Hello everyone! My name is Bryan I just joined the forum but I have a 2004 rx8 with an esmeril turbo kit going in next week. I also purchased their ignition upgrade as well as their ball bearing turbo option. I have an upgraded radiator and a water/meth injection kit going on as well.. I was wondering if that would be enough to keep the car running cool and I was also looking for advice as to how much boost to run and the amount/types of gauges I should be installing? Thanks a lot guys!

 

honestly theres several ways/methods people prefer, little differences basically. But your best bet is to try to look at someones turbo build thread or even contact esmeril directly because you will get a lot of random posts that may not help

 

I have esmeril on my car for 2 years now. My advice to you is make sure the car is tuned before you start to hammer on it. Follow the instruction. Be patient and break in the turbo per recommendation in instruction. The base map on your car makes your car sputter after 6K rpm or so for safety (it gets real rich after 6K rpm). Check engine compression before you install your turbo so you know you are installing turbo on a healthy engine. And make sure whoever install your turbo install the kit correctly. I have the kit on my car for 2 years now and around 14K miles and it is running strong. Get a new starter for your car if your old one is pre 2005. If you have any questions, ask Chris.

 

Thanks luckycat I have seen your videos on YouTube or at least I think they were videos of your car.. How do I check compression of my engine? I have Esmerils ignition upgrade and the dual ball bearing turbo. I also ordered a water/meth injection system and a koyo radiator to help keep the car running cool. Do you think this will be enough? And how much boost do you run your car at? I was thinking about 10psi after the break in period.

 

Go to a dealer or to a rotary shop to have the compression test done.
Water meth shouldn't be necessary and if you read around here there's even who's against it.
The Koyo radiator works worse than the stock unit.

 

EsmerilRX8, I am running 8-9lbs right now. I plan to have the car tuned this spring and already installed Hallman Manual boost controller and probably will only up it to 10-11 lbs or so. According to Chris, the engine will handle 12 lbs of boost just fine but I am not sure about stock apex seals. Your cooling system should be enough. Where you live at? I am in MN and it is cooler temp here and my stock radiator is keeping the car cool just fine. Since I have the kit on my car I never have the fan turns on after I shut the engine at all. I have mazmart water pump on mine along with agency power pully. With the turbo, always use the highest octane gas you have in your area. Watermeth will complicate the tuning of the car a bit more but it is an insurance if you have bad gas or on hot days. Plus it helps clean your engine when you use it. Is your kit has atmosphere dump or recirculate?

 

Esmeril always recommends water methanol injection. We could go into details as to why its beneficial but the argument is pointless.

For best results, follow our recommendations

Best regards,

Chris

 

How long did u have to wait for ur kit?? Im Goin on 4 MONTHS!!!!!!! And still missing parts.............FML!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chris???????

 

don't half-*** it. you will blow your car up if you don't make all the necessary upgrades like injectors and cooling systems. also make sure to get something like an accessport and re-tune the ECU because the basic setup wont sustain boost

 

Interceptor x is what Esmeril pushes

 

my advice to u will be to double or triple wrap your coolent lines or upgrade them to a high temp silicone hose and still double wrap those, this will free u of any of the hoses failing on u. (i have the kit too) enjoy installing it and driving with it.....

 

Although the Int-X works, we do not push this unit anymore. We now manufacture our own version of this unit. Go to our website for more details.

Best regards,

Chris

 

Thanks for all the info! I live in Pittsburgh, PA so it is a cooler climate here but it still does get very hot at times during the summer. I didn't know the water/meth would complicate the tuning I ordered it just for some insurance like you said. Is the stock radiator good enough to keep the heat under control or should I order an aftermarket one. I was going to order the koyo radiator but someone said it doesn't work very well.I'm not sure if it has atmosphere or recirculate I just ordered the kit from their site with the ignition upgrade and the ball bearing turbo.

 

It did take a little longer than expected I think it was around 3 months for me to get mine but I did receive everything. The reason mine took so long is because my order got messed up and they forgot to send my ignition upgrade but I contacted chris and I recieved it a few weeks later.

 

Chris, I was wondering if you still do any tuning for your kits? I have the install taken care of but I would really prefer to have an expert like you do the tuning for my kit. If we could work this out somehow that would be great! I would be willing to travel if necessary.

 

Doesn't the esmeril kit come with upgraded silicone hoses? How is the kit working out for you? What kind of numbers are you running?

 

I do tune. Send me a PM.

Chris