Crunch time - to turbo or not to turbo

[Lurkin]

I have an ae101 levin with a silvertop in it. finally everything on it works... been a fantastic uni car - never had it breakdown etc.

However, have finished uni and will be starting a grad position shortly... and board to death with it...

So I figure I have 3 options:

- drive how it is, use and abuse then sell in favour of a faster, factory car. (Unlikely to be a toyota as the new ones are even lamer)

- Pretty much copy Touge_ae101 in many respects and aim for a slightly hotter n/a version of it.

- Plonk a hairdryer on it.

Have been slowly convincing myself of the 3rd option.. given that power
appears easier to get from turbo vehicles than n/a..

it seems many of these posts end up in questions revolving around the desired power. Given the car has never been dynoed, I have no correspondence with power figures. Basically interested in building/ getting something a bit quicker than can handle as well as an ae101.

Not interested (yet) in joining the likes of Bazda's and XSVWAGONS power... just want something faster than stock...

[h8wrxs]

im doing exactly this to my trueno at the moment

been thinking about it for aaaaggggeeesss, im not going for big power just want a bit more grunt because my stock 4age struggles up alot of hills

go the turbo

[Lurkin]

hmm. you have owned turbo cars before (you have an evo no?) so I'm guessing you know a bit more about them to begin with?

Have noticed to availability/ cheapness of subaru turbos... VF* - but not really sure what this means.. obviously the manifold flange and turbo must match....

yeah have thought about it quite a bit - the advent of trademe has made these sorts of ideas cheaper/ possible.

I take it you are looking to rebuild another engine outside the car, then transplant it in once finished?

is there benefits of 16v over 20v in the turbo context? was thinking of using 4agze pistons - but could just buy a block etc. if the head is likely to make any difference... realise this is a whole can of worms - but better to consider now I think...

[Bling]

Hard choice.

I wouldn't go the N/A route personally as you could probably turbo it for similar money but have a faster much more driveable car.

So for me it would come down to, do you like the Levin that much you'd spend the $$$ to turbo it. Or for perhaps similar money overall, sell it and get a factory turbo car.

I'd go for something else, S15 would do me fine Or you could buy a levin (or 4agte package) that has already been turbo'd that you know has been built properly

[Lurkin]

I would rather bulid my own than inherit another piece of junk. this way at least I would have an idea of why it would have problems

and I would learn a heap in the mean time with it - which is probably more valuable in the long run.

The only packages I have spied so far have been a bit more than what I wanted anyway.

[Dell'Orto]

Turbo it, there have been so many done over the years now, its well documented. Subaru turbos are alright, but if I were to do one, I'd cop ATA|'s setup. Very drivable, but still shedloads of power

[h8wrxs]

i have owned quite a few turbo cars but have never turboed an N/A motor before but ive doen my research (thanks to everyone on toyspeed ive annoyed with questions lol)

yeah ive just bought 2 more motors so will strip them down and get the better one built then do a transplant one day when im home

and as BZG said, it depends on how much you like your car, i love my trueno, ill never sell it, so it makes sense to me to do it

im going to fit a t28 turbo off an s15 silvia, ive seen them used before with good results.

seen quite a few done with TD04 mitsi turbos and a few VF turbos

[rollaholic]

i've always thought the easiest way to cheaply turbo a 4a is to get a complete 4agze, they are already setup for boost (injectors, MAP, compression ratio etc) and the ecu is allegedly good for 150kw on a turbo. it may not be the tidiest or smoothest drive but they do go - and thats prob the most expensive part, ecu + tune. can be hard to find a good one these days though.

if i were to go that route i'd try and find something under 200k, and leave it unopened, unless your budget is 5k +

[sergei]

If you are after fun car to drive with minimal hassle, get later STI (v9 or so). That will be more drivable, more reliable and will handle better. Assuming that you are budgeting for proper build (forged pistons, ecu, turbo or cams, suspension, brakes etc).

Of course you could just spend ~ $5k and get elcheapo ~150kW.

It all depends if you like turning your only car into project for months.

[Lurkin]

not really. was more thinking of a bigger picture - start collecting bits.. then work out what can be done without having to finish the entire job. hence buying a second engine may add $200 odd, but allow for something driveable in the meantime.

was not planning to change cams, (to what?) or the suspension. brakes were either to be upgraded to Caldina GTT calipers or going for one of Bazdas willwood jobs - undecided on this. would prefer the cheaper options as its reasonably straightforward (bar cert cost) to change in the future.

[captain crescent]

drop a 2zzge in to it

[MR2BOY23]

Sell it, buy this

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 283944.htm

[Bling]

Then sign up here: NZ MR2 Club

[iOnic]

May as well join here too. Seems to be a rite of passage. NZ 3SGTE Enthusiasts Club

[Boosted_162]

May as well join here too. Seems to be a rite of passage. NZ 3SGTE Enthusiasts Club

I love reading back on that thread, and being thankful i dont drive a car with a 3S anymore

[Dell'Orto]

WTF, I'm still winning? I didnt have a 3SGTE for like 4 years

[sik_gt_starly]

personally wouldnt bother doing any upgrades, just keep doing regular maintenance and the levin will last you for ages, i have one myself, the best daily driver ever.

been a fantastic uni car - never had it breakdown etc.

why fix what aint broke? at the end of the day its "only" a levin and when you start throwing money and upgrading it it will cost a ton and youl never get close to what you spent on it. The coin youl have spent on upgrades could be saved and put towards a decent newer car (if thats what floats your boat)

[Lurkin]

trust me - Ive thought of this option... but don't really like the cars Toyota has put out since.. and have had bad experiences in the mean time with other makes.... thus a bit hesitant to purchase another car as it seems like rolling the dice - frankly end up wondering when I will figure out why the last person sold it!

in the meantime its been suggested I buy another ae101 - but a 4agze.. thus have a daily and something abit quicker that is more set up for swapping to turbo... seems like an ok option.

also wondering if just plain swapping to an 4agze ae101 is a better option anyway - assuming the supercharger = an answer to the lack of torque.. and better for street usage as opposed to the massive achieveable drag power of turbo... food for thought.

[sergei]

Why you have to stick with toyota?
Afraid of subaru reliability? For later models it is a misconception.

[h8wrxs]

im assuming that seeing as hes talking about ae101s that his budget is probly under $5k? so im assuming the late model subarus are way out of the budget, and the older ones are just crap

ultimately depends on what you want, if theres a specific turbo car out there you want just save and go buy that and keep the levin as a stock daily runabout

Why you have to stick with toyota?
Afraid of subaru reliability? For later models it is a misconception.

subarus suck IMO get an evo