Turbo reliability question

[picturethis]

Is there a way to get 5+ years out of a daily driven turbo Honda? I only have one car now and I have a daughter, so it's gotta be as reliable as possible. I saved up a lot of money to do a k20 turbo build, but with the economy I won't throw so much money into a car these days. Is it possible to do a mild turbo build around 250whp to 300wph max and have it be able to survive being a daily driver for 5+ years? Most people who boost their car want more and more power until it blows, or they race it a lot. I don't like 1/4 racing, and I don't beat on my car. It'd be nice to have more than the stock Hp that it came with from Honda, and bolt ons are worthless unless you go all out like Jake did on his Integra :D So would it be possible to boost my car for a few grand but also retain a lot of the stock reliability? Motor is a b16a2. I would sleeve it for sure, even for only 300whp max I'd rather spend the money to have a bit more peace of mind. I don't wanna be rebuilding my motor every other winter and I don't want my car to be down for weeks at a time. I drive it every day. Thanks.

[SlowEGG]

I'd say its very possible. Tuning is also very key and making sure you maintain the car properly. And don't beat the piss out of your car 24/7 and you'll be fine.

[jimy]

Tuning and correct build is your best friend.

[picturethis]

Alright I will give it some thought.

[da_dude]

Turbo is reliable as any NA car. It's just how you take care of it and of course tuning it will play a big roll of it too. Sleeving will be a little overkill for your HP goal but it wouldn't hurt. Sooner or later you'll be itching for more. Boost is like crack.

[picturethis]

I know I'd take it to Shane to tune it, so I am not worried about that. Just wondering if I can get it sleeved, all the parts I need and a tune for 3k or so. Probably gonna need some hookups to do it. I will only buy new parts so it'll cost me a few bucks more but I won't buy someone else's problems.

[91_CRX]

It is totally possible, especially with your somewhat modest power goals. Water-cooling and other fun technologies help, but the two things you need to be the most concerned with are planning and tuning. When I was first getting interested in engines and didn't know jack squat, the link below really helped me understand the basics and some important nuances of turbocharging Hondas. It is by no means exhaustive, but reliability seems to be the main thing the author wants to convey here.

http://beesandgoats.com/boostfaq/g2icturbo.html

Hope it helps

[picturethis]

I know the basics, it's just about if I wanna plunk down the money lol.

[jrscteg]

being that you dont really work on your own car much, i dont think id mod it much at all paying someone else to mod your car can get expensive...

[picturethis]

being that you dont really work on your own car much, i dont think id mod it much at all paying someone else to mod your car can get expensive...

My girlfriend's grandpa is gonna help me. He knows more than anyone I've met. I wouldn't pay anyone for labor. It'll take me a lot longer this way but at least I can say I did it and not paid for it..

[91_CRX]

Sorry... I figured that you knew the basics. I should have put in a disclaimer. The article I linked you to is mostly basics, but near the end there is a lot of stuff that relates to reliability. I personally wouldn't do anything so radical if I couldn't pull the engine, rebuild it, and design the whole system from scratch, but I like overkill...

[picturethis]

Sorry... I figured that you knew the basics. I should have put in a disclaimer. The article I linked you to is mostly basics, but near the end there is a lot of stuff that relates to reliability. I personally wouldn't do anything so radical if I couldn't pull the engine, rebuild it, and design the whole system from scratch, but I like overkill...

Yeah, I know the basics but am not the best using my hands. I struggle with mechanical aptitude. I could do something in 2 hours that some smart people could do in half hour lol. Oh well I can't be good at everything.

[da_dude]

If you don't want to spend much than drop the sleeving part. It can still be reliable without sleeving your block and use that money else where. Just get some rods and piston, throw a turbo kit on and get it tune then just call it a day.

[AlexD]

cheap fast reliable, pick two.

3k might be on the low end for the kind of build youre looking for as sleeving is already 1k.

Quote: Originally posted by integraGSBoy on Jun/13/09 hey sami hope you dont mind me asking, but what did you pay all said and done to have your block shipped, sleeved, and shipped back?

if you dont want to throw it out you can pm me!

block looks minntttt



80 to ship to them
$950 block sleeving
150 crank balance/polish/hot tank
120 main and rod bearings
350 blue printing and assembly
125 return shipping
750 cp pistons and eagle rods


about 2500ish

That is from samis build over on Ti, 2500 will have you a full built bottom end.

Thats excluding:

mani
dp
exhaust
blow off valve
intercooler
intercooler piping
injectors
high flow fuel pump
gauges
misc piping and fittings

you can pull off a reliable daily driver without a sleeved block, just keep the boost down and keep control of your foot!