Turbo charging my car, whats the best way?

Question

i have a 92' mustang LX. its a 2.3L so it obviously doesnt have the balls that has become synonymous with the mustang name, and i would like to do something about that. i really dont want to get a bigger engine because of the way gas is now so i was wondering:

1. what do i need to turbo my car?

2. what do you mount the turbo itself to?

3. about how much will it cost if i do most of the wrench work myself?

im by no means a road racer or anything, i just like the feeling of being pushed back in my seat by some good horses you know.

also, basically the extent of my knowledge about turbos is that they run off exhaust, so if anyone could fill in some blanks for me that would be appreciated.

Answer 1

get a supercoupe set-up. or early 80s mustang turbo set-up. or just go buy a 75 hp nos hit

Answer 2

1/ I doubt anyone makes a turbo kit for your car. Theres just not enough market in the 2.3l 4 banger stangs to warrant companies to spend the time, money and resources to develop forced induction systems.

2/ A turbo normally is installed inline the exhaust system, a turbo uses exhaust gasses to drive a turbine which creates boost, which is sent to the intake manifold.

3/ N/A

To elaborate on point 2, yes, turbos run off of exhaust gasses. The main alternative is a supercharger. Superchargers do the same thing, except there compressors are belt driven instead of driven by pressure from exhaust gas. Superchargers therefore take a little bit more HP to operate. Since turbos run on spent exhaust gasses, they require less hp to operate. The main advantage a supercharger has over a turbo is that there is litle to no "lag" which turbos can be famous for. Turbo's in some configurations will take a slight amount of time to build up boost, and that time is referred to as "turbo lag". Superchargers do not suffer from lag.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Look on the net and find a turbo manufacturer and then look for a kit, with the instructions included and all the parts.  You might try some speed catalogs like Summit or Jegs.

good luck with the project.

Answer 4

W/e you do don't do the Nitrous oxide route. Every time you use a 50 shot of Nos is like driving 10,000 miles, no joke. The guy who said that probibly got his car knowledge from Fast and the Furious....

There are turbo kits out there for you 4 banged 'stang. I have heard of it being done, but where to find them, check Jegs and Summit and all those other catalogs. It is such a weird upgrade, so finding it will be tough. Installing it for your first time won't be easy, but some good instructions online will help. Cost will be a at least 3 grand for a complete kit, if they exist.