Turbo Upgrade Thoughts

microsnook

New member
Ive posted and searched and read a lot the past few months about STIs since buying mine.
My current goals are ~350-80 whp/wtq
2006 STi
60k miles
Recently Ive been collecting my EWG set up to get a little more power and hold the boost.

Current mods:
Perrin FMIC
Intake
TBE (catless)
Perrin catch can

What I am doing to be upgrading soon:

Ultimate Racing up pipe w/ dump tube
Tial 38mm WG
DW 850cc injectors
Fuel Pump (need to order.....)
GS MBC

I think I covered all of the parts I have laying around...What I was wanting to do was shoot for a turbo upgrade. From what I assume (car bought used) the internals are all stock.
The DOM 1.5 is really catching my attention. However this makes me nervous about reliability issues with stock block.

This is my DD car and I need it to last me a while longer.

I don't want to run e85. 93 pump gas.
No meth.

Basically I want to keep it as simple as possible, and reliable as possible with as much power as it can handle without overdoing anything!
From what I've been reading and seeing is people claim their stock blocks are good for 400whp, or so being an average estimate.

Let me know your thoughts :)
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
For that HP and Trq you can go with an FP green, 20Gxt or even an 18G.if you have a good tuner. These are good turbos for DD because they are not slags when it comes to spool. I have even seen some make that power on the stock turbo. It's rare but it can be done

400whp in reasonable on a stock block. I wouldn't do much more
 
Last edited:

microsnook

New member
What a lot of people were recommending to me was the DOM 1.5...
Why go with the ones you mentioned vs the DOM?

Yea, I'm looking to make something under 400whp. Like I said my goal was 350 - 380 at the wheels. Torque is preferred over HP*
 

Vermont

New member
What a lot of people were recommending to me was the DOM 1.5...
Why go with the ones you mentioned vs the DOM?

Yea, I'm looking to make something under 400whp. Like I said my goal was 350 - 380 at the wheels. Torque is preferred over HP*

I have a Dom 1.5 and can tell you absolute confidence that it skull stomps all of its competitors. Spools better than a 20xtr and flows better. The fp green is one journal bearing which means more lag and more wear on your oil along with it just being less efficient. an 18 will be way to small and honestly is not worth the price for an STI. Also the Dom 1.5 with right mods which you have) will hit 350 no problem. Also I can that the power delivery is a hell of a lot better. Instead of coming at you in one huge chunk and then winding down it comings on smooth and just builds from there to red line. It makes the car feel like it has a v8 instead of a little 4 banger,..
 
Hmmm.... Can you post evidence of its superiority to the 20gxt? I could have sworn the 20g spooled quicker but the 1.5 had more top end.

Also Microsnook,

In the sake of playing devils advocate... why no meth? Its cheap, easy to use, safe, and you can accomplish your power goals on a much "safer" tune. $600 for 30+ whp and less chance of detonation seems like a no brainier to me. (sorry... I have a tendency to push meth on those who haven't tried it). :lol:
 

Vermont

New member
Hmmm.... Can you post evidence of its superiority to the 20gxt? I could have sworn the 20g spooled quicker but the 1.5 had more top end.

Also Microsnook,

In the sake of playing devils advocate... why no meth? Its cheap, easy to use, safe, and you can accomplish your power goals on a much "safer" tune. $600 for 30+ whp and less chance of detonation seems like a no brainier to me. (sorry... I have a tendency to push meth on those who haven't tried it). :lol:

Why yes I can mister smarty pants :D
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/power-bragging/221968-topspeed-motorsports-dom-1-5-testing-complete.html
Top Speed did a very thorough test of the turbo and compared it too the 20gxtr with is the upgraded version of the 20g. It performed better in every category.

@op- Also Meth would be a great addition for your build. I my self have a meth kit just waiting to go on. I would suggest though getting rid of the FMIC. waste of money on any small to medium sized turbo build. adds a crap load of lag and delays throttle response substantially. With anything 20g sized a FMIC is much much, even a stock GR sti TMIC will net you the goals you want, so I would go with an upgrade TMIC instead.
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
I have experience with them all and then some... Infact I have gotten better spool out of the for mentioned turbo's versus the 1.5 but it is all about supporting mods IMO. All of the "this turbo is better than that turbo" is nothing more than hype IMO.

I'm just basing my suggestion off of experience
 

Vermont

New member
Regardless of JB or DBB, the new FP green flows 60 lb/min.

Yes, he would like to stay on the stock block and go with a smaller sized turbo which means he does not want have to deal with a laggy setup. I am looking at a couple dyno plots of FP greens on STI's and they all are rather later spooling turbos. They cross the 300tq mark some time after 4500rpms. Where as the Dom 1.5 is coming on a full grand sooner... For a daily driven moderate horse power car, the Dom wins out dude.

I see internet wizardy followed by experience.

Here's what I will say:

Supporting mods are more important than what brand of turbo you choose. Get your supporting mods setup correctly and you will be fine. Although some of the mods you have there already put you at a disadvantage.... the GS MBC hits a boost then climbs to redline (bad Ju Ju IMO) and I hate perrin products.

Call it what you will, but empirical data always wins in the end. While yes the supporting mods are important, the op already pretty much has his bases covered with those. He needs advise on a good new turbo that will net him the power he would like, with out having to require a new block.

@Op- In the end you are the only person who can decide which turbo to go with. I have a Dom 1.5 and love it. Every one else I have talked to who has one loves theirs just as much. This is a very quick spooling turbo just don't expect 35r type numbers out of it but for the 400whp range you will be set. Also, no you will not need to build your engine or even do TGV deletes if you don't want to. So long as you pick a good tuner you will be set. I can't stress this last part enough. The tune will either make or break this build it is far more important than anything else.

@fuji- I thought you liked MBC's?
 

HolyCrapItsFast

Drinks beer!
I firmly believe that nothing beats the stock ECU logic and a good three port
 

microsnook

New member
I have a Dom 1.5 and can tell you absolute confidence that it skull stomps all of its competitors. Spools better than a 20xtr and flows better. The fp green is one journal bearing which means more lag and more wear on your oil along with it just being less efficient. an 18 will be way to small and honestly is not worth the price for an STI. Also the Dom 1.5 with right mods which you have) will hit 350 no problem. Also I can that the power delivery is a hell of a lot better. Instead of coming at you in one huge chunk and then winding down it comings on smooth and just builds from there to red line. It makes the car feel like it has a v8 instead of a little 4 banger,..
Im almost positive this is the turbo that I want to go with. The DOM 1.5...

Hmmm.... Can you post evidence of its superiority to the 20gxt? I could have sworn the 20g spooled quicker but the 1.5 had more top end.

Also Microsnook,

In the sake of playing devils advocate... why no meth? Its cheap, easy to use, safe, and you can accomplish your power goals on a much "safer" tune. $600 for 30+ whp and less chance of detonation seems like a no brainier to me. (sorry... I have a tendency to push meth on those who haven't tried it). :lol:

Haha, nice joke. Well I just don't want to have to shell out money for extra things and have to maintain it, etc. Like I said in the OP, I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

Why yes I can mister smarty pants :D
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/power-bragging/221968-topspeed-motorsports-dom-1-5-testing-complete.html
Top Speed did a very thorough test of the turbo and compared it too the 20gxtr with is the upgraded version of the 20g. It performed better in every category.

@op- Also Meth would be a great addition for your build. I my self have a meth kit just waiting to go on. I would suggest though getting rid of the FMIC. waste of money on any small to medium sized turbo build. adds a crap load of lag and delays throttle response substantially. With anything 20g sized a FMIC is much much, even a stock GR sti TMIC will net you the goals you want, so I would go with an upgrade TMIC instead.

The FMIC came with the car when I bought it, so I would have to sell it to go back to the TMIC, which Im not sure I want to deal with. The labor or uninstalling it (Plus I'm a noob) and then install the other one. I know there will be some lag, but I can deal with that, it won't kill me ;)

I see internet wizardy followed by experience.

Here's what I will say:

Supporting mods are more important than what brand of turbo you choose. Get your supporting mods setup correctly and you will be fine. Although some of the mods you have there already put you at a disadvantage.... the GS MBC hits a boost then climbs to redline (bad Ju Ju IMO) and I hate perrin products.

Well, Ill just name names and I went to Punisher Performance in Orlando here and spoke with the owner and the Tuner, and they recommended the GC MBC for multiple reasons so thats what I went with, trusting them. Could've done some more research I suppose.
Also, the FMIC was already part of the buy...Everyone has their things. Im not super picky, because I don't know a whole lot, I'm still learning, but it works for me now and its less money Ill have to shell out for another intercooler...

Yes, he would like to stay on the stock block and go with a smaller sized turbo which means he does not want have to deal with a laggy setup. I am looking at a couple dyno plots of FP greens on STI's and they all are rather later spooling turbos. They cross the 300tq mark some time after 4500rpms. Where as the Dom 1.5 is coming on a full grand sooner... For a daily driven moderate horse power car, the Dom wins out dude.



Call it what you will, but empirical data always wins in the end. While yes the supporting mods are important, the op already pretty much has his bases covered with those. He needs advise on a good new turbo that will net him the power he would like, with out having to require a new block.

@Op- In the end you are the only person who can decide which turbo to go with. I have a Dom 1.5 and love it. Every one else I have talked to who has one loves theirs just as much. This is a very quick spooling turbo just don't expect 35r type numbers out of it but for the 400whp range you will be set. Also, no you will not need to build your engine or even do TGV deletes if you don't want to. So long as you pick a good tuner you will be set. I can't stress this last part enough. The tune will either make or break this build it is far more important than anything else.

@fuji- I thought you liked MBC's?

Yes, I definitely want to stay with the stock block. Thanks for acknowledging that.
Thats what I forgot to mention!!! I was thinking about going with TGV deletes....Most likely will since it won't be too expensive but will net me some extra power.
Does it make anything safer by doing the TGV deletes?

So most of my bases are covered and Im glad you stated that.
And yes 350 is great for me, 400 is ridiculous! But I wouldn't say no :)

For my tuner, the only place Ive seen here in orlando is Punisher Performance and Rev Works.
Ive heard of places down in Palm Beach, but thats a drive, much farther than orlando. And most likely Im going to have the parts installed, although I would REALLY like to learn to do it myself. (my friend could help me but we might not have the means)

Another question! Should I consider headers? EL...

Thanks for all the help guys, this means a lot. Im just trying to see what I can pull off without selling my body :D
 

microsnook

New member
Headers are a good idea. GS PNP is great bang for the buck.
Are you still on the stock inlet?

PNP means removing the restrictive internal parts of the stock manifold, correct?

Bear with me! Lol. The stock inlet to the turbo? I believe I am. But am not sure...

A few more questions...

Will I need to be looking to get a new clutch for this type of power or is stock ok? (Not sure if its upgraded or not)
1 step colder plugs?

Anything Im missing? I think I covered most, if not all of it.
 

microsnook

New member
Yes sir, GS PNP headers will allow the stock cast manifold to flow more. the reason why I ask about the inlet is you don't have it listed. And the mention of TGV deletes earlier... make sure to do it!

Stock should be ok for a bit... depends on your driving style. I break a lot of stuff myself.
NGK 1 step colder plugs are a great idea for anyone stage2+

Things you are missing... I'm rather drunk right now.... so if I remember later on and have an idea, I'll post it.

You're referring to the stock manifold?
Ill check out the PNP, but this is my DD and Id rather not have to ship out parts. But summer is just about here and I am a student, so that might work for me.

Ill add TGV deletes and 1Step plugs to my list then!

Thanks for the help!
Everyone is nice on this forum

EDIT: saw you were referring to the clutch. I burned it a little for the first time every yesterday, but usually I drive the car moderately. Not beating it too hard.
 
Last edited:

Vermont

New member
If you are doing the TGV deletes then look and see if you have the stock turbo inlet. Easy way to tell is it will be a cheap black plastic near the intake and a thin cheap black rubber near the turbo. The reason for replacing the inlet is they often rip and tear as the walls of the section of tube right before the turbo are paper thin. One step colder plugs will help quite a lot for reliability. As far the TGV's helping.... Meh.... more of a power mode, so you can safely make the power you want rather than pushing the engine and limits of detonation to make it. At 400 wheel torque the stock one will still be good so long as you don't drive like an idiot. I am still on my stock clutch with my Dom 1.5 so take it for what it's worth. Also as far as the GS PnP headers, I think they have a program where you buy a set of modified stock ones at a high price and then you send them your stock ones after the install for a huge refund.

I understand completely about the FMIC man, I just wanted to let you know. If you do plan on keeping it, you can always pick up a Rotated manifold do help deduce the lag, but honestly it is not needed. Plenty of people rock the FMIC with the full tubing.

The guys at Punisher know what they are doing. You will be in good hands for your tune. Also everything so far we have talked about (except for the TGVs) can honestly be done in your drive way or garage if you have a set of tools, some mechanical ability and time. Heck you could even do the TGV's your self but it would be a little hard.
Let us know if there is anything else you need man. Also feel free to shoot any of us a PM for help of any kind.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
KS Tech has a weldless TGV delete kit that looks rather DIY in the garage.

Also, you can usually sell a nice FMIC kit for a TMIC and make money.
 

microsnook

New member
KS Tech has a weldless TGV delete kit that looks rather DIY in the garage.

Also, you can usually sell a nice FMIC kit for a TMIC and make money.[/QUOTE

I just don't know the quality of my FMIC :|
And if only I could DIY! Remember Im still new to a lot of things here

Is there going to be that much lag? I raced my friend and he pulled quicker for ~1 second and then I started taking him... negligible imo
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
You got any info on your FMIC? I dont know much about those, but theres probably a brand written SOMEWHERE right? As far as lag, its all what you're happy with. If the FMIC doesnt bother you, keep it. It certainly looks cool.

As for DIY, there should be a how-to written about most of the stuff you're thinking about doing. If not, you could post up a request and someone can take a stab at writing one.
 

microsnook

New member
You got any info on your FMIC? I dont know much about those, but theres probably a brand written SOMEWHERE right? As far as lag, its all what you're happy with. If the FMIC doesnt bother you, keep it. It certainly looks cool.

As for DIY, there should be a how-to written about most of the stuff you're thinking about doing. If not, you could post up a request and someone can take a stab at writing one.

The front mount is a Perrin, and its got some nice parts like the t-bolts? i think they're called...
But it doesn't bother me really.

And thanks :)
 
Why yes I can mister smarty pants :D
http://www.iwsti.com/forums/power-bragging/221968-topspeed-motorsports-dom-1-5-testing-complete.html
Top Speed did a very thorough test of the turbo and compared it too the 20gxtr with is the upgraded version of the 20g. It performed better in every category.

@op- Also Meth would be a great addition for your build. I my self have a meth kit just waiting to go on. I would suggest though getting rid of the FMIC. waste of money on any small to medium sized turbo build. adds a crap load of lag and delays throttle response substantially. With anything 20g sized a FMIC is much much, even a stock GR sti TMIC will net you the goals you want, so I would go with an upgrade TMIC instead.

Awesome thanks!

I personally think meth is asking for blown up pistons.

? Vs 93 octaine.... How do you figure that?
 
Top