Help choosing turbo parts


civicx3

Drop a gear & disappear!
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Jul 22, 2009
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Im sure this has been covered a million times so if theres any builds or threads which can relate to my engine and power goals please send a link

Im wanting to turbo a b18c4 and wanting to use well made reliable parts with power goals of 250-300 and ive never done a turbo build and need help choosing the main parts.

I want a quick spooling turbo so the engines got some balls in the lower revs so am i right in saying a small twinscroll turbo is best? If so what would be a ideal turbo to use.

Ballbearing is better than journal correct?

Oil cooled turbo yeah?

What manifold should i be looking for?

Id like to get a list together of everything i need so i know what to look out for and start buying some parts

Cheers
 
With you're power goals I geuss you're planning boosting on standard internals?

I've recently bought a go autoworks street X kit, the quality is excellent, good value for money.
Although with the current exchange rate :(

If you have a look at my build thread it will give you some idea of the parts you need :nice:

@jesse888 has a cast manifold and turbo for sale.
Not sure if it fits the b18c4 though.
 
The manifold is sold. Turbo is still here though.
All b series exhaust manifolds have the same flange. It's the inlet side that's different on the c4.
You don't really see small twinscrol turbos tbh. Plus you'll find small turbos will run out of puff higher in the rev range.
 
I'd probably look at what Sam's doing/done and go Street kit from go autoworks.
Plenty of 2nd hand cheap kits about but personally I'd buy new.
 
For your power output you can look at the B16 as well. With the right spec'd turbo you can have both low down power and a good top end.
On my old B16 build I had a British built Turbo Technics T35 turbo that was built for the b16/18. Don't confuse it with a laggy American turbonetics turbo.
I had full boost about 3.5k and it held to 8k. Was pretty quick out on the road and had plenty low down drivability.
 
yeah planning on standard internals at first, been pricing kits and they do seem expensive and ive read you can do it a lot cheaper by sourcing parts individually

was debating putting a turbo on my b16a but thought a b18c4 would be better? Any advantages of the b16a over a b18c4? Would it handle sub 300 figures just as well as a b18c4?
 
The only advantage is its cheaper to buy. Other than that the c4 beats it everywhere else.
Sub 300 is fine b16a, imo the reason sourcing the parts yourself is cheaper is you then can dictate the quality of each component.
 
yeah planning on standard internals at first, been pricing kits and they do seem expensive and ive read you can do it a lot cheaper by sourcing parts individually

was debating putting a turbo on my b16a but thought a b18c4 would be better? Any advantages of the b16a over a b18c4? Would it handle sub 300 figures just as well as a b18c4?

The B18c4 will make more power and torque if allowed due to the increased capacity.
B16s are easier to come by and cheaper.
If the engine has been maintained well then there is no reason it shouldn't. I run my stock b16a at 230hp for years without issue.
The B16a will have better traction low down compared to the 18c4 due to the lower torque too.
As for parts, buy the best you can afford.
A good cast manifold or short ram will be more than adequate. With any turbo build let the engine breathe, get the air in and out efficiently and the power will come more easily with less stress. 3" exhaust etc
 
I dont really want to boost my original b16a just in case sh!t hits the fan so got a b18c4 and will keep the b16 tucked away.

What brands of manifold are recommended? seen a thread on here where a lot of people are talking about cracked manifolds but thats due to no bracket supporting the turbo by the looks..?

Are there any turbos off production cars which would be ideal to use, scooby, pulsar etc..?
 
I originally used a Blox cast manifold, on my turbo setup. only reason I went for that particular one was because it placed the External gate above all 4 runners, in the collector. A lot of cast manifolds put it of runner one. It never cracked and was on the car 5 odd years.

I then went for A BWR ram horn in its last year, only bought it as I needed to scratch an itch really. It made good power with the manifold without much low end power loss.
Cant say anything on longevity as it was on the car a year, but it was well made and a sturdy bit of kit.

However I had to mill the exhaust and turbo flange as it was warped slightly, 99% of tubular manifolds are like this.

Back a few years the Pulsar T28 was a good choice for low blow setups. The td04 turbos off Imprezas are way to small.
The td05 off Evos were pretty good too from what I read.
 
I'm sure @EK9 Matt runs a Td05 Evo turbo,

Seems to be a few variations of the td05 though
 
As above if your looking for cheap and reliable a cast mani is the way to go, your losing abit of performance(mainly at high rpm) but your not going to have issues with cracks etc. Personally I'd run one at around 350/400hp as the upper limit before I feel they are giving too much power away.
The td05 does seem the turbo of choice if your going for an Oem turbo. Although you might struggle to get a cast manifold with the correct flange for a td05. Most casts seem to come as a t3 fitment flange.
I just sold the perfect manifold for you which is a shame.
 
You want an Evo TD05 has the square flange on them

Scooby have the 3 bolt type flange
 
Whats the pros of having the gate above all 4 runners? The ram horns are better for top end power are they? Im wanting to increase low end power because its going to be a daily/weekend car which wont see the track so a cast manifold would be better for this?

Il look into the td05s, im pretty sure thats what racetech use in their kits.

If it was your money and you wanted to get sub 300 figures on a b18c4 which is as reliable as possible, what manifold/turbo combo would you go for?
 
Tubular manifolds are better all round, they are just more expensive and more likely to crack aswell.

The advantage to having the waste gate port at the merge of all 4 runners is from a boost control perspective. The waste gate bleeds off exhaust gas to control boost level, if you have the gate over 1 runner then it's only really effective on that runner.

I can tell you now your sub 300 goals will soon change.
I like the go autoworks cast manifold so I'd opt for that (I did) I had a turbonetics(American laggy turbo that Murray referred too) and that was a perfectly fine setup for the road.
Problem with going for a small turbo is your going to run out of puff in the higher rpms and you'll only ruin the way it will drive imo. The t3/t04e is a similar size to the td05 really.
 
As Jesse said having the waste gate positioned over all for runners gives greater boost control and stops boost spikes, and yes the tubular manifolds will help top end. I gained 20 whp with swapping manifolds.

A cast manifold like the Blox or Goautoworks (im sure they look identical) will fit the bill perfectly for your goals.
If it was my money I would go for the setup I had Im biased that way:)), Turbo Technics T35 on the cast manifold. The response I had on the b16 was pretty good so itl be a whole lot better with the extra capacity of the b18c4
It all depends how much you want to spend.
 
ha i think il be quite happy with sub 300, im not really into figure chasing and i want to be able to use it on these windy welsh roads

makes sense with the waste gate, il keep this in mind when choosing a manifold

willing to spend more on decent parts if its going to be worth it but dont want to go crazy, reliability is my main goal

isnt anything bigger than a td05 going to take longer to spool and be overkill on a daily driver?
 
Generally larger turbos take longer to spool yes.
But all turbos aren't made equal...
Sounds like your leaning towards a td05 on a cast manifold. Not a bad choice, for sub 300 I'd leave it 2.5" exhaust aswell. Makes for a cheaper/more available system.
I ran 350 on a 2.5
 
yeah true, il probably go 3" though. Seen this the other day...

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I wouldn't believe a word of that chart. Like I said I was at 350 on a 2.5" pipe. Max on that is 232 lol
 
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