Evo H8

iTrader: (3)

Alright,

I gave up on waiting for the "Miracle-wonder-super-bolt-on-turbo" that will give me 50WHP+ on pump gas with stock spool, do my dishes, and please my girlfriend in the way she 'needs'.

White Rabbit 8, White Rabbit 9, 20G-8, 20G-9-5, 20G-9-6, stock Evo 9 turbo, JDM Evo 9 with TME internals....etc etc etc. It goes on and on and it wont ever stop. It seems like every month their is talk and release of a new "better bolt-on turbo" but nothing ever really stands out as a "Great $ Deal"

So I decided I am going to go with what has been proven for years and will give me the best $-per-performance on PUMP GAS. Lets face it, the stock turbo is pretty hard to beat when it comes to pump gas, torque, and spool.

I have a 2003 Evo so I have the crappiest evo turbo out their - the 9.8. I almost did it a couple times, but I cannot see myself spending over $1k just for a bolt-on turbo that is so disputed and constantly being out-dated. Some say you need a kit for oil lines and 9 turbo outlet IC pipe to bolt on a Evo 9 turbo, some dont. Some say that the pump gas difference is negligable and the big difference with these turbo's is with race gas.

I decided to go with a 6.5 TME with dual-port 10.5 hotside and an ebay 02 housing with ceramic coating. This setup cost me $860 shipped - all brand new parts. If you look around, I am sure you can get this setup for even cheaper. I will get earlier, smoother spool and a better top-end. For those of you that rarely race your car, and your evo is your year-round daily driver, I think this is the best deal. You dont need every bolt-on in the world nor "the perfect combination of mods" to experience the improved performance of this cheap setup.

Maybe the Evo 9 turbo can give you 10WHP more up top when fully modded out with cams, etc on pump gas - but it wont give you the great early spool that this setup will. If your evo is your daily driver, and you dont drive crazy, you use the bottom 3500 rpm...maybe 80% of the time. You want TORQUE down low and area under the curve to get you moving. That extra 10WHP up top that you paid hundreds more for with the other bolt-on turbo's will be used about 2% of the time.

Those drag racers looking to hit 11's should skip the bolt-on turbo and just go big. Yes, some will hit 11's with bolt-on turbo's, and some even with the stock turbo - but it takes a REALLY good driver to do this. I'll be the first to admit.... I suck!

Dont get me wrong - a TME Evo 9 turbo would be great, and I am sure that one day a decent pump gas bolt-on turbo will come out, but at what cost, how long will you have to wait, and how many supporting mods will you need? I heard bad things about the JDM 9 turbo with Ti/al internals. Its big $$ and its known to blow up.

I think the 6.5 TME w/10.5 has always been, and may always be, the best bolt-on turbo for 2003/2004 evo's. At its current price, your never going to find a better bang for the buck. That is why we bought our Evo's, right? - Bang for the buck?

Now to my question:

I am installing the TME turbo and the ebay 02 housing next weekend. I have 42k miles on my evo. I have never installed a turbo before, but I have a good buddy who has built turbo cars assist me. Can you recommend any other parts that I will need to get for the install? i.e. gaskets & bolts? I want to make sure I have everything I may need for the install. I assume the stock gaskets at 42k miles wont be re-usable? Where would be the best/cheapest place to get these required install parts?

scott88vr6

iTrader: (7)

Make sure you get new copper washers for the coolant lines or they WILL leak.

If there is a NAPA auto parts near you they have new copper washers that work.

damianhindley

iTrader: (4)

I would line up a machine shop to pull one or two of the bolts when they break. Sometimes they dont but alot of time they do. Other than that its supa easy. I would only replace the manifold to head gasket, all the others should be fine

kimletrim

iTrader: (18)

Get extra studs for the connection from the exhuast manifold to turbo and studs for the 02 to hotside. Other than that, you are good to go.

dbdude

iTrader: (7)

Congrats on your new turbo!! Thats the same way i went on my 03. I even had the ebay o2housing at one point but it did not work in my evo. I kept getting po134 codes ALL THE TIME. Until i swapped the stock o2housing back in, the code never came back. I too wanted to go with the 9 turbo but its a neverending story. You get one turbo then 5 weeks later a new turbo comes out that puts out more power. I may not have the best turbo in the world but i still have not felt the full potential of my evo! I need a stronger clutch so i can stop slipping! Make sure you do not overtighten any bolt. Have some rust removing spray. And get ready to fight frozen bolts with a pry bar!!!

Evo H8

iTrader: (3)

dbdude -

Did you feel that the turbo uprade was worth it? Is this spool noticably earlier and torque come on stronger? Better boost response and area under the curve? Better top end?

I dont believe the 6.5 TME gives anything more up top than a regular 05 turbo.

I could spend the money I saved from not buying a modded 9 turbo on an alky kit and a nice dinner for my never-pleased girlfriend

kErViOsVIII

iTrader: (2)

agreed....i reused the stock ones for my TME install....was not fun...well, wasnt fun for my friend using visegrips to get them out...

Stinkapuss

iTrader: (10)

I broke mine also so I picked some up at advanced autoparts.

althemean

iTrader: (5)

Dont use vice grips to get out studs. You need two nuts, one to run halfway down and then run the other nut down on top of the first. Tighten the two nuts against each other and then use a wrench to remove the stud. You essentially put a "head" on the studs with this method.

Before you start, lets say the night before, soak the mani studs, and turbo-mani studs/bolts with wd-40. I would recommend aero-kroil if you can find it, probably have to look on-line but it is aviation grade penetrating oil and will free up anything.

Be prepared to break a few bolts like post #3 says. A good 1/2" drive breaker bar and a piece of metal tubing to use as a cheater bar on lyour wrenches is something I recommend.

On another note.....there and their are two different words. Sorry.....just been noticing a lot of people using this incorrectly lately.

Evo H8

iTrader: (3)

Anything else to watch for with this turbo install?