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i have a d17a1 automatic lx. im thinking of putting a turbo on it in the future and im hearing alot of different things about replacing internals. looking at the Turbo Specialties D Series Extreme Turbo Kit. claims to be safe on stock internals, but is that just the GT25 turbo? looking to run around 6-8psi off the GT25 or around 12 off the gt25r. looking to replace the pistons ,rings, locks, and pins to produce a compression ratio of 9.0:1. cam gears too? anything else.

looking for opinions on which turbo and what internals to buy aftermarket for.
i certainly dont want to blow it. or spend 2000 on rebuilding the engine to handle the power

 
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You only have one cam gear and replacing it wont be needed. Longevity is a result of proper tune and craftsmanship of the kit and installation. 6-8 psi on a t25 stock internals SHOULD be no problem.

 
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or you can build it for for safety reasons :-) I have an lx engine too. I bought an ex head and I have it apart now and am going to start rebuilding it. I am also in the same boat as you with the auto tranny. From what I hear that auto can not handle more than 5 psi. That is up to you to risk more. Just let me know how l long it takes for it to go :-)

 
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Tom is right, cam gear is useless. I actually lost power when advancing AND retarding the cam timing. As far as internals, all it will do is allow more room for error. If you aren't breaking the 300 whp mark, you don't need them.

 
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Im running 7psi on an auto trans daily and have blown the tranny one time. But ive heard of similar failures on stock cars too.

 
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thats why I am going to buy the parts for a manual swap when the time for boost actually comes. That way when it blows, it is just a day or two without the car

 
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Just don't use the TSI "fueling system" and you should be fine. Much better to go with RSX-S injectors and a piggyback as it can actually be tuned. From what I remember though, the AEM F/IC doesn't work with auto trannys (I could be wrong) nor does the PCS-XFC, so your option is the Greddy E-Manage. While not great, it's definitely 300 times better than the TSI chip.

 
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so maybe just some new pistons to be safe. probably no gt25r then. can upgrade later if i feel like it and doing more internals.

how much would an auto to manual conversion cost? im dying to have a stick but i can never find any that i want

 
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You can't get pistons without getting rods unless you had a custom set made. At that point you'd be paying enough that it would be foolish not to get new rods too. The current aftermarket, shelf-stocked, pistons take a bigger pin than the stock D17 pistons so they won't fit.

Manual swap....IDK, you need a fair amount of stuff so it would probably cost $600-900, maybe less if you got lucky. You need at a minimum, tranny, clutch and FW, pedals, clutch hyrdaulics, manual ECU (or some creative wiring), shifter, manual harness (again or creative wiring), and so on. If you have access to some good junkyards and are mechanically inclined you'll be all right. Have a search around the site though. A few members have done this and posted parts lists.

 
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I beleive it was only the full EMS system from AEM and HONDATA that were manual only. I don't recall the FIC being a manual only system. According to Dezod FIC>Emanage, and if their write up was unbiased I would sooner go with the AEM solution.

If you are going to build at all go with pistons and rods first. I am building my head because I am going to cam it and put it in and put it on. I hear you can actually hear vtec engage with a stage 2 lol. My plan with the head swap was to get the AEM FIC and use that to tune it. My heart will break if it is manual only.

 
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For the record I can not hear VTEC kick in with my Stage 2 cam. Turbo is too loud!

 
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lol it was a youtube video of a stage 2 NA cam. I should have been more specific. It was being dyno'd. Sounded just the like 8th gens I heard at the dyno meet when they hit vtec

 
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as i look on procivic.com, they sell the AEM F/IC, and there is no notation of it not being compatable with an automatic. the plug and play harness for it is manual trans only though.

i would probably just skip the hassle of messing with internals at first. ill run around 6 psi with it and not over do it.

would the dezod Deatsch Werks 525cc injectors work well? both them and rsx-s injectors would fit?

id probably hold off on the trans too, as cash is somewhat tight. crossing fingers.

would lose cat with the kit so ill get a high flow one from magnaflow and have it welded in after the turbo install. & 1 step colder plugs.

missing anything?

 
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Keep us up to date on the progress. I would like to know how it is :-)

 
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it will be a while. but as the money comes in, ill start ordering stuff. im sure some of you know how that is

i shouldnt have a prob with the extra fuel mixture with strain on my stock pistons, as long as i keep boost relatively low and take er easy right? dont wanna drop 3500 to have to spend 1000 more.

thanks for all your input so far guys. your a great bunch

 
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if you re dropping 3500, 1000 more isnt too bad lol. Clints (speedfoos) suggestion about ditching the TSI fuel system is because it is inferior. The larger injectors and AEM FIC is just a much better setup for a reliable tune, wich will make all the difference.

 
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Oh and if you dont intend on going over 200hp I think the RSX (or even SRT4) injectors will be fine. You can usually find these used 75-100 dollars. The beauty of the AEM FIC is that you can get those Deatsch Werks injectors and lower the output on them so your a/f ratios would still work out fine at a lower boost setting. With the TSI it isnt an option (uses an additional injector I think...) nor is it with the emanage. The emanage can only increase, not decrease.

 
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Or you can always modify whatever injector you get to get it to flow more freely, there were a number of DIY's floating around on the web.

 
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You can pull or add fuel with any piggyback and injector combo (except the TSI), that's not specific. What you're thinking of Ernie is timing. Looking at Paul's write-up (and owning one of them) there are only two out of the four piggybacks that allow you to mess with the timing and that's the e-manage and the F/IC. The emanage apparently does a bad job of it, and the F/IC allows you to pull timing only (which is what you need for piggyback boost). You can't mess with the timing with either the PCS or an Apexi unit.

 
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Maybe I am mixing it up. I will have to read it over again. Tax return is looking to be small this year...damnit. Now I have to wait longer or eat tons of rice lol.

 
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Bring $10k to the table....you get nice turbo kit, hondata or AEM, return fuel system, built motor, manual swap, & possibly intake manifold. All said & done!
If you have enough money....have someone else install it all....then you have someone to blame

 
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Clint, I got this right off of Dezod's website for the AEM FIC

Six (6) fuel injector controllers for either remapping of ECU output (+200%/-100% trim) or as a stand-alone extra injector driver. The emanage unit was supposedly only able to add extra fuel

I beleive this is the only piggy back that can do this. Am I wrong?
I don't think I was looking at timing.

 
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At any rate...That is what I think I am going to be using as soon as the head swap and pnp is ready to go in so I can use it later with the turbo. Some people have no problems with emanage but I just don't feel like getting all the "addons". I know the standalone is the best option, but it isnt even an option for us autos :-)

 
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yeah i hear that. and no i dont have 10k, or i would k20 then reweigh options and maybe turbo that. having someone else deal with the problems would be nice though

is a kit relatively straight forward with the install? and would it be too hard to swap out the tsi controller with the aem one?

i naturally want it to be as painless as possible.

i heard something about the tsi controller being modified from previous models and now being adjustable. Any truth? probably just not near the adjustability that i would want/need from the AEM

 
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Ernie, you can pull fuel with the PCS-XFC as well, but you can't mess with the timing. The F/IC also has an onboard 3-BAR MAP sensor, so you don't have to buy an external one like you do with the PCS (saves $80). If it had been out when I did my build, I would bought that instead of the PCS.

No kit is a straight-forward install. Period. Go have a look at the T.E.A.R.S. thread. Nor is any boosted Civic painless. Just take your time with it and don't cut corners. Just rule out the TSI kit altogether man. It's not a decent option. If all you're looking for is mild boost (5-7psi) and can weld (or know someone who can), here's what I would do.

Affordable T25 turbo of your choice (internally gated) - $400
HKS Log Mani - $100-250
Fabbed Downpipe - $70 for materials, plus fab cost
Uprated pre-cat pipe (a piece of 2.5 piping welded to stock EX cat) - $20 materials plus fab cost
RSX-S injectors - no more than $90
AEM F/IC w/ PnP harness - $550
Wideband O2 and display - $300
Ebay FMIC - $150 (or Dezod FMIC for $276)
Ebay IC pipes - $100
Greddy Knock-off BOV - $75
Boost, oil temp, oil press gauges and pillar pod - $100
oil line kit - $80
misc clamps, couplers, vac line, wiring - $150

All this would get you almost ready for just under $2500. Add another $3-400 for things you're not thinking about, and tuning and you should be able to have a budget boost system for under $3K.

 
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well i cant weld and dont know anyone to weld me piping.
i dont expect it to be painless what so ever, i just dont wanna have to stop and have stuff custom fabbed to fit right for most of the parts. that is why i was looking at a kit.

i like the looks of the list you made though. just want a better way to put it all together. i know im askin alot

 
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Well there is only one manufacturer who makes a shelf-stocked downpipe for our car and that's dezod, all the other ones (not that there are many) only come in a kit. I'd pick up the yellow pages and start calling around to some welding shops. Where do you live? There's a good chance that there are some members around your area that could help you out or pass a recommendation for a good welder.

 
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Damn clint, you really knocked down the cost on the setup. If I had the room I would have a welder and pipe bender and all that. I only have the side of the road though so I am going to have to bring it to NRGTech and hand them my debit card and some lube when it comes time. The only thing I am going to do myself is a basic pnp on the head.

 
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im about 25 min north of pittsburgh, PA. i would certainly take the help when the time comes if anyone would be willing to help/let me know about a good shop

 
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That is a bit far from me I beleive. My guy that does welding just quit and is working with the MTA now....so I can't help ya there unfortunatly.