So I just got the money to do a full turbo and install with engine management. To make it short, I can buy whatever is a necessity for this setup. On to the questions.

My 09 tc is a/t. (I know, WHY A/T?) Cause I didn't buy the car, so I had no say in the matter.

But I want to turbo it, BUT not completely destroy my engine. It is and will remain to be my everyday car. I don't drive too far most the time, because my college is close by and I work there. But what would be the SAFEST psi to implement and at the same time get the most UHMPH out of it? I know to not go over 9 or 10, I plan on to stay under that, but I wanted to see if anyone had an exact number to throw at me here. I plan on keeping stock internals unless I need to replace them. Would my engine be able to handle the psi with the stock internals?

Also, which is the safest turbo to purchase? (If it even makes a difference?) I was looking at turbonetics, seems like everything is legit with that and its about 5k with emanage.

IF anyone can help I will be very thankful! Also any tips and warnings ahead of time will be nice. =)

Thanks if you give legit replies.
I don't care if you are going to bash a/t.
If you flame, I still don't care. We all drive a tc, why hate on a fellow tc? Point your anger toward the vtec monkeys.

 

On a/t people start having trouble on anything over 250whp and that's because of the tranny not the engine id get a tranny cooler and try to stay around those numbers

 

With auto - youll be fine motor wise as long as you have a good tune and reliable setup.

The issue will be with the transmission. First, switch from the WS crap fluid that comes in the 07-up trans back to T-IV (what was used in the 05/06 trans). The WS fluid is designed to keep a more constant viscosity over a wide temp range, which gives better economy and smoother shifts, however, its been documented that it also performs far worse under extreme conditions than typical T-IV due to thermal breakdown. The transmission didn't change, just the fluid being used to improve economy. Id recommend the Redline ATF that meets T-IV, or Royal Purple ATF (which also meets T-IV).

Next pickup a really nice trans cooler and completely disconnect the stock trans cooler (part of the radiator). This way the atf is routed only through your performance trans cooler. The radiator will actually hurt your trans temps if you have a good performance trans cooler. Only downside is it will feel a little rough and shift a bit hard in cold weather, but hey thats a sacrifice to be made for power.

With this, you should be able to reliably make 225-250whp. Push it past 250whp and you can expect issues even with these modifications. If youre serious about making power with it, you could possibly go with an upgraded valve body from IPT or Level 10. Im not sure how much more power it will hold, but with the valve body's increased line pressure and firmer shifts (less slippage, which is what kills auto trans) - i would think you could get closer to the 275whp range, which will still be well within the safe limit for the motor.

A complete auto trans build (clutch packs, tq converter, etc) is an option but its very expensive ($3000+) and the one or two people that have tried it didnt have very good luck. If you want to go past 250-275whp Id really recommend a manual swap.

Also, all of this is from my own trial and error when I had an auto, not some random speculation

 

Thank you both for your input.

But dude...Can I get your number or personal email? I'm SO happy that someone replied with experience concerning turboing a/t. I will purchase all of this with the turbo and have it all done at the same time. But, if it is possible, being able to contact you personally will be cool if you dont mind. Email would be easier personally, but let me know man. Thank you a lot for your input. I dont want to ruin the tranny. If I can break 200 hp at the wheels I will be happy. Thats my goal...lol.

Thanks again guys.

-Chris

 

I'm driving an auto tC that's turbo'd at 6 psi and it has some very nice "Umphh" and is very reliable. Just to let you know, there's an entire thread that answers all your questions:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...osting+auto+tc

 

Yeah I checked that out. I just dont know which turbo to go with. Turbonetics or Dezod. Which is more reliable and easier to install? Out where I live (Cali) I have a place that does most my stuff for my car. They said they can do a turbo install on my tc but I would feel better if the piggyback/chip part of the install is as simplistic as possible. They can do everything perfectly fine but when it comes to electronics and what not I don't know how good they are.

Just to clear up my confusion. I install the turbo with emanage, and thats it? No tune required after the install?

Thanks guys for the input! Cant wait to get this on my tc.

-Chris

 

thendawg has a lot of experience when it comes to boosting tC's and I've actually followed a lot of what him and crush have done with a lot of success with my auto tC.

 

Both kits work well with our cars its just a matter of preference. When you install E-Manage or AEM FIC you MUST get the car tuned! Driving a boosted car without having a proper tune is the quickest way to blow your motor! You should definitely be able to find a good tuner out in Cali to get you all squared away.

 

Yup - you must get the car tuned - its essential for it to run well, perform well, and be reliable. Id recommend finding an experience dyno tuning shop out that way. If you want come up with anything, just email me and Im sure I can talk to a few folks out that way and find a good shop. My email is npound7110@gmail.com

Also its best to talk to that shop before you buy a piggyback or ems to determine what they are familiar with tuning. Youll get the best result if you get a unit the shop youre using is familiar with tuning.

 

Both kits work well with our cars its just a matter of preference. Just don't go with an ebay turbo and get a turbo kit thats proven to be reliable with our cars. When you install E-Manage or AEM FIC you MUST get the car tuned! Driving a boosted car without having a proper tune is the quickest way to blow your motor! You should definitely be able to find a good tuner out in Cali to get you all squared away.

 

For your criteria, I would point you in the direction of the Dezod kit man. There has been MANY auto tc's eqipped with the Dezod kits and they mostly seem to be very satisfied. Plus Paul is very knowledgeable and you can call him if you run into any troubles. Great customer service ftw

 

If your auto I would go with a 16g turbo and stay around 8 or 9 psi. I've been turbo'd on my auto too, and Ive never had any problems. Just stay below 250hp if you want the trans to last a few years. The zpi kit is great for that power range. It's got great low end, and is Very reliable. By far the most reliable kit I have ran on my AT Tc. Get a good tune and have fun.

 

you could always go to world racing for everything as well. they're in california and will do the install and tune all in house.

 

Kareem over at World Racing has helped me out a ton with my auto tC build. He's answered all my questions and explained them in a way that would make sense. They do very good work.