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WhiskeyClone
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Registered: 06/25/01
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Loc: Longitudinal Center of Canada ...
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Turbocharging a Honda Civic
#5824804 - 07/05/06 06:46 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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I recently bought a nice little 2002 Honda Civic.
I love everything about it except its lack of balls. Its 1.7L gives about 115 hp. I know a lot of people put turbocharger in Civics, and I'd like to put one in mine, but really I don't know the first thing about it. I don't want to rice it all out with new exhaust and hood scoops and shit like that at all, just the turbocharger.
I was just hoping some of you out there might know the answers to these questions:
How much does one cost to get installed?
Who makes them? Who sells them? Who installs them?
How much of a boost would it give me?
Is it worthwhile? I won't be buying a newer, faster car anytime soon.
-------------------- Welcome evermore to gods and men is the self-helping man. For him all doors are flung wide: him all tongues greet, all honors crown, all eyes follow with desire. Our love goes out to him and embraces him, because he did not need it. ~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
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Konnrade
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5824810 - 07/05/06 06:47 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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Twatto
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Konnrade]
#5824860 - 07/05/06 07:00 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Very feasible idea but it could be pretty expensive. It would be very possible for you to get about 200hp safely out of your 1.7 liter. You would probably have to have a performance shop install everything as well. I would guess around $2500 minimum to have this done. You are looking at getting a new turbo, blow-off valve, intercooler, and have your ECU reflashed, plus the cost of labor. Very possible but very expensive.
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Noetical
Flip Horrorshow

Registered: 11/28/04
Posts: 9,230
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Konnrade]
#5824867 - 07/05/06 07:01 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Konnrade said:
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Twatto
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5824886 - 07/05/06 07:07 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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I found this turbo kit for your car. For $2999, the power gains arent that impressive, they claim about 55hp over the stock motor.
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Liquid_Dimension
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Noetical]
#5824889 - 07/05/06 07:08 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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go enter a civic forum,you'll get real good help.IMO I would leave it...its an eco-car man.I would just smack an intake maybe an exhaust,lowering springs,front/rear struts,sway bars and that civic of yours will take corners like a champ.
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Liquid_Dimension
Lighthousekeeper



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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Twatto]
#5824899 - 07/05/06 07:11 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Twatto said: I found this turbo kit for your car. For $2999, the power gains arent that impressive, they claim about 55hp over the stock motor.
thats so not fuckin worth it,dude with that money just do a engine swap if you have the right connects.
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CeeDro
Unknownpoet

Registered: 06/30/06
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Young drivers who just had their parents buy them their first car come into my auto-parts store and ask me this question (and also about Nitrous Oxide kits) all the time. This has become my standard response to them:
What are the some of the best reasons to buy a Civic/Altima/Eclipse? Reliability and economy are the first things that come to mind. Turbocharging defeats both purposes.
Unless: 1. I was a professional mechanic (in which case I would not have to pay for labor), 2. This was my second car, or 3. If I had much more money than sense (luckily I have little of one, and less of the other) I would stay away from aftermarket turbo/superchargers. Unless they are very small, or set to minimal boost, you really need to upgrade quite a bit before you can come close to o.e. reliability. This is inherently expensive. Now there are exceptions to every rule (not that I'm laying down rules), with proper installation, maintenance and usage, you should not have to expect major problems. Most shadetree mechanics I know, and work with, however, will not touch either turbocharging, or especially nitrous oxide kits with a ten foot pole, mostly for safety reasons.
I am however, a hypocrite, and I have S/C Grand Prix (which I am in love with, despite the valve springs on cyl. 2 which turned to shit recently). But, GM tested this motor/blower combination by running it 300+ hours alternating between max horse and max torque output. It is a proven, reliable combo, which I can take to any garage to have serviced.
The 'Cool Factor' trumps reasoning. Get it rolled, turbo-ed, nos-ed, and those kits that make you shoot flames out the tailpipe. Swizzeet!
-------------------- Up at Cody's camp I spent my days, oh. With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers. Old Cody, Junior took me over, Said, "You're gonna find the world is smould'rin. And if you get lost, come on home to Green River." John Fogerty, 1969
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ZippoZ
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: CeeDro]
#5825482 - 07/05/06 09:47 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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id just say buy a turbo charged car if you want a turbo charged car.
the compression rates will never be optimised when you bolt on a turbo for an engone that wasnt designed to have one.
I have 2 turbo diesels myself. a 78 mercedes benz 5 cylinder 
and passat turbo diesel. good cars, and lots of MPG because they were designed to have a turbo.
-------------------- PEACE
zippoz "in times of widespread chaos and confusion, it has been the duty of more advanced human beings - artists, scientists, clowns, and philosophers - to create order. In such times as ours however, when there is too much order, too much m management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. To relieve the repression of the human spirit, they must sow doubt and disruption" "People do it every day, they talk to themselves ... they see themselves as they'd like to be, they don't have the courage you have, to just run with it."
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ToTheSummit
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5825483 - 07/05/06 09:47 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Might as well put personalized license plates on a Yugo. Makes about as much sense.
-------------------- You invented the wheel....You push the motherfucker!!
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JJ01769
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: ToTheSummit]
#5825536 - 07/05/06 09:59 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Im not a Honda expert but what I know from my car and others, you have to look at internals. Sure you might be able to slap a turbo on a car but you hit boost- BAM, there goes the engine. I know with the honda H22 and B18 engines, you have to have the internals reworked (resleeved and forged pieces) for any power gains from a turbo. A friend of mine blew 2.5k for a turbo kit for his H22 swap and cant run at anything more than 5lbs of boost. So 2.5k for such a small gain and on top of that, its a Honda. Is it worth it?
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Twatto
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: JJ01769]
#5825686 - 07/05/06 10:35 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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JJo is right. For substantial power gains, the internals do need to be upgraded, connecting rods mainly. That's why the hp gains from the turbo kit I found for his car were minimal. I believe the waste gate on the turbo from them was set at 8psi to protect those stock internals. Basically, you need a different car if you want power. No car can have a lot of power, be really reliable, and good on gas. To make more power means more air and more fuel.
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Konnrade
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Twatto]
#5825704 - 07/05/06 10:40 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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I say if you want a Civic to be a fast AND reliable car, you'd either need a huge investment in altering the components, or you'd have to strap a few JATO boosters on it to be used when you desire it to be fast... and pray that you don't need to deviate from a straight line
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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Twatto
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Konnrade]
#5825724 - 07/05/06 10:46 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Haha, that's funny. My old man was in the Air Force, so I know exactly what you are talking about.
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Capless
Student


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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Twatto]
#5826350 - 07/06/06 02:05 AM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Well this happens to be a topic I feel at home about.
First off for any Honda info I would like to point you to www.honda-tech.com
H-T isn't a cure-all there are a lot of pompus people who are wrong there, but for the most part it can help you find what you're looking for. Often at a decent price.
As far as the Civic if you're looking for a cheap turbo check out www.homemadeturbo.com however I wouldn't recommend doing it ot your Civic.
If you enjoy working with cars read up as much as possible on Turbochargers and how they work. Piece together the kit yourself to make it as custom as you want and save lots of cash.
I built my entire engine for around $3200. That's cleaned and machined block, new Wiseco internals, Turbo, etc... all for the price of any PeakBoost for FullRace turbo kit.
Just look into all your options.
PM me if you want more specific information or websites for it. I have a lot cached up. Good luck.
BTW I run a 1998 Acura Integra GS-T :P
-------------------- http://www.toolband.com/ "... This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality. Embrace this moment. Remember, We are eternal. all this pain is an illusion...."
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lavod
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Registered: 06/23/06
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Capless]
#5827386 - 07/06/06 11:46 AM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Well, as usual, a bunch of crap postings with the occasional good tidbit of info. I do'nt have much time, but a few pointers shall help you in your decision. 1.Judging from your post, it seems that you are not fully aware of what constitutes a turbo system, the installation and maintenance hassles that are present, and the added stress on other engine and drive train components with a turbo setup. 2.The Honda civic, even a late model like yours, is one of the easiest cars to modify and has potential exceeding most other front wheel drive cars if the proper steps are taken. Reason for this: A.The number of strong engines Honda has produced that are easily capable of being fitted to other cars of the same brand. I.e. civics. B.The huge performance after-market. C.The massive number of qualified(with a equally or greater number of unqualified) people who have experience building up these cars. 3.In almost every case, the more reliable(sometimes cheaper) method of making a slow Honda quick is the engine swap method(good:b18c, h22). Forced induction is the way of making a quick Honda quicker. 4.If you do decide to turbocharge, keep in mind that most Honda engines are capable of holding some decent boost without internal mods. There are exceptions(b20a and such), but if the fueling, timing, and boost are correct, reliability can be had. Tuning is key. Even high compression motors are able to safely run low boost if anti-detonation precautions are administered. You also want to keep the charge as cool as possible by way of intercooling or liquid/gaseous injection. Oh yeah, the turbo sizing has to be right. entire turbo too small:fast spool, greater potential for boost spiking, hotter charge(detonation potential), lower hp potential. entire turbo too large:lag, slow spool, may not fully boost in lower gears. small turbine/large compressor: fast spool, potential for surging(detrimental to performance) large turbine/small compressor: lag, slow spool, small rpm window for turbo efficiency. Well, looking back, I do'nt feel I helped as much as I could have. Ah well, I'm not a Honda person. I respect 'em, but far too drab and common for my taste(although for civics, the older, the funner). Me? I like cars older than myself that do'nt need engine coolant and smell good and people think they are slow but then you make their pupils dilate and make cool sounds and have an extreme rear weight bias. Run on sentences are fun!!
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PurpleKush
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Capless]
#5827434 - 07/06/06 11:59 AM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Capless said: BTW I run a 1998 Acura Integra GS-T :P
 that car doesn't exist
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WhiskeyClone
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: lavod]
#5828244 - 07/06/06 04:20 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Thanks everyone for your responses. I wasn't aware there was that much internal work involved. I just thought that because I see so many 18-year-old kids with souped up civics driving around, it was probably fairly simple (and inexpensive).
Someone else made a good point about defeating the purpose of buying a Civic by sapping the fuel economy and reliability, but excitement does indeed trump reason. I just love driving it, but I would love it a bit more if it had some more balls.
I'll check out those sites. I haven't scrapped the idea, but I will make sure I know what the fuck I'm doing before I modify anything. Thanks again.
...and a special thanks to those who opened this thread just to roll their eyes at me.
-------------------- Welcome evermore to gods and men is the self-helping man. For him all doors are flung wide: him all tongues greet, all honors crown, all eyes follow with desire. Our love goes out to him and embraces him, because he did not need it. ~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
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Twatto
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: lavod]
#5828266 - 07/06/06 04:23 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
lavod said: Well, as usual, a bunch of crap postings with the occasional good tidbit of info. I do'nt have much time, but a few pointers shall help you in your decision...
Ha! Claims to be better than the rest and then offers up nothing. Thanks.
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Its Pat
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5828313 - 07/06/06 04:39 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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From much insight and some experiance I would say that if you are going to drag race or whatever competitively than get a Turbo Kit. If you want more power for ever day driving around town, then get a Supercharger, they tend to be cheaper and installing is simpler, which usually cuts down on cost.
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BigUpRadio WorldReggaeShow DreaderThanDread - Listen! (druqs said) don't get arsey, just get RC.
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Anonymous
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5828327 - 07/06/06 04:43 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Next you could get a Chevy Cavalier and throw some rims and some air shocks on there. With either car though, you're gonna need a big gay wing on the back though, and some of those tail pipes that make your car sound like a radio controlled plane buzzing around
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Vvellum
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: WhiskeyClone]
#5828697 - 07/06/06 06:11 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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debianlinux
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Anonymous]
#5828843 - 07/06/06 06:42 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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yz, god knows you want as much downforce as you can muster on the rear end of your front wheel drive car.
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Konnrade
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: debianlinux]
#5828853 - 07/06/06 06:44 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
debianlinux said: yz, god knows you want as much downforce as you can muster on the rear end of your front wheel drive car.
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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lavod
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Re: Turbocharging a Honda Civic [Re: Twatto]
#5829958 - 07/06/06 11:16 PM (17 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Twatto said: Ha! Claims to be better than the rest and then offers up nothing. Thanks.
OK, well my post was rendered inferior by time constraints(like I am facing now) so it did'nt turn out like it could have. However: Why my initial post offers more than nothing. 1.It did'nt hold any anti-civic banter. Instead, I offered a reasonable(though far too short) outlook on potential means of making it quicker. Others plastered the typical crap such as "it's an eco-car man". In fact, a built-up economy car is almost invariably funner than a sports car within the same performance parameters. 2.Some mis-information was presented that I hinted at, but failed to point out. Example: the "stock h22 sleeves can only take 5psi" thing. Sure, maybe with a 17:1 afr, a t25, and oodles of timing. 3.Having a turboed economy car(not a civic!) with about 4x the original output on pump petrol makes me somewhat qualified to give advice on turbocharging. Having some friends who are Honda enthusiasts and have gone through basic swaps, all-motor builds, turbocharging, and nitrous helps too. Note: I did not build my engine but am fully aware of the principle, expectations, and precautions of having a car with forced induction.
You are not going to receive the proper advice on a mushroom forum. My meager advice is not nearly adequate enough for a quality decision. Research! Engine theory first, modifications second. The Honda forums do'nt take kindly to newbs, so do a lot of searching before posting. Good advice in a word: Swap! And after you have all the advice you need, and the money to do what you want with the little civic: Take a I Ching reading, for the Tao transcends all advice.
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