Hey! This is my first real post here so apologies if the formatting or wording isn’t the best.

I recently picked up a IX GSR a few months ago, and while it wasn’t horrible it definitely wasn’t perfect. After a bit with the car I’ve opted to fully rebuild it as well as I possibly can. It already had a few goodies installed and it’s currently at the shop having the major work done.

However, I’ve found a point of contention: difficulty in selecting the proper turbo. There are plenty of good options and I’ve scoured the forums + Reddit + talked to the shop, however very little of the info is current, and it’s likely new products/options have come out that might be a far better pick for my goal.

The goal is above 500whp without compromising reliability (in a significant way, I’m aware building/modding always has a trade off) and offering decent responsiveness/low turbo lag.

It’s impossible to judge best option randomly, so this is the current list of parts going into the car. Feel free to critique them as well if any issues are spotted.

—————————FIC 1200cc Injectors

AEM 340lph Fuel Pump

FP Race Cast Manifold

Wiseco AP HD Pistons 85.25mm 0.25mm 9.0:1 88mm Stroke
Manley H-Tuff Forged H Beam Connecting Rods
King Bearings Race XP Main Bearings Coated STD
King Bearings Race XPC Coated Rod Bearings STD

GSC Intake Valve Guide Set
GSC Exhaust Valve Guide Set
GSC Power-Division ZERO-TICK Lifters
GSC Power-Division Beehive Spring Set with Titanium Retainer
GSC Power-Division Billet Evolution 9 Mivec S2 Camshafts
GSC Power-Division Intake Valve STD Size
GSC Power-Division Super Alloy Exhaust Valves
GSC Power-Division Viton Valve Stem Seals

STM Turbo to Manifold Stainless Gasket
STM Coil-On-Plug Ignition/Denso Coils
STM OEM Turbo to Manifold Bolt Kit
STM ARP Stainless Exhaust Manifold Stud Set
ARP Custom Age 625+ Cylinder Head Studs
Mishimoto Radiator
ETS Intercooler

—————————

The two main options I’ve been recommended are the FP Red and AGT 64mm w/dual ball bearing/twin scroll

Thanks for making it to the end and any advice/opinions are appreciated! Glad to be here.

 

I would ditch the Mishimoto radiator and just run a stocker. If you want to get fancy get the STM Billet slim one but the mishimoto is going to take up more space and cause fitment issues.

Are the FIC 1200's high z? Id go a tad bigger. Clutch and fuel always go overkill. Clutch wasn't mentioned either so consider that one for your goal.

Go with an UHF Red.

Go with an STM Street Core. I dont believe the ETS is a Garret core and although below a certain level itll be fine, it ain't the same.

 

+1 to what he said. Also, I didn't see exhaust gases accounted for. I'm assuming you have a bigger turbo back exhaust set up already, but in case you didn't have that considered.

 

Hard to beat the spool up and power of the MHI red on an 9. 500lb ft around 4000-4300 if you want it.
1200cc injectors on E85 will be maxed out around 500whp. IIRC my ID1300 made about 500-530@ 30psi before being out.
1300's drive excellent , but get with your tuner and see what they like if you want to make more up top. Since its a built engine I would go to 1700's and just max the red out.

 

Why spend that kinda money when you can just get a CSF core without the upcharge? The STM kits is like 1000 bucks why the **** would you buy that for a street car? I would just get a regular CSF rad get rid of the Mishimoto garbage and put a good fan on it and call it a day. And I agree with the red. Those are no joke and make great power for what they are.

 

Thanks for the advice! I’ve heard that issue with the Mishimoto, and not only that but that appears to be somewhat of a sign that the car’s been imperfectly modded.

Clutch was recommended and should very likely get replaced/upgraded, good to hear that’s the consensus for that goal.

I was looking at ID1300s as that’s what I ran in my R35, but am curious to know the real-world tradeoffs between that and 1700s. The S2 cams can make use of either but if I were to do any kind of performance driving, it’s definitely track/autox rather than drag/roll racing. No launches either, the R35 instilled that in me lol

I’ll look into the UHF red now, first time seeing that suggested so curious to give it a look!

 

It appears to have a no-name midpipe/catted down pipe but that should be swapped out for sure. A lot of this build is learning what the previous owner did and, generally, fixing it. 😂 I’ll be restricted by a cat because NJ but I’d rather be power restricted than constant tickets and stressing about emissions readiness.

 

I completely understand not wanting to overspend on a street car, however my main question is does that kit garner more stable temps/better overall cooling? I do plan on track days and if it means a noticeable improvement/increased stability then I’d far rather buy once and cry once. Thats, of course, if there’s a real difference rather than the STM branding.

checking out the UHF now, can’t believe I missed these.

 

Its is the same thing but with fancy billet end tanks and its about 500 dollars more for the same thing. My car made over 1200 whp and i never used one of those not worth the money, specially since i can use the new one CSF came out with and thats what I chose to run because it fit my setup better then the Mishimoto that made my car over heat all the time even after hrs of bleeding the system. The car always ran hot even with having my whole system ceramic coated and heat wrapped in places.

 

I'll second going for the 1700s and maxing out the red. It makes for a great street setup without giving up too much spool.

 

Lol you guys and your small turbo "lag" makes me giggle every time lol

 

lol, I mean yea, there is a pretty big gap in lag between even a large stock frame setup and something like a 6466 but it is noticeable depending on the driving you want to do.
I'm just here giving opinions on things I have run and dynos charts I have looked at when building my setup.

A few 100 RPM difference isn't the end of the world but it can really change the feel of the car around town.

 

The 6466 is an upgrade for what I had. I had a journal bearing 72mm turbo. You wanna talk about lag lol. I didn't see 10 lbs of boost till 6800 rpms, saw 20 lbs by 7200 so yeah lag lol. I think i saw 60 lbs of boost by 8200 I believe it was. At least with a 6466 I will see 40 lbs of boost by like 5200 to 5800 rpms. Huge difference lol.

 

I can't imagine how boring that much lag would be just driving around town. I'm guessing it's only fun full throttle?

I had a turbo my my old Evo that didn't spool till 4k and even that seemed like a lifetime. That's probably why I will never go with anything larger than stock. lmao

 

Lol it wasn't bad to drive believe it or not. Like basic driving and maybe getting on it a little to get going it was fine, but when I needed the power and if I weren't above say 4500 rpms yeah it was terrible. Then if you wanted to race someone from a dig forget about it. From a roll wasnt so bad cause I had antilag but even still to get there was a problem. But yeah like I said lower rpms and to get on it sucked cause it took all day long to spool but once it got going look out. But by that time the person your going against was a mile ahead of you lol.