Turbocharging is old headlines for those in the Honda community. Been there, done that. These guys have been bolting boost onto Civics and Integras for nearly two decades. It began with crude turbo exhaust manifold concoctions prepared in muffler shops; turbos and intercoolers robbed from factory boost cars like junkyard Mitsubishi Eclipses and Starions; and old-time engine management solutions like boost-dependent fuel pressure regulators and timing retard boxes that worked ... sort of. These weren't turbo kits in the sense that we know of today. Far from it. The pioneers worked with what they had and pieced together what they could. It took a few years, but soon more than a few rudimentary turbo kits became available, though we hesitate today to even classify some of those as kits. If you happened to purchase a kit for, say, your B18A1 ten or so years ago, you'd walk away with some sort of cast exhaust manifold; a turbo; an intercooler; some piping that, if you're lucky, might not have to be cut to fit; a blow-off valve; and maybe a fuel pump-again, if you were lucky. Sometimes everything went where it was supposed to go. Sometimes it didn't. And since there was really nothing to tune most of the time, nothing came pre-tuned. For just over three grand you'd end up with a turbo under your hood, one or two 'Check Engine' lights, and a detonation-induced piston meltdown waiting to happen.
Only a few years later the number of turbo kits offered for the Integra's B-series are exponentially larger. And, the quality's improved. But with so many kits on the market, it's difficult for any one to stand out from the next. Some boast astronomical power figures more on par with a custom-built drag setup. Others brag of their kits' smog legality, drivability and reliability. The truth is, it's not that difficult to put together a turbo kit capable of making 600-plus horsepower out of a built B-series, or making a less powerful one that's emissions legal. The challenge is in the compromise. Finding an emissions-legal Honda turbo kit that doesn't achieve its greenish status at the expense of power production can be difficult.
If you've ever taken an interest in anything automotive, it's likely you've heard the name Edelbrock. If you haven't, you've done a good job sheltering yourself from the world since birth. The company's been around since the late 1930s. It began by developing manifolds for flathead Ford engines and, later, almost anything and everything you can think of-including fully assembled 460hp Chevy small-block crate engines and intake manifolds for the V-8 Olds'. It's only been within the last few years that Edelbrock began developing and manufacturing parts for the sport compact industry. The latest series of such products to ship from Edelbrock's headquarters are its lineup of Honda turbocharger kits. They offer kits for the '94-'01 Integra GSR, the '99-'00 Civic Si, the '96-'00 Civic EX, and the '92-'95 Civic/Del Sol (with street and track versions of each).
Edelbrock developed both the Performer X kit, the 50-state legal street version, and the Victor X kit, the competition-based version, for each vehicle. The main difference between the two kits is in their intake manifolds. Performer X intake manifolds feature longer runners and a smaller plenum in comparison to the Victor X. The longer runner manifolds produce peak horsepower in the 4500- to 8200-rpm zone, while the Victor X manifolds are good in the 7000- to 10,000-rpm neighborhood. Performer X kits also include a piggyback engine management system that controls ignition timing, and a secondary fuel system consisting of four added injectors. The injectors are mounted to the underside of the manifold with a supplied Edelbrock fuel rail. While Victor X kits don't come with the extra injectors or fuel rail, the provisions in the manifold are there and only need to be drilled out to house an extra set of injectors.
All Edelbrock Honda kits are based off of Garrett GT28-series turbochargers. The B-series kits feature the GT28RS turbo, which comes standard with a dual ball bearing center section that's both oil and water-cooled. The 62 trim compressor wheel has a 47.2mm inducer diameter and 60mm exducer diameter-fairly large, considering the GT28's somewhat medium-sized frame. The compressor housing has a .060 A/R, which is a contributor to its impressive 35-lb/min airflow rating. The GT28RS's turbine side has a 76 trim wheel and .64 A/R housing. D-series kits get the GT28R, a slightly toned-down version of the RS, which instead has a slightly smaller 60 trim wheel but equal 60 A/R on the compressor side, and a turbine side with a 62 trim wheel and .64 A/R. Both turbos are internally wastegated and are good for a maximum of around 15 to 18 psi. At boost levels like that, up to 400 hp on the engine dyno is possible on a built 1.8L with the GT28RS.
Edelbrock's Honda turbo kits...
Edelbrock's Honda turbo kits are about as comprehensive as they come. Performer X kits include stuff you won't find in other kits, such as: the Performer X intake manifold; the Mototron piggyback fuel and ignition controller; and every brass fitting, nipple, adapter and hose you can think of. The turbo assembly comes pre-assembled like you see here, so you don't have to worry about clocking the compressor housing just right or hooking up the water and oil lines to the turbo.
So you want a big picture...
So you want a big picture of a turbo? Well beg no more. The Garrett GT28 series turbos are perfect for engines smaller than 3.0L, like the D- and B-series. The GT28RS matched to the Si and GSR turbo kits is good for up to 360 whp and has a max efficiency of 72 percent.
Performer X kits are street...
Performer X kits are street legal and feature the longer runner, smaller plenum manifold shown here. Four additional injectors are located underneath and are controlled by the pre-tuned Mototron piggyback ECU. Wiring the Mototron box takes less than an hour, and a harness is supplied that plugs right into the additional injectors.