where to start with single turbo upgrade? (FD3S)
 

So, I eventually want to upgrade my FD to single turbo, but it will be a slow process due to school and apartment payments having priority. I figure I'll still have about $500 a month to drop into the engine give or take about $200 for girlfriend expenses.

Anyways, my questions for you guys are where do I start?
Is it even possible to start upgrading before buying/choosing the turbo?

Mods so far: downpipe, racingbeat duel tip exhaust, and upgraded airbox and ecu. All done by previous owner. I'm looking for around 500-700rwhp. Big gap, but I'd be content with anything in between.


P.S. I read the FAQ and saw stuff about how people planned their single turbo project, but they already knew what they needed. I'm just wondering where a good starting point is.

Read up on the single section would be your best start. Those are high HP expectations for a street car. You can start buying the supportin mods that will work with the factory twins like a stand alone, intercooler, fuel system, water/meth injection, upgraded radiator. But at one point your just going to have to save up a good amount of money

I would probably suggest doing every reliability mod you can think of first. The turbo will probably be the very LAST thing you will want to buy. Purchase items like these and not necessarily in this order.

Radiator
ast
ecu
midpipe back exhaust
flywheel/clutch
fmic/vmount ic
Ignition system
fuel system
motor port and seals
turbo 35rs/40r/42r/t-78/t04b,t04e,t04s,t04r

500-700 at $500 per month is going to take you a long time and set aside some dough for gas. At ~$3.30/gal premium and anywhere from 10-20mpg gas has to be a factor. 550 is probably the limits of street drivable and even then that is on race gas. 15-17psi is the limit on pump gas with the 13brew's rather high comp for a forced induction motor. 15psi can get you about 420-460rwhp IF done right and thats with a good sized turbo. if sure many will say my numbers are off and what-not but as you can see the list is by no means short or cheap. And even then there are still many other supporting mods needed to handle that power. Make no mistake that 450rwhp in an FD is WILD to say the least. 700 would scare the shit out of just about anyone on the street. Keep in mind it is a very light can and does NOT require the straight line power a supra would.

Patrick

at this point you are just day dreaming...with that kind of cash flow, this will take you years.

then once it's built, are you going to want to park a 500+hp ( :rolleyes: ) car at your apartment complex?

finish school then build a car when you have real money to drop.

well said. I'm a hypocrite though..

lol....

Seemed like a pretty decent post until the part about 500-700 whp lol. You think that's enough to keep up with the flow of traffic?

Might have to ask the Girlfriend to help source some extra income on the side :3some: know what I mean?

:score: I agree

Thanks for all your help guys. I wasn't sure to what extent I would be able to mod the car for street-use, but I guess I'm looking at the mid 400's.

I have another question though. I've been looking at all these intercoolers on the market, and they seem to be for specific use i.e with stock twins and/or single turbo. Which would you guys recommend for later plans of covverting to single turbo?

And also I have $2k to start the modding, so any other recommendations like Exidous's are greatly appreciated. btw thanks Exi.

I enjoy working on my car, and moding it. It's my hobby so I think putting money into it right now; before I end up getting married or having kids (hopefully not for a long time)is the perfect time.

lol funny that you mention that. I cant seem to keep up with these minivans now days. They seem to come stock with a chevy big blocks. =P

And also I have $2k to start the modding, so any other recommendations like Exidous's are greatly appreciated. btw thanks Exi.


Well that's a start! What kind of ECU do you have? If it's an M2, Petit reprogrammed type etc...I think a good Apexi PFC(good prices on them) and upgraded fuel system(1600 secondary injectors at least) will get you started. You'll still be able to drive the car and yeild a little more power out of it as it is now. Also, if you buy a used PFC you should probably have about $700 left for a good IC. search these keywords for other posts about IC's: FMIC, SMIC, V-mount, apexi IC, Greddy IC etc...

Find a good tuner or some local Rx7 owners that you can have tune your car or help you learn how to tune before you daydream too much about 400+ rwhp. If you cannot source this need for tuning assistance you may be wasting alot of money.

If you cannot source a tune, just keep it simple with stock turbos, a PFC, and a few bolt-ons such. This path is so overworked on this forum you can search and read for days.

You might as well start saving your 500 per month until you have a nice 5 to 10k for the inevitable motor/harness/turbos replacement.

Good luck

Now that you have a decent goal I say go for it. I have been peiceing mine together and i dont have alot of cash flow myslef. The classifieds section on this forum is your friend. If your a DIY type person and come across some good deals you can put it together faster than you think.

If you want to do things on a buget I would suggest:

1. Get the things you can still run with the factory twins that are needed for the single setup like a radiator (www.radiatorworld.com has cheap aluminum radiators), Ignition (MSD 6A with a used FC leading coil), and inteercooler (you can find these used for a decent price if you look hard enough), stand alone ecu ( I suggesd the PFC because they are plug in and play and you can find these pretty cheap brand new now)

2. Stard getting all the single stuff your gonna need for the conversion like the turbo (Master Power T70 should get you your hp goals and can be found for under $600), Manafold (ssauto for around $100), wastegate (thats your call you can rund a knock off for cheap or save up for a good Tial), fuel system ( hard to find used so i would suggest contacting kieth at KGParts.com for your setup), lines, fittings, gaskets, ect..

Im sure i left some stuff out but you get the idea. No sense having the car down longer than it needs to be. Remember the small stuff really adds up. Also if you go the single route have it tuned right or its all in vein, and your gonna be saving money a half a year for a rebuild.

Hey guys I appreciate all the replies this is really helping me get on my way.


tdazmansFD
Yea it's M2. It seems like everyone says go for the 'PFC' so that will be my next purchase. :)


twokrx7
I'm really close (1 hr) from the bay area, and Rotary Extreme shop, so I guess I just have to look for a recommended tuner around the area. My local rotary mechanic; 'Karack' on these forums, was telling me he has a friend setting up a dyno pretty soon, so I don't foresee having troubles finding a tuner.

BackyardSog

1. As far as buying a radiator will I have to consider the fact that my heart is set on Monster V-mount? On the Rotary Extreme site it just says monster v-mount will need:

''Radiator Spec: 2" thick twin row racing radiator.''

It doesn't tell me weather or not it's a specific type or just any 2'' thick radiator will work.?.?.?

you can start converting to non seq. that will cost you just a little amount of money (block off kit and gaskets).

it wil be a good preparation with a future single setup in mind. Oh Yes, buy a PFC.

I say take the 2k, save a little longer and get a commuter vehicle...

As for the 7 mod slowly. 400rwhp is a lot. My FB at around 300rwhp is enough to scare me.

Or you could bag all of the above and just buy a house...

Hi,

I just purchased my FD3S engine complete with transmission. I had just completing with my engine rebuild process. My next planning is to upgrade to a single turbo as my stock turbo is having problems. the question is that is whether stock turbo can be rebuld or not ? Where can i get replacements parts ? Kindly advice.

And if I want to replace with a single turbo, which kind of turbo would you recommend ? Basicaly I'm driving my car for street race only so I'll be expecting my power to be at max 250rwhp. kindly advice.

Thanks a lot.

Hi,

I just purchased my FD3S engine complete with transmission. I had just completing with my engine rebuild process. My next planning is to upgrade to a single turbo as my stock turbo is having problems. the question is that is whether stock turbo can be rebuld or not ? Where can i get replacements parts ? Kindly advice.

And if I want to replace with a single turbo, which kind of turbo would you recommend ? Basicaly I'm driving my car for street race only so I'll be expecting my power to be at max 300rwhp. kindly advice.

Thanks a lot.

Stock twins can be rebuilt, but generally they don't last long. This is one of the reasons why you won't find many places willing to do them.

For 300rwhp a Garrett 57 trim To4E, full boost just as fast as stock twins with full exhaust, and power potential for 400rwhp. Nice flat torque curve too, won't choke up top.

400rwhp is just too much for me. But Ii feel that the advantages of the stock kouki twinturbo turbos but I Installed the later version of
solenoid valves which totally changes the behavior of the turbos. No more
transition power drop (when the secondary turbo kicks in you usually
experience a sudden drop of boost for a short time).

yes, yes it is...I've been to indonesia, and your roads cannot handle that kind of power.

find a set of used twins (if they are needing replacement) and rework your vacuum lines and solenoids if they are not operating correctly.

don't street race.

So you think with the kind of road condition here, it's better to stick with the stock twinturbo right ? If it's do I have to purchase the rest double is it, such as the air filter and etc ?

OP, some advice....

Research your build, add everything up, and save your money. The problem with buying parts as the money comes is that it takes time. Now this seems pretty obvious but there are a few aspects to this.

First, you seem to be relatively new to turbo rotaries. In turn, you are new to FD's and all the pain in the ass fun they are. This inexperience will slowly fade as you research and learn more about your car. With this, if you start buying parts now, your experience and knowledge will start pointing you in directions you didn't know of before. Working backwards and redoing aspects of your project will cost you more in the long run.

Second, you should save your money for repairs and maintenance. No offense but $500 a month is a small budget for anything close to the alloted power. You are looking at over $10k in parts to build a reliable single turbo car. I spent $9k in parts on mine and I did all the work myself. This of course isnt including the other $5k I will spend to hit 500whp. Or for that matter the thousands I may spend if it blows and on further maintenance of the car.

Thirdly, there is a big difference between 400 and 500whp. The difference is the overall setup required to reliably achieve that power. 400whp can be achieved with a stock engine, streetable clutch, decent fuel system, upgraded intercooler and pump gas. Unfortunately, the next 100whp comes at a higher cost. The engine will need work, porting, a puck clutch or twin disk, big fuel system, etc... The list goes on.

Personally, I would perform the reliability mods, and enjoy your car. Be patient and save your money.

Also, RE's vmount is amazing.... And it comes with the radiator. The monster simply isnt needed. The track core is enough to make 500 and keep spool quick. I hit 15psi at around 3600 on a stock port engine. My build thread has many pics.

I'm retarded.... 2006 post....

Lol fail!