Renezeder has been taking home the checkered flag for over 18 years in various desert racing categories. His first major win came in 1994 in the Baja 1000-Class 1 and to date Carl has 92 short track wins under his belt including being able to boast that he is the only driver in history to capture a Pro-4 and Pro-2 championship in the same season. Pretty impressive, right? Carl also tells us that his competitive nature goes all the way back to childhood, playing water polo in high school and in college at UCLA, as well as, a motorcycle hobby he has had since he could drive. So, we wanted to know what got this competitive guy out of the pool and onto the short course desert tracks? “I raced in the desert in Class 1 buggies throughout the 1990′s, and then I saw short course racing on Speed in the late 1990′s and realized that was my kind of racing. It was a meld of motocross and desert racing; it had the side-by-side competition, and plenty of jumps. I competed in my first short course race in 1999 and the rest is history. I’ve been hooked ever since.” Of course Carl didn’t get to that first short course race all by himself. After he bought a Pro-2 in Southern California, he asked Curt LeDuc to prep it and bring it to his first race. Thanks to Curt’s help Carl was on his way and didn’t look back. Through the 2000′s Renezeder won not only dozens of races, but also championships just about every year in several sanctioning bodies like Championship Off Road Racing, World Series Off Road Racing, SCORE International Off Road Racing (including the Baja 1000 events) and the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series.

We all know the dirty, dusty, short course desert conditions can be tough on racing engines so we asked Carl about some of the products he uses. Coincidentally, one of the first products he told us about are his AEM filters. Carl says, “It’s a great partnership. We demand a lot from our trucks and our team; that means we demand the best from every product we use on our trucks. The AEM air filters have been fantastic. We know that if we don’t have to think twice about something that helps our trucks’ performance, then that’s one less worry as we head to staging for a race.”

We have a limited supply of overstock, and we will post here when the supply has run out. Once the supply is gone, we’re done!

To claim a free set of spark plugs, please follow these instructions:

1) Go to our replacement parts catalog.
2) Select your year/make/model.
3) Click on “Engine Electrical”
4) Click on “Spark Plug” on the right.
5) Pick a spark plug that we have enough in stock to satisfy your needs. If you need 4 plugs, make sure one of the part numbers has at least 4 available in stock.
6) Pick a spark plug that is in stock, and is under $5.00 each (c’mon guys, we have to draw the line somewhere! :)
7) Write down the part number, brand and quantity (no more than 8).

OK, now that you have the part number you want from the instructions above, we ask that you spread the word about us.

You can either:

1) Create a YouTube video about our site (with a link to our site)
2) Write a blog post about our site (with a link to our site)

Once you do this, send us an email to sales at redlinemotive .com and give us:

1) Your full name
2) Your full address (Where to ship the spark plugs to)
3) The part number, brand and quantity
4) A link showing your video, or blog post.

Once we verify this, we’ll ship you a free set of spark plugs!

Rules:

1) Must be in the US (lower 48 states only)
2) One entry per person
3) No more than 8 spark plugs
4) No more than $5 per plug
5) We can refuse entry if we deem the entry has been done in spam way
6) We can end this free giveaway at any time.

Sorry for all the rules guys, but we figure that if we’re going to spend money shipping these spark plugs, and giving them away for free, you can help spread the word about Redline Motive!

Thanks and enjoy!!

RedlineMotive.com Staff

Finally, a programmer that delivers maximum power for sport compacts—and from a trusted name! The Hypertech Max Energy Sport is specifically developed for import vehicles and designed to extract every bit of energy from those high-revving, low-displacement engines.

Programmed for efficiency, the Max Energy Sport delivers maximum MPGs at part throttle and insane power gains when running wide-open. By optimizing every drop of fuel, the Sport delivers up to 10 extra ponies and 10 ft lbs of extra torque.

And, if you’re running a performance exhaust and/or intake, the Sport allows rev limiter adjustments (most models) to make the most of your mods. It’s just like a custom dyno tune—only this takes minutes to install and costs way less than dyno time. Plus, you can store and return to the factory tune in minutes.

With a garage full of features, from Top-Speed Limiter and Octane Tuning to Shift Points and Diagnostics, this is the only programmer for your sport compact. Plus, Hypertech backs your Max Energy Sport Tuner with a Lifetime Warranty.

Applications and pricing: Hypertech Max Energy Sport

Features

Designed specifically for tuning sport compact vehicles
Delivers maximum power, quicker acceleration, smoother shifting and better driveability
Increases MPGs at light throttle—increases power at open throttle
Like getting a custom dyno tune—only this takes minutes and costs much less
Helps your motor develop all the power and torque it’s capable of
Perfect for vehicles already modified with performance intake and/or exhaust
Includes a collection of the following functions (features vary by vehicle):
Return to Stock: saves original factory tune—reinstalls in minutes
Internet Updateable: includes USB cable and software for quick internet updates
Power Tuning: optimizes tuning for regular and premium fuel
Rev Limiter: adjusts maximum RPM and shift points
Top Speed Limiter: adjusts top speed to match tire speed ratings
Electronic Throttle Restriction: delivers immediate and maximum throttle response
Read and Clear DTCs: reads and clears “check engine” and “service needed” messages
V-TEC Controller: adjusts VTEC camshaft profile to customize power band (Honda/Acura only)
Your Hypertech Max Energy Sport is backed by a Lifetime Warranty
Not legal for sale or use on pollution-controlled vehicles in the state of California

Max Energy Power Tuning extracts every bit of energy possible out of every molecule of fuel giving you more miles at part-throttle and more power at wide-open throttle. In order to increase engine efficiency, horsepower and torque, our engineers first make hundreds of dyno runs to optimize the spark and air-fuel curves point by point over the entire rpm band from just off idle to wide open throttle. Next we take the vehicle with the new tune to the track and the street to verify real world performance gains. The results…maximum power, quicker acceleration, smoother shifting and better driveability.

The Baja 1000 is arguably one of the most brutally demanding and unforgiving off-road races on the planet. It’s run each fall on Mexico’s, Baja California Peninsula. The first official race began in Tijuana, Baja California, on October 31, 1967, and was named the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally. Every year since then, the event has grown more competitive, not only on the course, but first in the in the garage, where the difference between winning and even finishing, often depends on a single component choice.

With little time to spare, Jason Campbell and the Camburg Engineering crew were able to finish their new Trophy Truck and take it out on a maiden voyage only days before the race. They logged 50 miles at night to make sure all systems were operational and to get a quick feel for the truck. All things considered, the entire crew was very pleased with how that test run went.

Jason Campbell along with Jonathon Snelling, were the first team to drive. Unfortunately, Campbell experienced some unexpected physical difficulties and was only able to pilot the number 75 Trophy Truck to race mile 80, the team of Jerry Zaiden (driver) and John Duncan took over from there. The other alternate driver was Steve Myers from Myers Racing. Steve is very familiar with the San Felipe area and was the only Camburg team member to pre-run that section. This proved to be pivotal for the teams overall results.

The final team of Zaiden and Austin Farner completed the race. Jerry crossed the finish line 16th place in the Trophy Truck class, in 26 hours and 30 minutes. Factoring in an estimated seven or eight total hours of down time, and not having to put a single tool on the new truck the entire race, Team Camburg was extremely happy with their results.

“It’s an awesome feeling to finally drive a truck that you’ve envisioned years ago and put into action, let alone to finish a Baja 1000 out of the box,” said Campbell at the finish line.

“We more than met our goal. With only 50 miles of test time on our brand new truck, just finishing this race was our original goal. We had zero issues and never wrenched on the truck, our only down time was getting stuck for about 8 hours behind other people in bottlenecks,” explains Zaiden. Zaiden’s other duties include marketing, being race director and president of Camburg Racing.

“The AEM filters held up great. We only changed out one filter after the dry lake and silt beds. We did this only because we did not have any test time with this engine/filter combo in the silt. After inspection of the filter, there were zero issues and no signs of clogging, so we would have been fine continuing on for the rest of the race with the original filter.”

“We plan on keeping everything the same for next year. The filter we ran worked flawlessly and gave us the advantage we needed over the competition,” concludes Zaiden.

We are proud to announce the launch of our new Chevy Volt Forum! For those of you who are interested in purchasing a Chevy Volt, or are interested in gas electric hybrids, and zero emissions vehicles, check out our Chevy Volt Forum today. We encourage you to join and be a member, it’s absolutely free!

Click here to join: Chevy Volt Forum

Shaun Carlson: 1974-2009

It is with great sadness that we report Shaun Carlson, sport compact drag racing trailblazer and head of Nuformz Racing, died over the weekend. He was just 35.

Carlson’s untimely exit came months after the disclosure that Carlson was suffering a hereditary disease called Brugada Syndrome, a disorder characterized by an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system that can cause potentially fatal arrhythmias. While his passing has yet to be officially linked to the condition, we suspect the two could likely be related.

In February, Carlson suffered a series of ventricular tachycardia episodes, basically a fast heart rhythm that originates in one of the ventricles of the heart. He was shocked back to life two times during that ordeal.

Following tests, Carlson received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) to monitor his heart and deliver lifesaving shocks if dangerous rhythms occurred. He was also placed on limited work duty.

Carlson rose to prominence as the pilot of the Mopar Dodge Neon SRT-4 and head of Nuformz Racing, a regular backer of Samuel Hubinette’s drift cars. During the mid-90′s, Carlson founded Nuformz, a fabrication shop where he produced the first Honda cylinder sleeves, strengthening the D- and B-series motors that were producing big horsepower.

In ’99, he teamed up with Stephan Papadakis to build the first FWD tube chassis racecar, a Civic that was the first to complete 9-, and then 8-second passes. His mechanical talent led him to a sponsorship with Ford and Meguiar’s where he raced a Focus ZX3 in numerous sport compact drag series.

BJ Birtwell, formerly of Meguiar’s who moved onto Mopar/Daimler Chrysler, brought Carlson into Mopar late in ’03 where he raced the SRT-4 in the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Series Pro-FWD class. He was a two-time winner in that class and finished in the top five each season from 2003 to 2005. He was also the 2002 Xbox Cup champion in the NOPI Pro Outlaw class.

Carlson made his NHRA Pro Stock debut in 2004 subbing for an injured Darrell Alderman in the Winternationals event. In Feb. 2006, he joined Richie Stevens Jr. as teammate on Don Schumacher Racing’s two-car Pro Stock team. He left the Pro Stock seat in August of the same year.

Since getting involved with Hubinette and drifting, the Nuformz team found its second wind, helping the Crazy Swede collect Formula DRIFT season titles in 2004 and again in 2006.

Check back with UrbanRacer for additional details as we receive them, as well as a remembrance of Carlson and the mark he left on our world. His presence will be missed – may he rest in peace.

Services for Shaun Carlson will be held Monday, Oct 12 at Calvary Chapel, Chino Valley. Address is 12205 N Pipeline Ave, Chino, CA 91710. Services begin at 1pm.

Source: urbanracer

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

I am one HELL of a car NUT. Anything and all aspects about cars… I LOVE. It runs in my blood, it guides my life, and alot of my money and free time go into it. My current residence is in Savannah, TN with my wife of a year and a half, Emily.

The Car: 2005 Ford Mustang GT. Satin Silver, 5 speed, and some bolt ons. EVerything that has been done to this car, has been, and will be done by ME. No shop has ever worked on my car, except for my best friend to do my alignments at his Firestone store in Colorado Springs.

The Goods: Alot of this stuff has yet to be installed due to me being in Iraq for the past 10 months… but the time is getting close.
-Kenne Bell 2.6 liter Twin Screw supercharger, intercooled, stage 2, with Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump
-DIY Black powdercoated valve covers
-Moroso Coolant, -Moroso Oil catch Can
-Moroso Power Steering Tank
-Speed of Sound A-Pillar dual gauge pod
-Stewart Warner boost and Fuel Pressure gauges.
-Steeda Belt Tensioner
-Spec Stage 2 Clutch and Billet Steel Flywheel (Ordered and Received but not installed yet)
-Steeda Ultra-Lite Springs, BMR Front camber adjusting bolts.
-BMR Tubular Radiator support
-Tokico DSpec Shocks, fully adjustable, front and rear. (Not installed yet)
-Steeda Lower and Upper rear control arms, non-adjustable.
-Diablosport MAFia (Will be coming off when the supercharger goes on)
-Hurst short throw Billet Plus shifter with Hurst white ball, or Pistol grip knob.
-Bassani Modular X Pipe with the high flow cats installed. Stock mufflers, stock headers.
-SCT XCal2 with my own tunes.
-30% window tint, also done by me.
-Hurst Line-Loc (Ordered, but have not installed yet due to being in Iraq)
-Shelby Type S1 wheels, F: 20×9 +35 and Sumitomo HTRZIII 275/35/20 R:20×10 +30 and Sumitomo HTRZIII 295/35/20
- Extra pair of OEM 10 spoke wheels, with a set of MT ET Street Drag Radials, 26×11.50×15

I think that is everything. Most of that stuff isn’t even on the car yet… lol.

Follow the full thread with updates here: 2005 Ford Mustang GT Build Up

This DVD features many of Megan Racing‘s sponsored cars using their performance drifting parts. We hope you enjoy the video… full DVD release should be in 2010.

Our customers have a lot of great questions when it comes to suspension setups and what is the best. We’re going to take some time to explain to you our opinions on what setups we like, what setups we don’t like, and what we recommend. If you have any questions about our article, or have something to add, please use the form below.

I want to lower my car, what’s the best and cheapest way?
There are many different ways that you can lower your car. The methods to lower a car can vary from completely free to outrageously expensive, and many different options in between. Below we will touch on the various methods, and keep in mind that this won’t work for every car, as every setup might be different from the factory. Below we try to discuss various ways to lower your car from the cheapest to most expensive.

Can I cut my stock springs?
One of the old and wrong ways to lower a car for free, is to simply cut the springs a few coils. We definitely don’t recommend to cut your stock springs, or even aftermarket performance lowering springs, because you are ruining the geometry of the spring, and also there is a high chance that the car won’t sit even. This method is simply to lower the car at the expense of ride, performance, and safety. We do not recommend this.

Can I use lowering springs with my stock shocks?
We get this question the most out of any other suspension question. Customers always want to know if they are ok with getting lowering springs and keeping their stock shocks. This is definitely a way to lower the car with aftermarket springs, and keep cost down since you are not also buying performance or aftermarket shocks and struts. If you have a new car, then yes, we would say that if you simply get a good set of lowering springs, your stock shocks will last a while. The more you lower your car on the stock shocks, the more you lower the life expectancy of the shocks. For something like a TEIN HTech Lowering Spring that only lowers your car a little bit, and has a soft spring rate, your stock shocks will last a long time. At the same time, if you have say an older Honda Civic, and you buy something like a TEIN STech Lowering Spring, then your shocks will probably not last very long, depending on their condition before. If you don’t mind the labor charges, or do the work yourself, then you can always try to go with your stock shocks, and only replace them when they blow. This setup will allow you to have a better handling car, but won’t be as good as a good set of lowering springs with aftermarket shocks.

What performance shocks should I get with my lowering springs?
The best scenario would be to buy performance shocks along with your lowering springs. You want to ensure that you buy the type of performance shocks that you need to get the most from your lowering springs. There are two main types of aftermarket shocks available. There is a performance shock that is non adjustable, so it works like your factory shock, but is able to take being lowered or take competition racing abuse. The other type of performance shock is an adjustable kind where you can set the desired stiffness of the shock. The adjustable shocks are more expensive, and offer a much greater range of settings. For example, if you set the rear shocks stiffer than the front shocks, you can get rid of some understeer. In order to properly setup your shocks, you would need to have access to an autox or road course so you can really get a feel for the car. Most people will get enough benefit from non adjustable shocks, especially if they do not intend on adjusting the shock and strut stiffness.

What if I forget about all of this, and just get a coilover kit?
Coilover kits range from a little less than the price of buying 4 seperate shocks plus lowering springs, to outrageously expensive. With coilover kits you generally get what you pay for. The benefits of a coilover kit is that it comes with shocks that are designed to be lowered. You can also adjust the amount of lowering, so you can lower the car as much or as little as you want, as long as the coilover supports the range (most support at least 1 inch, and a max of 3-4 inches). Since the setup is designed to work together, you don’t need to worry about the shocks being too stiff for the springs, or the springs being too stiff for the shocks. Everything is ready to go. A setup like this would be our recommendation. The lower end coilover kits are typically enough for most people, and they offer the ability to lower the vehicle as desired, but usually do not have the ability to stiffen the shocks. It’s a preference you need to make to decide which how much adjustment you need with your suspension. The more adjustment the coilover kit has, and the least of it you use, the more possibility that you are not getting the most out of it, and could be out-handled by a car with an inferior setup.

Do I need to cut my bump stops?
Anytime you are lowering your car with lowering springs, we always recommend for you to cut your bump stops. The reason is that the bump stops are designed for the stock height, so you need to at least cut your bumpstops in half. If you do not, you run the risk of “riding on the bump stop” which means your shock is always compressed down far enough that its resting on the bump stop. This is very bad for safety as well as performance. If you are dramatically lowering your car, we recommend to cut your bump stop even more, but at no time do we recommend to not have a bump stop at all.

Should I get sway bars?
Sway bars are a great way to increase the handling of your car. Depending on the stiffness of the sway bar, they can also give you a harsher ride, and can cause some squeeks due the polyurethane bushings they come with. However, for those who demand the best handling, sway bars can help. Most cars come with a front sway bar stock, and not always with a rear sway bar. This is because they are designed to make the car understeer, which is safer for the average driver. In this case, the addition of an aftermarket performance rear sway bar is usually enough to make the car much more neutral, or give it oversteer. For every driver, they like the setup to be a little different, so determine what works best for you and get sway bars to match. Sway bars are available in different thicknesses and many are hollow to decrease weight.

Are strut bars worth the money?
The newer a car is the less you need a strut tower brace, or strut tower bar, or also known as just a strut bar. A strut bar is simply a bar that ties together your strut towers in your engine bay, or in your trunk. The purpose is to keep the car more stiff during turns to keep the car handling crisp and clean. For older cars that have a lot of chassis flex, we recommend a strut bar, but recommend a strut bar that has the least flex possible. If the strut bar flexes then it defeats the purpose. Many newer cars come with strut bars from the factory, and for those that do, there is no need to upgrade except for appearance purposes.

When do I need a camber kit?
As the name implies, a camber kit is designed to fix the negative or positive camber when lowering your car, or adding new wheels. When a car is lowered a lot from the factory settings, the negative camber can wear out your tires, and decrease contact patch with your tires, which hurts handling. We recommend that if you are going to buy a camber kit that you take your car to an alignment shop and have them adjust the camber kit for you so that it’s within your race spec. Tell them how much negative camber you want, or have them give you recommendations, and set it with the camber kit. Camber kits are available for both the front and rear, and are highly recommended with any suspension setup. Sometimes camber kits are simply bolts that space out your suspension to adjust camber. Bolts are a much cheaper way to do this, and this doesn’t work for every car.

Is negative camber a good thing or a bad thing?
Negative camber is good for handling, but you need the right amount of negative camber. If you have too much, you are losing contact patch with the tire and the road, which can help performance and eat your tires quickly. We recommend to have your car checked by a local alignment shop for specs they recommend depending on your racing or driving style.

What is oversteer?
Oversteer is when you are making a turn either left or right, and the back end of the car begins to slide out. This is a lot more difficult to control than understeer, which is why most new cars come with severe understeer from the factory.

You can also have power oversteer that is caused by a car being rear wheel drive or rwd, and having the tires spin during the turn causing your rear end to slide. This is also known as a drift or drifting.

What is understeer?
Understeer is when you are making a turn either left or right, and the front end of the car is sliding straight, or not turning. Manufactures of cars belive this is safer than oversteer because if you are taking a turn too fast for your suspension, and the car understeers and just plows forward, you can simply let off the gas, and hit the brakes.

Do I need new lower control arms?
For cars that do not come with a rear sway bar from the factory, you might not be able to add a sway bar unless if you add LCAs or Lower Control Arms that allow you to use sway bar end links to add a sway bar to your suspension setup. If you already have a rear sway bar, then adding a new aftermarket lower control arm could decrease weight.

How to Build a Turbo Honda

Our article explains how to build a turbo Honda, Turbo Acura, or what to look for with a bolt on turbo kit. Homemade turbo kits are some of the best and least expensive ways to turbo your Honda or Acura.

Please feel free to pass around the link to this article, but none of this article can be reproduced or copied! This article is protected by Copyscape and written by the RedlineMotive.com staff

We will continue to add to this article as time passes. If you have anything to add or have any questions, please reply to this topic.

The Honda engine is a perfect example of a super efficient modern day engine that is designed for superior intake and exhaust flow. Nothing takes better advantage of this than a turbo. The basics of a turbo is that it uses your exhaust gasses to spin a wheel inside a turbine. This turbine in turn spins and builds up air pressure that goes pushed into your throttle body and intake manifold, ultimately into your cylinder head. Honda engines absolutely love to breathe, but they also love a little help. Honda’s efficient motors are perfect for turbos and the Redline Motive team is going to take some time to help you understand how the system works, what you need to build your own turbo kit, and what to look out for when buying a prebuilt turbo kit. We will also talk about superchargers, and why we do not recommend superchargers for the 4 cylinder Honda engines (we are not going to be discussing V6 Honda engines in this article).

How does a turbo work on a Honda motor and a Honda ECU

Since a Honda from the factory is not designed to be used with a turbo, there are certain things that need to be done to prepare the car to accept boost. The Honda motors are very stout, and can take a good amount of horsepower absolutely stock. The trick is all in the tune. We absolutely recommend a good tune, and a good ECU to help regulate every system in the car. We are not going to go into any specific ECUs, piggybacks, or stand alone’s here, but we do not recommend the piggyback. The basic things that an ECU should be doing is regulate timing, and ensure you have enough fuel.

How much timing is best?

Every car and setup is going to be different. The amount of timing that you are going to start with, and end up with at peak boost, is going to depend on the size of your turbo, the type of Honda engine you have, how much boost you are running, what octane gas you have, outside temperature, and various other variables. We recommend that once your car is tuned, you have a warning system that in overboost conditions, your timing will yank. Take precautions with timing, it’s very important for longevity of your engine. Wouldn’t you rather lose a little horsepower, but have the ability to torture your engine day in and day out and not worry that it will blow up?

What kind of fuel system do I need?

Just like timing, the fuel system for a turbo Honda is really dependent on the flow characteristics of your motor, the amount of boost you are running, the size and efficiency of your turbo, and so on. We recommend a high pressure fuel pump, properly sized fuel injectors, adequate methods to ensure and control fuel pressure, and always having enough fuel to never have an instance or possibility to run lean (take into account overboost conditions).

Do I need a knock sensor?

This is a subject that can be debated all day long. I say, if your engine comes with one, use it. If not, then as long as you ensure your engine is properly tuned, you should not have any worries. But why not be safe than sorry? For hardcore enthusiasts with expensive motors, we recommend aftermarket knock sensors like the J&S knock sensor, where you can tune the sensitivity, and have it pull timing if it detects something went haywire.

No piggybacks

You’re going to spend a few thousand dollars on your turbo kit, and then you’re going to cheap out with the management? You are either itching for an engine rebuild, like to have rods fly through your block, or should just forget about turbo’s all together. If you want to be cool, get a front mount, and never pop the hood. You can also get one of those fake BOV’s so people will think you have a turbo. For those who are serious about performance AND reliability, don’t skimp on the management. Just about all piggybacks don’t do a good job of controlling timing, fuel management, and boost at the same time. And they definately don’t have a good overboost protection system in place.

Ok, I want a turbo. What’s the best engine for me?

Just about any 4 cylinder Honda engine is going to give you great performance with a turbo. We’re not non-vtec haters, but if you have the ability to run a VTEC head, why not do it? It flows more, gives you a better idle with aftermarket cams (although stock cams are typically just fine), and are really not much more expensive. In the long run, you will be glad you went VTEC. We have had great success with both the D series and B Series engines as the most popular Honda engines to turbo.

Honda D Series Turbo

For all of you D Series lovers out there, we feel you. What a great little engine that can produce impressive horsepower, be cheap to replace, and overall be much easier to work with. The D16Z6 and the D16Y8 are the most popular D series engines to turbo, and 300 horsepower at the wheels on a stock engine with a good tune is very possible, and in a lightweight Civic, CRX or Del Sol, VERY fun! Build the motor, get a little more serious, and 400+ horsepower will keep you grinning all day long.

Honda B Series Turbo

The ultimate setup is a B Series Turbo (B18C1 GSR or B16A2 Si motor work well). The B16 is a little smaller at 1.6 liters, but can produce almost as much power for less cost over a B18. The B16 will rev higher, and produce less torque than the B18. The B18 would be our pick as the best Honda motor to turbocharge.

Which Honda engine should I run?

It depends on your horsepower desires. For those people who want to go as inexpensive as possible, and run about 250 horsepower to 300 horsepower safely, we recommend a D Series. For those who want to run more than 300, we would recommend going with a B Series. Can you run more than 300 with a D Series? Sure. But after about 300, it just gets to be more expensive than with a B Series, and typically less reliable.

What should I look out for when buying a turbo kit?

If you are going to buy a turbo kit, we recommend one that does not come with any fuel management, as it’s just a waste of money. Unless if it’s something like Crome or Hondata or AEM EMS, then you are probably going to end up junking it anyway. Buy a turbo kit that comes with a turbo that is sized for the horsepower you want. We recommend getting a turbo that is a little bit bigger, so the turbo is always running in it’s efficient range. Research the kit, and make sure that others say the kit fits without any trimming, modification or problems. However, for a FMIC (Front Mount Intercooler), you will generally always need to trim your bumper.

What is turbo lag?

Turbo lag is when you first punch the throttle, and the amount of time it takes for your turbo to start building boost. We never recommend to give it full throttle until you are in a high RPM range, as you do not want to lug your engine. Lugging your engine can cause premature stress, wear and tear, and engine failure. If you want 300 horsepower, find a turbo that is efficient to say 350 horsepower. That way you can run 300 horsepower, and know your turbo is not overworking, not just blowing hot air, and is as efficient as possible. This will also keep your turbo lag to a minimum. For those people who run huge turbos at low boost, we just don’t understand why.

Will I pass SMOG or what do I do about CARB

GReddy turbo kits are smog legal, but they are basic, do not flow very well, and are designed to be low boosting, low power, and carb legal. On most Honda’s, the GReddy turbo kit is only smog legal without the intercooler. This already limits the amount of boost you can run, horsepower levels, and reliability. If you live in an area where you need to pass visual inspection, this might be the only turbo kit for you. Homemade turbo kits, and most other bolt on turbo kits, are not CARB or smog legal. This is strange to us, because with a good tune, they can be just as enviromentally friendly as a stock Honda. Oh well.

Do I need an intercooler?

Absolutely. We recommend an intercooler with every turbo setup, no matter how much boost you plan to run. The intercooler cools down the air from the turbo, so you can run most boost safely, or have an added margin of safety at your present boost. The cooler air also produces more horsepower at the same boost level.

What size intercooler is best?

The intercooler size completely depends on your setup, and how much boost you are running. The larger the intercooler, the more pressure loss you will have across it. Find an intercooler that fills your bumper, flows the required CFM for your setup, and is made with aluminum endtanks.

Do I get an internal or external wastegate?

A wastegate’s job is to regulate boost. When you run a certain amount of boost, the wastegate opens to release exhaust gas pressure so that you do not create more boost. If the wastegate can flow enough, then you will be able to control your boost properly. Typically, an external wastegate can outflow an internal wastegate. However, depending on the amount of boost you run, an internal wastegate might work fine. In addition, only internal wastegates are CARB and SMOG legal in CA.

What size wastegate do I run?

The size of the wastegate is also dependent on how much boost you are going to run. A 35 or 38mm wastegate is good for most cars that run under 20-25 psi of boost, and a larger wastegate might be needed if you do not get proper boost control with the smaller wastegate.

Do I need a boost controller?

Many people do not need a boost controller because they run the boost set by the wastegate spring. If you do not want to add another variable to your turbo setup, we recommend just running the wastegate spring, and if you want more boost to replace the spring.

Should I use a electronic or manual boost controller?

We have found that a manual boost controller controls boost just as well as an electronic boost controller for much less money. However, an electronic boost controller has several features that you might like, like being able to raise boost from inside of the car, being able to lower boost from inside the car, and boost scramble which allows you to run a higher level of boost for a set amount of time.

What kind of intercooler piping do I need?

We recommend aluminum piping, and do not recommend plastic, steel, or any other material. Aluminum doesn’t get as hot, and keeps the air from heating up as much, plus it’s rather light. Typically, you would need:

• From the turbo to the intercooler inlet: 3 90 degree bends.
• From the turbo outlet to the intake manifold: 45 degree, and a 90 degree that points into the throttle body.You will need some straight pieces between some of these bends. We recommend 2.25″ intercooler piping for the inlet side, and 2.5″ intercooler piping for the outlet side. For higher boost levels, increase these sizes (boost more than 10psi, get a 2.5″ inlet pipe, and 2.5″ outlet pipe.)
  

What’s the best air filter?
We recommend an air filter that has an internal shell so that the air filter doesn’t collapse on itself due to the intense sucking of the turbo.

What’s the best type of exhaust manifold?
We recommend a manifold that is cast iron, or tubular made with thick steel so it will not crack. Make sure the manifold has a lifetime warranty.

What is the best exhaust size?

Turbo’s love to breathe. We recommend 3″ exhausts with all turbo setups. You can have a 2.5″ downpipe, a 2.5″ catalytic converter or testpipe (Off road only), and a 3″ catback for a good street combination. Get a good 3″ straight through muffler.

What parts do I need for a turbo kit?

1) Turbo
2) Turbo Manifold
3) Intercooler
4) Wastegate
5) Blow off valve
6) Intercooler Piping
7) Silicone Coupling
8) T Bolt Clamps
9) 2 or 3 bar MAP Sensor (for more than 10-11psi)
10) Air Filter
11) Oil Feed Line
12) Oil Return Line
13) All gaskets.

Do I need a new MAP sensor?

Honda map sensors can handle up to about 10 or 11psi without throwing a check engine light. Over that, we recommend a GM 3 bar map sensor. You will need a converter to wire it up, but it’s rather simple.

Where is the best place to pipe the oil return line?

We recommend to pipe the oil return line in your oil pan at a place that is above the oil level in your oil pan. If you don’t do this, you can burn oil through your exhaust.

Where is the best place to pipe the oil feed line?

On the back of the block above the oil filter there is a great place to feed the oil feed line. Make sure you run a restrictor so you don’t put too much oil pressure in your turbo, which can make you leak oil between your turbo seals, or through your exhaust.

Where is the best place to tee for boost pressure readings?

We recommend to find a FREE source off the intake manifold. Do not tee it off the fuel pressure line. While this is a good place to read boost, you do not want to lower fuel pressure by teeing into this line.

What gauges do I need?

We recommend two gauges. We recommend a boost gauge, and an EGT gauge. The boost gauge, for obvious reasons. The EGT gauge, or Exhaust Gas Temperature gauges, to monitor engine conditions. A high EGT temperature means you are running lean. We recommend to keep the EGT Temperature under 900 c or 1650 F.

What does a blow off valve do?

A blow off valve releases extra pressure in your intake tract. When you are building boost, if you let go off the gas, you close the throttle plate. The pressurized air hits this plate. It needs a place to go, so during this condition, the blow off valve should open, and release the air. If your blow off valve is weak, or leaks, then you could have problems building boost, or losing boost pressure. We recommend to get a good quality blow off valve that is rated up to the amount of horsepower you are going to run. We *highly* recommend AGAINST ebay blow off valves.

Intercooler Clamps, Intercooler Pipe Blow Offs

We recommend strong t bolt intercooler clamps. Make sure your intercooler piping is beaded as well. With beaded intercooler pipes, and t bolt clamps, you should not have any problems with your intercooler piping blowing off. Because of the MAP sensor in the Honda, the car should still run fine, and can limp home, but it’s definately not fun to have an intercooler pipe blow off.

Startup Checklist

Woohoo! Ready to fire that baby up? Make sure you pressurize the system with oil before you start it. Pull your ECU plug, and crank the motor, so the oil can circulate through the engine, and fill in the turbo. Make sure everything is plugged in, all RTV has dried, and all connections are tight. Plug the ECU back in and fire it up. Do not rev the engine, let it idle, and the ECU adjust to the bigger fuel injectors, strange air characteristics, and everything else. Your engine is going to steam, and burn off oil, fingerprints, dirt, and all kinds of gunk. It will stink for a few days. Don’t worry about it.

Enjoy your new turbo Honda!!