D Car — July 2004

Recommended turbo setup by popular sport-compact base car

Do you understand turbos a little better now? If not, that’s okay. Here are recommended setups by car model—use them as a guide and you’ll be fine.

Civic / Integra

Low boost and a small turbo keep engine stress down For an Integra or Civic that was never offered as a turbo model, adding a turbo is the first step. But high boost is not recommended, especially with the engine’s high compression ratio…

…because forcing boost into a high-compression NA engine raises the risk of engine damage.

Use a smaller turbo and low boost.

HKS bolt-on kit made specifically for the Integra DC2 Type R. Everything needed is included for ¥279,000—an appealing way to transform it into a VTEC turbo. The turbine is a T25G60T; boost is set conservatively at 0.3–0.4.

…specification.

SUPRA (JZA80)

High potential Boost-up is enough

…a boost increase alone can add plenty of power.

For more power, a turbo swap is the next step.

With three liters of displacement, it can easily spin a large T04Z and make big power. Supporting parts need to be strengthened as well.

With its 3-liter displacement, the Supra can use a large T04Z (HKS). The photo shows this setup; the kit costs ¥659,400.

SPEED STAR

Silvia / 180SX

Plenty of parts make these ideal tuning bases! For an NA base car, swapping in a turbo engine can be simpler than adding a turbo. If you also raise boost or replace the turbine at the same time, labor can cost less than doing it later.

For a turbo base car with a stock engine, the GT2530 or GT-SS is recommended. With internal engine tuning, you can aim for the GT-RS or GT2835.

For a stock Silvia or 180SX engine, HKS recommends the GT-SS. The kit costs ¥134,400–¥144,900. If the engine internals have been tuned, larger GT-RS or GT2835 units may be a good match.

RX-7 FD3S

…can be used.

Rotaries produce high exhaust pressure, making them a great match for turbos! Rotary engines and turbos work especially well together. Rotary engines produce high exhaust pressure, so they can spin even a large turbo with ease. Like the Supra, a large T04Z…

D-CAR

A big turbo such as the T04Z can work well on a Supra. The stock setup is twin-turbo, but a single turbo is recommended when swapping; replacing both turbos simply costs more.

The rotary’s high exhaust pressure allows it to use the same large turbos as high-displacement reciprocating engines. HKS recommends the T04Z kit, as for the Supra; it costs ¥627,900.

T04Z

Lancer Evolution / Impreza

This type can reach a high tune at low cost! WRC-based machines such as the Lancer Evolution and Impreza are already tuned by the factory, so power can be increased relatively inexpensively.

These engines are built with a high-boost specification from the factory. That also makes them especially responsive to a boost increase.

Current-generation Celica

Why is the current Celica not well suited to turbo tuning? A turbo conversion on the current Celica takes considerable work. There is no stock turbo engine available, and its unusual engine layout…

…the reason is…

…there is.

The Celica engine exhausts to the rear. Because the exhaust manifold is at the back of the engine, the turbo must be placed there too. It makes for a thermally challenging layout.

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