Ninja moderator edit: Moved posts from another thread.

thats one side of the story. but there are a lot of other people around who are running turbo's with no issues at all. Just like anything else the better you take care of it, the longer it will last.
Turbo's are more work to take care of, so that is def something to consider, and of course plan for the worst. But don't be completely put of the idea because of stories you hear.
If you do everything right the first time and don't cut corners or push things too far you should be fine.

Def do a lot of research and decide for yourself what you wanna do. The search function is your friend

 

I have to agree. There is a satisfaction on doing something yourself. Don't get me wrong, there are better platforms out there, but very few have modified base Lancers... being one of a kind is far more appealing to me. And some Lancers can out perform more expensive cars in higher classes when done right! To me that is more satisfying than buying a 200+hp car off the showroom floor... you gain more knowlege about cars as well.

Sure we don't have a huge aftermarket but when you roll up to anyother car and know that all the mods on his car were bought from a catalog or from an advertisment in a tuner mag, you'll know what you got.

Also to just play devils advocate against what Amby said about turboing a car that wasn't intended to be turboed. Any engine with regard to wear and tear, regardless if purchased stock or aftermarket, will have problems with early signs of age. I have seen, on these forums, Turboed Lancers running strong with 100k+ miles... You might be changing oil more frequently, having to keep an eye on engine temps, watching your AF ratios... but if done right the Lancer's 4g94 is a perfect candidate for FI...

Fox

 

I would definitely disagree with your comment that the lancer is a perfect candidate for FI. The very nature of the motor says otherwise. The pistons are weak, the rods are weak, the clutch is weak, etc.. I'm not saying "don't do it" I'm simply saying weigh the alternatives first and then decide what is right for you.

 

yeh i wouldn't say it is the "perfect" candidate and of course there may be issues, but there also may not.
You can never really tell, some people install an RRM turbo kit and have nothing but problems, others install it and have zero issues.

I'm just trying to give another side to how things can happen. It's really just a personal choice if you wanna take the plunge.
I personally am gonna go turbo, i have the funds if something goes wrong, but i'm not gonna be an idiot and push this car more than it can handle.

Just be responsible and you should be fine,. its people who try and run N20 or turn up the boost to 12psi who have the major problems

 

So you don't think that near doubling the WHP on the car by pushing 7psi intercooled isn't safe? Maximum cost, if done on a budget 2 grand. And what you are saying is that taking out a loan on a new car that is already turboed with higher insurance and monthy payments is a better idea? I guess my logic is flawed.

BTW, fixing what you pointed out as the weak points in the car and going turbo is still way less than buying a new car. Just because you made a choice and got a new car doesn't make it the right choice. But saying this car isn't good for turboing is just an ignorant statement.

Fox

 

In what regard? drag? autocross? lapping days/ road racing? rally?
Against what brand of "higher class car"?
and more importantly: who has actually done this? Besides OmarBoy or RRM.

 

Precisely... I didn't say many. In fact I clearly stated that a few. I seriously dobut that they are the only ones though.

As for races, in autocross there have been members that do quite well in their N/A class with the lancer with only a few hundred in suspension mods. This is a motorsport where skill is involved... and I would argue that this is a very capable car for introductory motorsports. Not that I've ever been, or would desire to do so.

Drag compititions are silly to me. Someone is always bound to be faster. Having a 12sec car never really appealed to me anyway. As for "Road Racing" that is for tools and kids that didn't learn about civic responsiblity on the roads.

Now for beating other cars in higher classes, take a Honda Civic SI and a modded Lancer stacked side to side. The SI is in a higher class makeing about 200 WHP to the wheels stock. The modded Lancer will hold its own. Tell me otherwise. I didn't say it would torch Lambos or even Mustangs. Modified to Modifed car, now that's where the Lancer will get beat everytime... but that doesn't mean that it isn't worthwhile.

Moding a car isn't about being the fastest... it's more being yourself and letting it come out in your ride. Guys that have to prove themselves constantly in racing have small dicks and weren't hugged enough or possibly too much as a kid.

Fox

 

Doubling the whp of any car is not safe, I don't know a mechanic or a tuner in the world that would say otherwise. To put this into perspective, it'd be like me saying a 500whp WRX is perfectly fine and reliable, it's not realistic. Taking out a loan to buy a new is a far better idea if you care about that sort of thing. Let's say you take a 5000$ loan out to make a lancer fast. What do you end up with, a fast lancer, it won't increase proportionally in value and it will have increased maintenance costs among other things. Use that 5000$ to get a new car and you end up with a new car that you can turn around and sell if you want to, that 5000$ will be gained back (somewhat).
Saying that the lancer is a good platform for turbo is an ignorant statement given how the engine is built. Yes you can modify it to handle boost, but you can do that to any car so it's a useless point.
How the hell is road racing for tools? Are you calling F1 drivers tools? Are you calling Warrtalon a tool? IMO road racing is the purest form of racing since it requires a lot of skill.
Modding a car is cheating as far as comparisons are concerned. A modified evo can beat a ferrari but no one would ever argue that an evo is better than a ferrari. Similarly I know a heavily modified lancer could beat my WRX from a roll but it'd be naive to say that a lancer is better than a WRX, civic SI, etc..
If you're happy modding your lancer, great, I understand where you are coming from since I was the same way. However, don't get all defensive and offensive when people decide it's not right for them, saying "Guys that have to prove themselves constantly in racing have small dicks and weren't hugged enough or possibly too much as a kid" is a slap in the face to all the people who take racing seriously and enjoy it as a sport, it'd be like saying "all football fans are latent homosexuals because they like watching men in tight pants chase and tackle each other".

 

Lancers aren't competitive in AX whether lightly or heavily modded- I speak from experience. Stock lancers with the best tires available can be marginally competitive. Urbanknight gave up on his Lancer after going back to stock from only lightly modded. I think Bobaab was racing too, but I can't remember what his set up was. I don't recall him declaring that he did well. If nothing else, consider the number of Lancers that compete in autocross- it's relatively few. If it was a competitive car you'd see more of them.

The only Si that a Lancer will be able to be in a drag race will be the Si that rolled off the showroom floor 5 minutes ago. Even then the owner probably bought the upgrade chip while he was waiting for the loan paperwork to go through.

If performance modding a car isn't about being competitive, then what could it possibly be about? Guys who never take it to the track and spend all their time arguing theoretical wins on the internet... nevermind I'm not gonna stoop to that level.

 

D'oh!! I wish I had room for that in my sig

 

by road racing he meens.... just that. road racing "lap trials"... Not street racing...

its really quite simple. if you enjoy working on cars and want to take a fairly weak motor and add extra strain which will meen premature motor death... go for it. I know I plan to turbo my car. You gotta pay to play.

 

Alchemist hit it right on the head, why would people mod their cars if they weren't competitive about something whether it's speed, appearance or respect?

 

This man gets it, he's not trying to defend his plans or make excuses for the 4G94, he understands the risks but doesn't care.

 

ahha


The lancer has been made a fast car by people metioned. RRM and omar. It just takes a lot of work, patience, know how and $$$.

Its just a matter of wether or not its worth it to "you"

 

Hahaha!! Go Bears!

I've thought about turboing the lancer, many times, but can't justify it. I like the new Si's but HATE the drive-by-wire throttle. WRX's are alright and I like the luxury/sport types like the Nissan Altima Coupe. That thing is sick. In the end, do what you want. If you want a turbo to hear the cool "whooshy" sound, buy the muffler insert off eBay. If you want it for power, get a lot of money, spare time and more than likely a spare daily driver. If you want it just for the hell of it, sell the car and get something fast. You're not paying anything besides insurance and gas for it so just make it look nice, sound nice inside and maybe do some run of the mill NA mods for fun. Then see where you're at with the car. Keep in mind to do things that will be compatible with certain kits, such as the RRM header being compatible with their kit, and so forth.