Preparing For Turbocharging

Although most turbocharging kits have everything you need to actually fit the turbo, there are number of considerations beyond the supplied parts. Is your engine ready for boost? The kit instructions, if they are good ones, will give you recommendations for other modifications you can make to allow the turbo setup to work even better on your engine.

Perhaps no other accessory is more important for a turbo'ed car than an accurate boost gauge. Unless you have a way to keep track of actual boost in the engine, you will never know if the turbo is working at its potential or if the wastegate is adjusted where you want it , and working. The gauge also helpful to diagnose faults on your system. If you see a lesser amount of boost than normal (under the same conditions of throttle, rpm and load), you should inspect the piping and hoses in your intercooler plumbing to to see if there is a minor leak. The boost gauges are dampened to give steady needle readings and indicate both vacuum (negative side, in inches of mercury) and boost (positive side, in inches of mercury of psi).

A strong aftermarket ignition system will be very helpful to fire the plug gaps in the dense atmosphere in the combustion chamber when the turbo is cramming all that air in. The manufacturer may also recommend different spark plugs to use, or just a different plug gap for the standard plugs you are using.