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I have searched, and I've done research, shy of asking people who know turbos. What negative issues would be associated with putting the turbo directly after the catalytic converter on an LX. If I understand the CARB regulations, which I may not, the manifold has to be certified, and you can't change out the cat on an LX without meeting certain requirements, that can't be met for the purpose of putting on a turbo.

Does the cat cool the air enough to cause problems with air pressure? Does it cut air flow? If it does, could you use a differently spooled turbo to take this into account?

Is there even enough room to put a small turbo after the cat and run tubing?

Just a thought, but this might make it legal in California?

 
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well putting a turbo on a lx meaning you have to remove the cat. Lx cat is connect to the header. So when you connect put your turbo manifold+turbo+downpipe you have NO cat. no cat = more hp.

No putting a turbo is not legal in Cali, and i know cali is a biiiiiiiiiiiich about emission. Unless it is Graddy kit. and NO graddy doesn't have a kit for our car.

 
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If a cat was put before the turbo im sure there would be some issues, spool time, poor turbo efficiency, performance would be all around poor and it would loose power. No production porduced cars have a cats before the turbo! It makes no sence to do that, pure power loss. Its better that the cat is after the turbo. Plus if you did bolt on a turbo under the cat on an lx you would run a risk of ground clearance. Then you would have to run accesive amounts of boost just to make decent hp.

 
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STL01, did you even read my post? I know where the cat is, asked about mating a turbo after the cat, which, as SODJAZAERO pointed out is probably a clearance issue, but that aside, I'm trying to understand what technical (read physics of gases and thermodynamics) apply to doing so. Seeing as how the cat on an LX is in the header assembly (really the connected portion of what would considered a downpipe), the turbo would still be very close to the exhaust ports, less than 15" away from where it would be in a custom exhaust manifold.

Anyone with any ideas?

 
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That is a very bad idea. That ground clearance problem shouldn't be taken lightly. My B pipe was hit by a rock and has a big dent in it right where you are thinking of putting that turbo. Also, Where are you going to drain the turbo's oil to? You would have to have a can of some sort to catch the oil, and then a pump to pump that oil back up to the oil pan. If that can got hit, there goes all your engine oil.
If you are so worried about emissions, go to a junkyard and get the cat off of an EX. Almost anyone who looked at it would not be able to tell that it wasn't original. You would pass a smog test too. Visual inspection under the hood would be your only problem then. That problem can be solved too if you know the right people.
A CARB exempt turbo kit for LX/DX's will never happen.

 
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Cheack out the latest Turbo magazine they have an article on turbo kits that are mounted back by the REAR AXLE of the car/truck and getting unbeleiveable numbers. Its all in the math and getting the right size turbo, proper pipes, and lenthgs im sure. ANYthing can be done with enough money. Dont let someone say you cant, just show them that you DID!

 
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Thanks, I'll check that out. I was talking with a friend who said that another concern of putting the turbo directly down pipe from the cat was the heat build up in the cat from the backpressure created by the turbo. He was concerned that the heat would burn through the cat faster than normal. A small cost to be able to pass smog without hassle.

 
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its a pretty amazing concept the kit they show in the magazine shows the turbo damn near at the rear bumper

 
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You still won't pass smog if they see that turbo without an exempt sticker on it. If your only concern is passing smog, you are going about it the wrong way. If you just want to be different, that's great, otherwise you are wasting your time.