Whoa whoa whoooa... lol. Let's analyze this a bit...
iStealBunnieSz, generally, the larger the turbo, the more lag you'll experience. Upgrade options such as ball-bearings will help reduce the lag.
A t3/t04, 57 trim and .48a/r would be an excellent choice for our 2.3L SOHC motors. It will spool fairly quickly (my guess is full boost by 2900-3100 rpms) and the efficiency will fit the air flow capabilities of the 2.3 very nicely, probably starting to run out of breath at about 280-300whp. My turbo selection with a .63a/r might take a bit longer to fully spool up, but the dual ball bearings will help (maybe 3200-3400rpms), while this turbo will not run out of breath until maybe 400whp, give or take a little.
When quantitizing the output of a turbo charger, referencing by pounds of boost pressure can be extremely inaccurate. 10psi on a smaller turbo will not be the same as 10psi on a larger turbo. Instead, I believe that final horsepower provides a more accurate representation of a turbo's capability. So along with what I stated before, it would be better to state how much horsepower a stock block can handle, before damage will occur. This is the ONE time I recommend judging power in HP, and not torque, as this forcing of air, and flow ability of the compressor is related to engine RPMs, which of course one of the key variables of HP calculation.
Most people will see 190-205whp out of a stock F23 with a basic turbo kit. Depending on the turbo, manifold efficiency, and other variables, this could be from 6, up to 9 pounds of boost pressure. This is generally considered the maximum safe output of this motor, with very little effects on reliability. Some people who actually tune their motors with a stand-alone, or piggyback(anything other than just a fuel management unit, FMU), may be able to achieve upwards of 260whp with very few problems, though this is not a bolt-on affair.
Transmissions. To my knowledge, the manual trannys have no issues holding power, though a performance clutch is a good idea. I wouldn’t even begin planning a turbo build with an automatic transmission. Besides the obvious failures, auto trannys and forced induction are a bit like oil and water in my eyes. They just don’t mix well.
Amount of boost for one or two races? If you just want to go all out for one race, why not run 30, or even 35psi?? Sir, if you run 20psi on the stock block, even once, you are guaranteed disaster.
BadgerType, good info in the FAQ. Not so good on the block advise. The sleeves of the F23 are its strong point. This motor is already iron sleeved, and ready to handle high power levels. The weakpoint however is the ring lands; the grooves in the pistons which hold the metal rings that seal the pistons to the sleeves. These are VERY weak, and if not tuned correctly, will blow in an instant.
The solution? Forged pistons. The F23, with forged pistons and rods alone, can handle MASSIVE amounts of power. Of course while the motor’s apart, you need to invest in new seals, bearings, pins, and such, to ensure that you’re starting with a fresh bottom end. As far as the head, it is just fine for a boost setup. You could upgrade the valve train to rev the motor higher and take advantage of a larger turbo, get a mild cam regrind for a nice gain, but it can’t be too aggressive or you’ll have too much valve overlap, and cause boost leaks. And of course, port, polish, valve job on the head, throttle body bore, and intake manifold work would be a plus as well.
Now that all my secret plans are out of the bag, I hope this hasn’t confused anyone. lol Keep this thread going.
