Barrazack

i have an '05 xA (auto gear box) and i'm planning on putting a turbo an injen intake and a magnaflo cat back exhaust system. i heard some rumors that increasing the horse power on such a small engine would severly reduce the life spam. any input on this?

huslindan

common sense yess it puts more stress on the motor

burstaneurysm

Intake and exhaust, no.
Turbo, yes and no. If you tune it properly and keep the boost reasonable 8 psi or less, there's no reason that it can't be just as reliable as a non-boosted engine.

Of course, if you don't tune it or crank the boost, you'll blow your engine in no time.

athletefeet66

iTrader: (1)

well looking at this post...
you will have just as much spam in your engine with or without the turbo.


just stick with intake and exhaust if you know nothing about engines. unless you have alot of money to have a shop install and tune it.

dtpmike

It is bad for your wallet. Why anyone would want to turbo their xA is beyond me... it is a slow economy car. Even after a turbo the car will be slow.... unless you spend TONS of money...

burstaneurysm

^ Slow is relative. Adding 50 HP to an xA can make it a real blast.

Also... didn't point this out before, but you can't turbo AND run the Injen. It's one or the other as a turbo will include an intake.

usc_ty

I turboed my xA at 15k and right now I have more than 60k on it. So far, no issues but like in previous posts, lots of money was put in to make the rest of the car handle the extra power..(i.e. clutch) and also it has been turned correctly and making <8psi of boost. So if you go turbo, you have to do it right. There is a lot to it than just adding the component. Also, like previously said, adding 50hp to a 2200lbs car can do a lot. I would agree on that. I'd personally go with a intake and exhaust unless you plan to race it like I do.

padillaXA

from experience, the xA is tons of fun turo'd, that lil engine puts out just enough umph with a lil aftermarket work and wonder. and tuning of course... butt loads of tuning! the only con's i can think of is gas mileage, and that it felt a lil shaky when i amp'd the boost a PSI or two and juiced it a bit, i figured it was the short wheel base but maybe it was just me though. id still have it turbo'd today too if it wasnt for: one-the seemingly endless tuning and work(i could never get it perfect, always throwing an idiot light or something.) and as previously mentioned, two- MPG down the tubes, especially when u do a lotta street drivin like i do sometimes. anyways, to conclude my almost off topic rambling, i wouldnt turbo it unless u have plans to race it like usc_ty mentioned, especially if its gunna be your daily driver. but thats just my young, mildly experienced opinion.

Barrazack

Thanks guys. I knew i came to the right place. Helped alot.

SilentSide

well, first off, if you get a turbo, the intake would run to the exhaust manifold side of the engine because the air is now being drawn in by the turbo. This means if you get a turbo kit AND a Injen intake you'd have wasted your money on the intake. You'd need a custom intake pipe AND custom intercooler piping, assuming you're planning on running an intercooler. You're better off just buying a full turbo kit from somewhere instead of just trying to build it yourself piece by piece. Like stated before, you're also going to need some knowhow, a clutch, and a ton of tuning.
I would NEVER discourage someone from doing something reasonable but it sounds like you'll need someone with you and you need to work slowly to get a better understanding of your car. Nothing personal because everyone needs to start somewhere. IF I were you though, I'd just start off with a little cheapy CAI, like a Bomz kit and a good exhaust. When you're comfortable enough to go turbo you'd not have waisted a few hundred bucks on an intake you'd either have to trash or sell with a huge loss. I have a Bomz CAI anyways but run a KN filter so don't be stuck on brands that you think people will think you're cool for having.

If you need some other help and are possibly afraid of asking go ahead and PM me. I'll help you where I can. I know my way around a car or two ;)

uber-xA-RS2

Turbo charging the xA is a TON of work and money. The initial cost for me to get everything I needed to turbo charge the engine, get all of the supporting gauges, and have it tuned was about 4500 dollars. It was great; I was running 7 psi of boost on the stock engine.

The stock engine lasted about five months before the connecting rod bent on cylinder 3. Fortunately the rod didn't break so I was able to save the block and the crank. But this now meant that I needed to rebuild the engine and make it stronger and update the supporting systems (cooling, exhaust, clutch, ect...)

So once all is said and done my engine cost roughly $9800 to build and turbo charge. That $9800 is a rough estimate since I can't remember the some of the parts that I had to get to put this together.

Was it worth it? HELL YES!!

Here is why.

My Stock boosted engine was making 160WHP and 175WTQ on 7PSI.

I replaced all the internal components with lightweight forged parts and lowered compression from 10.5:1 down to 8.5:1, added a lightweight flywheel, rerouted all of my intercooler piping, increased my exhaust size, added solid engine mounts, rebuilt the turbo, and a whole lot of other goodies. Not to mention it does wonders to remove the A/C system from the car.

I now run 12.5PSI of boost and make roughly 215WHP and 225WTQ.

That much power in the xA is just epic fun. And for me it has been reliable fun for the last 8000 miles and going. Not to mention it's great fun to see the lights of a brand new Chrysler 300M in your rear view mirror getting further behind you.

So if you have the budget and the resources for it and you want a car that is a bit of a monster to drive, I'd say go for it but do your research first.

Barrazack

... i think i'll stick with just the intake and exhaust and put in a bomb sound system lol. I'm not a huge car guy, lets say i know the difference between a clutch and a fly wheel hehe... i'm not really an expert just a novice.. just wanted to see what kind of work was involved in turbo-ing my little Juliette (Thats her name. oh come on you all named your cars, esp the people who put so much into them lol) i don't really have $10,000 to spend on my car, i wish i did, but sadly college payments come first so AFTER college i can do this haha. thanks a lots guys, really helped alot. Flowmaster exhaust anyone? =D

EDIT: just put in the intake today. thing sounds like a beast. Didn't think an intake could make a lilttle 4-cyl sound so sexy

SilentSide

is it a short ram or a cold air intake? congrats btw

SilentSide

that's a work of art if I must say. Here's some build shots of my s13


And here's something lurking in the back lol

padillaXA

uber-xA-RS2: what'd you have to do to get all that to fit in there??? it took me and 2 other guys hours to get the fitment down right! and even then the bay was still cram'd packed. didnt have much space at all to spare. looks sweeeet btw!

usc_ty

uber-xA-RS2 your setup is badass.... if I'm ever in NH, I'd love to go for a ride!

uber-xA-RS2

The engine bay is an incredibly tight fit. The intercooler pipes were custom made for the car and it has no AC parts in it at all. The engine was built off the car and the transmission and engine were put in as one unit from the top of the engine bay. To do minor service l such as belts or plugs the hot side of the piping has to be removed. Several days of planning and test fitting was needed to get it all in there.

Just to let you know, the car is for sale. I picked up an AE86 last fall as a new project car!

padillaXA

damn, thats crazy! i had the luxury of my uncles shop so only help'd with part of the install. i was lucky i didnt run the turbo long enough to need to replace anything other than my oil! even with days spent on just figuring how to get that damn thing in there, my bay didnt look half as organized as yours.

how many miles and how much u selling ur RS2 for? and the AE86's are the shiz btw, bet that one will be fun.

uber-xA-RS2

38141 on the chassis and transmission.
8141 on the built motor and turbo
centerforce clutch has roughly 10000 mile and still has a ton of life left.

Looking to get 9500 or a reasonable offer.

Listing is in the vehicle classifieds here on SL.

Barrazack

this is what it looks like inside.


this is what it looks like outside.


i like it. I was VERY and pleasantly surprised with the noise this makes (when i romp on it) and the speed increased. you probably wouldn't notice it if you never drove/rid in one, but damn i'm glad i got it. Exhaust is next. full cat-back flow master in a few weeks. need to save the pennies.

P.S. anyone know how to fix clear coat? i've got a few large spots that the clear coat is coming off, i need to fix it, it's making it ugly and i don't want it to be ugly >.< so ya any cheep way to fix it?