Turbo piping: the bigger the better?

[9450erick]

now i have read all about the actual turbo that for our cars bigger would not be better
but i have not heard anything about piping.
would a smaller(in diameter) be better than bigger piping or vise versa?
also i wanted to buy the ebay piping( not the pakage) but individual pipes and they claim to be aluminum. would these pipes be easy to weld( just in case of modification)

 

[NashvegasCG]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

Ok when it comes to turbo there are a few things I've learned over the years from trial and major error. The parts that are crucial to the build...IE turbo, manifold, FPR, hondata, quality waste gate spring, turbo timer, and a few others....I think you get the picture. The reason these are crucial, is because when they break (oh and they will) you want a good company to stand behind their products and possibly warranty. There is nothing worse than buying a cheap eBay kit and getting it put on, then realizing the shaft has play in it....lol. You are right however that there are parts that are not as important, because they do not make or break the kit. Some of these parts are: clamps, hoses, and rubber pipe flex connectors. Now to really be honest with you about the piping. I personally wouldn't buy "name brand," only because it is just aluminum piping after all. Piping should be a reasonable diameter... I think no more than 2.7 should be used, but that's my opinion. Maybe one of these guys on here has some opinions on that. Just make sure that you aren't getting that cheap plastic stuff that auto-zone sells that looks like aluminum but is really not. For your last question, welding your pipes is a great way to have more consistent airflow, and if your welding guy knows what he's doing this should be no problem.

 

[1NonlyAccord]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

I have a universal ebay pipe kit.They dont come with enough pipe/bends and couplers and clamps. and they are very hard to weld since they are very very cheap aluminum. so you need to buy 2 maybe 3 kits to get all the pipes needed.

Im building a new kit now,and Im making new IC piping from 2.5" steel pipe.Itl be heavier but im welding them together to get ride of my 10000 couplers from the universal kit.
You dont need to go over 2.5" IC piping,unless you have a fully built motor and running upper 300whp,then 3" would be good.

 

[Russianred]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

The piping on my turbo is steel, or some type of metal since it magnetizes. Compressor side of intercooler is 2.5" diameter piping, and intake side of intercooler it turns to 3" intake piping. If you must have it welded, do so but it is not necessary (It does reduce the chance of a boost leak at any particular location though). Since thread title is about turbo size, I'll address that. The bigger the trim on your turbo, the more total power it can handle and put out. As a result though, you will encounter greater turbo lag (time it takes for the large turbo to spool up to boost). The smaller turbo however will spool quicker, therefore quicker boost level achieved, but the power output (and capacity for it) is less, in the long and short run. You will find yourself being able to push more PSI with a smaller turbo to achieve the same effect as you would with a bigger turbo running less PSI. With the smaller turbo you also encounter a ceiling as to the amount of power it can produce for you, and may need to upgrade to a bigger turbo as you increase PSI or respectively build your engine to handle it.

- Nikita

 

[MurkyRiversTL]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

A little word on clamps, and I'm sure turbo guys can appreciate this, worm clamps suck hairy goat balls, if you have the money get t-bolt clamps, much sturdier and won't slip when tightening. For your intercooler piping make sure the ends of the pipes are beaded (meaning either a bead of weld is placed around the edge or it chamfered by a press) to ensure that when you clamp your couplers on, they won't slide off due to pressure. I had this happen to me tons of times on my gst.

And the last, and most important in my opinion, is boost leaks. Build yourself a boost leak tester out of some home depot pipe couplers, caps, and a valve stem. I promise you will have leaks somewhere that need to be fixed, especially if your car is getting up there in miles. Throttle body shaft seals tend to leak, wbhich can be tedious to replace but if you can install a turbo ( and make everything work) then boost leaks are easy fixes.

 

[Russianred]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

^100% truth.

 

[9450erick]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

ima shop around for some good aluminum piping since its light and alright to weld.(not ebay piping)
i know about the actual turbo though iv been doing my homework lol
im probably going to do my own welding and im a intermediate welder so for sure theres goin to be leaks.
i dont fully understand the boost leak tester can you elaborate on that

 

[finch13]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

How are you planning on welding aluminum pipe? Got a TIG welder handy?

 

[Russianred]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

Erick, PM me about the boost leak tester, I think I may have what you need. I can also explain to you what needs to be done with it.

- Nikita

 

[Erik123456789]

Re: Turbo: the bigger the better?

Your in LA right? go to "CXRacing" down by Rosemead, those dudes will help you out.
They don't have accord piping kits so they sold me a prelude with a BUNCH of extra couplers and clamps. I ended up making it fit perfectly in my car with like 3-4 extra pipes, couplers, and clamps. As for diameter, you should be fine with the ones they give you, I heard 3"+ pipes are for like 40+ PSI.

Edit: Also, the pipes they give you are aluminum and have like a bump at the tip of every end to make sure the coupler/clamp doesn't randomly pop out while boosting. Been using the same kit for over a year and haven't had a problem with it.