2GNT TurbosystemsTurbosystems | ready-to-runThere are two routes in which you can go about turbocharging your 2GNT. You can purchase a ready made kit or make your own. Purchasing a kit can save time and headaches that are involved in building your own system, but usually costs more and may come with parts that you wish to replace. This article serves to showcase the differences between these two, community standard turbo system offerings. The two major kits made for the 2GNT community are offered by Hahn Racecraft and Star Performance Here is a list detailing what comes in these kits along with comments on each. Note: Price information was current to the best of our knowledge on the date of publication (05.18.06). Be sharp and do additional research when planning your budget. Turbo HRC | Mitsubishi/Hahn �Super� 16G (TDO5H-16G10CM2) Star | Turbonetics T3/T4 Hybrid (Commonly, a .50 A/R) Comments | The Hahn 16g has a faster spool up time while the Star T3/T4 is slightly laggier, but capable of more power. Wastegate HRC | Internal Star | External Comments | An external wastegate can allow for better flow of exhaust gases, preventing boost spikes and creep. Internal wastegates offer simplicity of manifold design and suffice for many tuners. Intercooler (IC) HRC | Stage 1: none, Stage 2: DSM Sidemount (SMIC), Front Mount (FMIC) available Star | Stage 1: none, Stage 2: FMIC Comments | Both kits come non-intercooled in stage 1 trim. The Hahn kit comes with a SMIC (similar to the OEM DSM SMIC, but providing 92% greater volume) in the stage 2 kit while the Star kit comes with a FMIC. The Star intercooler is fairly small, but is still better than a SMIC none the less. The Hahn FMIC costs roughly $650 extra with the stage 2 kits but is by far the best direct fit FMIC made for our cars. Both kits provide piping to plumb the intercooler into the turbo system. Downpipe HRC | 2.25� I.D. (clamp-on) Star | 2.5� I.D. (full downpipe) Comments | The Hahn kit comes with a rather poor 2.25� downpipe which clamps onto your stock down pipe (i.e., you will have to cut your stock exhaust pipe). The Star comes with a 2.5� downpipe that goes all the way to your cat, but does not have a flex section and one should be welded in before installing the pipe. This is to say that both designs will require some welding/fabrication. Blow Off Valve (BOV) HRC | 3000GT BOV (OEM Mitsubishi part) Star | HKS BOV (HKS version of the 3000GT BOV) Comments | Either is fine. Many tuners upgrade to something that sounds more to their liking soon enough. BOV should not be grounds for choosing one kit over another. Fuel Management HRC | Cartech AFPR and Accel inline fuel_pump Star | Vortech FMU and Walbro 255lph in-tank fuel pump Comments | The Hahn Cartech has been known to fail and is not the best selection for fuel management. The Vortech FMU is reliable and good for up to about 8 psi on stock fuel injectors. The Walbro in tank fuel pumps is one of the best and is often used to replace the Hahn Accel inline pump. Customer Support HRC | Fantastic, industry standard Star | Virtually non-existent Comments | The Hahn kit comes with great tech support in which you can call Hahn at any time and ask questions or tell of problems. The Hahn kit also comes with a large detailed instruction book. The Star kit has little to no tech support and only comes with a vague one page instruction sheet. Article written by GSGoinFast Custom Turbosystems[b]GSGoinFast_Turbosystem[/b] Chris breaks down how he pieced together and installed his own, custom turbo kit. If you have a fair amount of free time and technical experience and either can�t afford a brand name kit or want only the very best parts for your turbosystem, building a custom kit may be for you. The main advantages of building your own kit are that you can pick and choose the parts you want, building either an extremely cheap or extremely nice kit. Building a cheap kit can range anywhere from $700 - $1500, depending on your skills and ability to find a good deal, while getting the best of the best can place you where ever you can afford on the price chart. Here are the basic components you will need to turbocharge your 2GNT. Turbocharger Cost | $50 - $2,000 Power | dependent on size, fuel delivery, and tuning ability Difficulty | 3 Turbochargers use the force of exhaust gasses passing a turbine to spin a compressor wheel, which forces more air into the combustion chamber. There are a number of factors to take into consideration before selecting a turbo such as size, placement, and use. The most important thing to consider prior to selecting a turbo is what goals you have for the car, as your goals will narrow the field of numerous turbo options considerably. Exhaust Manifold Cost | $90 - $500 Power | Dependent on design and flow capacities Difficulty | 1 � 4 The exhaust manifold bolts to the head and directs exhaust gasses from the exhaust valves to the turbine inlet on the turbo. Difficulty depends on whether you build one or buy one. Buying one is simply a bolt on affair while building one requires you to cut, measure, and weld flanges and pipes together to make it functional. Building your own is cheaper but more difficult. Be careful, however, as some pre-made manifolds may still require some finessing to fit properly. Intercooler (IC) Cost | $25 - $1,000 Power | Dependent on design and flow capacities. Difficulty | 2 � 3 Intercoolers are similar to radiators, in that hot compressed air from the turbo flows through the inside of it, and the cooler, ambient air passes through external cooling fins, taking the heat of the compressed air with it. As a turbocharger compresses the air, the air becomes heated, and if the intake charge is heated too much, pre-detonation can occur, damaging the internal parts of your motor. If you intend to run more than 4-5psi, an intercooler is absolutely necessary. The price of an intercooler depends on what choice you go with. You can choose from using a stock turbo DSM side mount intercooler and making your own piping to buying a full front mount intercooler kit that includes piping specifically made for our cars. Keep in mind that you may have to fabricate your own intercooler piping, which could reduce the cost of your system, but this results in an increase in labor difficulties. Wastegate (WG) Cost | $0 - $300 Power | None, aids in tuning boost levels Difficulty | 0 � 3 A wastegate opens when the desired boost is achieved, allowing exhaust gas to bypass the turbine and go straight into the downpipe, which prevents the turbo from creating more boost then desired. Some turbos come with internal wastegates, which means it is already installed (inside the turbocharger itself) and paid for when you get the turbo. External wastegates are more expensive but allow for better flow and reduced risk of boost spikes and creep. An external wastegate will require a more complicated manifold designed or modified to accept it, while internally gated turbos offer a more simplified manifold design. Blow Off Valve (BOV) Cost | $30 - $250 Power | None Difficulty | 1 � 3 A blow off valve, or BOV for short, opens up when you let off the throttle, allowing the compressed air created by the turbo to be released. If the pressure is not released, it can build up and cause compressor surge, a condition where the compressor stops turning which is bad for the turbo and can result in turbo failure. (Imagine blowing through a straw when someone puts their finger over the end.) Prices range from a cheap, but sturdy stock 1st generation DSM BOV to a high price, nicer sounding brand name unit such as the Greddy Type RS, HKS SSQV, or TurboXS RFL. Difficulty depends on if you bought a pre-made intercooler kit or if you have to weld the flange onto the piping yourself. Boost_Gauge Cost | $50 Power | None, safety measure Difficulty | 1 - 2 Boost gauges read a vacuum source from the intake manifold and display how much boost you are running. These simple devices are a necessity to run a turbocharger safely on the 420a to assure you are not boosting more then desired. Simply put, do not boost your car without a boost gauge. Boost_Controller Cost | $10 - $400 Power | Varies based on level of build and tune Difficulty | 1 - 2 Boost controllers allow the user to raise the boost higher than the wastegate is set to open by blocking the vacuum signal to the wastegate until the desired pressure is reached. While not necessary if your wastegate is set to exactly the boost you want to run, they are nice to have. Prices range from an inexpensive, home-made boost controller to an expensive, electronic boost controller. Fuel_Pump Cost | $100 Power | None Difficulty | 2 An upgraded fuel pump is a must. The stock fuel pump cannot flow enough fuel for a turbo, so why take the risk? Most members go with a Walbro 255 HP (high pressure), capable of high fuel pressures and high flow. Basically get it and don�t worry about the fuel pump for a long while. Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator (AFPR) Cost | $50 - $250 Power | None, but contributes to system tuning Difficulty | 2 AFPRs and FMUs are devices that will raise fuel pressure according to boost, causing more fuel to flow through the injectors while they are open. An AFPR or an FMU is required with any turbosystem, and the unit you choose will depend on how you intend to tune your engine. A 12:1 FMU is a common, simple choice for use with stock injectors but cannot support more then 8 psi of boost safely. There are 3 main routes people go with for tuning fuel on a turbocharged 420A: Apex�i S-AFC Cost | $300 Power | Depends upon tuning ability and combination of modifications Difficulty | 3 A S-AFC, or Super Air Flow Converter, is a piggy back system in which the MAP sensor signal is intercepted and modified to increase or reduce fuel injector pulse. That is, the S-AFC �tricks� the car�s computer into running the fuel injectors differently than it normally would. This device is good for idling with big injectors, leaning out the mixture with the S-AFC can cause an ignition timing advance which is not good for turbocharged vehicles. While this system works, there are better choices. The Vortech FMU or SFMU is usually used with a S-AFC. HRC PortFueler or 034eic 8 Injector Setup Cost | $400 - $1000 Power | Depends upon tuning ability and combination of modifications Difficulty | 2 � 4 The PortFueler and 034eic both use stock injectors for idle and any fuel needs while there is vacuum in the intake manifold. Once boost is achieved, the secondary injectors are engaged to supply the necessary fuel for the extra air. Injector pulse of the secondary injectors is tunable by boost pressure and RPM. The PortFueler and 034eic setup are nearly identical; the only difference is the PortFueler is a ready made kit. Making your own 8 injector setup is a little more difficult but could save you some money. The advantage of the 8 Injector setup is that idle and non-boost performance stay almost identical to stock while extra fuel is easily delivered under boost. A 1:1 (boost indexed) AFPR is required for the Megasquirt and Hahn Racecraft PortFueler. Megasquirt and Spark Cost | $180 - $400 for the main unit Power | Depends upon tuning ability and combination of modifications Difficulty | 5 Megasquirt is a revolutionary do it yourself (DIY) engine management system. It allows for fuel and spark control to tune your 2GNT. This is a better way to go about tuning for boost and is quickly becoming the standard in our community. The Megasquirt is a little more on the difficult side because the entire thing must be built and wired up - there is no plug-and-play harness. Someone with soldering skills can save some money by making their own from a kit, but there are members of 2GNT who offer to build them for a price. A 1:1 (boost indexed) AFPR is required for the Megasquirt and Hahn Racecraft PortFueler. Keep in mind that a turbosystem is not an install-and-forget-about-it modification. Failure to properly tune and maintain your engine will result in catastrophic engine failure which is always costly. It behooves you to do a lot of reading in the 2GNT turbo forum and make extensive use of the search utility in our forums on any subject you can think of prior to actually installing any turbo components on your car. This article written by GSGoinFast Turbo |
| Document statistics: Last modified on 2007-12-29 01:44:48 by Locke_db |