New Owner: Anything I should know? What should I mod first? [merged]

[airboss]

Hello to everbody in this forum. I'm new to all of this so from time to time I may ask a foolish question or two so bear with me. I just recently purchased a 1991 Talon TSi Turbo FWD for $7,600.00 Canadian and the Car was in MINT condition, never winter driven, always stored indoors, 100,000 kms., one owner (A Doctor) who always did the regular maintenance and anything else that needed to be done, and always a couple of good coats of Mother's Wax on her. She is in Pristine condition on the inside as well as under the hood, Pictures will follow soon so you can see for youself. What do you think? Also, I plan on doing some modifications, nothing outrageous but enough to put her around 250 HP. I'm thinking a mechanical boost gauge mounted on a single A Pillar Pod, a K & N High FLow Air Filter System to replace the whole stock can filter that is there now, and a new blow-off valve...Does this sound reasonable? That would do it for mods under the hood for now. The rest would be looks items like 17" Sniper Rims, and a neon purple ground effect kit.

Let's here those comments...I'm new to this stuff so all advise and help would be appreciated.

 

[Nitercr02]

Well, in my opinion, putting a cold air intake in the turbocharged Eclipse isn't as effective as desired. A new shifter as in a short shifter or just replace the one you have with another exactly like the one you have? Just curious, because some people around here do that and I see it as pointless.. But I would suggest following the guide, as it seems to be a safe bet.

And it would be fun to spend a little bit in modifications.. That is the fun of DSM.. (Again, in my opinion).

 

[nightracer91]

Srry to hear bout your camero. I agree with spool up, better the machine than the operator. Well, check out the tech guide. There is a lot of information on there. You'll probably be able to find what you are looking for on there.

Also, get some pics up so we can check out your ride.

 

[MrBoxx]

As noted before, the tuning guide here is very helpful and follows the normal procedures for tuning these cars. The VFAQ will also help you out immensely with free mods and troubleshooting problems with your car.

Regarding your aversion to modifying the exhaust: You might be surprised at how a turbocharged car's exhaust is usually a lot more subdued than an NA 4 cylinder's ehaust note. It's much deeper and quieter, and upgrading the exhaust is one of the foremost things you can do to really increase power on a turbocharged car: it makes a distinctive difference over what you would make in an NA car. The turbo's exhaust housing seems to absorb a lot of the high pitch sound, so the result is a nice rumbly exhaust at idle. At WOT, it might get a little noisy, but that's to be expected.

Turbo cars don't tend to use cold-air intakes as you know them. It's possible to cut a hole in the plate below the stock airbox location and route a pipe and filter below it, and a few people have done it and had good results, but it's not a common thing to do. Most people just stick with an Injen/Dejon-style intake and do fine with it. A heat shield that conforms to the contours of the engine bay can block off a lot of the engine heat and bring intake temps down considerably. There are a few tech articles here on how to make one for cheap. Either way, freeing up the intake and ehaust will net pretty large gains for just starting out.

A few things you might do before spending any money on things would be to do a boost leak test and check the turbo for shaft play. There's a vfaq on how to make and use a boost leak tester at vfaq.com. Even small leaks can affect your performance. Doing boost leak tests every once in a while will help troubleshoot a wide variety of problems. Check the turbo for shaft play to see if the turbo is starting to fail. Take off the intake tube and try to wiggle the compressor wheel side to side, in and out, up and down. A very small amount of movement is okay, but if it wiggles noticeably, you may have to replace the turbo soon before it fails. It's a good excuse to upgrade, anyway.

Good luck and welcome to DSMtuners.

 

[luvmygst]

Logger- $150
14b -- $150
MBC- $50
boost gauge- -$50
upgrade Bov-- $50 (1gbov)
Do all of your maintenece things and start here and not break the bank. With these few mods you will notice a big gain in performance. This is the first things I did to my car and it is night and day. But be warned it gets addictive.(I have the same modification problem)

 

[pitbullowner_2]

the unhooking of the battery, see when you shut off the car if you have any door lights or anything on the dash come on because when i first got my car 1/20/06 it had to be the same way and it was just my hatch not catching all the way or something and i just removed the fuse for it and i dont have to bother with unhooking the battery everytime its a pain...anyways go for the car if you have another for transportation you wont regret it if you like to build up cars there fun to drive and pretty easy to work on with great mods for cheap on dsmtuner you cant go wrong at all... you will be spanking those honda lovers a*ses all day long

 

[Talon96]

manual boost controller, raise boost to about 15-16 psi. you can make your own.

 

[ReNxWar]

That vfaq is one hell of a resource. Doing some research, am I right to believe that a custom made magnaflow muffler exhaust would be the quietest? What is a 14b? What are the differences between a 1g BOV and say, a 150$+ aftermarket one?

I know I wont be able to leave it stock for long, I'd just like to get it paid off alittle bit before I dive in. Plus its kind of disheartening to dump thousands into your car, then have it be gone in the blink of an eye, with no chance of getting 1/3 back.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2055334 < Pics of my old car

 

[MrBoxx]

The 14b is the turbo that came on the 1st generation DSM's. I currently run a 14b and it's quite a step up from the stock T25 turbo. You can find good ones in a junkyard for fairly cheap, so it's one of the cheaper "bang for the buck" upgrades you can do.

Really, the only difference between the 1g BOV and an expensive aftermarket one is price and appearance. There are a few BOV's that really stand out performance-wise, such as a Tial, but that's pretty much a race-only valve. The 1st gen BOV is a very capable valve that will usually hold up to 18 psi just fine, more if crushed. The stock 2g plastic BOV tends to leak after about 12 psi. Like a 14b turbo, the 1g BOV can be found in junkyards for fairly cheap as well.

If you put a Magnaflow muffler on with custom made 2.5" or 3" piping, you should be very happy.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

Don't knock the exhaust yet, its the single best upgrade you could do. It sounds nothing like a Honda regardless of the setup.

I'd definately agree with luvmygst's list. I think you have some shopping to do now. And research, research, research!

 

[ReNxWar]

I think I would really need to hear a turbo'd exhaust in person, since the only "upgraded" exhaust I've heard has been on Integras and Civics. Ultimately I think I'm just very bias, coming from a V8.

What times should I expect to run in stock form? I know a vert will obviously be heavier, but aren't GS-Ts running around 15 seconds in the 1/4?

 

[MrBoxx]

In comparison, my exhaust note at idle sounds very similar, in my opinion, to a V8, at least in resonance and pitch. Higher RPM's, it gets a little louder and higher pitched, but it's not at all unappealing. You'll find that the DSM exhaust is much much quieter and deeper than the relatively high-pitched, whiny Honda motors. Don't take this as any sort of disrespect towards you, but don't let your preconceptions of any other four cylinder engines affect how you decide to modify your current 4g63 equipped car. She'll suprise you to no end.

A good stock GST with a good driver can probably hit low 15's with no problem.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

How good of a driver are you? Yes, sadly all stock 2G's are less than impressive stock, but who's stock? Not me. Not you either very soon.

The exhaust doesn't sound like any other car. IMO its not a pleasant sound, but it makes power so I could care less. Have you heard a Datco bus or a dump truck? Ok you get the idea...

 

[talontsi01]

I think this is a very close call. Personally, I would hold off due to the things that are wrong with the laser opposed to your ranger running well (I'm assuming it runs well, you didn't say anything about the condition of it). It just dosn't seem like the chance of something else (added to what already is wrong) being broken or needs replacement being worth it. Also, if this laser dies on you, what car do you have to drive? Obviously, you also have to consider selling your ranger for cash and buying a different dsm.

 

[prelude89]

My Ranger runs good, but is kind of rusty and has 138k miles on it. I have an 89 Honda Prelude Si to drive if something is wrong with the DSM. If I sold my Ranger I wouldn't expect over $1000, and I won't find a DSM in good shape for $1000. My friend who wants to trade is into the "mini truck" scene, and that's why he wants to trade.

 

[2G_RFF_GST]

If you're a mod addict and you don't want to do it anymore... Well then you bought the wrong kind of car my friend. . You're going to want a bigger exhaust if you want more performance though. Though only way around that problem (of upgrading your exhaust) is just buy an exhaust with a silencer in it. There are also plenty of exhausts out there that have a nice deep sound. Like a V8. I'm just getting into DSMs myself so i can't really recomend any for your car. But i do know they make nice sounding exhausts for 4-cylinders. I had magnaflow on my Lancer and it sounded almost as mean (if not just as much) as my friends V8 camero.

Good luck with your addiction and happy modding.

 

[SprayinGS-T]

Also being the owner of a gst spyder, i know how it feels to be the heavier big brother but its not that big of a deal with the right mods. I made high 12's - low 13's with just NOS and a MBC, of course that was stupid and I was new...but now with a new engine and a lot more research i'm looking at mid 12 off the spray and hoping to break into the 11's on the spray....not to bad for a little convertible. (plus the chicks dig it)

 

[daveyfx]

A good way to keep the noise level down is to take the following approach with your exhaust:
* shorty downpipe (RRE makes a nice one)
* high-flow cat
* Thermal R&D cat-back

The first thing you will want to do is chuck the T25 and get a 14b or one of the 16G variants. While you're at that, have the turbo ported and bolt on a 2.5" O2 housing to complete the exhaust.

Whether or not you go with a front mount intercooler, buy the full set of intercooler hard pipes to replace the stock rubber and plastic hoses. For the pipe that the BOV flange is mounted on, purchase a hard replacement pipe that is flanged for the 1st generation (1G) blow-off valve.

Add in a manual boost controller (Hallman Pro is great) and an aftermarket boost gauge and you'll really start having some fun.

 

[ReNxWar]

What kind of gains should I expect with that setup, Daveyfx?

 

[out there]

with a tdo5 housing turbo (14b, 16g,etc), you should have no problem putting 200-250 hp to the ground; once you get a logger and fuel stuff, then raise that number to 250-320 or so.
however, (as mentioned before) good exhaust is integral to making big power, i'm sure you've heard the engine/air-pump analogy before.

 

[GSTBlack95]

Its also not hard to break over 200 whp with a t-25 either, I pulled it off just fine, you just need a good tune with some kinda of management.

 

[spyderturbo007]

First thing you should do is a tune up. Plugs, wires, fuel filter, timing belt (if needed), blah, blah.

I understand how you feel about upgrading the exhaust. I'm not planning to do anything with mine either. At this point I'm really just courious to see how much HP I can squeeze out running the stock cat back.

I made a little over 240WHP on the stock cat back and the stock UICP at 17.5psi. I was pushing around 28 lbs/min if I remember correctly. I am now on an upgraded UICP and have increased the boost to 20psi. That brought my airflow up to 33 lbs/min, which is one hell of an increase.

 

[d3m0]

If you were still wondering how exhaust sounds like on our cars, I have a video clip (with sound) of my friend's GST on the dyno.


http://videos.streetfire.net/search/300/2/F2B68886-FBE7-4166-95E5-A72A7D3726A6.htm

Sounds just as mean in person. I believe he has a 3" Espilir Exhaust with a catless downpipe, and a test pipe. Enjoy

 

[numlock666]

Welcome a newcommer to the DSM family, my 1995 Talon TSi. Since my 2GNT went down due to a timing belt break and i know first hand how hell it is. I just bought a TSi. Yhea i know the turbos are less reliable but WOW it moves . Well its got 169K miles on it , what should be done as in matainence wise to keep it ticking another 50K miles or so at least till i have an engine rebuild.

2GNT Eclipse - Love you and miss you, will get you purring again.
2G-T Talon - Woooohooooo!!

 

[Splitpi]

Welcome a newcommer to the DSM family, my 1995 Talon TSi. Since my 2GNT went down due to a timing belt break and i know first hand how hell it is. I just bought a TSi. Yhea i know the turbos are less reliable but WOW it moves . Well its got 169K miles on it , what should be done as in matainence wise to keep it ticking another 50K miles or so at least till i have an engine rebuild.

2GNT Eclipse - Love you and miss you, will get you purring again.
2G-T Talon - Woooohooooo!!

I would say to do the usual 60k maintance because you are not sure if and when it was last done.

Timing Belt (incuding pulleys, and tensioner), Balance Shaft belts, Waterpump, Transmission flush, new NGK plugs (gap to 0.028-0.031), new wires, new fuel filter, new thermostat, oil change, new PCV valve, new valve cover gaskets and spark plug gaskets.

Check that the brakes aren't grabbing, you still have brake pad left, the rotors are still in spec. Verify none of the shocks are leaking.

Clean out the intercooler and at the same time install put a cheap filter onto the valve cover vent (or get a catch can).

Do a boost leak test.

Do a compression test.

Also probably the best purchases for your car (in my oppinion):
1) K&N FIPK (or equivalent, SBR has their own kit or get a an adapter for the 2G and use a cylinder air filter)
2) Get a boost guage.
3) Get a MBC (set for a conservative 13 psi)
4) Get a 1G BOV
5) Get a Dave Brode UIC pipe w/1G BOV flange (just recommending cause its cheap and can be primed and painted to your needs)

And get/install in that order. It will help. You'll notice a big difference when you do step 4&5.

Edit: Congrats on the new car and I hope you enjoy it. Also, when you do the valve cover gaskets you'll have a chance to look into the head and see if there is any sludge build-up. It will give you and indication of how the motor was treated throughout its life. Also when you pull plugs check the condition to see how the motor is performing.

 

[numlock666]

Well the guy I bought it from was a great guy, thanks Yuri. All matanence was documented with reciepts for everything. New clutch , and clutch slave master cylinders. Rotors and pads, regular oil changes and all. Only thing is hes the 2nd owner so... I don't know much about what happened with the 1st. Took a look at the timing belt (alot easier to do compaired to the 420a) and from my standpoint it looks pretty good. What should i be looking for as in indications of something wrong. Im gunna do the cleaning on the IC and catch can once i have some cash again. But now im broke since the purchase .