D17a1 Turbo Project
 

Have a bone stock 130k mile 2003 civic DX with most of the maintenance done that I'm wanting to build to gap some of the local WRX boys in the area, looking at maybe 8 psi and I'm mainly having an issue on how I do a return setup on these cars. but so far here's my parts list

there's a lot of "el cheapo junko" Ebay stuff on this parts list but if the d17 blows up then its k series time,
thank you

Parts List

- looking for mid 200 range whp ideally

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

Internals won't handle that much. Best case is somewhere in the 180whp range. The K03 wouldn't handle enough boost to push the D17 to that much power anyway.

If you really want to build this car (which financially is unwise but I understand why you would), then I'd either properly build the D17 or just K from the start. No sense in wasting money on both.

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

The turbo listed is a T04E hybrid but I get where you're coming from, if 180whp is the case I will probably end up building the d17 properly as it would end up being quite a bit cheaper than a k swap im assuming, also easier

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

Probably not, honestly. It honestly depends on which K you end up using. Any K-series short of the K24A2, K24Z, and K20A2/Z3 could be done for about the same amount as a properly built turbo D17.

The 1.8t uses a K03 or K04. K03 on the lower power models (jetta, beetle, passat, golf, TT) and the K04 was used on the higher power models (A4, TT)

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

You might wanna up the fund allocation for the snail. Only thing you'll find in that price range is some ebay crap. I'd say, conservatively, $500 at the least. If you happen to find a Garrett T3 Super 60, that's a good starting point. Hell, that'll do you what you want and then some. Sure, the one you have on your parts list looks like a proper snail, but... yeah.. Anything that's designed to put up with that much heat, that much pressure, and spin that fast.....

Looking at the rest of the list, those prices are suspiciously looooowwwwwwwwwww. Granted, a lot of them are eBay links, so.... yeah.. You also mentioned that "if the D17 blows up... k series time".. If you're already looking at that, save your money and put it towards a K-swap fund.

• I've been eyeing a replacement aftermarket FMIC for my 2018 and I'm looking at $500, at the least, for something that'll actually give me performance benefits. Might wanna pull your bumper and take a look at the space you have to work with. I had a FMIC on my 2002 that had the inlet and outlet on the same side, and I still had to trim metal to get those to fit. If you're looking at a single-pass IC like that, good luck getting the charge piping routed. Keep in mind your OEM intake piping routes on the passenger side of the engine bay.
• Gauges... You'll prolly want boost, EGT, and maybe oil pressure gauges. Much more than just that one gauge you posted up. You'll also wanna splurge on a wideband AFR gauge system (e.g. AEM UEGO), and those will be like $300 plus install of the O2 sensor bung. Fuel management is super important, and you'll wanna make sure your AFR is sitting pretty (14.7 at idle/cruising, tune will prolly set it to 11.9-12.9 at WOT). Stay away from something advertised as "air/fuel ratio gauge" that doesn't specify that it's wideband, since those just tap into your upstream sensor and will be nothing more than a light show. and give you zero information.
• A worthy turbo manifold, I can assure you, will be more than $70 bucks. A quick google search for D17 manifolds shows me what you're looking at, and, I mean, I guess you might be able to get away with one of those? You'd also have to figure out if the snail you're using is internally or externally wastegated. If it's external, you'd have to either modify the manifold to accept a wastegate flange or buy one with a footprint made for the wastegate you're looking at.
• Boost controller... I was selling a salty used boost controller for $50, and it retailed for $150 or so. You don't wanna go cheap here because if you cheap out, and that boost controller valve doesn't do its job properly, you're gonna overboost and blow something up.
• I don't know if I'd trust a $59 set of high flow injectors, unless they were used, confirmed to be working, RSX-S injectors. I think I paid $100 for the set I had. If you go aftermarket, expect to be in the $300 range for a set of quality ones. Improper fuel delivery will kill your setup.
• Heads up, that D16Y8 mani isn't a straight drop in. Modification is needed.
• Clutch holds torque not power. Stage 3 is definitely overkill. You can get a

RSX-S injectors will be more than plenty for the boost pressure you're looking at (8psi). It ups the flowrate from about 230cc/min to 310cc/min. They're also direct-fit.. ish.. They're about a quarter inch or so taller than the OEM injectors, so you'll need longer bolts and spacers for the fuel rail. They'll also play nice with the OEM pump. If you wanna upgrade the fuel pump, $100 will get you the go-to Walbro 255LPH drop-in pump. As far as a return-style fuel system, there are a bunch of routes you can take. If you use the OEM fuel rail, you'd have to modify it to have an outlet opposite side of the inlet. Alternatively, one idea that was suggested to me back in my researching boost phase was but a 3-way T-fitting at the inlet pipe of the fuel rail, and the loose outlet to an FPR and back to the fuel tank
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.civ...86cdfd5653.jpg
crude drawing I did on my phone

I get the theory, but dunno how it'd actually operate in practice.

As far as air/fuel management, I've never heard of that fuel management unit. Got any literature or reviews on it? Is it a standalone unit or a piggyback? Those pics look like it's some glorified homebrew thing. tbh, the tune will make or break your setup. Find a good, reputable local tuner. it'll prolly run you a few hundred bucks for a quality dyno tune (going rates back in the early-mid 2000s were along the lines of $150 for the first hour of tuning, $100 for each hour afterwards, and usually about 3 hours for a good, safe, power-making tune).

One thing you haven't addressed is clearance forward of the engine bay. You may wanna look into slim fans

p.s. If you're looking to get to the mid-200s, you're gonna want more than 8psi. 8psi will maybe put you at 150. You're gonna want to look at more like.. 15ish+ psi and a damn good tuner. In that case, you'd need to start at looking at beefing up your internals and a standalone fuel management system (e.g. Hondata KPro, AEM EMS, etc.) since 8-10psi is about the top end of the safety limit of stock D17 internals

That's all I got for now.. I gotta be up stupid early for work

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

Do a K swap over turbo D17 if 200HP is your goal. Gearing plays a big roll in taking WRX’s to Gapplebees. An eco box civic is not geared for performance.


A performance engine is gonna be a better base then a eco based engine.

Re: D17a1 Turbo Project
 

I have a stock d17a1 on 8 psi daily, t3/t4 ebay turbo kit (rdx injectors, ebay turbo kit, return line, deatchwerks fuel pump, KTuner). I have no dyno numbers on it yet as of now I dont plan to. On my first 7th gen back in the day civic set up i made 183 on 7 psi, Dyno Jet at some shop that is no longer around called Alternative Motorsports in Okc.

With that being said my other daily is a 01 civic sedan, k24a8, kpro, E85, gt3582 11psi made 350 hp and 320 tq on Dyno Jet. All ebay kit....

I do all of the work myself minus tuning and dyno.

You can see my builds on insta: skynetxoracing

My personal .02, swap it. There is too much potential for K series engines, even the base model k series motors produce decent power. Esp if your on a budget.