General questions about boosting

[Jonathan]

i am planning on going boost and i am new to boosting so i was wondering if anyone could take the time to tell me all the parts that i would need to safely boost my car and second i was wondering if anyone in south florida could tell me where i could take my car to get a custom manifold made for my car the engine that im planning on boosting it a QR25. thanks you

[DarkTemplar]

im not the best in here but out all the research i've done about boosting my own RSX Type S, I have a few questions and maybe i can give you a few tips. are you looking to boost your car on a stock engine? or are you planning to mod your engine then boost your car? have you mod your engine yet? Sometimes is depends on what kind of turbo you are planning to put on your engine and how much power you are wanting to get out of your car. There's alot of members that are willing to assist you with advice.

unfortunately im not from florida (wish i was there than here) so I can't help you with that one.

Dark Templar

[1caintegra]

we need more info to help u like car ur boosting, hp goal. what kinda driving u will be doing and fuel setup.

[Jonathan]

thanks guys. well im planning on boosting my stock motor which is a 2.5L QR25 that comes in the nissan altima. i am saving rebuilding the motor as last resort. i want about 250-300 to the weels and im considering a garrett GT28R. This is my daily driver that im just looking to make a little more fun without killing my gas millage

[1caintegra]

i dont no much at that motor.but the garrett GT28R good turbo not sure where to go for a dd setup,ill look in to a little

[DarkTemplar]

garretts are know to deliver alot of horsepower (sometimes huge amounts). there are two paths you can take. find a turbo kit that can withstand your stock engine or built your own kit which normally (with alot of research and dedication) can be cheaper or more expensive but will deliver the amount of horsepower and satisfaction you'd want. 250-300hp to the wheel is possible on your stock engine. Greddy makes turbo kits for pure stock engines. Im going greddy for my stock engine (K20). I didn't see a turbo kit for your QR25 engine. There's got to be one definitely. I found turbos for SOHC Civics which i NEVER thought they'd be.

Dark Templar

[Jonathan]

ok thanks guys and if anyone has anymore advice please post it because i can use all the advice i can get

[Voodoo]

Well, if you'd like a basic outline for building a turbo setup, here are my recommendations:

Step 1:
Determine how much power you want to make. This will help you decide 1) if the engine needs to be modified in any way to meet your goal, and 2) what size turbo to use. Once you have picked out a turbo, find a manifold that works. It's always cheaper to buy something mass-produced, but if there aren't any turbo manifolds readily available for your motor, you have no choice but to go the custom route. If you go the custom route, it will probably be cheapest to have the same shop weld not only your manifold, but a downpipe as well.

Step 2:
Determine your tuning needs. Figure out how you plan to meter the air entering the engine. Most newer EFI engines use a suck-thru MAF sensor from the factory. If your MAF sensor is durable enough, it can be used in a blow-thru configuration with your turbo setup (MAF located between compressor and throttle body). This approach ensures you get an accurate reading of the amount of air entering your engine because the Intake Air Temperature sensor built into the MAF housing will read the air temp after it has been compressed, and the computer will actually be aware of the loss of air when the blow-off valve vents. Unfortunately, with suck-thru (MAF located between air filter and compressor inlet), you will have to use a blow-off valve capable of recirculating back into your intake, otherwise your car will most likely run rich and die every time you shift. Your other option is speed density tuning, which is far more straightforward to tune, but may require additional modifications, even so much as an aftermarket ECU (EMS).

Once you have decided how you plan to meter your intake air, it becomes much easier to determine what will be necessary to tune your car. Please DO NOT simply run a rising-rate fuel pressure regulator; increasing fuel pressure to force more fuel through your injectors is NOT the correct way to tune. In order to run a turbo reliably and to its fullest potential, you must be able to control injector pulse width (and hopefully ignition timing). You have several options in which to obtain this functionality, whether it be a piggyback fuel management system (Apex'i S-AFC, GReddy e-Manage), reflashing your ECU (if possible), or an aftermarket ECU/standalone EMS.

Step 3:
After you have decided upon these important factors, everything else is pretty much set in stone. Here's a general list of the parts you'll need:

• Turbo
• Manifold
• Downpipe + dumptube
• Intercooler (depending on how much boost you plan to run, it's generally a good idea to have one if you plan on making significant power gains)
• Intercooler + intake piping (surprisingly, the universal kits on eBay are a great starting point. you can always cut the pipes yourself and have them welded for a small fee)
• Injectors (higher-flowing than stock are usually required to get adequate fuel delivery)
• Fuel pump (higher-flowing than stock is sometimes required to get adequate fuel delivery)
• Spark plugs (go with OEM-spec NGK copper plugs, but colder; usually 2 heat ranges is enough. For example, if the NGK V-Power part number for your car is BKR5E, order some BKR7E's and you should be good to go)
• Gauges (boost, EGT, oil pressure, and air/fuel ratio are all good investments)
• Wideband O2 Sensor (I personally prefer to ALWAYS know my exact AFR, but as long as you have your car tuned with a wideband and knock sensor, you won't NEED to buy one)
• Silicone couplers + t-bolt clamps
• STAINLESS STEEL oil lines + A/N fittings. Don't cheap out on your oil system, the LAST thing you want leaking is your oil
• Silicone boost/vacuum hoses
• Gaskets and bolts

That's about all I can think of right now, hopefully it helps you get started on your way. Unfortunately, some of the major decisions are very application-dependent and will require some research. If there is no research available, you may want to consider using a different motor, it's never fun to be the guinea pig

[Jonathan]

ok thanks for everything guys

[kay]

new to this but that should cover it. so after tuning a/f gauge is not a must?
good luck.