Is it worth it to get a turbo?

[ziconceo]

Hello, New to this forum but not new to working on my civic. I've done some home mods I'd like to share at another time. Anyway, I have a DY16 engine and was wondering if it was worth it to get a cheapo turbo kit to boost my mileage and give the car a little more performance.

My car has 216,000 miles on it but has a new head and a compression test showed 155psi in 5 strokes with all 4 cylinders. Never had a breakdown except when I first got it at 160,000miles because of the spark plugs. Ever since then it's been 100% reliable. As of right now, the civic gets on average 28mpg city, 33mpg city/freeways, and 45mpg on 100% hwy.

So just to reiterate I'd like to know anyone's experience with turbos on this engine such as performance gain, mileage gain, ease of installment, problems, ect. Thanks!

 

[XpL0d3r]

Yes it's worth it, but as long as you don't get a cheapo turbo kit. Look into Go-Autoworks turbo kits, and most importantly, get a good tune.

Your car's engine seems healthy enough, but make sure to do proper maintenance as well. Timing belt / water pump, new clutch to handle the extra power etc..

It won't boost mileage. I mean, you might see a slight increase, but you'll be having fun with the car, soo you'll probably decrease mileage a bit.

First step to turbo: Set a budget.
Step 2: Set a power goal that fits your budget. It will cost around $500 for tuning alone, done properly.

And remember the golden rule: Cheap, Fast, Reliable. Pick two. The third one is what your car will never be.

If you've never turbod a vehicle I recommend reading this, what I consider the Honda turbo bible:
http://www.beesandgoats.com/boostfaq/g2icturbo.html

 

[pmac193]

Was about to suggest Go-Autoworks myself. Seems like the long standing favorite. Wish Ohio would drop the emissions checks for the handful of counties that still require it.

 

[XpL0d3r]

Was about to suggest Go-Autoworks myself. Seems like the long standing favorite. Wish Ohio would drop the emissions checks for the handful of counties that still require it.

Yeah, I had a Go-Autoworks kit. Greg is a stand up guy and I will vouch for his company and the quality of his parts. Any issues that I had were addressed instantly. i.e. 2 broken clamps, so he overnighted me 6 more free of charge.

I couldn't pass inspection with my car after it was boosted (I was good in MA but moved to NY and couldn't pass emissions). NY has a 25 year exempt law, MA is only 15. And that's a good point.. @ziconceo Make sure you can pass inspection with a boosted vehicle! If you have a 96+ car you will have to step down to OBDI for tuning purposes. Most places that do emissions testing will fail you for this as OBDI computers in OBDII cars (96+) is not allowed.

 

[pmac193]

If you have a 96+ car you will have to step down to OBDI for tuning purposes. Most places that do emissions testing will fail you for this as OBDI computers in OBDII cars (96+) is not allowed.

My problem exactly, guess I have to wait till 2022 for boost

 

[ziconceo]

Kinda forgot to mention that my budget is 700$ haha 2200$ is more than I paid for the car

 

[XpL0d3r]

Kinda forgot to mention that my budget is 700$ haha 2200$ is more than I paid for the car

Keep saving your money then! lol

 

[mc360]

Don't even expect to buy half of a turbo kit for 700$ lol, some people make it work with used parts piecing a kit together but you need to be able to do all the work.

I can guarantee you that you will NOT see a mpg increase with a turbo unless you spend a bunch of time and money on re-tuning the car to get it dialed in. I have had two turbo civic d16y motors and both have lost 6-10 mpg over stock, my y5 used to get 40mpg then turbo dropped it to 32mpg max no matter how I drove, same thing with the Y8 but it dropped from 38 down to 32.

I can cruise like a grandma on a full tank doing 55mph and only get 32mpg or I can beat the living hell out of my car and only drop to 29mpg and I'm making 222whp 179tq

 

[lethal6]

Kinda forgot to mention that my budget is 700$ haha 2200$ is more than I paid for the car

Do not cheap out. A good tune alone may end up costing you what your budget is now (depending on the shop) and it is the most important step next to not using cheaply made parts.

 

[HeX]

Hello, New to this forum but not new to working on my civic. I've done some home mods I'd like to share at another time. Anyway, I have a DY16 engine and was wondering if it was worth it to get a cheapo turbo kit to boost my mileage and give the car a little more performance.

Please take no offense, but the phrase "home mods" and "DY16" come off as red flags to your knowledge base. Your engine must be either a D16Y5 or a D16Y8, or a hybrid build of the two. Not knowing that while trying to decide on engine upgrades is just not a good sign. You need to know what your specific engine will require to establish a logical budget.

Otherwise, I agree with everyone elses comments. There's no reasonable way to turbo a Civic for less than $1000 even if you do all the work and tuning yourself while using connections.

 

[ziconceo]

Please take no offense, but the phrase "home mods" and "DY16" come off as red flags to your knowledge base. Your engine must be either a D16Y5 or a D16Y8, or a hybrid build of the two. Not knowing that while trying to decide on engine upgrades is just not a good sign. You need to know what your specific engine will require to establish a logical budget.

Otherwise, I agree with everyone elses comments. There's no reasonable way to turbo a Civic for less than $1000 even if you do all the work and tuning yourself while using connections.

Lol yea I ment D16Y8 just got the order wrong. I'm actually very gifted with mechanics and can fix any problem in my civic, but I have no idea what half of the stuff is called haha

 

[HeX]

Lol yea I ment D16Y8 just got the order wrong. I'm actually very gifted with mechanics and can fix any problem in my civic, but I have no idea what half of the stuff it called haha

OK. Good to know you're not a fool after all. LOL. We have enough of those joining the forum.

 

[ziconceo]

OK. Good to know you're not a fool after all. LOL. We have enough of those joining the forum.

Oh I'm sure, I'm actually planning to share some practical upgrades of my car once I get some time.

 

[typec]

As other forumer mention it will be costly for you have to prepare your internal for a lower compression to handle boost pressure. I believe some people use 4 agze internals for it cost more cheaper.

To add... I believe the set up was done in a B16 engine and out put reached up to 400 whp with stock 4agze internals.

 

[obracer12]

You cant go wrong with Go-Autoworks + Xenocron for a beginner on boost. Both companies are great, quick to respond and will tell you if you're being unreasonable/delusional with your plans/goals and in turn will steer you toward the gear you'll need... even if they make less on the deal.

It is not necessary to lower the compression of your engine for a mild build. if your hp goal is 200-300(MAX) you'll be ok on stock internals, you will need all of the supporting fuel and tuning mods.

Good to see a new comer that isn't asking " what swap fits" or " I have $7 how much boost can I run". read the stickies and ask the questions that stump you , like compressor sizing for X gains over y RPM... THEN you will have a great time in this forum lol.

Turbo cars have the benefit of being "stock" out of boost and fun/quick in boost. BUT anyone on here that has owned a turbo civic will tell you it's like crack and you'll be hooked hard and your tank will seem to go empty more times than not and you'll always want more boost.

Also please don't listen to people who haven't been there/ heard from a friend/ I got ___ from Ebay.. spend the money up front to save you more money down the line. $2200 for a decent heart of a turbo kit with a new name brand turbo is excellent but remember this doesn't include any of your engine or fuel management / tuning.

Welcome btw.

 

[XpL0d3r]

BUT anyone on here that has owned a turbo civic will tell you it's like crack and you'll be hooked hard and your tank will seem to go empty more times than not and you'll always want more boost.

This x 1000, lol