ish HP. The Ptuning kit will obviously be fine for that.


The issue I have is...I don't want to blow anything up by slapping this amazing kit on a bone sock car.


I live in Southern Calfornia. I was told I should upgrade the internals...but that's a vague statement. A list of potential upgrades would be very helpful.

lol

Sounds like you want to run e85 and call it a day. There's plenty of people on the forum running ~450whp without breaking engines. I'd echo the sentiment of calling Ptuning to see what they recommend.

Another note, at 450whp, you're in the dangerous area where you can start breaking transmissions pretty easily. There aren't any ways to upgrade the transmission in this car that are very affordable.

I'd recommend reading the forums, doing more research into this, and asking yourself if you truly want that much power.

The only mod you need for that kind of power is a tune from Tony at FA20club.done

What you did there, I sees it.

if this is daily driven, you won't want 450whp. You'll shread (and I predict) 4th gear. Either trans swap, or I hope to god you have an automatic, there's a lot of upgrades for that option.

You'll basically be looking at the kit, plus supporting mods, which means oil coolers, gauges, vented hood, radiator...

Then for 450whp, either stock block and E85 24/7, or built short block (possible valve train) and pump gas from California....Ya know I think E85 is your best bet.

450+ daily driven here. On my 3rd transmission in a year. Stock engine on e85. If you don't have e85 you'll need a gtx30 and a built short block. You're looking at 4k for a built shortblock not including the turbo kit or install. Then you'll need a transmission shortly after. V160 swaps are around 8k $ then depending on how much you're lowered you'll need axles after that. DSS 600s are 900$? I think. Don't remember I'm blowing through transmissions right now.

Supporting mods for this car over 450 are basically a new car if you want it to hold up.

@kanundrum

I think you mean power goals, not boost.. "Boost" is relative and depends on other factors to explain efficiency in a turbine system whereas HP and TQ are resultant figures.. Just splitting hairs here :)

P.S OP why do you want 450hp? Street cred?

If you're thinking that the advice "upgrading the internals" is a vague statement, you 100% should just stop researching and go talk to a competent engine building and tuning house. Don't try and understand because you're going to have to spend years learning about this stuff if you think you can bring to the table something your tuner won't already know.

And before all the "YOU SHOULD DO IT YOURSELF OR YOULL NEVER HAVE STREET CRED" perspectives come out of the woodwork- the most powerful insight I've ever received as an entrepreneur is, "you don't have to understand it all"

just accept that some important things aren't worth knowing. Focus on what you're passionate about and let others' passions work for YOU. We don't need to understand how a cellphone works to communicate on the device and enjoy it; we don't need to understand how sunlight and the azimuth of the Earth interact to enjoy a beautiful sunset.. Just some food for thought. You're in good hands whatever you do, SoCal has some awesome auto houses