8 Best Turbo Kits For a Honda Civic [Reliable boost in power]

Iv drove many cars over the years but by far the most fun car out of them all to drive is a turbo Honda. But when it comes to choosing which turbo kit to install there are many factors to consider such as what your goals are, as in top-end power, acceleration, mid-range, etc.. plus it can be tricky due to the lack of good turbo kits available on the market for a Honda. That is why I decided to dig out 8 of the best quality reliable turbo kits available for a Honda Civic.

1 GReddy X RevHard T518Z Tuner Turbo Kit

GReddy has been producing performance turbos since 1977 and it’s fair to say they nailed it when it comes to the science behind their designs. GReddy is by far the most reliable turbo kit on the market and fully street-legal in 50 states.

This kit comes with a TDO5 turbo which is a hybrid of a Mitsubishi and Garrett turbo housing. When this turbo was being designed the main goal was to make it completely street-legal and compatible with a stock engine, (meaning it won’t blow up on your first run).

The only downside to this turbo is that because it was designed with emissions in mind, it also has some limitations, the main one being that the Garrett turbo housing has a small internal wastegate with a flap that opens and closes to release exhaust gasses as they escape, plus it also comes with a low-pressure wastegate to comply with emissions regulations.

To find out more about how wastegates work and which is better you should check out this article.

The GReddy TD05 turbo kit is capable of safely producing 260 WHP, using all its hardware and internal wastegate, but if you want to get the most power out of it some simple modifications can be made to the turbo to give you an extra 80BHP+.

Rather than ball bearings which are common in the design of turbos, GReddy utilized a free-floating bushing type design with a large center shaft diameter and so far it has stood the test of time.

The GReddy kit comes complete with a T518Z 8cm2 turbocharger, front mount intercooler, cast iron exhaust manifold, oil filter relocation kit, all aluminum piping, and Ultimate plug-and-play engine management system, 550cc fuel injectors, and all the hardware needed to install the kit successfully.

Pros:

• Street legal
• Emission friendly
• Can be used on a stock engine
• Very reliable
• Easy to install
• Capable of 260whp

Cons:

• Horsepower limited to 260whp unless modifications are made to the turbo
• Small internal low pressure wastegate
• Downpipe is restricted to 2inch in diameter

Overall GReddy would be my number one choice when it comes to reliability, and with their reputation, you can be sure you are getting tried and tested quality components. The cheapest I could find this turbo kit was for just below $5000 US on SpeedScience.co.nz if you’d like to check it out.

2 Turbo Specialties T25R Extreme Turbo Kit [Honda Civic R18]

Turbo Specialties Inc is well known in the turbo world as the name would suggest. This is a slightly cheaper turbo but don’t let that fool you, TSI uses only the highest quality parts and components and prides itself on producing big BHP.

The TSI turbo kit comes complete with absolutely everything you need to successfully carry out the installation yourself with basic experience and tools required. This kit is a direct bolt-on assembly for Honda Civic R18 from 2006 to 2011.

TSI turbo kits come complete with a Garrett T25 ball bearing turbo, aluminum high flow front mount intercooler and piping, cast iron exhaust manifold, down pipe, BP9901 blow-off valve, braided oil and water feed, and return pipes, Hondata fuel management system, 550cc injectors, wiring harnesses, 2.5″ air intake pipe, 3 bar map sensor, and all other hardware needed.

Like the GReddy turbo kit, this also has an internal wastegate. The exhaust manifold is made with high nickel content, meaning they are super hard, and depending on where you buy the kit, they usually come with a 5-year warranty on the castings and a 1-year warranty on the turbo and electronics.

The T25 turbo is the smallest turbocharger produced by Garrett and has a 41.7mm exducer and a 53mm inducer, the result of this is very little turbo lag. Although this may seem small, the benefit to this is that there is very little lag during acceleration due to the smaller turbine being able to spool up to full speed much faster.

Pros:

• Comes complete with everything you need
• Very little turbo lag
• High nickel manifold
• Easy to install
• Direct bolt-on
• Reliable

Cons:

• Smaller turbo
• Restrictive internal wastegate
• Limited to 270 WHP without minor modification to the wastegate

From what I could find Vivid Racing was the best price I could find this turbo kit at $3,873 which isn’t bad considering you get a reliable fuel management system with the kit. If you want to check them out for yourself here’s a link to VividRacing.com.

3 Turbo Specialties T25 Turbo Kit [Honda Civic D Series]

This turbo kit is very similar to the one mentioned above, the difference being this kit is designed to fit Honda Civics between the years 1992-2000 and fitted with a D Series engine.

The turbocharger used in this kit is a Garrett oil and water-cooled turbo and the kit comes with nearly everything apart from a fuel management system, which is an optional extra with this kit.

The turbo and exhaust manifold comes pre-assembled with all oil and water lines already attached with the actuator pre-set to 6lbs of boost which will give you a safe 40% increase in horsepower while still not running the risk of blowing your engine.

Pros:

• Turbo and exhaust manifold comes pre-assembled
• Direct bolt on
• Easy to install
• 40% boost in power out of the box

Cons:

• Doesn’t come with a fuel management system

The cheapest I could find this kit was $2,998 with AndysAutosport.com but considering you still need to buy a fuel management system and injectors which will set you back another $1000 it seems a little expensive, but it’s still one of the cheaper high-quality kits available.

4 Go Autoworks Street Turbo Kit [Honda Civic DOHC]

Go AutoWorks have built an excellent reputation for itself over the past decade due to performance, reliability, and price.

This new Street Turbo Kit is an entry-level turbo kit and is a direct fit for any Honda Civic from 1992-2000 fitted with a B Series DOHC VTEC engine likewise it will also fit the Integra from 94-2001 with a DOHC B Series engine.

The Go AutoWorks turbo is capable of 400 BHP with the correct map and tuning setup. This kit is also perfect if you running stock internals in your motor, the only thing I would recommend is if your motor is stock, don’t push it anymore than 250WHP to ensure your engine can reliably take the power and be sure to use the correct start-up and shut down procedures to get the most out of the turbo.

This kit comes with a Turbonetics T3 Super 60 .63 A/R turbo, these turbos are designed and produced by Turbonetics and this particular model is the smallest most compact turbocharger Turbonetics produce and is perfectly sized for applications below 2 liters with very little turbo lag which is always a good thing.

T3 turbo features a .63 A/R ratio exhaust housing and a 55mm/60mm compressor wheel which is efficient up to 22psi, anything above 22psi, and the turbo can begin to over-spin.

The T3 Super 60 .63 A/R turbo will give you far more top-end performance due to there being very little restriction on the exhaust along with having a large compressor wheel, the downside to this is there will be slightly more turbo lag low to mid-range because of the higher A/R ratio.

The way to solve this would be to couple this turbo with a .48 A/R exhaust housing which would significantly increase mid-range performance.

The Go AutoWorks turbo kit also comes with a cast iron manifold, stainless steel 2.5″ downpipe, 38mm MVS dump tube, 1xO2 bung, 38mm MVS wastegate along with a 14psi spring, 50mm blow-off valve, front mount intercooler and piping, high quality reinforced pipe couplers and an oil kit. Bar the fuel management system and a map sensor you are pretty much ready to install the kit.

Pros:

• Suitable for use with a stock engine
• Very reliable
• Higher top end power
• Capable of 400 BHP
• External wastegate

Cons:

• Turbo lag low to mid range
• No fuel management kit included

The Go Auto Works turbo kit will cost you $2,390 at Autoworks.com if you want to check it out.

5 Race Tech Evo Turbo Kit [B Series Honda]

Race tech turbo kits and exhaust manifolds are built and manufactured in the UK. The turbo used is a TD05 twin scroll Evo turbo and a custom-made exhaust manifold. All the manifolds are made in-house to suit your preference.

The TD05 twin-scroll turbo is originally from a Mitsubishi Evolution, the reason for using this turbo is due to the twin-scroll design. Twin scroll basically means that the exhaust is divided up into two sections, then when the exhaust “in” pulses it results in a quicker spool time from the turbo.

The TD05 16g Evo turbo has a nozzle area of 7cm2 and a compressor 60mm in diameter which is capable of producing 365 BHP @ 22psi.

These turbos were also manufactured using Titanium Aluminide alloy which produces less inertia resulting in the turbo spooling up around 500 RPM sooner which will give you far more low to mid-range power.

This kit also comes with a stainless steel equal-length manifold, stainless steel 2.5″ downpipe, braided oil and water lines, Race Tech Aluminum front mount intercooler and piping, a complete gasket kit, and all fittings, joiners, and hardware needed to complete the installation.

Pros:

• Custom stainless steel exhaust manifold
• Twin scroll turbo
• Suitable for a stock motor
• Easy to install
• Capable of 365 BHP
• Warranty

Cons:

• No fuel management system included
• Reconditioned turbo

Race Tech turbo kits also come with a 6-month warranty on the turbocharger and a 2-year warranty on the kit and it will cost you $1945 for the kit, you can check them out at Racetech.net.

6 Full Race Turbo Kit [10th Gen FK8 Honda G Series]

Full Race has designed a performance turbo upgrade which is a direct bolt-on application for the Honda FK8. This kit has been proven to produce up to 550whp on a stock engine and remapped stock ECU.

When this kit was coupled with a Motec ECU it made a whopping 800whp which is staggering out of a four-cylinder engine.

One of the advantages of the Full Race kit is that there is no modification needed on the car to install the new kit, meaning you can always easily swap back to your original turbo in the future if you need to.

Unlike older turbo setups which came with a conventional wastegate or blow-off valve which was mechanically controlled by a spring, the newer FK8 came with an electronic wastegate, giving far more precision control and tuneability over the turbo.

The kit comes with everything you need to complete the installation including the manifold, 3″ downpipe, intercooler pipes, air box, oil and coolant lines, and all the other little couplers and hardware that’s needed.

This kit will cost you $5614 from FullRace.com or for $7300 you can also get an upgraded high-performance Full Race intercooler kit included, but it’s not necessary as the turbo kit will work with your stock intercooler.

Pros:

• Direct bolt on
• Capable of 800 BHP+
• No modification needed to the car

Cons:

• Expensive

7 Tuning Developments Turbo Kit [Honda K Series EP3 DC5]

Tuning Developments are based in the UK and have engineered their version of the turbo kit for the K Series engine. The turbo used is a large precision CEA billet turbocharger that is capable of producing well over 500 BHP.

The kit also comes with a sidewinder exhaust manifold, 3″ downpipe, 44mm screamer pipe, K&N performance air filter, 44mm external wastegate, Aluminum intercooler and piping, upgraded injectors, upgraded 325 LPH fuel pump, oil feed lines, 3 bar map sensor, and all the other little bits and pieces you might need.

The only thing the kit doesn’t come with is a programmable ECU which means you will need to buy a K Pro ECU in order to remap it.

Pros:

• Capable of 500 BHP+

Cons:

• Expensive
• Doesn’t include a programmable ECU

This kit will cost you about $7,500 plus shipping, you can check them out here at TuningDevelopements.com for more information.

8 MaXpeedingrods T3/T4 T04E Universal Turbo Charger Kit Stage III

This stage 3 turbo kit is designed to be universal, meaning it will fit a wide range of vehicles spanning from 1.5L motors to 3L.

The problem with a universal kit is that if you are not very experienced or have a limited selection of tools you may run into problems when installing the kit because some modifications always need to be done when installing universal parts.

Nevertheless, if you are confident you have the experience to carry out the job this is a very budget-friendly turbo kit at below $600 and will produce up to 400 bhp with the correct setup and MAP.

The T3/T4 turbocharger has a turbine inducer size of 64mm and an exducer of 55mm, the compressor inducer diameter is 52mm and the exducer diameter is 76mm, which is a pretty big turbocharger.

The kit also includes an aluminum front mount intercooler and piping, 35/38mm wastegate, stainless steel downpipe, anodized blow-off valve, boost controller, boost gauge, and most of the other bits you need.

The main part that is not included in this kit is an exhaust manifold, meaning you will need to buy a manifold to suit your engine separately, plus there is also no fuel management system or injectors with this kit, but that’s to be expected considering the price of the kit.

Pros:

• Budget friendly
• Universal to all Honda Civics below 2001
• Capable of 400BHP
• Includes boost controller and gauge
• External wastegate

Cons:

• Made from cheaper materials
• No exhaust manifold included
• No fuel management system included
• The car will require some modification to install the kit successfully

Like I said this is a budget turbo kit which means it will be perfect for some cheap fun but it won’t last as long or produce the same results as the branded turbo kits mentioned above, but if this sounds like what you’re looking for here’s the link to Amazon and you can check it out for yourself.

Conclusion

So as you can see there are quite a few to choose from with each one having its benefits and disadvantages, but overall whichever one you choose from this list it will be a good decision because these companies are the best in the world at what they do and don’t let the lure of buying cheap turbos drag you in because you will pay more in the long run.

Before choosing you need to check out this article which gives an in depth explanation as to how a turbo works and how it creates power to give you a solid understanding of how a turbo works before you decide which one is best for your needs.