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Advise: Hondahookup.com is by no means responsible for information that may be incorrect or inconsistent.  This information was put together by various members of the community.  We provided this information by reference only!

Honda / Acura Turbo Kit Frequently Asked Questions Q: Turbo Hondas run extremely hot b/c the intercooler blocks air to the radiator. A: Pseudo correct. Yes the intercooler blocks the air to the radiator, and the radiator is not designed to handle this much load. Turbocharge a car with a healthy radiator you don't experience overheating with no other modifications. It's the radiant heat that can't be transferred from the coolant adequately per unit time that increases heat. Do Normally aspirated cars overheat? Should your radiator have significant mileage on it, you may want to flush or replace the radiator entirely. A couple of tricks that have been used to eliminate overheating: Switch both factory fans on whenever the car is on, run a colder thermostat, drill holes around thermostat so that coolant is always bypassing the thermostat, even when closed. Q: Turbo Hondas are very fast cars for only 15 second spurts (1/4 mile) and then have to cool until the next run? A: Another fallacy. If the system is properly designed there shouldn't be any problems that only allow you to run 15 second spurts. The phenomenon described here is an inadequate cooling system that cannot dissipate the heat produced by sustained high peak cylinder pressures. Try the tricks in #1. Maybe the cooling system has too many miles on it. But the other likely scenario is that a lean condition that produces Higher Than Allowable EGT, coupled with high BMEP (Brake Mean Effective Pressure) in the cylinder overwhelm the system. If the Air/Fuel ratio is correct for the application, turbo stochiometric, then perhaps there wouldn't be excessively high EGT's. w\ the air/fuel ratio correct and a stable EGT, there should be no problems with a properly working cooling system. Q: There is no such thing as a daily driven turbo Honda? A: Try telling that to those that own FMAX kits and run 10-15 psi daily, on the stock bottom end for years, trouble free. If detonation is eliminated there is nothing to say that your engine will not survive higher than intended cylinder pressures. Whether it is turbocharged, normally aspirated or supercharged, a given torque number, for a given engine, usually translates into the same cylinder pressure, the horsepower may vary. Cylinder pressure is cylinder pressure, detonate the same engine, when turbocharged, supercharged or normally aspirated, and the result will be the same. Don't let someone in sales tell you otherwise, ask an engineer or a professor. Q: When driving a turbo Honda, you cannot downshift b/c it will hurt the engine? A: Wrong again. 3000 RPM is 3000 RPM, in any gear engine speed is engine speed, but what does change is the load, the load is entirely different based on the gearing and the velocity of the car, aerodynamic load increases in factor as velocity increases. The load is actually harder on the engine at 2000 RPM 5th gear 30 MPH than at 6000 RPM 2nd gear 30 MPH. Try these combinations some time, and listen to how hard an engine is working. Given that you don't over rev the engine, have the proper air/fuel ratio and the abscence of detonation, there's no reason why the engine will grenade, unless the load and cylinder pressure exceed the mechanical limits of the engines components. Also, is a 12, 13, or 14 psi daily driven Honda possible or is that too much boost to drive on street tires around town. Why not on a built engine with the proper compression ratio? Especially when a stock engine can take it. Q: What are the differences between the FMAX kit and DRAG, or any other turbo system on the market for that matter? A: Fabrication: The FMAX turbo system comes as a complete bolt-on, that requires no cutting or welding or modification, the downpipe bolts directly to the catalytic converter. All Metal components are fabricated using TIG welding for excellent penetration that will not crack. Fabrication is warranted against any defects. Fuel Management: The additional injector controllers (included in the kit), read and deliver fuel accurately up to 30 psi of boost, and accurately indexes both boost and RPM instead of just boost like a fuel pressure regulator does (more detail can be found on our Honda/Acura page). Detonation Management: Unlike DRAG our kit includes components to eliminate detonation with either a head gasket to lower your compression ratio, or an MSD timing control to retard the timing per pound of boost. The DRAG kit has no component included to eliminate detonation. thanks to turbokits.com

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