That’s an incorrect statement. A 400WHP @ 4000 RPM civic (hypothetical) vs a 400WHP @ 3500 RPM civic will both loose traction, it’s just a matter of when. Not to mention the torque curve isn’t “gradual”, it just takes longer for the same “spike” in power.
You have the statement : “Lag for traction, top end for the action” stuck in your head. If you have that much lag, you aren’t making power, and it’s not going to help you with traction when BAM at 7000RPM you hit full boost and Daaa daaa daa daaa daaaa bounce off the rev limiter because you’re making 600HP and driving on 205s.
I’ve got a bunch of saved pages, spreadsheets and pdfs about turbos, selections, factors, etc. I’ll send you an e-mail with what I have.
Let’s just say I’m doing similar, but my application/goals are a lot larger than most…
So far my calculations are leading me to a pair of T04E’s at a .50 trim… so similar… my hard part is finding something in a decent sized package that will do a 2.5+ Pressure Ratio at mid-level flow rates… this is for my application of course…
From what I’ve seen most OE cars that come equipped with turbochargers are oil, as well as watercooled, my SRT-4 included. With the turbo being cooled by both liquids, less cool down time is required. Under normal driving conditions most oil/water cooled turbo’d cars require zero cool down time. It’s just less hassle for the driver. Most T3 upgrades for my car are oil cooled only. The turbos are less expensive, and it makes for easier installation. The downside is you have to really make sure to let it cool down after driving, or else when you shut the car off the hot oil left inside the turbo will cake up and start to restrict the oil passages.
An oil cooled turbo would be just fine, just use good oil, change it frequently, and let it cool down (turbo timer) before you shut it off.
regarding the oil cooled only…i don’t know if i am that disciplined to let the car sit and idle before shutdown. and i don’t know how i feel about a turbo timer yet. i would imagine the water cooled options to be better on the life of the unit as a whole.
probably a more minute ( mahy-noot ) point is the fact that the turbo hogging off the stock cooling systems will throw off the balance of such. Probably something not necessary short term to think about… but if this is going to last you awhile I’d upgrade the radiator and oil cooler.
Just a little something most people don’t think about. A hot engine is an unhappy engine.
It’s all these finer points you have to think about, and which starts to set apart the garage tuner from the factory tuner. Also makes you start to realize how much actually has to be accomplished for a long term reliable turbo project.
Jet hot will reduce heat in the engine compartment, but it has to go somewhere…
The stock cooling system was not designed for a turbo application. Why?
The turbo itself needs cooling. This in itself will create higher than normal oil temperatures.
The higher EGTs you are probably going to see with a turbocharged car. More air in the equation USUALLY results in higher exhaust gas temps, which make everything hotter.
Your tranny will probably need additional cooling. Stock transmissions are not usually designed to sustain 150% the original power output of the unmodified engine.
ok got it. that’s why i was asking about the relevance of water cooling the turbo as well.
the turbo’s i am looking at would come with (or i would add) an auto tranny cooler. but i wasn’t sure if an oil cooler would be necessary as well. i’m still a little fuzzy on why the last guy said no-go for turbo on an auto.
here’s the thing…i don’t believe in going over the top, but i want to do the right thing. like i told paul @ dezod last night (who is extremely helpful btw)…i use synthetic oil…i believe in soldering a connection and not using electrical tape…but i think 24k gold plated connections are a complete effin waste. so that being said…where do that leave me in a FI setup with my goals?
if i were you i would just order the kit from dezod.
i am doing a homebrew turbo kit on my civic right now and i regret it man.
at this point i wish that i just went b-series and bought a turbo kit for it later on.
im in too deep at this point but trust me, save yourself.
chances are that you will still run into snags here and there, but it will be easiest for you, and dezod has more experience with that particular car then anyone else here. im sure if he understands ur goals that he can hook it up.
i think what he said is that he wants to do things right without going over the top.
just remember, its not just about the turbo, manifold, and intercooler. youve gotta do some other supporting mods. on my car ive gotta upgrade fuel pump, injectors, spark plugs, chip my ecu, and pay for tuning.
if u wanna do it right, then first make up a hp goal. lets say 275hp, which is good power
u should say to urself, will my fuel system support that?
how will i tune the engine for that?
will my autotragic tranny explode with that kinda power?
if i dump it at the track will i snap an axle??
will i need new tires to do spirited driving??
then turbo stuff:
tubular manifold or log manifold?
what size turbo will have good response and make that power without pushing it too hard?
…i think you get the point
dont just think about which turbo you need, think about EVERYTHING you will need