gilbertg

Thanks XViper! It's been a long road but we are hoping that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. However, we have thought that we were at this point before just to find that there is more to come. Example: The cars were road tuned by Sean, after that I needed dyno time ($300) and then the oil seal went in the turbo ($1400), dismantle the turbo from the car, order the turbo, installation etc. (several weeks of waiting), etc. on and on.

It comes down to the answer for the following question:
What do you really want from your car?

In our case the answer to this was: The car is great in the corners on the track, but when you come to the straights it needs a little more ... umph.

The answer will be different for everyone. None of the answers are better than the others and there is no right and wrong. You just need to get the answer clear in your head and set about making it happen. You have to ask yourself 'is the platform you have chosen is the correct one for your goals.'
Honda modding has been a lot about making a lot something with very little, i.e. 800 hp with 4 cylinders. Everything has a price, just make sure you can afford it before you start. The longing for the goal may be painful, but far less painful than not having a car because you don't have the $ to fix it.

WARNING: There are a lot of people out there who say they know what they are doing, and they think they do - but my opinion is experience is EVERYTHING! If they are good then their customers will be more than happy to blow their horns for them.

cbender

Thanks, XViper. In truth, the credit for walking the turbo point ought to be spread further -- to Derreck (the very first pioneer, I think), CJB80, and ChrisD (all of whom have been enormously helpful to me over the past 2 1/2 years -- and huge thanks should go to the many people who've shared their knowledge and experience with me along the way. A short list (in no particular order) includes:

Shawn Church (UL) from Church Automotive, Roger Troxell from Brown Honda in Arlington, Virginia (the best Honda mechanic I've ever met), Sean McElderry from Torque Freaks, Kevin from CR Radiators, Two Hoos, HeCash, RT, JerryPeterson, DavePK, EMC2, YellowStreak, Fuse, Krazik, Vapors, Wesmaster, Schwett, BlackS2000Turbo, Jim from ProFlow Design, and the incredible Dave Levy from Ti Cycles, just to name a few. And, of course, Giles, who's been a partner in crime since we both decided to ditch the VAFCs in favor of the EMS.

One caveat: there is some merit to the argument that a turbo kit is "easy" if (and this is the kicker) all you really want is the bragging rights. In truth, my fuel tuning was great at wide open throttle with the VAFC. Thus, if all you want is to slam the pedal to the floor and waste some guy in a Mustang on a Friday night (just don't do it from a standstill or you'll be picking up metal bits for a hundred yards from the stoplight), then, sure, slap a turbo kit on the car, dyno it for the bragging rights, and call it done. Just never, ever take the car to the track. And don't ever turn up the boost. And, don't expect it to run forever...

I echo Gile's comment: there's a LOT of bad advice out there. I've learned the hard way, but I now do ALL the work on my car myself. I just haven't found anyone I trust as much as I do myself -- and given how little I knew about all this three years ago, that says several things.

CB

cbender

Update: I've been logging some miles with the new setup, and things seem to be running just fine. I took the car back to Sean McElderry from Torque Freaks for a quick EMS-checkup and all was well.

The new dumptube setup -- whereby my wastegate dumps excess exhaust back into the downpipe rather than straight into the atmosphere under the engine -- is much better. Going hard on the throttle no longer sounds like an unmuffled V-8. It's still loud but not nearly as objectionable so.

The water cooling seems to do a good job of keeping my underhood temps. down a bit. And the six-point harness in combination with the Elda bar is great.

I've my first track day on the 20th. Hopefully, the report from that will be good, and I can stop fussing with the car and start enjoying it again.

The only possible additional mod I'm still considering is venting my hood. Even with the heat shield Roger (from Brown Honda in Arlington, VA) fabricated for me, the bay still gets hotter than I'd like.

Best,
CB

dre107

Great info guys!

So, from what i've been reading, a major part of the problem was the turbo and hardware itself. Oil leaking and overheating and such, correct? And the other big part being tuning...which it seems, is just about fixed for you guys.

My question is, what about the E-Manage? With the ability to control timing, is it an OK option for tuning? Part throttle, Temp changes, deceleration...ect? Thanks and good luck guys!

Johnny