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N/A vs Turbo

5K views 46 replies 18 participants last post by  RedRiderr13 
#1 ·
Just want to get your thoughts on this topic. I kind of want to go turbo but then yet again so many of us do turbo setups so I started thinking of doing a all motor build and just run a nitrous kit only when I am at the track. How much power do you think I can get out of the 2.0 Dtec? If I do the all motor setup the car would be more of a sleeper which I like since it's a sedan that I have. Also, has anyone heard of anyone doing this before to their Dtec?
 
#2 ·
If you can afford the turbo setup go with it,I'm not a fan of temporary power and a sleeper is a car that beats cars much quicker than it's looks and lineage suggest and a NA setup will still be slow when off the laughing gas.

If I could afford an ST I might be up for swapping over the nose and tail parts from a regular MK3 SE which would be an awesome sleeper.
 
#5 ·
You'd have to figure out the cost of a n/a built up vs a bolt on turbo kit, like say a Fwerks kit for 3995.00. How would a n/a motor be for a DD & mpg? Look around= not that many n/a motors vs a lot of turbo's. Theres a reason for that. I'm not trying to pop your bubble, go for it.
 
#6 ·
I don't care about mpg. I just want to get 200+WHP and be able to have fun with it. And going N/A is different so it's not like you're going to ever see that many around. My overall goal with my car is to make it different. Go opposite of what everyone else is doing.
 
#7 ·
While I can admire the desire to be different, I can also comprehend the reason that path isn't followed often. The path of more resistance is quite expensive, less driveable and as already pointed out, ultimately slower.
 
#9 ·
I spent a decade right smack at the start of the sport compact drag scene and it took alot to get an NA 4 banger in the 13s and alot of it was weigth reduction which included stripped interiors which is not my cup o tea for a street car.
 
#11 ·
all i can say is do your homework.

too many times i have seen on the forum people who jump into ambitious projects with out thinking all the parts and all the costs through. there should be decent amounts of info on the forums to search through.
 
#12 ·
1. A 200+hp N/A focus will NOT be a sleeper because it will be loud as shit.
2. A built N/A feels and drives completely different than a F/I
3. N/A will usually cost you twice as much to go equally as fast as F/I

There is a reason everyone goes F/I.
 
#13 ·
If I want to go fast cheap I prefer to start with a factory turbo car. My DSM responded so well to everything I threw at it and never threw a CEL God bless OBD1.

Intake and exhaust netted me a half second quicker in the 1/4 and then a manual boost controller set about 5 psi above stock dropped another second (mid 13s) and then promptly needed a real clutch (ACT2600 did the trick) which is where it started getting a little expensive. A little hard piping,more fuel,air flow convertor (Apex S-AFC) and a couple sizes larger turbo and I was able to take down a last gen Viper with a little effort and never touched the engine. I was making about 400 at the crank for little more than $4000 and that was starting with a turbo car.
 
#14 ·
Unfortunately in a small displacement 4 cylinder, for the same amount of money spent the turbo version will always be more powerful than the NA version. Slower or quicker? It depends on what its built for but as far as streetable power and driveability, the turbo version will outshine the NA version by far.

Just look at the dyno sheets of NA cars vs turbo cars. While I understand its not all about peak power the turbo cars almost always have a much broader torque curve that comes on much earlier than the peaky power of an all out NA build.

Cost is another factor. NA is just plain way more expensive if your trying to achieve high power levels.
 
#16 ·
I have done all the bolt-ons..
even swapped out the 2.0L for a 2.3L and yes, N/A is loud.. not a sleeper
No CAT, with Header is LOUD... no cat = MAYBE 3 to 5 HP??
CAI = EVEN LOUDER = NOT SLEEPER

You want a sleeper in a Focus, you need NOS....

You want a Champ, go toe to toe with other cars.. turbo..

you want to Dump money into a car with a N/A setup.. and get near 200whp?? Plan loud, and $$$ and Start stripping out the cars weight...

At that point, its no longer a Daily Driver... Infact... my Plate has a Surround around it... it says... " I know, I know Licence and Registration"

I get more tickets for getting Police attention for the noise then I do in my Mustang GT going twice as fast...


CAMs would be another what? $500 to $1500 for what... 5 to 20 HP and STILL hardly 200... not worth it.. Just got turbo from the get go or NOS her up...
 
#17 ·
NA is louder than turbo, much louder.
Mine is NA, zx4 2006 2.0 with cams, cosworth IM, CAI, OBX header, full 2.5" exhaust with three magnaflows and it's still loud. It would be a sleeper if wasn't loud. It's tuned by Tom with SCT, rev up to 7800rpm.

2 years with this setup. Now I'm going for turbo. [8D]
 
#18 ·
My Fusion with a turbo is much quieter than my NA Focus. Its like a Cadillac when compared to the Focus in terms of noise.
 
#19 ·
If I decide to go N/A I will have a nitrous setup for track purposes only. All I want is to have fun with the car and I think I will have more fun going N/A over the turbo. I really don't mind if its loud. The car is loud as shit as it sits now. I am running full straight pipe on the factory exhuast manifold with no resonator. Also if I go N/A I know that these Honda guys will try and race me and they will think their cars are faster when inthe end mine will be. And going all motor with a bottle gives me more options, iI can either race against just other all motor cars or against turbo cars and ifi race against turbo cars that's when I turn on the bottle. Besides I like the sound of a fully built N/A car, you just hear the raw power they put out.
 
#21 ·
Do the n/a build first. Im working on a n/a nitrous setup now. Yeah its expensive but youll be happy with the outcome. When doing builds like this you just need to know all the right information and do the right research. Im not a big turbo fan but ill admit. Yeah they are faster but i have seen them get beat before by n/a vehicels. Also another thing just because you have more hp in a turbo setup doesnt neccesarily mean that you will always be faster. No matter what you do building a car will cost thousands you just need to be motivated to do it and if you are. You wont even be counting the money your spending. If i explained to you all the stuff i did to my car so far (performance/ non-performance) I couldnt even tell you how much i spent. Why? becuase i dont really care because regardless when im done i will win some and lose some. But i will get respect by all. Then look at it this way when your done if you choose to do turbo. Its not like you have to start all over. Just remove some N/A parts and add a turbo and parts inculded in a turbo setup. This is just my opinion on how i feel about my build not trying to bust on turbo guys. You guys definitely get all my respect.[thumb][thankyou]
 
#20 ·
There's a lot of quick all motor Hondas out there too. I ran with a few back in the day but most were what I still considered slow for a street car.

I also had a '00 Intergra Type R that was just about as quick as an '13 Focus ST in the 1/4 in stock trim but it needed more power so I went with a JRSC to start and it got expensive for what netted me only about a 45hp increase but it did make the R a little more fun to drive and ran an honest 13 second 1/4.

650 crankhorse between the two and to see even close to that all motor would cost almost triple.
 
#22 ·
Also another thing, look at some of these turbo setups they arent close to cheap. Nothing is cheap when building. Just price it out and decide because imo any seroius build of any style. You cant sweat money so much. Not saying blow all your money but where will you really go if your steady monitoring how much you spend. Just ask some of these professionals on the track and they will thell you themselves. performance COSTS!!
 
#27 ·
My buddy just bought a 1.4L Dodge Turbo Dart.. Would take out a 2.0L Ford Focus..
Infact might even give my 2.3L a run for its money..

Turbo is the way to go if have $$$$

HOWEVER cheap power = NOS but at the cost of wearing out the motor faster..

Or do what I did... buy a cheaper Mustang GT hahahaha
 
#28 ·
#30 ·
122ci,AWD,full glass and interior panels/dashboard and making over 1000hp at the crank with close to 900hp making it to the wheels through the class mandated exhaust. This car also retains alot of the stock components including the rear axles and factory gearing.

Saw it live a while back up here at 5800ft and it was still clipping high 8s.


7.70@191mph
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTJj-YaMdsk
 
#36 ·
Yeahhhhhh and how much money did that cost to make it go that fast?


Whats the entry time for "Fast"? I'm sure there are more than enough all motor K-series Hondas to qualify.

Now, a bolt on focus isnt fast, but we knew that already
It's still just a car and a 2 year zx14 or gsxr1300 will run 9s stock and have way better roll on that costs less what you paid to mod that old Honduh to those times.

[:(!] Take that crap to a motorcycle forum. How are you on a forum based off of a four cylinder car talking stupidity like that. If thats how you really feel i think you should lay off the need for speed and actually take a step into the real racing world.
Take your third grade sensitivity to a my life sucks I want to commit suicide forum. [bash]



You guys are still the exact same as you were when the durance came out in the 2005, immature and trying to make an econobox fast
 
#33 ·
15 second 4 bangers aren't rare and still not what I consider quick.
IMO once you're getting along in the 14 second 1/4 mile range you're starting to be quick,13s your company is getting rarer especially with a 4 banger and those are generally FI'd from the factory. If you run 12s your company shrinks considerably and even the quickest 4 bangers need some outside help to get into the 12s.
 
#34 ·
All honesty and i know i may have rejection on it. But i personally think the 1/4 mile drag racing is a v8 thing. Not saying four cylinders dont do it but v8's own that type of course. So when i look at building my own personal car i dont look at 1/4 mile time i would look at track time. If i was to be doing any kind of racing like that. And a bolt on focus is not slow. They can be quick if you build them.
 
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