So I can run a turbo on my stock d16 but If I want to go any more then say....10 PSI...I would need to start doing internal mods and such?

 

I would hold off at about 8lbs on a stock motor if you want it reliable in the long run. You will need head studs just to keep the head down, but other than that, the stock motor can handle the 8lbs real well.
Part of what Kai was getting at, is that 8lbs on a T3 is moving a lot more volume of air than a t25 at the same boost, and a smaller turbo like a td04 would flow even less at 8lbs. Same pressure, less volume.
www.homemadeturbo.com and www.turbod16.com at going to be some good resources for you. And as much as I hate to say it, but there are some Saturn guys out there on 1 message board that I've seen that KNOW their shit. They are basically the Saturn pioneers, like the honda guys were 5-10 years ago that were boosting. Those guys are very open with info, and there are a bunch of turbo maps posted on the site. I'm blanking on WHICH site it is though... :doh:

 

Head studs? Got a pics or a site so I can see what those are

What kind of turbo would you recommend if I am going to only be running 8lbs for now and then late maybe increase it? I want something good for 8 lbs but don't want to have to purchase another turbo when I descride to up the boost... Recommendations?

 

It depends on what you want. If you just want a bare bones setup then most of what you will need will come in any decent kit. The hondata and hondata prepped ecu is a good start but youre going to be looking at about 700 right there. Also I would look to get your gauges now. EGT, Boots and Oil pressure I think are essential the rest are beneficial but not necessary for your application. I would get a decent fuel rail and FPR if you were leaning in that direction. It will make your tuners job a little easier and save you some money on dyno time. Also depending on how much you plan to fine tune it a cam gear will allow you to milk the boost a bit more (more useful in a DOHC setup). Alos you could get an oil return fitting welded to your oil pan now and just use an AN cap to cover it till the install time. And a new exhaust will help the turbo do its job a bit better. So as you can see there are pleanty of things you can get started on. The best advice I can give though is make sure you have everything ready before you start. You will be itching to install what you have but running on an incomplete setup is a recipe for disaster.

 

Thanks. That was a nice list of things that I can start looking into purchasing to go along with the turbo setup. Also...if I am just going to run 8 lbs, then I can be fine with everything stock and anything more then 8 lbs, I would need to start upgradng everything else...correct? I won't need to get an ecu unless I run more than 8 lbs because thats when I would need to start toggling with the air/fuel mixture correct? And how much would a bare bones setup cost? Is that the same as a lot of other kits that I see for about 3 grand or would it be cheaper to buy piece by piece to put the kit together? And one more thing...what size turbo would you recommend for my engine. I know that a T3/4 might be too big for my engine and would only give me power when I reach high RPM's, so what ojne would you recommend for my engine to get the most use out of it? Thanks for the help everyone!

 

Anyone? ^^^

 

even at 8 lbs you need to have some way to increase the fuel ammount in order to not lean out the mixture while in boost. You could use a programmable ecu or you could keep your ecu and run the vafc hack or similar. you shouldnt need to upgrade internals as long as you are going to be using reliable parts and your boost doesnt creep over that. I stated in another thread that you should expect to spend about 2.5 grand on a decent setup. That didnt fly too well with some people but I still stick by it. I spent over 5 on everything I wanted to do on my setup and that was piecing together my own setup. so you can kinda see that you need to kinda come up with your own cash ceiling and choose parts from there. the lower the ceiling "generally" the lower quality parts. and lower quality "generally" means lower reliability/more problems.

 

Alright...so what size turbo would I want for my engine. One thats not too big that it will only give me power when I'm about to redline and one thats not too small that will reach its max spooling speed before I reach my redline? Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

I haven't been reading your replies but did anyone mention to you that you should do a compression test?!!! that would be one thing i would do to make sure things will be healthy enough to boost...
also since you want to run hondata, don't forget to save money for tuning

 

An idea is to first use a 6psi blow off valve and then upgrade to 8-10 if you don't notice any problems.
And yes, you should get a hondata, but if you're gonna be going low boost 6-10 psi forever, than an VAFC hack is fine.