ok my friend has a 00' GSR with low compression pistons in a stock sleeved block stock bore.. single stage mani and allready has s200... he's looking to spend around or below $2500... he's leaning towards a turbo kit / supercharger but he can't make up his mind.. he's looking for something reliable.. and i keep steering him away from ebay turbo kits



i told him he should probably ask around before buying anything



thanks in advance

 

everyone seems to lean on greddy kits from what i have seen this forum produce, just note to your friend, hes getting what he pays for

 

It's all on the TUNE.

You can piece together a turbo kit for dirt cheap compared to the limited off the shelf kits.

My friend/tuner put 28.4lbs of boost to a stock B16A, and it ran for a little over 3 years. It was the stock head gasket, the head was never off, only thing changed was the cams to GSR's and a valve adjustment. The head finally lifted because of the stock studs stretched, and cracked cyl #2's sleeve. The only time this car was ran was to beat the shit out of it.



And my friend Tyler has an eBay turbo kit on his GSR and it's been running for a while now.. at least 30k miles, and made a little over 400whp

It's all in the tune. Ditch the S200 and find a competent tuner

 

A turbo is the way to go. With the correct tuning, it can be reliable. Like one of the guys above said, you really do get what you pay for.

 

Used greddy turbo kits are definitely worth a look, if he wants reliability try to get a cast manifold.

 

go with what the local tuner suggests, that way, the tuner has some experience tuning the setup, and if stuff goes awry, its easier for them to pinpoint.

yeah people say its all in the tune, but there are other factors that can make the turbo experience suck - namely installation issues (think crappy oil feed/drain fittings and bungs), current engine state (if he's got engine issues now - even if they're little, they're just going to be magnified x10 when he puts the turbo in).

its not for the faint of heart. but if all the obstacles are overcome, its a very rewarding experience.