alright. i'm tired of posting this up in every thread that comes along. so i'm going to post it one more time, and then link to it from now on 
So. You want to turbo your civic. You don't know what kind of turbo you want. So, from the beginning.
1 - figure out your power goal. Keep in mind streetability. the more power you try to squeeze out of your engine, the less streetable it's going to be.
2 - find out what you're going to have to do to the ENGINE to meet that goal. adjust as necessary.
3 - write that power goal in STONE. the more you try to bump it up, even just a little, the more money you're going to be spending. and this isn't a 1:1 scale. roll around that goal in your head for a few days before setting it in, and unless you start trafficking large quantities of drugs or win the lotto, don't deviate.
4 - start shopping manifolds and kits. keep in mind turbo families. all three current major families produce turbos in just about any range that is streetable for a FWD car. most major kits right now are for the T3 family of turbos, and as such require an external wastegate and packaging there-of ($$$) and (headaches). the T25 and MHI (mitsubishi) turbos DON'T require an external wastegate, and as such are easier to package, but aren't as popular. this doesn't mean they can't make power. garrett makes T25 family turbos that spin up to 475HP (GT2871R). if you want more than that, then you need to start reading more than just this post.
if, for whatever reason, you already have a turbo then start looking at kits that would make packaging it easier. for instance, if you are STUCK on that steed-speed manifold for some godawful reason, but have a T25 family turbo, realize that you can GET T3 housings for T25 frame turbos! think outside the box.
5 - this is where, if you are so inclined, it would be a REALLY good idea to do compressor map calculations. otherwise you can just go off of what the manufacturer of the turbo family (not the kit) advertises. pick a compressor that has your power goal in the top end of it, so as to keep spooling to a minimum. if you're wanting to upgrade later on, you can always sell your turbo and buy another one, or rebuild the one you have with other components. who knows, you may get it on there and end up enjoying it (NO!)!
6 - start looking at dyno sheets of similarly sized motors with similarly sized turbos. how do you like the way they look? how do you like where their power is? look at the torque curve, as it tells you more closely when boost hits than the horsepower curve. pay attention to trim and a/r's ESPECIALLY with T3 family turbos!
7 - start sizing your turbine side based on those sheets. if you want more power up top, go for a larger turbine housing. if you want more low end punch (trust me when i say that this can never be overrated) go for a smaller turbine housing. daily driving, you'll find yourself enjoying the response of a smaller a/r turbine housing than a larger one. you'll get to enjoy your turbo! since most civics have motors that are LESS than 2.0L, it's usually a good idea to go with small turbine housings any way, as you really won't be choking the turbo up. people that say go bigger and claim that they pull all the way to redline normally don't realize that they could go SMALLER, have boost EARLIER and STILL pull all the way to redline.
if you had already bought your turbo, this is where you get to spend a little money tweaking it. turbine housings aren't expensive, nor are wheels. a rebuild is generally a good idea, so turning that old Nissan T25 you found on a 300zx in the junkyard into a GT2871R isn't that expensive, and generally cheaper than buying one new.
8 - post up what you find. ignore any responses that are outside of what you've found. remember, YOU did the research, YOU figured it out, they're just commenting.
9 - do it
10 - post what you found so other people can learn.
So. You want to turbo your civic. You don't know what kind of turbo you want. So, from the beginning.
1 - figure out your power goal. Keep in mind streetability. the more power you try to squeeze out of your engine, the less streetable it's going to be.
2 - find out what you're going to have to do to the ENGINE to meet that goal. adjust as necessary.
3 - write that power goal in STONE. the more you try to bump it up, even just a little, the more money you're going to be spending. and this isn't a 1:1 scale. roll around that goal in your head for a few days before setting it in, and unless you start trafficking large quantities of drugs or win the lotto, don't deviate.
4 - start shopping manifolds and kits. keep in mind turbo families. all three current major families produce turbos in just about any range that is streetable for a FWD car. most major kits right now are for the T3 family of turbos, and as such require an external wastegate and packaging there-of ($$$) and (headaches). the T25 and MHI (mitsubishi) turbos DON'T require an external wastegate, and as such are easier to package, but aren't as popular. this doesn't mean they can't make power. garrett makes T25 family turbos that spin up to 475HP (GT2871R). if you want more than that, then you need to start reading more than just this post.
if, for whatever reason, you already have a turbo then start looking at kits that would make packaging it easier. for instance, if you are STUCK on that steed-speed manifold for some godawful reason, but have a T25 family turbo, realize that you can GET T3 housings for T25 frame turbos! think outside the box.
5 - this is where, if you are so inclined, it would be a REALLY good idea to do compressor map calculations. otherwise you can just go off of what the manufacturer of the turbo family (not the kit) advertises. pick a compressor that has your power goal in the top end of it, so as to keep spooling to a minimum. if you're wanting to upgrade later on, you can always sell your turbo and buy another one, or rebuild the one you have with other components. who knows, you may get it on there and end up enjoying it (NO!)!
6 - start looking at dyno sheets of similarly sized motors with similarly sized turbos. how do you like the way they look? how do you like where their power is? look at the torque curve, as it tells you more closely when boost hits than the horsepower curve. pay attention to trim and a/r's ESPECIALLY with T3 family turbos!
7 - start sizing your turbine side based on those sheets. if you want more power up top, go for a larger turbine housing. if you want more low end punch (trust me when i say that this can never be overrated) go for a smaller turbine housing. daily driving, you'll find yourself enjoying the response of a smaller a/r turbine housing than a larger one. you'll get to enjoy your turbo! since most civics have motors that are LESS than 2.0L, it's usually a good idea to go with small turbine housings any way, as you really won't be choking the turbo up. people that say go bigger and claim that they pull all the way to redline normally don't realize that they could go SMALLER, have boost EARLIER and STILL pull all the way to redline.
if you had already bought your turbo, this is where you get to spend a little money tweaking it. turbine housings aren't expensive, nor are wheels. a rebuild is generally a good idea, so turning that old Nissan T25 you found on a 300zx in the junkyard into a GT2871R isn't that expensive, and generally cheaper than buying one new.
8 - post up what you find. ignore any responses that are outside of what you've found. remember, YOU did the research, YOU figured it out, they're just commenting.
9 - do it
10 - post what you found so other people can learn.
