The car's only shortcoming was the stock brakes. They stopped fine, but the taller tires could easily cause quick pad wear. We would look for some more stopping power if the red rocket belonged to us. This is nitpicking. The car and the turbo kit got a big thumbs up.
The heroes of this saga were the technicians at XS Engineering. The XS crew handled the R&D effort that went into this strictly bolt-on boost proposition. The Celica's 2ZZ powerplant was left internally stock and the head was untouched. A tubular manifold was fashioned to position the turbo, which was a tedious task, considering the lack of room between the engine and firewall. The manifold is home to the big power adder-an IHI AX-1 ball-bearing turbo. Prior to entering the engine, the turbo pushes air through a custom XS Engineering air-to-air intercooler. The chiller features a big 24x11-inch XS Engineering GTR core and the end tanks have been polished to a high-luster finish.
The red seat cloth shifter...
The red seat cloth shifter boot is an especially nice touch. It ties in with the seats and the console and frames the B&M shifter nicely.
When it came to meeting fueling requirements, XS faced a real challenge. The Toyota runs a single-line fuel system, which means that enrichment is more intrusive and does not keep with the bolt-on personality of the kit. The pump and regulator approach of the kit met the demands, but XS wanted something friendlier. The use of an additional injector set-up is the leading candidate to cure this problem. As it sits now, the ECU is unmolested and the 2ZZ retains its stock injectors and fuel lines. An MSD fuel pump increases fuel volume, while an SX standard fuel regulator teamed with a Vortech boost-sensitive unit bumps the pressure as the engine comes up on boost. This set-up is more than adequate, which says a lot, considering the engine's lofty 11.5:1 compression ratio and the kit's 7.5 psi peak boost. On the spark side, the OE ignition has been enhanced with a B&M New Volt ignition amplifier.
On the dyno, numbers don't lie and the XS Engineering turbo kit rewards the enthusiast by generating an additional 94.1 hp at the wheels. The car baselined at 157.1 and after bolting on the boost, it spun the rollers to the tune of 251.2 hp. If you are concerned about flywheel numbers, figure a 15 percent driveline reduction into the equation, and the ALT Celica makes an estimated 288 hp. Turbos are great for low-end torque and the Celica illustrated this point vividly. At 2800 rpm, an additional 30 lbs-ft were being generated, 40 lbs-ft at 3000 rpm, 51 lbs-ft at 3200 rpm and 55 lbs-ft at 3500. This was quite good, considering the 2ZZ's 7600 rpm redline and 7250 rpm peak power point. The numbers were run without a cat and when we drove the car, it was set up in 50-state legal trim, making 233 hp at the wheels.
From start to finish, the...
From start to finish, the ALT Celica had us seeing red. The interior was wrapped in red and flexed a high degree of refinement.
The trick Sparco racing buckets...
The trick Sparco racing buckets set the tone for the entire interior. The Sparcos are stitched in red and ALT purchased some extra red seating material and wrapped the rear seats and a number of other items in the cabin with the material.
The kicker for us was the...
The kicker for us was the center console. Kustom Workz fabricated the console to accommodate aftermarket gauges and a head unit while retaining the factory clock and ventilation controls.