Most hp/ boost a A3 bottom end can handle

[kr3w108]

Im currently on 9psi with my setup i have now. In time i am going to turn up the boost to bout 12, i plan on upgrading my head to an a2 and side mount turbo mani. with arp headstuds. i will be putting a 75 shot of nitrous aswell. what hp range or Boost range will the bottom end of an a3 start to break down? I dont want my car to be at high risk, this is my daily and i want it to be as fast as i can make it but still be reliable enough to drive it from day to day.

[EP3Casas]

on 12lbs and 75 shot ur bottom end will be toast in 4-5 pulls maybe less.

[kr3w108]

Which is why im asking , seeing what other people have to say.
on 12lbs and 75 shot ur bottom end will be toast in 4-5 pulls maybe less.

[RedSiBaron]

If this is your daily, then either leave the boost low or go back to n/a and definitely don't run nitrous...save the money you'll spend when you blow it up and get a beater car, then you can turn up the boost...

[makavelibranded]

A2 head wont do you any good, nitrous is a waist, aswell as a side mounted manifold and arp headstuds.
PSI doesint mean anything as far as limits, every turbo produces different amount of power, 300hp is the highest you should go.

You need to do some reading, you can just as easily turn up the boost, get tuned and make 300hp, it'll be more reliable then adding crap you dont need and it'll save you money.

[superchargedk20]

A2 head wont do you any good, nitrous is a waist, aswell as a side mounted manifold and arp headstuds.
PSI doesint mean anything as far as limits, every turbo produces different amount of power, 300hp is the highest you should go.

You need to do some reading, you can just as easily turn up the boost, get tuned and make 300hp, it'll be more reliable then adding crap you dont need and it'll save you money.

Agree.300 max

[SandBagger]

The question is how good is the oil being run and the oil filter. Also I know it is a pain to do but oil pump swapping would only help. A good tuner is most important

[MugenReplica]

Didn't Tai (from Corsport) run for about a year with with 338whp/290torque at 9psi? I mean it was still a time bomb, but he did put out the over 300whp for more than a little while. I also believe it's how hard you beat the car as well. The Signal Ep3 that I bought all of my parts from, was still running 374.6whp on the stock K20a3 when they parted it out. Although, I think that was a HUGE time bomb waiting to blow. I just don't think it had been beat on quite enough to run down the timer. That's the high whp numbers I remember from turbo'd Ep3s.

As far as boost there were a handful of guys here back in the day (between 2004-2008) that put out 15psi on stock internals with proper tuning on Greddy kits that never blew their engine. I'm trying to recall the last guys name who parted out in 2008, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

People are quick to dump the K20a3, but having a reliable DD 300whp K20a3 isn't out of the question if tuned correctly. Anything over 300whp though is just a time bomb waiting to blow depending on your driving.

[gtimportfanatic]

yep agreed.. my tune was extremely conservative and i was completely satisfied

[kr3w108]

All the stuff i said in my first post was just something that i could do to my car, not saying i was going to . but would be nice as hell tho lol. IF anything i would put the A2 head on and turn up the boost a lil 300whp would be a great DD :) im at 260whp right now and it just isnt enough. I have a good tunner Prob one of the best in the southeast. Ever heard of JJspec Racing in Macon Georgia?? He has done some great things over the many years that he has been in business.
Didn't Tai (from Corsport) run for about a year with with 338whp/290torque at 9psi? I mean it was still a time bomb, but he did put out the over 300whp for more than a little while. I also believe it's how hard you beat the car as well. The Signal Ep3 that I bought all of my parts from, was still running 374.6whp on the stock K20a3 when they parted it out. Although, I think that was a HUGE time bomb waiting to blow. I just don't think it had been beat on quite enough to run down the timer. That's the high whp numbers I remember from turbo'd Ep3s.

As far as boost there were a handful of guys here back in the day (between 2004-2008) that put out 15psi on stock internals with proper tuning on Greddy kits that never blew their engine. I'm trying to recall the last guys name who parted out in 2008, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

People are quick to dump the K20a3, but having a reliable DD 300whp K20a3 isn't out of the question if tuned correctly. Anything over 300whp though is just a time bomb waiting to blow depending on your driving.

[POOPTOOTH]

Im currently on 9psi with my setup i have now. In time i am going to turn up the boost to bout 12, i plan on upgrading my head to an a2 and side mount turbo mani. with arp headstuds. i will be putting a 75 shot of nitrous aswell. what hp range or Boost range will the bottom end of an a3 start to break down? I dont want my car to be at high risk, this is my daily and i want it to be as fast as i can make it but still be reliable enough to drive it from day to day.

Theres only one way to find out!!! I say bolt all this stuff up and go for it, records are made to be broken. ;)

[TigerBallZ]

I think anything above 300whp on a A3 bottom end is sketchy. You can achieve 300whp on a stock K20A3 easily, if that's all your looking for. My opinion, get a stock K20A2 with the necessary turbo and fuel upgrade as well as tuning and roll with 400whp all day.
Nitrous isn't needed.

[makavelibranded]

. but would be nice as hell tho lol. IF anything i would put the A2 head on and turn up the boost a lil 300whp would be a great DD

The thing is you dont need the a2 head to reach that, also it doesint provide any gains. With the amount of labor and cash to swap a head you might as well spend a tad bit more and buy a complete engine, that has less miles, and that can take more then 400hp with stock interals.

Some have found a k24a1 for as little as $500, and ive seen them at my local junkyards for about that price too.

[04EP3Hatch]

odd question but why is the A3 a time bomb? has anyone actually researched it? what is the weak point? all i know of is the oil pump. if the tune is on par, and by par i mean perfect, i do not see what 350 reliable hp cant be acheived

[makavelibranded]

the rods are weak

[tallblondkid]

the rods are weak

yea that....
i have been running 280-300whp for about 4 years now at 11psi... tuned, but on a dyno that read really low (accurate #s unknown)
the wonderful thing about turbo is that you dont have to do all those other little things to make more power. all i have to do is turn a knob(and tune of course)
turning up the boost (for free) is more beneficial then adding an a2 head, or a sidemount, or headstuds when the current ones are perfect.
never heard of jjspec racing but if you got any of these ideas about adding this stuff from them, id say dont trust. especially nitrous???really?

[sleepy ep3]

the rods are weak

Dear lord, thank you. I thought that nobody would say it. I say go ahead, it's your car. Apparently, you don't want to listen to what anyone says, even though it's like a broken record. The rod journals are the smallest size of all the k20 motors on the a3. The rods are crap, the journals are small, the oiling system is meh, and the valvesprings are tiny. The fact that corsport or whoever made a bunch of power to sell parts doesn't mean shit. I really doubt that a shop car gets driven as much as a DD anyway. And the point made about 350 hp with a perfect tune is crap as well. As the weather changes, your tune will need to be adjusted a bit, so it will no longer be "perfect". The people that were running 15 psi, were on the small ass turbo that Greddy ships with their kits, that pretty much has to run at 15 psi to make 250 hp. EP3casas is correct. You should listen to all the people telling you info, and not be so arrogant. But what do I know, I've only been through 2 k20a3's with perfect tunes.

[AUTiger]

talk to ebizzle. He was running 333hp on his a3, didn't mis-shift, but it threw a rod out the block at the track.

[MugenReplica]

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and everybody is going to state this or that. All I know is what I've seen. I did say that a K20a3 pumping out over 300whp is TICKING time bomb. Yes you can put out OVER 300whp for awhile, but eventually it's going to go BOOM! Just like ANY naturally aspirated engine not designed from the factory to run boost, as soon as you add boost, it's life is shortened indefinitely. It's all a matter of time and how hard you beat on it.

When Tai put down those number on his Ep3, it was his DD. You can put down 300whp at 15psi with the shitty Greddy T517Z on a K20a3, it's been done before and somebody will do it again.

I know at least Accordexecp95 hit 300whp on his Greddy kit at 15psi and I think Jaeguyoon was around there somewhere as well. Vid below is when they were both at 10psi.

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So the end all statement to all of this is......the K20a3 is a shitty option for anything over 300-310whp for long term reliability. Go get a K24a1, K24a4, K20a2, K20z1, K20z3, or w/e. Just skip past the K20a3 if you want over 310whp and like to see MAX boost every time you step on the gas pedal.

[Onasty]

Word im sittin on k20a3 block/ k24a1 head vtec killer a2 cams set up boosted n i stop the tuning at 303 at 9 psi
I figured i would listen to advice i was given

[SandBagger]

Swap the K20a2 shortblock in there and call it a day

[neoamd]

Im currently on 9psi with my setup i have now. In time i am going to turn up the boost to bout 12, i plan on upgrading my head to an a2 and side mount turbo mani. with arp headstuds. i will be putting a 75 shot of nitrous aswell. what hp range or Boost range will the bottom end of an a3 start to break down? I dont want my car to be at high risk, this is my daily and i want it to be as fast as i can make it but still be reliable enough to drive it from day to day.

Listen to everyone else in this thread. Get another motor if you want more power over 300whp.

Hello from Montgomery, AL :wavey:

[playap07]

Noz and boost??????????????? ooooooooo hell nooooooo!

[sleepy ep3]

Noz and boost??????????????? ooooooooo hell nooooooo!

It's spelled "nawz." I need two of the big ones. Oh, and Harry, I need them by tomorrow.

[AKEP]

Man, YOU know this is bullshit!!

[makavelibranded]

too soon JR

[04EP3Hatch]

Dear lord, thank you. I thought that nobody would say it. I say go ahead, it's your car. Apparently, you don't want to listen to what anyone says, even though it's like a broken record. The rod journals are the smallest size of all the k20 motors on the a3. The rods are crap, the journals are small, the oiling system is meh, and the valvesprings are tiny. The fact that corsport or whoever made a bunch of power to sell parts doesn't mean shit. I really doubt that a shop car gets driven as much as a DD anyway. And the point made about 350 hp with a perfect tune is crap as well. As the weather changes, your tune will need to be adjusted a bit, so it will no longer be "perfect". The people that were running 15 psi, were on the small ass turbo that Greddy ships with their kits, that pretty much has to run at 15 psi to make 250 hp. EP3casas is correct. You should listen to all the people telling you info, and not be so arrogant. But what do I know, I've only been through 2 k20a3's with perfect tunes.

whats with all the smartassness towards me? is it that i beat the SHIT out of my A3 on 11psi all day everyday and have not one problem at all with it? ok you've been through 2 a3's, there's your problem. why put another one in... im not that dumb, and its not like i wasnt listening, i just didnt care enough to research about the a3, i see people saying 300whp is the limit and thats what i was shooting for, obviously the eaton blower wont hit it but just cause people blow the A3 all day doesnt mean mine is going anywhere soon. and in no way shape or form was i being arrogant, i just wanted to know cause i had no clue about the a3. obviously if mine blows another one wont find its way back under my hood thats for sure, but for now its what i have and im seeing what i can do, and as for the "perfect" tune, mine seemed to fare just fine between 20 degrees and 100 degrees ambient temp. no additional knock count with temp increase, no problems at all. and thats with NO cooling, its called OPEN loop. and if your tune needs to be adjusted for different seasons i say get a new tuner before you start knocking my setup!

[kr3w108]

:peace:
whats with all the smartassness towards me? is it that i beat the SHIT out of my A3 on 11psi all day everyday and have not one problem at all with it? ok you've been through 2 a3's, there's your problem. why put another one in... im not that dumb, and its not like i wasnt listening, i just didnt care enough to research about the a3, i see people saying 300whp is the limit and thats what i was shooting for, obviously the eaton blower wont hit it but just cause people blow the A3 all day doesnt mean mine is going anywhere soon. and in no way shape or form was i being arrogant, i just wanted to know cause i had no clue about the a3. obviously if mine blows another one wont find its way back under my hood thats for sure, but for now its what i have and im seeing what i can do, and as for the "perfect" tune, mine seemed to fare just fine between 20 degrees and 100 degrees ambient temp. no additional knock count with temp increase, no problems at all. and thats with NO cooling, its called OPEN loop. and if your tune needs to be adjusted for different seasons i say get a new tuner before you start knocking my setup!

[gtimportfanatic]

whats with all the smartassness towards me? is it that i beat the SHIT out of my A3 on 11psi all day everyday and have not one problem at all with it? ok you've been through 2 a3's, there's your problem. why put another one in... im not that dumb, and its not like i wasnt listening, i just didnt care enough to research about the a3, i see people saying 300whp is the limit and thats what i was shooting for, obviously the eaton blower wont hit it but just cause people blow the A3 all day doesnt mean mine is going anywhere soon. and in no way shape or form was i being arrogant, i just wanted to know cause i had no clue about the a3. obviously if mine blows another one wont find its way back under my hood thats for sure, but for now its what i have and im seeing what i can do, and as for the "perfect" tune, mine seemed to fare just fine between 20 degrees and 100 degrees ambient temp. no additional knock count with temp increase, no problems at all. and thats with NO cooling, its called OPEN loop. and if your tune needs to be adjusted for different seasons i say get a new tuner before you start knocking my setup!


all the nay-sayers.. read our sigs.. one of the best tuners i know.. hands down

[04EP3Hatch]

thank you dre! i didnt wanna brag but since he brought it into the discussion hes right

[Onasty]

all the nay-sayers.. read our sigs.. one of the best tuners i know.. hands down
He is one of the best but i get tuned by the best himself Chris Miller @ NRG FTW!!

[04EP3Hatch]

no doubt miller is an amazing tuner, but im not a huge fan of guys tuning cars that can be potential competition, tuners that have shop cars seem to undertune comparable cars so their's are fastest, thats why i like xenocron, he tunes to FULL potential. he's tuned my freinds cars. all daily driven low 11 second b series on pump gas. and when i say low elevens, i mean 11.03, 11.10, and 11.23 (thats a sohc btw)

[Onasty]

no doubt miller is an amazing tuner, but im not a huge fan of guys tuning cars that can be potential competition, tuners that have shop cars seem to undertune comparable cars so their's are fastest, thats why i like xenocron, he tunes to FULL potential. he's tuned my freinds cars. all daily driven low 11 second b series on pump gas. and when i say low elevens, i mean 11.03, 11.10, and 11.23 (thats a sohc btw)

Miller tunes to full potential i was there for so long. I understand what your sayin about potential competition but to even be on his level you have to have a 25k-30k engine lol. Hes not worried about competition.

[superchargedk20]

U guys think ur soo cool with ur tuners!

[Onasty]

U guys think ur soo cool with ur tuners!

lol i love my tuner, where else can u get tuned from 9pm-1am

[04EP3Hatch]

haha yea you got a point. i got a freind up my way thats shooting for millers power level, and xenocron is gonna be tuning it, but he's lexan windows and sheetmetal dash so he cant run millers class

[superchargedk20]

lol i love my tuner, where else can u get tuned from 9pm-1am

Haha. When I got tuned it was from 9am- 6pm


Also why I don't have to worry about winter tunes. Detail appointment tomorrow then its officially done till spring. Dang my Evo phone takes clearer pics than my actual camera lol
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc65/superchargedk20/IMAG0023.jpg

[AKEP]

:mfrown:I just like to quote TFATF.

i'd be happy if my a3 exploded. just saying. i wanted a new motor since i bought the damn thing in 04. my father in law swears the mazda 6 is faster...:mrolleyes:

...it probably is.

[gtimportfanatic]

:mfrown:I just like to quote TFATF.

i'd be happy if my a3 exploded. just saying. i wanted a new motor since i bought the damn thing in 04. my father in law swears the mazda 6 is faster...:mrolleyes:

...it probably is.
dont fuck yourself.. no its not lol... if it doesnt have a speed in the name aint no mazda fucking with the EP.. and by the time the RX8 decides to have any torque ud be long gone lmao

[spartan]

and by the time the RX8 decides to have any torque ud be long gone lmao
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

i have two questions,
how much does a good tune usually cost?
&
would it be a bad idea to boost my A3 getting close to 100k miles? (im at 86k now)
ive serviced her since i got her at 48k

[spartan]

the rods are weak

vvvvvv
Nobody has replied to me! RUDE!
haha
How hard is it to change rods?
could i use A2 rods on my a3 an turn that boost up?
or get some eagle H beams an turn that boost up?
If i just did a rod an say head stud upgrade could i easily surpass the 300hp mark without making a bomb at the same time?
I really want to beat the shit out of my A3 before i swap my Z1 in so i can upgrade that engine mean while.

[AKEP]

get the emusa kit together and make it close to 300 and you'd be set.

then transfer it over to the Z1. MONEY!

[makavelibranded]

vvvvvv
Nobody has replied to me! RUDE!
haha
How hard is it to change rods?
could i use A2 rods on my a3 an turn that boost up?
or get some eagle H beams an turn that boost up?
If i just did a rod an say head stud upgrade could i easily surpass the 300hp mark without making a bomb at the same time?
I really want to beat the shit out of my A3 before i swap my Z1 in so i can upgrade that engine mean while.

honestly i wouldint touch the a3 internally, you can get a better engine for the same price that it would cost to do internal work on an a3, it may seem like alot of work but id be damn worth it

[gtimportfanatic]

honestly i wouldint touch the a3 internally, you can get a better engine for the same price to do internal work, it may seem like alot of work but id be damn worth it

or u can get a stronger motor that doesnt need to be opened lol

[makavelibranded]

lol thats what I meant but I was really tired let me edit:mcool:

[spartan]

ok ok
but just if i wanted too, I already have another engine brand new at that just waiting to be thrown in. but i wanna build it first.
if i came up on some rods and had someone to do the work for cheap.
would that make one tough A3 motor?
Do the A2/Z1 rods fit in a A3?

[gtimportfanatic]

yeah.. just doesnt have the squirters like the a2 z1 blocks.. but if u talk to Tigerballz... he has a a3 with a2 guts and a2 head and made 540whp.. so yeah.. n by guts i dont mean stock parts just spec'd

[AKEP]

my shit didnt post. but yeah, what he said. you'd need the headwork to compliment the bottom but i wouldn't go for stock unless you got a great freakin deal on them. you would just be missing the squiters. you might as well go forged so you wont need squiters.

[Canuck Civic]

I also believe that the a2 has different rod journal size so a2 rods won't work on a3 crank.

[AKEP]

yeah you need the whole bottom end inside a naked block.

[spartan]

ok cool, just wondering.
fuck that
haha

[the1986]

Have any of you guys run a higher redline when boosting an a3? Im installing a turbo on my stock a3 with a lil over 100k and have thought about it, but had a few questions...

1. Does it make any more power?
2. Would it harm the engine

thanks

[makavelibranded]

I ran up to 7800 rpm at one point but i didint feel more power and didint feel comfy going that high in the rpm's, so I have it set to 7200 now

and ya it will cause more wear and tear on the engine

[sleepy ep3]

I also believe that the a2 has different rod journal size so a2 rods won't work on a3 crank.

It's true. The sizes are not the same.