new to turbos and wanna build a KA-t

[vegeta_man111]

This is the turbo specs i was told:

T3/T04E .50 Trim compressor, .60 trim compressor housing / Stg 3 (aka TA31) turbine wheel, .48 to .63 A/R exhaust housing. Internal wastegate optional but not recommended.

all i can say is "WTF?" cause i have no clue what this means. i have looked it up on google and still kinda lost. can someone break this down and enlighten me please?

[AZhitman]

Well, you have quite a bit of reading to do first, before you even start selecting a turbo.

Those are good specs and very similar to what I'm running http://www.nicoclub.com/articl...shtml see Part 7 or 8 for engine build...

You're gonna need to know what manifold, what fuel system, and what engine management you're using. You're gonna need to build that motor for boost (don't think you're going to throw a big honkin T3/T4 on a KA and call it a day)...

There's a TON of good info here, but I recommend a lot of reading and a lot of planning.

For the $$$ I spent building a solid, reliable, high-HP KA-T, I could have had an LSx swap with cash to spare.

[vegeta_man111]

this is what im looking at for now...

Turbo Manifold T3/T04E .50 Trim compressor, .60 trim compressor housing / Stg 3 (aka TA31) turbine wheel, .48 to .63 A/R exhaust housing. Front Mount Intercooler 370cc SR Injectors eManage Wideband O2 Sensor (was told about them. what are they????) Z32 Maf (Same as above)forged pistons

and i keep hearing about how to retard timing. what does that mean?

[480sx]

Your plan is O.K, the turbo you have selected is the way to go for a Ka. A .63 ar turbine housing is perfect for the Ka.

Ditch the E-Manage and go with a rom/ECU tune. They are much more bang for the buck and will retard timing automatically. E-Manage, SAFC's and the like are great for fine tuning but as a stand alone tuning device they fail pretty bad, blows a lot of motors.

You dont need forged pistons, the stockers are plenty strong as long as you have a good tune and dont get detonation. The rods are the weakest link on the Ka.

A wideband O2 sensor is a device that monitors your true air/fuel ratio whenever your driving. The stock o2 sensor tells your car if your richer or leaner than 14.7 AFR, thats it.

Retarding timing means delaying the time that the spark hits in the engine cycle.

The stickied Ka-T Info post at the top of this page is a great resource. If you spent a week reading everything up there you would have a much better idea of what you need to do to boost your motor. So much information already here, any Q you have has already been answered somewhere on Nico. The search function is also really helpful and will answer some of your questions. After you do some research come back to us if you still have questions or want some advice.

[vegeta_man111]

thanks alot guys. looks like im gonna keep researching. How does the ROM/ECU tune work? can i run this on the stock computer?

[lancet913]

I will recommend you look in to JGS tools for your mani and down pipe.

http://jgsturbo.com/index2.html

[AZhitman]

this is what im looking at for now...

Turbo Manifold T3/T04E .50 Trim compressor, .60 trim compressor housing / Stg 3 (aka TA31) turbine wheel, .48 to .63 A/R exhaust housing. Front Mount Intercooler 370cc SR Injectors eManage Wideband O2 Sensor (was told about them. what are they????) Z32 Maf (Same as above)forged pistons

and i keep hearing about how to retard timing. what does that mean?

Hoo boy.

WHICH turbo manifold?

370cc injectors? Umm, better double that.

Plan on forged rods. Forged pistons if you're planning on any useful amounts of boost.

Who's doing your machine work? Who's rebuilding the motor? Who's going to design / weld your intercooler piping?

You're gonna need a complete set of gaskets, a bigger fuel pump, a fuel pressure regulator, a BOV, an oil supply and return line, sandwich plate adapter, an oil pressure gauge, boost gauge,

Seriously brother, if you don't know what a MAF is, what a wideband is, or how timing works, I really think you need to get some basic automotive knowledge before you go throwing parts at your car.

Not trying to be rude, but baby steps - Maybe go through your current KA and do an OEM rebuild JUST to get familiar with it.

[480sx]

370cc injectors are cheap and will do 250 hp, so i mean thats not a bad start. Really dont need forged anything, the stock block ka has proven itself to be good for 350 hp repeatedly.

Knows all and makes it easy to find out the basics.

Nico for the rest.

[oz240red]

Hey 480sx, at what boost in the T3 do the 370cc injectors make 250HP?

[AZhitman]

OK, I'm done.

Too many people without built KA-T's sharing inaccurate information.

[480sx]

Hey 480sx, at what boost in the T3 do the 370cc injectors make 250HP?

At 250 hp the 370cc injectors are close to maxed, and you always want a safety window when choosing injectors. While technically the 370s CAN do 260ish they are maxed. A safe goal on 270's is right around 235-240. Your going to have to find out yourself what psi will get you there, its different on every car.

[WDRacing]

The problem here is simple, what are the goals?

If you want a high boost KA then I'd recommend building it from the bottom up. If you want a low boost, say 14 psi or under you really only need a decent turbo, good fuel and ignition management and a decent FMIC kit from EBay. When you buy EBay knock parts you take a big risk, one thing I can vouch for is the FMIC kit, everything is playing with fire.

If you want a used turbo, try Holset, they are cheap and plentiful.

The best KAT's running around today either tried and failed a bunch of times or planned everything out and did it right the first time. We're here to help, but we need things like a working budget and the overall goals for the car.

WD

[AZhitman]

At 250 hp the 370cc injectors are close to maxed, and you always want a safety window when choosing injectors. While technically the 370s CAN do 260ish they are maxed. A safe goal on 270's is right around 235-240. Your going to have to find out yourself what psi will get you there, its different on every car.

Even then, why would ANYONE run an injector that close to max?

I'm using 75-lb injectors (780cc) at 1 bar.

[oz240red]

guys, the reason I ask about the 370cc injectors is because I just bought them used, but like you say, it's better to do it right from the start, so i'm not set in stone about the injectors.

As far as my goals (and I don't mean to jack the thread... maybe this will help the OP)

a realiable 250whp on a T25. I don't think i want to go over that at this time.

PS: (I already have the walbro and will do the ECU tune), but don't feel too sure yet on what injector/turbo size is the best for a reliable 250whp.

I'm inclined to the T25 because I prefer a quick spool over high rpm HP

your thoughts?....

[480sx]

My mistake on tossing that number out there.

The 370cc's are great for a budget build IMO. 100 bucks from a SR, done. You can run 7-8 psi with no problems on them and have a great low boost daily driver. O/C its not ideal at all, but a lot of of Ka-T's are running 370's from what iv seen.

[oz240red]

cool thanks!

I understand that whp will depend on a lot of factors besides the turbo setup (engine condition, temp, etc...) but I just wanted to see if I was being realistic in setting up a 250whp car with the T25 and 370cc injectors without boosting the T25 to the point where it's not efficient anymore.

this forum rocks!

[jedis13]

OK, I'm done.

Too many people without built KA-T's sharing inaccurate information.

[vegeta_man111]

maybe run the 550cc injectors then? Just wondering if anyone knows any websites good to order those from or should i just google it and check prices there? and the turbo i stated above is the T3 right?

EDIT:wow, 800.oo+ for a turbo manifold, downpipe and mouting kit? why so expensive? I havent seen anything that expensive. but i guess.
Modified by vegeta_man111 at 8:49 AM 10/13/2008

[480sx]

That price isnt expensive at all. Its quality and will last your lifetime. They also hold their value.

Yea its a t3. 550cc injectors are fine.

[vegeta_man111]

Is it worth the extra 200.oo or so for the wastegate with that downpipe and manifold kit?