Thread: Another boost noob thread.

My mind is so jumbled up I'm not sure where exactly to start so I'll just kind of give it out as a lump sum and leave it up for discussion. Well, right now I'm just trying to figure everything that I'll need to get a reliable turbo set up without skimping on cost while maintaining the cheapest possible. Rather, I'm not afraid of spending money but I don't want to spend alot of it. But that's more of a personal dilemma. What I have available to me locally is a W11 (supposedly, haven't checked) engine, it has been sitting for a year and a half and has seized up and I was told all it needs is a light hone and new piston rings to get it into tip top shape. I also have the choice of the T25 from the W11 or T28 from a GTiR. I don't think the engine comes with the intake manifold for some odd reason, but I can source one out locally. This is going to be my daily driven car, so reliability and driveability is a top priority, the car is also going to be used for autocross so that makes my horsepower goal to be no more than 275 because otherwise it would be useless power.

I have a basic setup I'm thinking about with a bunch of other items that I'm not sure are necessary or worthwhile

Setup

W11 w/ GTiR manifold and T28
370cc injectors
3" Downpipe to 3" exhaust
N60 MAF (I have one lying around, so might as well make use of it)
Calum Realtime daughterboard
eBay intercooler and piping

Is this all I should need for a reliable yet basic setup to get me on the road? Any idea on how much power I would be making? (at 7 psi? at 15 psi?)

Other things I'm thinking about but don't know how worthwhile they'd be are...

Turbo timer (this just increases the lifespan of a turbo by keeping the car idling after the key is removed, correct?)
EBC (or MBC, which is more preferable or in which situations would either be used?)
Brand name intercooler (is the temperature drop really that noticeable and worth the money?)
Thermoblok spacers (are these even worth it with a turbo? minimal gains I would suppose?)
Underdrive pulleys (once again, minimal gains? Something that would just be nice to have?)
Lightweight flywheel (what does the stock flywheel weigh? how much more freely does the car rev?)
ARP head studs and Cometic HG (when would these become desirable for a setup? not really necessary in my case?)
NeoSAFC with Calum RT? (I don't plan on tuning it myself)

That's alot to respond to so any opinions, suggestions, personal preferences are appreciated!

If i had to guess, I would bet you would be around 250-270whp running a 4 bar program and tuning it. on 7psi maybe 220whp. The turbo timer is good for lifespan but not as necessary on nissan turbos since they are water cooled.

Intercoolers from ebay work. Plain and simple. They are the best bang for buck, but they are not even close to a real one. Some are just not engineered that great.

I think the thermoblock spacers are a good thing. They increase runner length and keep temps down. Worth the investment imo.

Underdrive pulleys make a big difference on low end power. And the car will rev quicker.

Go with the lightweight fly, it is a little harder to drive every day, but it makes an incredible difference on a turbo car. On my car it felt like 50whp. Not kidding. The stock flywheel makes the car seem so much slower.

I don't think you will have to touch the headgasket. If it aint broke don't fix it.

The neo safc is not the best choice. I would just stick with the RT.

Thanks Coheed, this is the kind of feedback I'm looking for.

From what you said about the lightweight flywheel, I'll look for one that's not too light. Although it sounds like it'd definitely be worth it if I was looking for an insanely fast car (judging by your own project ) I don't want something that's too rev happy. I've heard the SR16 flywheel is lighter than stock but not as light as most aftermarkets. Now I'm gonna go look for Vadim's flywheel thread.

Turbo timer (this just increases the lifespan of a turbo by keeping the car idling after the key is removed, correct?)
Not needed with water cooled turbos. Water cooling was introduced to solve this exact problem.

EBC (or MBC, which is more preferable or in which situations would either be used?)
A properly tuned EBC is always preferable, but MBC are terrific at holding a single boost setting.

Brand name intercooler (is the temperature drop really that noticeable and worth the money?)
Not worth it.

Thermoblok spacers (are these even worth it with a turbo? minimal gains I would suppose?)
Just icing on the cake.

Underdrive pulleys (once again, minimal gains? Something that would just be nice to have?)
More icing.

Lightweight flywheel (what does the stock flywheel weigh? how much more freely does the car rev?)
If you have no way of controlling boost onset (not using an EBC) then you'd probably prefer the traction afforded by the heavier flywheel. The stock unit weighs 22 lbs? And the light ones are 9-11 lbs. It's the difference between traction in 1st gear on an N/A car and complete loss of traction.

ARP head studs and Cometic HG (when would these become desirable for a setup? not really necessary in my case?)
Are you planning on making over 500 WHP?

NeoSAFC with Calum RT? (I don't plan on tuning it myself)
Anything you can do to provide a method for tuning is better than nothing. I'd recommend Calum RT over NeoSAFC. Also, learn to tune yourself.

Thanks Ben.

So stock flywheel weighs 22 lbs, SR16VE flywheel weighs 16lbs, and aftermarkets range from 8-11 lbs. So an EBC is more of a dynamic boost controller? I plan on doing the Calum RT and was wondering whether a NeoSAFC was worthwhile on top of that, so I guess not. I'm also getting a free tune from the shop I'm getting the engine from, and they've done some pretty impressive things on other forum members cars. After that I'm sure I'll still play around with TunerproRT.

For the most part, yes.

You can get a cheap turbo timer from ebay (see tokes nx thread). It can't hurt to have the extra safety margin.

You wouldn't catch me dead with a manual boost controller. IMO they spike, don't react as quickly and aren't as reliable. Keep saving until you can afford to do it right, not halfway.

Shameless plug - I have an intercooler for sale. See the forced induction section.

Thermoblok spacers, why not? Do them when the motor is out. Its ALOT less headache and gives a pretty decent power gain.

I personally don't like the idea of using a non-dampened crank pulley. Thats just me. Theres plenty of research on these you can find on the forums. Id look into an ATI crank pulley and then some accessory pullies if you want to do it right.

For what your power goals are, since they are similar to mine, I would suggest a SR16 flywheel. Lighter but not too light.

Headstuds and headgasket are not needed, but since it sounds like you are going to have the head off to re-do it. Id just go with a stock setup. Your power goals aren't enough to justify spending alot of money. The stock setup has been proven to handle around 400-450whp before needing to be upgraded.

Calum RT is really the way to go. I used to swear by the emanage but that was before Calum released his product. Only downside is Calum is usually backed up with work. Good problem to have huh?

I'm going to respectfully disagree.

I respectfully disagree with you!

After going to an Electric Boost controller I will NEVER go back to a manual one. I myself thought that going to an electric boost controller was just a luxery. But after installing mine a while ago...the difference in throttle response, boost response, and boost controll was AMAZING!


Also why would anyone go with a Calum RT and then put an SAFC Neo on top of it. The calum RT IS your Neo. Itll do all everything the NEO can do and more. Why people go with the SAFC Neo doesnt make sense to me either. If your not using it for VVL Activation just go with an SAFC2...

Turbo timers are pointless. I have an oil cooled turbo. Just let the car idle down for about 30sec and shut it off unless youve been running it really hard.

As for intercoolers...for your Hp goals you can run any intercooler and itll work fine. Yes the flow numbers are better on the GOOD ones. But for your goal it really doesnt matter.

Just like anything else, manual boost controllers can be made, or installed incorrectly. Also, a manual boost controller tends to highlight areas where there's room for improvement that are not the fault of the boost controller. Boost spikes, slow boost onset, and poor throttle response are all symptoms of other problems that can be covered up with an electronic boost controller. The manual boost controller gets an undeserved bad reputation. When done properly, a manual boost controller will provide the boost level you want with no spike and can not be beaten (can be matched though) by an electronic boost controller for boost onset speed and throttle response.