Okay so I aiming to do a turbo, plus ecu upgrade to my 1.8t aeb longitudinal, 5 speed manual, stock motor. I want to know if their is a better set up or a possible piece together strategy that is better than these two companies, AWE PC16 or the APR Stage 3. The point of me asking is I would like to spend as little as possible and hit right around 300hp. I would prefer to use APR but they are $$$. AWE is a much more feasible choice because it is much cheaper but is lacking that little bit of Hp that I could get from the APR setup. I wouldn't mind doing a big turbo build if it was cost effective, could get me the power right around 300hp and was easy to get pieces. I know there are a million parts out there for this car to tune with, but then comes the chip to match up with the pieces you put on. There are no companies I can find that will source you a chip to go along with a t3 turbo, garret 3071, K04 or whatever the hell turbo you put on. I don't really know how people manage to keep doing these big turbo applications when there seem to be no companies that will list or supply a tune for their hp needs, with a list of minimum parts required. Everyone says unitronic or eurodyne, etc.. but go the sites their is no listed chip available. Only unitronics stage 2+ 640$ mystery chip. I am good with the mechanical stuff but the computer ecu tuning part throws me for a loop. Any input would be great. Thanks

 

i think everyone in the world will tell you frankenturbo

 

I honestly was hoping that wouldn't even be metioned.. 1,200$ for 221hp.. That is crap. I was not even going to list that as an option because of how low the gains are. I would take a simple apr stage 1 chip over that any day and take the extra 900$ and buy a round trip ticket to hawaii. Thanks but again aiming for 300 ish horsies.

 

well lets get something straight. are you shooting for 300 wheel or crank hp? the franken can probably deliver 300 crank (im not positive). if you are looking for 300 wheel horsepower, youll be into gtrs range at least, maybe look into 2871r/3071r elims, t25, or t3 housings. you could do what i did and buy used. ill admit i got an awesome deal and you probably wont but you never know. i got a t25 2871r, t25 atp manifold, atp downpipe, 2.25 borla exhaust, atp fuel rail and some other things i forgot about for $1000. it was a hell of a deal. if you are looking to piece together a turbo kit, it can be done for cheap but youll have to wait till the deals come along

 

Well that is definitely a hell of a set up you have there. To be more exact by the way, I am looking for 300hp at the crank. I don't want to tempt fate with my motor, rather not have to change a rod set, if at all possible. If you don't mind me asking what tune software did you use on your rig? Or did it just come with an ecu pre-loaded. A while back I was tempted to buy a dahlback racing set up ,garret turbo I think..?, with all of the pieces from a close by guy, for right around a 1,000$ but I had no knowledge of the company and it had no ecu or tune.

 

Like redline said, just wait and find it used. I pieced together my gt2871r elim setup for somewhere around $2200, and thats with EVERYTHING you need.

 

300hp at the crank can be had with a franken turbo. dont underestimate it until you have experienced it. a bigger turbo feels way different. the only bad part about going big turbo is the lag, but a frankenturbo will be minmal compared to larger setups. i literally have zero power/torque till 4500k. and then it hits. a frankenturbo will hit lower in the range, but run out of juice by 6 or 7k. my car just keeps pulling till i shift. the first time i floored my new setup, i almost overreved. i wasnt expecting the revs to limb that fast in first gear. i'll admit i got beat off the line by a dodge neon before. by the end of first i was looking back at him.
i went from stage 1 ecu to 2871r power. i was blown away at first. i have since gotten used to it. but i knew i would and thats the exact reason i went with maestro for my car. its the perfect program to expand.

 

If you will settle for 300 crank then frankenturbo is all you need. I have converted a larger K04 to my setup that should make considerably more hp but spools very much like the K04 015 I replaced it with. The problem I am having now is getting the tune sorted out properly. Since I am seeing 14psi by 3K and my AFR is **** at best I currently am able to run it to only 5K before my sphincter tightens up due to my AFR being in the 13's and climbing. They have actually went all the way to 14 before.

I do have a complete AWE K04 kit that comes with a ECU, turbo, injectors, and FPR that I am going to sell if you are interested. Everything is in top notch shape and has less then 10K on it. It does not quite make the power the franken setup does but it is a true bolt on setup that is designed specifically for a stock motor.

 

With my FrankenTurbo setup I'm seeing full boost (20psi) by ~2,800 RPM. And it hits pretty hard I know what Redline is talking about with going through 1st gear quickly, and with my car being FWD the front tires will just spin if I'm not careful when mashing the throttle.

 

Here you go, check out the following turbos.
Comp Turbo entry level series

Comp Turbo Billet series, has an option to go Journal Bearing CHRA

Plenty of options to go with for a manifold, T25, T3, T4 or can even put a CT into a ATP elim exhaust housing and use the OEM or high flow OEM replacement manifold.