Should I bother going turbo?
 

Hey, guys I was just wondering what would be the best thing to do, I have a manuel 2004 RX-8 its got 72,000 km I just got it this past may havent had any real issues with it so far. I installed a AEM CAI durin the summer, but i was thinking of going turbo with the greddy turbo kit, I have seen used ones for sale for around 2 g's. I'd be getting the whole kit, Cobb Access port to tune my ECU, and two new fuel injectors. My only worry is that something may occur to my engine after the install either due to the turbo or otherwise. I have noticed sometimes ill be in neutral at a red light and the rpm would drop and the car shakes like its about to stall, but it raises up again. So my question is should i waite until this summer passes for the turbo to see if anything occurs with the engine, or is it probly nothing and should get the turbo. Any suggestions will be appreciated, thx.

goldy, few quick comments:

- sounds like you have a bad motor mount. the RPM's can fluctuate when the AC kicks on and the vibration is due to a cracked mount. Talk to your dealership, it's a known issue

- Greddy kit: not the greatest turbo out there. It's undersized and some people have not had them last very long.
with the standard greddy kit, you might not even need upgraded injectors.

My personal advice: save up a bit more and get a different turbo. Will it cost you more initially? YUP, but in the long run it could be a better buy. Take into account the cost of upgrading / rebuilding your greddy every year or two and having to uninstall everything.
I'd rather get it right the first time.

There are a few good turbo kits out there, look at the Greddy Upgrade from Mazda maniac or the Esmiril

- You also want to make sure your engine is running well BEFORE putting on a turbo, for this I recommend doing a compression test. If the engine is healthy now and you get a good tuner, there's no reason why you should have any issues once the turbo is installed.

Do you have the latest Mazda ecu flash? I have an 04 and on one of the earlier flashes, the rpms would stumble and shoot up at stop lights. Didn't happen all the time, maybe once a week.

If you were planning on getting the AP from MM, I'd definitely wait until the backlog for the map service gets resolved.

Can you buy the complete turbo kit from MM? I was under the impression the upgrade was the injector, AP, and the turbo.

This is not an upgrade to be taken lightly - from your tone I have a feeling it would be a mistake for you . Could be wrong :)

As far as the Greddy goes - I just fitted one (with mazsport upgraded cold side) and am loving it .
The only downside (apart from longevity) is that it is probably not a good turbo if you want to track your car as it is inefficient and loses boost at high rpm.

kk thanks for the info, ya i think once winter has passed and I bring my rx8 out ill take it to the local mazda dealership to get the engine inspected, and look info other turbo's on the market.

Oh and ya I did get the reflash over the summer so I don't think its linked to that.

if this is your only car and you depend on it, do NOT turbo it.

Goldy
 

I was going to do mine when I get it but after seeing all the current Issues have decided not to.:squint:

I would just take that money and get another car. Just me tho

There's always going to be considerable work in getting a turbo onto a car. If it was just a slap on and go, we'd see more turbo 8's around :lol2:

True, true i guess i have alot to consider, well atleast i got 4 or 5 months to do so since my car is sleepin for the winter thanks for the suggestions tho guys

In these types of things, you're going to want to take your time. Nothing is going to be quick OR cheap. Always overshoot your projects in time and money, that way you end up surprising yourself instead of letting yourself down.

I was told when I started modding, When tuning a car there are three things, cheap, fast, reliable; You can only have two. A lot of times you can only have one. So I suggest (and is what I'm doing) research, look for quality over the best price. As far as mods go, especially for 8's, cheap parts don't do much good. We aren't like WRX's and can run ebay parts, no we have a special machine that takes attention to make power reliably. Just make sure you don't rush it. That's my .02.

Just go HKS when u do turbo

and which HKS turbo system do you recommend? Seeing as how they don't actually offer a kit for our car...

:rofl:

I would have recommended a Mazsport kit but seeing how they are not around anymore maybe wait for BHR's upgrade?

Yeah wait for that one. :eyetwitch

^maybe BHR will just make a turbo kit themselves that is capable of 400whp right out of the box(tunned of course) that would b pretty nice....I'd buy it!!! wink wink

what compression is actually "good" though? :eyetwitch

I could be wrong, but I believe good compression is around 120-150 per rotor face. Anything under 100, and you're in trouble.

The most important step before doing anything regarding forced induction is to ensure that your motor (and RX8 in general) is in the best shape possible. A compression test will in many cases give you a glimpse as to the overall state of your motor.

As long as your motor is running sound, I would look into various aspects such as making sure your ignition system is working well, that you have fresh spark plugs, using good oil and have no problems with check engine lights.

As long as the car is in top shape you'll have less problems and enjoy your new found performance that much more!

in the past, going FI was tricky. With the accessport, I'm confident in recommending FI to anyone who asks.

However, that doesn't mean you are without risk, or that something like your WG vacuum tube can't fall off and cause issues.

If you go FI, you will have to do a lot more than check oil every other fill up. You will be popping the hood and making sure everything is properly connected when the car is off, and when it's on, you'll be monitoring everything with gauges to make sure it's operational.

Don't do it unless you are very mechanically inclined and have experience with turbocharged cars. Also, if its your DD, don't bother.