For those of you who dont know, these kits are made in China and look pretty much the same across the board. Heres a link to one vendor that sells the kit so you guys have an example. ---> http://www.autozconcept.com/pr...=5431

If anyone has some better pics of the kit please feel free to post them up so people will know what were talking about.

To start things off, i want to say that some people can use these kits and have them last a year or two with no major issues. However, the majority of people who buy the kits have problems within 6 months. The two biggest problems with the kit that i have seen from first hand experience and second hand is that either the manifold will crack, or the turbo seals will blow. In other occasions, the wastegate flange just completely blows off the manifold, as has happened to a few ka-ters. The stainless on the manifolds is thin, and of poor quality resulting in cracks around the welds or collector. I have also heard that the turbos are poorly balanced, and if you push them into high boost the compressor wheel will explode sending metal into your engine. I have also heard of the wastegate diaphragm ripping, causing an over boost situation and blowing a motor. The BOV's typically need to be taken apart and the casting marks sanded off of them so they dont leak. Those are the main problems i can think of off the top of my head about these kits.

The main problem here is that the Chinese kits lack any real quality control. They are mass produced as quickly and cheaply as possible.

That being said, we have guys who run the kits and they work fine. On a sidenote, you MUST run a .63 size oil restrictor with these kits or you will blow your turbos aft oil seal. This will cause your car to be undrivable, smoke so thick that you cant see out your back window. You can pick one up from Mc-Master Carr, the part number is 2712T488 (.63 orfice).

I 100 percent regret buying one of these kits for 800 bucks a year and a half ago. Now that i have a ka-t, the only thing i still use on my car from the kit was the intercooler, half of my IC piping(which was thin as crap and hard to weld), and a really nice Blitz boost gage/turbo timer(what a way to spend 800..). I was going to use the manifold, but after seeing how crappy it was, and hearing all the horror stories about it, decided not to put it on my car and went with something else. I used the turbo without a restrictor and it lasted all of three wide open throttle runs.

So thats that, please anyone with first hand or good second hand knowledge of the kit chime in to make this a better thread.

"Environmentalists are a socialist group of individuals that are the tool of the Democratic Party. I'm proud to say that they are my enemy. They are not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans."

WD

WD

They're sensitive to vibrations so either Motor mounts need to be good/upgraded and/OR a flex pipe installed in the exhaust. (I'm sure crappy old MM's have caused alot of cracking, but that's my opinion)

With that being said, I bought 2 manifolds, and are running JGS poly mounts, so hopefully i'll be good.

*T3 Manifold- risking it but it's so cheap I had to try $200 for both, shipped!

*SS 38mm DUMP TUBE- looks nice and should work- $39 shipped

*Blindside T3/T4 hybrid- 1yr warranty and WD recommended them, so my fingers are crossed here too. $305 Shipped!

*Big FMIC w/ sr piping, proven to work well up to at least 400hp. $250 shipped

*misc. couplers and t-bolt clamps, they should be decent. $40-80, I don't remember

Everything else is a "brand name", I cheaped out where I could, and when it's done I'll post up about it!

I had a T28 for two years with no problems. I sold it about a year ago to a guy with an SR and it's still running strong.

My current turbo is a T3/T4 which I've had for almost one year with no problems.

I've had the intercooler kit for almost three years with no problems, and the fitment was good.

The T2 manifold was used as it came for two years with no problems, and fitment was good. It was reinforced and modified for my current turbo, and still no cracks or problems.

The exhaust system has good fitment, and it's been in my car for almost three years with no problems.

Knock on wood...

However, I've tried the Gripforce Stage 3 clutch and I don't recommend it. The pedal was too soft and didn't come back up to it's regular position, and it slipped horribly. Later that same day, I put the old OEM unit back in. I now have the ACT HDR6 clutch kit, and it works great.

Also, the FMU I bought from Ebay came defective, but I bought an identical used unit locally for real cheap and it worked great for the 3-4 months prior to upgrading to SAFC.

Learn is what i did... after i was done with the installation inside of 2 days. i fired it up and i ran good for a while..... then the turbo developed major radial and axial shaft play at about month 8 or 9. but it was good to me.. i only ran 8psi and it did fine at the track and on the street for about a year before that issues

brought home 13 second slips and smoke the tires when drifting... so it made me happy

i have a whole new setup now only part thats still around from that first setup is the wastegate and thats on its way out after 2 years. It is not sealing anymore so ill pick up a tail 38mm when i get back home

the manifold is a second gen ssac manifold with a brace welded on and never cracked even after i swapped to the z31 T3

the bov started to leak after about hmmm 2 months and i swapped that out with a blitz bov and then went to a dsm bov

and also the wastegate has a thick crush-ring that lots of people forget and causes issues

2005

Or, which T3 top mount manifolds that give me lots of room by the master cylinder? I'm really worried about melting it, and I'm not totally comfortable running the DP so close to it if I can avoid it.

I've got a SOHC I'm about to pull in favor of the dual cam, and this isn't as much as an issue because most are bottom mount manifolds that clear fine as long as I don't have a/c.

Thanks

there are many choices dude... just Google it

as far as melting.. just heat shield it... My Exhaust housing is pretty big as you can see in my sig.. i have No issues.. my MC is always warm to the touch even after drift events.

It came with a nice bottom mount mani, down pipe with a flex section, a T25, and oil lines.

How ever he did purchase a rebuilt kit for the T25 and rebuilt it, just so he has re assurance. He has been running this setup on 8 psi for almost a year now and still no problem.

I know it's not a 240ebay kit, but it's still an ebay kit ...

all companies start out small with no backing and get good with time. others just go away.

http://app.infopia.com/Shop/Co...31982

Chicago HIN 2008

So far, I am happy with the way everything has worked out. I must be the one of the luckiest ka-t guys. Turbo spools good, wastegate opens giving me a solid 10 psi and the t3 top mount manifold has that brace which I'm sure helps a lot.

Only thing that sucks is that the exhaust housing on the turbo is really close to the brake m/c. I ceramic coated and heat wrapped the downpipe to help cut down on the radiating heat. This however is really a design issue on the manifold not the quality of the parts.

It's coming up on a year and my car runs strong. Just some points worth mentioning:
-Get an orifice .063, or you will be buying a new turbo or getting a rebuild. no exceptions here
-If you are in the market for an ssac t3 top mount manifold, try getting one that has the support brace, it has worked for me. This brace is basically a square piece of metal that is welded to the t3 flange and the exhaust flange that bolts to the cylinder head. This keeps the header tubes to support the ENTIRE weight of the turbo.
-Chinese parts, like exhaust systems sometimes, have a tendency to need minor modifications for fitment, be prepared for a little grinding or cutting here and there. I had to cut, grind and weld exhaust hangers on an ebay exhaust system.
-All in all, chinese parts will help you fund other things like management, motor mounts, suspension, or even a engine rebuild.
-Don't believe everything you hear: Stories of a chinese turbo completely exploding and sending chards of impellor blades into your engine are most likely NOT not gonna happen.

Oh yeah you shouldn't buy chinese headlight bulbs, mine burned out after 2 months..you get what you pay for.

I do not want to do the hockey puck mod either, I believe it will cause uneeded stress throughout the mounts/chassis.

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=189914

But then again, like gtrpryde said you can just get a used sr20 t-25, those should go well over 100,000 miiles and they are pretty cheap

The kit you pictures is a bottom mount kit so no need to cut anything, and a SR downpipe will work, maybe the guy is referring to ebay top mounts?

I'd be a bit cautious about saying that. A friend of mine is running an ebay Greddy Type S knockoff, the interior diaphragm is pretty flimsy. Instead of the rubber seal being in the valve seat like an actual greddy it's an oring attached to the valve that is prone to pulling off and then sucking unfiltered air through the BOV, or massively leaking boost.

I run an ebay FMIC, seems fine so far. Pressure tested and it's fine. Only other ebay parts i have was the IC piping.... and you can't really screw up piping.

Quote, originally posted by Encryptshun »

So he has an Integra and you have a 240? I know why she left you. She likes it in the front better than the rear. Welcome to NICO.

lol apparently you can... my ebay "SR" downpipe fits like crap, it faces the driveshaft...

He said he replaces the header that comes with it, with an equal length. It gains more power. He promises some very nice numbers.

He doesnt build a custom header. This is just what he quoted me. I imagine like everything that once you get in to do the work, the prices start to go up. Because of little things added on that cost more. I am just repeating what he told me.

Well that really depends on what your doing with the pipe. If your just cutting and using couplers, yea sure you cant go wrong with ebay piping.

However, as i have found through first hand experience, if your trying to tig the cheap stuff up you can run into all kindsa problems. First, the cheap stuff is really thin. This makes it very difficult to control the heat when using a tig torch. You can burn through that stuff in a heartbeat. In addition, some of it will have impurities in the aluminum that will pop when your welding it. It leaves a nasty weld that you either have to grind down and redo or just live with the ugliness.

'Well theres your problem...'

Quote, originally posted by WesTnine9 »

S14tan, you are by far the most helpful NICO member I've come across when it comes to simple "newbish" questions. Thanks for understanding that everyone has to start somewhere. Thanks for the help man.

I don't have experience with the ebay bov's, I just heard they work good but I also heard they sound like crap. I got the greddy type rs for around 200 shipped and it has quality with a great sound.

This does limit your turbo selection to something that is to small IMO. Unless you buy a GT spec turbo for $1200. But at that point you really should consider a better flowing T3 mani and T3 or better turbo. Again, thats my opinion.

WD

Quote, originally posted by s14tan »

So... lets say I'm going to build a eBay t3 top mount kit to push 7-8 psi, what would you recommend getting from ebay? besides injectors and tunning. Curious cause This is what I might end up doing and I plan to learn from others mistakes.

dude if you are only gonna boost 7-8 psi, I would just do the t28 turbo. Or even t25. You can get a nice bottom mount manifold with the t25/8 and I heard that the sr20 intercooler piping and the exhaust elbow pipe line up pretty damn close. Something I would've done since my stock internals probably couldn't handle much past the t25's efficiency range of 14 psi. Having a quick-spooling turbo will give you a smooth power curve and some strong low-end torque

I thought I saw someone with a bottom-mount t3/t4 setup on here before.

heres and example:
68 dollars plus 31 shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

159 dollars plus 26 shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

which one would be best to go with?