thinking about turboing

2943 Views 40 Replies 14 Participants Last post by nova50, Oct 25, 2008

my m

Discussion Starter · Oct 10, 2008

well this has been on my mind for awhile now since i bought my m edition ,an since i`m new to the idea about turboing a car . when is it safe to turbo ? for instance . would it be safe to do it at 109,000 on the engine ,or should i actually have the engine rebuilt before i attempt to turboing it ?

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Stealth

· #2 · Oct 10, 2008

I turboed my car at about 98K and the motor was fine, the problem was the stock clutch started slipping within 500 Miles.

I dont think you need to build the motor to boost it just stay under 7 PSI and you will be fine.

Your eventually going to have to build a motor, but it might not be for 100K more miles or it could be in 1 mile

My personal opinion, save your money and use it as a down payment for a pre-built (aka stock turbo) car. The money is not worth dumping into a 13 year old car.

However if you have the money to blow and it will fufill your hearts desire for years to come, then certainly boost away.

KING6

· #3 · Oct 10, 2008

If you like drivability, reliabilty, dont turbo it.

There isnt one time I that I jump in mx6 that I dont think of a back up plan incase the car breaks down.
Its expensive, and just keeps getting more expensive.

Chefsp0t

· #4 · Oct 10, 2008

Stealth and King are both right. Turbocharging your Mx6 is going to cost a LOT of money even without an engine rebuild. You just have to decide how much you're willing to spend on your car.

I'm not boosted yet but I have a built motor that's ready for boost. I KNOW things will still break with a boosted built motor but I'm willing to deal with that. I've already got a lot of money into it and I'm pretty comfortable with spending more if it makes my car what I want it to be. :shrug:

Just make sure you do your research and don't cheap out where it counts if you want a turbo setup that will last longer than a month or two.

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guitardude1568

· #5 · Oct 10, 2008

i agree with stealth. If you want a turbo'd car buy one that comes with it.

it gets extremely expensive very quickly. Since the beginning of the summer i have spent around 3k on my setup.

And the car is old which means things are already breaking and will break more quickly with boost. After boost you also have to worry about blowing third gear and changing out transmissions.

I knew all this stuff before i decided to boost mine and sometimes i wish i would have bought a car that has a bigger aftermarket and has more potential than an mx6.

my m

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 10, 2008

that is true . i kinda figured it wasnt gonna be cheap either . i figured if i was gonna do something like this . to do it the right way ,an not cop out for the cheap stuff . you know what i mean . i`ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time . plus it didnt really help either .after i test drove a wrx sti either lol . plus i think i`m going to be keeping this car for a long time to.

guitardude1568

· #7 · Oct 10, 2008

the main reason i did this to mine is because i had wanted to do it for such a long time. And i did a lot of research before i started buying parts. Know what you are doing and how everything works before you buy anything

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hgallegos915

· #8 · Oct 10, 2008

hmm..

when you get everything down.. the car can be very reliable..

why do you people say its expensive?

well it is a bit but not alot..

just get the right things, good turbo, good set up, WIDEBAND, millenia injectors and msns..

Im sure alot of people on probetalk and mx-3.com will disagree.

Mine is running fine.. im only at 5 psi.

I wouldnt get a stock turbo car.. they are to darned slow compared to us..

the subaru impressas :/

stock evos? meh :/

BOOST IT!

just make sure you have a back up car just in case.

Oh and again.. reason it breaks down .. because people are to lazy to do thing right..

skipping the wideband can be a really bad idea.

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my m

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 10, 2008

i was thinking about running it with 5 to 6 psi . nothing to crazy. whats a wideband ?

jmoore

· #10 · Oct 10, 2008

wideband zirconia sensor - Google Search

hgallegos915

· #11 · Oct 10, 2008

YouTube - klze turbo mx3 5 psi

me..

stock injectors

aem wideband and all the goodies..

butwell.. if you dont know what a wideband is... maybe turbo is not for thee

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Turk

· #12 · Oct 11, 2008

It isnt any harder to drive/own then any other modified car. Take everyones advice and if you do decide to boost, have another daily driver. Dont count your bills, just think, you dont count the money you blow on beer and hookers do you? It would break anyones heart to know such things

.

Reactions: 1

Stealth

· #13 · Oct 11, 2008

KING6 said:
If you like drivability, reliabilty, dont turbo it.

There isnt one time I that I jump in mx6 that I dont think of a back up plan incase the car breaks down.
Its expensive, and just keeps getting more expensive.

Head on nail, I wouldnt even drive mine down the interstate without having someone follow me. Once I got it down to my house, I drove it back and forth to work for 2 days, and it has been garaged since. Im just so worried down here if it breaks down some old lady is gonna hit it on the side of the road, and I have noone to help. I dont trust towing companies.

I need to get a finalized tune, and I will drive it anywhere. Its just right now without it being nuts on the money I am worried.

That and the fact that I have had to do alot of things 2 times over.

Stock > Mil S > Nissan injectors
MS v2.2 > MS V3.0
Greddy RS BOV > Greddy RS BOV > HKS BOV (and the valve wasnt even the problem)

and the list goes on. Its expensive and unless you want to make it your long time hobby I suggest staying away.

I can relate to you driving a subaru for the first time. I had NEVER ridden in a turbo car before I turboed the MX6. Like 2 days after I picked it up from the shop I test drove a 05 WRX. I was like WOW, thats when I pulled the trigger on the forged build, before I even had a decent running mx6, and I had gone for 2 drives.

Since then I bought a stock turbo car and I have no worries about reliability. I can thrash it if I want to and not have to worry on every turn if Im gonna break something.

Edit - I hate to say it, but right now I wish I could go back 3 years and sell my car. (it gets that bad, but its shit eater grin when I do get to drive it) I just dont think being happy for maybe an hour per day is good enough to suffice for all the headaches Ive had over the last 3 years.

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hgallegos915

· #14 · Oct 11, 2008

wow.. well what kind of set ups you all have? mine is daily driven... and i drive FAR every day..

odd

Reactions: 1

KING6

· #15 · Oct 11, 2008

Id say ive went a bit beyond what most people do, and stealth has went beyond that.

Also it doesnt really matter how far you drive, its how you drive it... and I enjoy boost everytime I drive it.. lots of boost. (5psi turns into 10psi after a few pulls)

It just ends up costing alot to get a base setup down, before you know it your replacing a clutch, upgradeing an exhaust, putting in bigger injectors, installing a megasquirt, taking your header back off to replace a blown gasket.. trying to find a IC leak, taking off your IM to gut it, replacing motor mounts..buying traction bars.. swapping a trans, swapping a motor...

Dont get me wrong, the increase in power is incredible, cranking it up to 10psi feels just nuts, But there are still faster cars out there, that are much easier (probaly not any cheaper) to make fast.

Reactions: 1

Stealth

· #16 · Oct 11, 2008

And the thing is, if you make this car fast enough to keep up with a souped up evo8-9 your still going to blow your trans racing him and then you loose and have to pay 4K for a gearset.

The difference from 7-10 PSI is like day and night. My motor should be capable of 15 Psi which is going to be insane, but Im going to dyno once, take it to the track once, and then I will back it off to 10-12 PSI daily so I dont kill the trans. I will probablly kill it at the track my first run anyways with my luck.

Chefsp0t

· #17 · Oct 11, 2008

The things these guys have mentioned are spot on. Anyone who has ever had a hobby will agree. The money spent isn't important, it's all about the satisfaction you get from it.

If you are serious about tuning your car and the Mx6 is the platform you want to use then do it.

I am a firm believer of doing things right the first time so I had a motor built with boost in mind. It has lower compression (8.5:1) pistons, forged rods, and cams (mostly because I wanted them but they'll be awesome with boost too). It's not super fast right now but there are a few bugs to work out still. With boost it will be amazing but I don't plan on daily driving it. I know I will never get back what I've already put into the car but I made the choice to keep tuning it.

Just keep in mind that fun stuff always costs a ton of money (masturbation is the only exception I can think of).

my m

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 11, 2008

lol ..oh i know that . well the spending alote of money on a car . that is really nothing new to me ,an getting the satisfaction to . i loved it when .the older hot rod guys used come up to me ,an says thats a really nice car ,an start asking questions about it .so the hobby is nothing new to me . but i figured i turbo . instead of building another show car .

i am also a believere in doing things right the first time to .if i do run a 5psi . what would i get for hp with it ?

Stealth

· #19 · Oct 11, 2008

5 psi is probably good for 250 whp with the right tune.

Mici

· #20 · Oct 15, 2008

Oh how do I wish I wouldn't love my car as much as I do. Honestly, I've thought about selling it 100 times, but since I've dumped a truckload of money on it, I just don't have the heart to let it go. Sometimes the best thing you can do, is to let go on it, even if it hurts. It makes me absolutely sick even thinking about that moment though.

I've had fun on boost, I've had A4 and TT both turbo cars right from the factory and neither of them 100% stock... Yet, the points in this topic guys made out are very clear and I would sign my name under them, they are true.

I've had custom IM, I've had secondary injector setup, I've had FMU, I've had T28, T4 and now some ballbearing monster I cant even remember the specs on it. The car has been garaged for 3 years. I do feel the urge to get it done and running, and I will, but I'm not sure what happens after that. I'm more than worried about the transmission after I have got everything sorted out. This really eats the motivation out of me to get it fixed and tuned back to her glory.

If it was RWD, I would've already made a big decision and offered her the chance of her life, to make me happy on racetrack, going sideways, smoking tires...

I've had her for over 8 years now and getting rid of her doesn't make a lot on my bank account for the car replacing the six.

And that's even with all the goodies I've equipped it with.

The love is still there, but sex doesn't feel the same. I mean, boost, as it is boost-less.

Dr. Phil, what to do?

5psi should be on the safe side on stock motor though. I had 8-10 psi for years, before one of my secondary injectors gave up (bad connector I believe) and burnt a few valves. I wish I would've had the option of Megasquirt back then, I'm pretty sure that and bigger injectors in the first place would've saved my engine from this. I then built up my engine with forged rods and Wisecos etc... And it has been eating a lot of money ever since while making not so many miles.

There is certainly an animal in boosted KL engine which I do love. Think about it, and don't let it bite on your arse if you aren't prepared to spend a lot of dough upgrading every this and that on your way down the road you've chosen. I'm not saying its a wrong way, just expensive and addicting.

Mici

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