Manifold design became more critical and more thought went into fabricating the merge-collector (from both cylinder head exhausts) and how to increase exhaust velocity feeding the turbo. During development, runner length was sufficient to eliminate any pulsing that might occur which would cause a flow impediment leading to high EGT, backpressure and detonation. Ramanan and Steve also decided to fit in the largest downpipe possible, which turned out to be a three-incher that tapers down to 2 3/4 inches going back toward the catalytic converter. This set-up was used on Ramanan's car while Steve's car received a 2 3/4-inch downpipe that reduced to a to 2.5-inch pipe because the big-pipe setup was a very tight fit.
"I tuned the car using a TechEdge wideband O2 unit and experience," says Ramanan. Initial tuning was performed on the street but when things got serious it was time to hit the dyno. Ramanan dialed in three degrees of retard applied at 5-6 psi to curb detonation due the poor 91-octane fuel and the engine's 10.5:1 compression. On the rollers, the new setup delivered the good -419.3 whp and 362.1 lb-ft of torque an improvement of 73.4-whp compared to the old kit at pretty much an identical boost level (6.2 psi).
Ramanan estimates replicating the setup would run between $6,000 and $7,000, installed, depending on the type of turbo you pick. Boosting an auto-shifted Cl would be trickier due to a lack of space for piping but still doable. On newer Accords and TLs the integration of the cat into the exhaust manifold would be a hurdle. But according to Ramanan, "boost will find a way."
Looking in the ol' crystal ball Ramanan foresees the addition of a 750cc secondary injector, which will allow the system to support around 8.0 psi. The power goal is 460-470 whp on 100-octane fuel.
Ramanan quietly confessed that the CL more than feels fast, "It's crazy fast and capable of putting a few car lengths on a 996 TT, Ferrari Modena 360 etc. At 470 whp who knows!?! I had to purchase a set of Yokohama ES100s which are way better than the stock Michelins but even the Yokos still granulate under full throttle." This is one sleeper that will be the nightmare of many an exotic.
| FOR THOSE ABOUT TO BOOST... |
| Turbo | Garrett GT35R ball-bearing turbo |
| Turbine Specs | 0.82A/R, 68mm 84-trim wheel |
| Compressor Specs | 0.70A/R, 82mm 56-trim wheel |
| Wastegate | TiAL 38mm 6.82-psi spring |
| Blow-Off Valve | TiAL |
| Intercooler | Garrett High-Fin I/C Core (18x8x3.5 deep) Custom tapered end-tanks with 2.5-inch inlet/outlets |
| Fuel Enrichment | Comptech FPR, Earl's lines/fittings, Walbro 255-lph pump |
| Tuning | GReddy E-manage |
| Piping | Stainless-steel downpipe, stainless-steel A-pipe, 2.5-inch I/C piping |
Car Modifications Required:
Relocation of battery to the trunk, Weld bung on oil pan for turbo feed/drain lines, stainless-steel mount for turbo (mounts to tranny).
Editor's Note
We would like to showcase more "Reader Boost-Up" articles in future issues. If you have a worthy turbo project, e-mail the specifics and some Jpegs to evan.griffey@primedia.com with the subject line "Reader Boost-Up."