Bolt-on turbo kits have come a long way since our first experience with them over a decade ago. Back then there was no such thing as a true bolt-on turbo kit, it was more like here are all the pieces now YOU make it work. Having been marred by past experiences with a bolt-on turbo system we were expecting the same when it came time to install one on our Project Civic. We viewed it as us against the turbo kit.
The kit we choose is a Turbonetics turbo system that came with all the necessary components to turbocharge the Civic. Turbonetics prides itself on developing turbo systems that are a true bolt-on that do not require hacking or fabricating in order to install them. The system also retains all factory hardware like air conditioning, power steering, factory cooling fans, etc.
After reading the installation manual thoroughly the night before, we headed off to XS Engineering to install the system. We would have performed the install at home but the drain tube needed to be welded into the oil pan and we were skeptical that this was the only fabrication needed to install the kit.
The instructions say the kit could be installed in about eight to 12 hours. When relayed to the XS mechanics they laughed and said, "Hope someone is going to pick you up." At this point we were even more skeptical since the Civic was the only way we could get home. We hoped for the best and proceeded.
Immediately noticeable about the kit is the immaculate packaging. Instead of being bombarded by a box of loose nuts and bolts, the components are packaged in individual, sealed plastic bags. The separate packages made finding the fasteners for each step much easier and cut installation time substantially.
Once the stock exhaust manifold was removed the new manifold, turbocharger and wastegate were installed as a single unit. The centerpiece of the system is a Turbonetics T4/T3 hybrid ceramic ball-bearing turbocharger, custom sized for the Civic. Mounted on top of the manifold is a newly-released Turbonetics' Evolution wastegate assembly.
The fine people at Turbonetics also took the time to reroute the wastegate discharge back into the downpipe. More impressive is that the downpipe bolts up directly to the factory catalytic converter using the factory doughnut, no cutting or welding required. Another plus for the Turbonetics' system is the ceramic-coated turbo manifold, downpipe, and discharge tube.
To install the front-mount Spearco intercooler start by removing the front bumper and trim the front opening as needed to accommodate the intercooler. The intercooler mounts to existing holes on the front core support so no drilling is required.
The intercooler system only comes with three pieces of power-coated I/C piping so figuring out which one goes where is not a problem. The supplied silicone hoses are clamped down by heavy duty T-bolt clamps.
Once all the hardware was installed it was time to move on to the electrical portion of the turbo system. Unlike systems that rely on a fuel pump and a boost-dependent regulator for fuel tuning the Turbonetics' system utilizes a separate injector controller with two high-flow injectors mounted in the I/C piping.