I have an 86 nissan 300zx 2+2 with it's original turbo and i've been told that it is possible to turn up your turbo so that it produces more horsepower, i was curious how much psi it puts out right now?, how much can i turn it up to without shortening it's lifespan?, how much extra horse power that would give me? and how would i go about turning it up?

Thanks

 

Im not positive, but I think the stock psi on the Z31's is 6psi. If not its a little lower than that, no higher. Its fairly easy to get a decent amount of power from the stock turbo at a relativley low cost, around $1000. The first things you need to do are to change the 2.5in exhaust for a new high flowing 3 inch exhaust. Gutting the catalytic converter is always a good thing to do too if you dont have to pass smog. Also you need new intake like a K&N Filtercharger cone type, and an Intercooler which can be pretty expensive.. The best idea is probably to go to a junkyard and find one on a used car and see if you can make it fit. By doing these steps you will safegaurd your car properly as to not have detonation. Then you will need to fix the blow off valve (there are some guides online somewhere I think) and get a manual or electronic boost controler. Manual boost controlers are cheapest, running probably around $50, its basically just a **** with the psi setting on it to pick, but an electronc one you will get the best results, it optimizes setting and give you less turbo lag. But these are terribly expensive units and can sell for half a grand or more, a few comanies make them so you can pick and choose (like greddy or fuzzy logic). Also its a good idea to have a Turbo Timer which lets your engine idle down for a couple minutes after your shut your car off and leave it so the turbo can spool down and not get as worn out. These can also be half a grand but are the smart thing to do. One final note is that the stock turbo really doesnt give out much more results after 12 psi from what I hear, so there is not much point in trying to run higer than this. I hear if you have most of these mods and are running around 12psi you can have around 300 hp and do 0-60 in around 5 and a half seconds.

Z U L8R

 

there is a lot of info in "http://www.z31.com" They have all the specs and some options and recommendations for upgrading your car. The more money you put into it, the more you will get out of it, but there are some upgrades that are more cost effective than others. Depending on how radical you want to go, you could run the stock turbo setup with a new more accurate boost gauge, turn up your boost a bit, get a larger throttle body and do the intake and exhaust upgrades. That will give you quite a kick right there. If you want to go further, go with the intercooler (there are some used ones that work well, you just have to look) and an upgraded turbo and the upgraded computer and the whole deal. Really what I"m trying to say is horsepower is directly proportional to $$$. Hope this gives you some ideas.

The Beast is back and badder than ever!

 

IMO, go with a good fm i/c no matter what. A quick bit of science will teach one that colder air molecules are denser air molecules.. more molecules.. more power. Its a simple idea.. more bang for your boost. My two cheap(er) OEM fav's are the smaller npr and the starion/conquest i/c. If you can afford a greddy/hks/spearco custom ic that is made to fit z31's, then I say go for it. Piping can sometimes be a pain, but you'll see if you've done your homework, it is well worth it. You can then safely turn up your boost and actually get some horse out of it. Of course that's only as far as the stock turbo goes..
by the way, if you ever consider modifying a turbo motor, system, efi system, manifolding, intercooling, any aspect of the turbo, Buy Corky Bell's "Maximum Boost," its worth every penny.
Good luck,
MAK
-hybrid '79 zxt project