Feel free to flame me because by now I should know the answer, but I couldn't find a definitive one.

Would it be a problem if I decided to buy a turbo upgrade as my first mod? I know I would probably need new injectors and a fuel pump, but would I have to reflash my ECU a.s.a.p. when i put it on, or could i drive a few hundred miles without doing that.

I know this may seem to be a stupid question, which is why I put my flame suit on.

 

It would not be smart to do such a thing.

 

I can feel my insurance rate going up already. :\

 

which part? having it as a first mod or not reflashing the ECU right away?

EDIT: Could you even run it with a reflash, or is a full stand-alone necessary?

 

You could, but get a boost contoller and see if you are satisfied. With all the bolt-ons most people don't need anymore power.

 

Yeah, zip your flamesuit right up, tight! You should probably do a boost gauge as your primordial mod if you don´t already have one. The MBC goes hand in hand with the gauge. The flash. The TBE. The pump.

I would say wait on the turbo upgrade and in the meantime max out what you got. At least, you´re not contemplating an intake or a BOV.

 

Actually he should get a new BOV/DV with the MBC, guage, TBE, fuel pump and flash because he has an 03 with a crappy plastic DV.

 

1) Both.

2) You haven't even told us what kind of turbo, so how can we answer this question? You can run any turbo with a flash, but not all turbos can reach their full potential with a flash.

At this point, you have no business even thinking about something big enough to need a standalone, imo.

 

Ten-four Probably should be replaced with the JDM MR DV or a Forge unit, huh! I got rid of hte plastic DV on my ´04.

 

Get supporting mods, then a new turbo.

The only reason I can think of one wanting to install a turbo and nothing else, is maybe you can do the turbo yourself but want to take it to a shop that's a few hundred miles away to get all the supporting mods/ tune.

Is it do-able? Possibly. It all depends on the turbo you want. Something like a GT35 I'd say no way. Something like an Evo IX 5 blade, sure. Just make sure you have a boost gauge and an MBC turned all the way down and stay off boost until you get to your destination.

I don't, however, recommend it. Whatever you are driving the few hundred miles for, do yourself and your car a favor by making the trip twice if needed.

Why do you want to do this anyway? What turbo are you talking about?

 

When ever you change the configuration of your motor, you should have it tuned. If you drive the car for a few hundred miles without a tune and are not careful, you could blow the motor. And it probably wouldn't run well either until it would be tuned if you stayed out of the boost.

Doing all of the supporting mods for a turbo kit with install is minimum $7K starting from stock. You might want to consider that before you start.

Also, the aftermarket exhausts, should you choose to get one, may be louder than what you would want, so newbie beware