meehoff

is their any point in getting headers if you going to eventually turbo

Robs_tc

How long is your time frame going to be before you go turbo? I'd say no, but if it's going to be something like 2years then it might be nice to have a little something to help performance and show until then.

rhythmnsmoke

^^+1. If it's a 2year gap, go ahead. If we are talking a couple of months, then save the money and put it toward the turbo fund.

meehoff

thanks guys and yeah its prob gonna be about 2 years

rolloutrs1

id say no its not worth it even though its 2 years time. that extra $400 to $500 will be a big help and maybe bring down that 2 years to a year and a half. especially if youre going with the zpi stage 0 for only 2gs.

Robs_tc

2 years is a long time. I didn't even have my tC that long ago and to have gone that long with modding would have been out of the question. The header can be salvaged after you pull it off and sold for a few bucks to cut your losses. My girlfriend just bought an AW header off of ebay for $320 and had Het-Hot throw the sterling coat on for a little more but that’s another story. Like I said, if you can wait the money spent on a header would be nice to put towards the turbo. Myself, I just spent a good $5k+ on my turbo setup, a header is almost nothing in comparison. Did I mention I also ditched my s/c which wasn’t cheap. Have fun now and later. Just my opinion, if you have the means too. $$$

Nychold

It really depends on your cash flux. If you're able to save a few hundred bucks a month, then I'd say it might be worth it for a little more fun. And a few hundred bucks a month means your turbo install might be two months delayed...big whoop. But if you're only able to save maybe 50-100 a month, I'd hold off on getting anything until I had a solid game plan in mind. The biggest mistake I see people make when they mod their cars is they get a little extra cash, see a nice, blingy CAI and say "oooohhhh, aahhhhh, must have..." And bam...there goes $250. Shiny rims, cat back exhaust, springs, shocks, sway bar, strut tower bar, DVD player, amps/subwoofer...etc. And before they know it, they've spent all their turbo money on mods they didn't plan on, or even want when they started saving.

Anyway, I'm in a similar boat. I was (still am, actually) trying to decide between a turbo and a supercharger for my tC. And while watching my account go up and up, I see a CAI and feel that tug. That I have to mod the car now! Or a header....and it's on SALE. Finally, to calm myself down a bit, I bought some handling mods (shifter and sway bar), since those won't conflict with either a turbo or supercharger. And I'm still saving away.

Just food for thought. In the end, it's your car and money, and if you want a meaner sounding machine and a little extra oompf, I say do it man. :D

Robs_tc

A header may be more of a cosmetic mod for shows now when a turbo is planned for the future. If you add an I/H/E you might fell a bit of a difference. Set your mind on one thing add go for it like Nychold said. If you really want to go turbo don't get side tracked by all the things you can do.

deathbyc4

save up for a wrx, dont go turbo. i'm learning the hard way. you can never mod a tc beyond what a wrx or evo come stock with. just my two cents worth, since ive gone the turbo route.

draxcaliber

i say save your money for a turbo. and yes, while it is true that sti's and lan-evo's can do things tc will never be able to, they are also much more expensive to insure. so just be patient and save your money and keep your eyes on the prize. why not get a good racing video game to tyde you over.

meehoff

very true that the tc can never out do an sti or evo but i love my tc and honistly wouldent trade it for eaiter well i would if it was free lol(i really just want to out run my bro and cousin in their 1.8T) but ill save my $ and get me a raceing game lol heres the ? what do i need to do as far as internals go to preapare for turbo (fyi: im new to the whole idea of turbo but im learning i know a lil bit)

draxcaliber

you really have nothing to fear about upgrading internals. there are dozens of boosted tc's on stock internals.

really, you'll be safe with any stage 1 kit pushing 10 psi with a proper tune. the only thing you would need to upgrade is your clutch if you have a manual, or a valve body upgrade from zpi for the auto tranny.

you will also need a boost, wideband O2 gauges, and pyrometer (egt) for monitoring purposes. and atleast upgrade your brakes because if your going to add to your engine power, you should add to your stopping power just in case.

Robs_tc

If you mean you can get more out of both the Evo and STI with the time and money spent modding the tC then I 100% agree with you. Now your words lead me to believe you can’t mod a tC beyond the performance of these two cars, I’d disagree with you. I’ve spent about $8k on top of my $18k dollar car with my Dezod turbo kit, suspension, clutch, flywheel, and 5Zigen 18x8.5(+Toyo T1R’s). With a base map tune, which I’m tackling next weekend, the car will pull on an STI or EVO at every speed accept off the line. Now we all have different opinion of what makes a car better than the next but to say a modded tC can’t outperform these stock cars is a little bit of a strong opinion. I’d like to think my $26-28 car is worth to comparing. Slap another $5-6 with a standalone EMS, internals, and tuning give or take some $$$ and you’ll have a car just as reliable and pack even more power. Think about running 12’s on a street car that will take the abuse.

Don’t get me wrong but an Evo would be great to own and mod. Heck I’d prefer a 350Z with some F/I mods but now we talking about another car that was N/A and going to F/I.

THansenite

^^I was just going to say something along those lines.

A tC with less than $5,000 in mods can easily be built to pull on a stock WRX or an Evo. Keep adding money and you can blow away some modded ones as well for a lot less than the base price on either.

meehoff

I know what the boost gages do but what do the wideband and pyrometer do and what do i need to pay attentchion to as far as what happens when they go to high or to low "warnings"

draxcaliber

wideband o2 sensor measures your air/fuel ratio. you don't want to get too lean (higher number like 14) or too rich (less than 10). a pyrometer or egt (exhaust gas temperature) measures what it sounds like, the temperature of your exhaust gas. too much heat can damage the manifold and turbo housing.

Robs_tc

An Evo MR is what $38k? A heavily modded tC (built engine, drive train, turbom, supporting mods) won’t even ad up to that. And you’ll probably be racing world class sports cars with the power you’ll be making with big boost, at least in a straight line. The only draw back is time, knowledge, and front wheel drive. The only reason I’d consider buying a fast car out of the factory would be because it has been engineered to take the power. That’s not saying a high power tC can’t be made reliable but simply bolting on a turbo will eventually lead to trouble.

draxcaliber

any my reason for not buying a factory fast car is because of outrageous insurance rates. by an econocar, upgrade it, and still pay the premium for an econocar.

Nychold

For me it's more like...I can finance a $17k car and buy a $8k turbo and suspension installation, or I can finance both a $17k car and an $8k turbo/suspension installation. Granted, the Evo, even without the turbo, isn't a 17k car, but cars like the MZS3 are. :D

Robs_tc

Don't forget a highly modded tC is still about $10k cheaper than an EVO or an STI.