Thinking of a modest turbo kit...

[SpeedRacer]

Gee Thanks ASS ^^ I appreciate the wuss comment.

You can go back to not posting again.

[Colombia28]

Is yours an atx or mtx? Iv read that the atx gearbox cant handle a turbo for very long. If you have an mtx you will fair much better from what iv read.

[goldrocket]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SpeedRacer @ Feb 15 2008, 12:04 AM) [url=index.php?act=findpost&pid=25676]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/url]</div>

Gee Thanks ASS ^^ I appreciate the wuss comment.

You can go back to not posting again.[/b]

Oh, I'm sorry pumpkin, but I didn't call you a wuss, I just said you sounded like one in that statement. It happens....

[SpeedRacer]

Thats okay then sweetheart, I get offended so easily these days :'( will you cuddle with me later

[RX-7 Chris]

With a piston engine there is so much that needs to be done to made the engine handle the boost. I would also go with the speed.

That have you done with the interior the can not be removed?

[AIM WO4]

If I did it, I'd get a Garrett v. the IHI.

Hopefully, you have a manual tranny. You could upgrade rods, rings and clutch if you plan on driving like a nutcase.

[MazdaTom]

People have been turboing non-factory-turbo'ed cars for a long time now. You can turbo a high compression motor. I've read that a high compression turbo motor isn't effected by turbo lag. If you turn up the boost too much, then the boost starts to find the next weakest link in the drivetrain- connecting rods and pistons are usually the first to go.

[bastard]

I know I'm walking into a room of drivetrain nightmares here by boosting a standard engine here... And obviously the more pressure you apply the more likely your car will feel the pain. This is why I wanted something modest and not balls-to-the-wall crazy. However, I'm not too familiar with the strength of the stock 2.0 engine in the 3i. I thought the comp ration was somewhere in the 8 - 9 :1 area, but if it's 10:1 or above I have a host of things to consider here...

To answer a few questions, it is a manual (what auto enthusiast would drive an atx? lol). Also, my interior mod is a very permanent universal iPod/iPhone dock w/remote that I needed to embed in the center console. Therefore if the car goes, the whole system goes with it.

Another thing I was mulling over was the mileage on the car which for some reason has totally escaped me during this whole thought process. It has 92k miles on it... Considering that, I may ditch the whole idea of boosting and see what I can get from some NA improvements. I won't see the hp increase I want, but going this route will at least allow me to DRIVE the thing lol.

[MazdaTom]

The compression ratio is indeed 10:1. NA mods, while slower and cost more per HP gained, are a more reliable route. Boost is fun though.

[MazdaTom]

And not to mention, the resale value can be affected and the market for a turbo'ed non-turbo car can be small. NA mods are fairly easy to reverse (and sell back to recoupe your money) before you sell it.

[goldrocket]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MazdaTom @ Feb 15 2008, 11:24 AM) [url=index.php?act=findpost&pid=25743]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/url]</div>

People have been turboing non-factory-turbo'ed cars for a long time now. You can turbo a high compression motor. I've read that a high compression turbo motor isn't effected by turbo lag. If you turn up the boost too much, then the boost starts to find the next weakest link in the drivetrain- connecting rods and pistons are usually the first to go.[/b]

I'm not saying it can't or even shouldn't be done, but I'm a jack ass that thinks if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing and doing in a manner that makes it as close to bullet proof as possible. The turbo lag thing isn't quite true, that has more to do with turbo size, impellers in the turbo, and the cam shaft. The best thing to do with a boosted na engine is to use an after market ecu and a knock sensor. The ecu can be programmed to cut boost, fuel pressure, or retard timing to make it stop detonating when the knock sensor goes off. Still, performance per dollar, I'd go with the car factory equipped and mod it from there.

And no josh, I won't cuddle! that would be gay! LOL! Sorry...

[SpeedRacer]

Damnit...

[DemonOfTheFall]

As far as turbo kits go I think the HiBoost with the Haltec is really your only option for premade kits. There are a couple others out there that lack proper fuel management and will have you shopping for a new block in short order. If you look around on Mazda3 forums there are a lot of guys who went big boost with the the HiBoost kit and either saw it through, laid out obscene amounts of cash and time and built themselves some serious monsters, or threw in the towel somewhere along the line. And there are a few members that went with the base kit kept it at 6psi (Which is roughly an extra 100whp) and called it a day. There are quite a few members who ran the base kit for 2+ years without issues on otherwise stock cars. That is however not to say you won't. Going that route with 90,000+ miles is also risky. I would say if you are going to turbo your car it better be a long term project car for you. If you are planning on bolting on some additional power and hoping your spending ends there you are in for a nightmare.

My first bit of advice would be buy a cheap reliable beater if you don't have another car to drive already and don't start until you have saved up about double what you plan to spend. I'm not trying to dissuade you, however trying to set realistic expectations. I'm all for the long hard road myself, in the end its more fun for me and when its all done I enjoy all the more knowing the work that went into it. But if you start a project with unrealistic expectations you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

[goldrocket]

ONLY and extra 100whp!? LOL!!

[MazdaTom]

100 hp out of 6 psi is ALOT!!!!