Kade-T Setup Questions

[Blu92]

I have searched a bit on this stuff and I haven't really found someone with a similar setup as what I want to use. So I'm just looking to see if the setup I want is a good starting point or if there is any changes or tweaks I need to make.

Goal is 300-350hp

CX Racing top mount t04e kit -
https://www.cxracing.com/TRB-KIT-KA24DE-T04E-IC-KIT

DeatschWerks 740cc injectors paired with a DW300 fuel pump

FP -
https://shopjimmyo.com/collections/f...-fuel-pump-s13
INJECTORS -
https://shopjimmyo.com/collections/f...ectors-s13-s14

Already have the ISR 3in blast pipes with ISR test pipe
Tips -
https://www.enjukuracing.com/product...0sx-89-94.html
Test pipe -
https://conceptzperformance.com/isr-...40_p_30787.php

All AEM guages - wideband, boost, oil pressure

Competition 6 puck clutch

RS Enthalpy ECU

I would love to do all of this and make the desired power without cracking the engine open, is that unrealistic? Im not looking for some sense of reliability for fairly cheap. The last thing I want to do is search for a new longblock because I sent a rod through the side of it. My engine currently has 91k miles on it. Please give me some insight on what to do and what not to do, sorry for the noob questions but a lot of the stuff I have found is from like 2004 and I feel is no longer relevant or accurate. TIA

[Rustys14]

Originally Posted by Blu92

I would love to do all of this and make the desired power without cracking the engine open, is that unrealistic? Im not looking for some sense of reliability for fairly cheap. The last thing I want to do is search for a new longblock because I sent a rod through the side of it. My engine currently has 91k miles on it. Please give me some insight on what to do and what not to do, sorry for the noob questions but a lot of the stuff I have found is from like 2004 and I feel is no longer relevant or accurate. TIA

The bolded don't really go together. Most of the older info you'll find on the KA-T forums is still valid, but I've done a few KA-T setups in the past and here is my take from experiance:

Your motor is lower milage so it should be ok at the lower end of your goal but 350 would be really pushing it if your looking for longetivity. The stock KA pistons tend to give out around 300hp. I've seen some people get away with it for years and some motors give up within a few miles, its luck of the draw.

The CX racing kit is an ok start but expect to replace most of it fairly quickly. Turbo KA parts aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but you can still piece together a much better kit for around the same price if you're willing to shop around and buy some used parts.

The updated CX racing manifold in the kit you linked has good turbo placement but WILL crack. I had one as well as one of my friends and both cracked in less then 5000 miles. You can have it reinforced before you install it but you would be better off searching for a used JGS log manifold since they're pretty much indestructable and will support your power goals.

Ditto to the CX racing turbo, some last some don't its luck of the draw.

Its best to avoid DeatschWerks injectors, you would be better off spending a bit more on Tomei or Nismo 740cc's (watch out for fakes!) or if you're willing to run 550s you can get OEM 04-06 STI yellowtops used for around $100. They should support close to your power goals and you get OEM quality.

What are your goals for the car? Are you just looking for a fun driver or do you want to go drifting? If its the latter you'd be better off keeping your motor stock and switching to a 4.6 or 4.9 gearset since it'll be way more reliable and just as much fun.

[relaxamigo]

Not sure if you're aware, but the prices of these engines are going up. a 91K KA24DE is worth decent cash these days. Slapping a junky setup only to severely shorten the lifespan of your engine isn't a great idea. If you want a reliable setup get a Tomei cast manifold, a used T28, 550s, Z32 MAF, and a ROM tune. You could probably piece that together for roughly $1500-$1700 if you're patient and hit between 220-240 hp. I know you said you don't want to crack the engine open, but I'd recommend ARP head studs and a decent headgasket. That will be a reliable setup and you can continue to enjoy the car without constantly replacing parts.

I agree with what RustyS14 said that your power goals are not ideal with the setup you've got.

[FaLKoN240]

Originally Posted by relaxamigo

Not sure if you're aware, but the prices of these engines are going up. a 91K KA24DE is worth decent cash these days. Slapping a junky setup only to severely shorten the lifespan of your engine isn't a great idea. If you want a reliable setup get a Tomei cast manifold, a used T28, 550s, Z32 MAF, and a ROM tune. You could probably piece that together for roughly $1500-$1700 if you're patient and hit between 220-240 hp. I know you said you don't want to crack the engine open, but I'd recommend ARP head studs and a decent headgasket. That will be a reliable setup and you can continue to enjoy the car without constantly replacing parts.

I agree with what RustyS14 said that your power goals are not ideal with the setup you've got.

This.

Also for the money you're going to be into a KAT set up after something inevitably fucks it up, you could be looking at an SR in the long run.

I blew my first motor and my transmission on my KAT.

Now it's down because I had a failed CAS/Distributor (S14 KA)

[racso_dor]

With the prices of SR20DETs going up, I am also considering rebuilding and boosting my stock KA24DE, IMO it's the best bang for your buck. I been briefly searching through out the forums (KA-T.ORG) for advice and info on which route to take but most of the info I find is from around 2008 - 2012.
This one guy said something that stuck in my head, when building a KA-T pick 2 of the below:
CHEAP
RELIABLE
FAST

[brndck]

i have questions:
-is this your only car?
-is this daily driven?
-do you have e85 in your area?

imo CX aint gonna last you that long or give you the results you're looking for. Like others have said, a better quality manifold like the tomei one will be a much better investment. You can also find a used garrett turbo for a reasonable price as well like a 2871r .86 or even a 3071/6

imo 740 would be a better choice than 550, esp if you're aiming for 350whp.

cams would help improve powerband substantially, and a good head gasket with ARP studs is also wise.



if this is your only car, i'd suggest you spend money elsewhere first, before going ka-t.
-1pc aluminum driveshaft
-upgrade the clutch and lightweight flywheel
these 2 things will free up some ponies and there aren't really any downsides to them.

[Blu92]

Originally Posted by Rustys14

The bolded don't really go together. Most of the older info you'll find on the KA-T forums is still valid, but I've done a few KA-T setups in the past and here is my take from experiance:

Your motor is lower milage so it should be ok at the lower end of your goal but 350 would be really pushing it if your looking for longetivity. The stock KA pistons tend to give out around 300hp. I've seen some people get away with it for years and some motors give up within a few miles, its luck of the draw.

The CX racing kit is an ok start but expect to replace most of it fairly quickly. Turbo KA parts aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but you can still piece together a much better kit for around the same price if you're willing to shop around and buy some used parts.

The updated CX racing manifold in the kit you linked has good turbo placement but WILL crack. I had one as well as one of my friends and both cracked in less then 5000 miles. You can have it reinforced before you install it but you would be better off searching for a used JGS log manifold since they're pretty much indestructable and will support your power goals.

Ditto to the CX racing turbo, some last some don't its luck of the draw.

Its best to avoid DeatschWerks injectors, you would be better off spending a bit more on Tomei or Nismo 740cc's (watch out for fakes!) or if you're willing to run 550s you can get OEM 04-06 STI yellowtops used for around $100. They should support close to your power goals and you get OEM quality.

What are your goals for the car? Are you just looking for a fun driver or do you want to go drifting? If its the latter you'd be better off keeping your motor stock and switching to a 4.6 or 4.9 gearset since it'll be way more reliable and just as much fun.

The reason I like the CX kit is for the completeness of it all, it includes everything from oil lines to a full intercooler kit. I also like it for it being a top mount setup (yes I know, I'm a ricer) and that its externally gated (again, I know). I am not experienced in the realm of boosting a factory NA car, which is what makes me nervous about putting a kit together from scratch. I've got plenty of mechanic experience just as it is, I'm just afraid I'll end up buying a bunch of stuff that is not compatible with each other.

I've got no problems with buying used parts for it and shopping around for some of them, I just don't really know what parts made by what manufacturer to buy. I just would really like to stay in the $1500 - $1700 realm for the turbo setup itself, obviously will be spending more on accessories and supporting mods.

The CX kit is definitely not the best on the market, and is honestly kind of scary because of the damage that cheap parts can cause, I just lack the knowledge to actually put together a quality kit efficiently.

On the subject of injectors, why do you not like DW? I've really only heard good things about them, shed some knowledge on me. I figured 740s would be a better route to go because of the future hopes of more power and not wanting to buy another set ideally.

My goal for the car is kind of an OEM+ kind of thing. I just want a very nice street car that can keep up with my friends. I really don't plan on taking it to the track or anything like that, just mainly to keep the car nice. I also do a lot of highway driving because of where I live so a new gearset isn't really an option for me. I also want to be able to reach some higher speeds.

[Blu92]

Originally Posted by brndck

i have questions:
-is this your only car?
-is this daily driven?
-do you have e85 in your area?

imo CX aint gonna last you that long or give you the results you're looking for. Like others have said, a better quality manifold like the tomei one will be a much better investment. You can also find a used garrett turbo for a reasonable price as well like a 2871r .86 or even a 3071/6

imo 740 would be a better choice than 550, esp if you're aiming for 350whp.

cams would help improve powerband substantially, and a good head gasket with ARP studs is also wise.



if this is your only car, i'd suggest you spend money elsewhere first, before going ka-t.
-1pc aluminum driveshaft
-upgrade the clutch and lightweight flywheel
these 2 things will free up some ponies and there aren't really any downsides to them.

This is not my only car, I make it a point to not make my toy my daily. In the summer time the car gets driven anytime I'm not going to work and school.

Yes, e85 is very available in my area. e85 is definitely something that I am very interested in. I again just don't have the knowledge on what is needed to convert the fuel system to support it and whatever else you have to do to run it.

Cams are something that I wanted to do once the car was put together and running reliably on the setup, is this stupid?

I don't necessarily want to open it up, but I probably will just based on the fact that I will be at the top of the bracket for safeness of the internals on the motor. Probably the ARP head studs, and a cometic head gasket?

The clutch is 100% getting done because its the original one from 1992, flywheel is a big possibility, and the driveshaft will happen as soon as I find a used one to be honest.

[sparkyS13]

Originally Posted by relaxamigo

Not sure if you're aware, but the prices of these engines are going up. a 91K KA24DE is worth decent cash these days. Slapping a junky setup only to severely shorten the lifespan of your engine isn't a great idea. If you want a reliable setup get a Tomei cast manifold, a used T28, 550s, Z32 MAF, and a ROM tune. You could probably piece that together for roughly $1500-$1700 if you're patient and hit between 220-240 hp. I know you said you don't want to crack the engine open, but I'd recommend ARP head studs and a decent headgasket. That will be a reliable setup and you can continue to enjoy the car without constantly replacing parts.

I agree with what RustyS14 said that your power goals are not ideal with the setup you've got.

I agree with this 100%, from my experience there really isn't a plug and play turbo kit for KA-T so piecing everything together would be wise. The set up above is simple and oem+ like OP mentioned he was going for. Also piece of advice most of these "kits" that say they will fit will always need some modification

[Ichi-Go]

Originally Posted by sparkyS13

I agree with this 100%, from my experience there really isn't a plug and play turbo kit for KA-T so piecing everything together would be wise. The set up above is simple and oem+ like OP mentioned he was going for. Also piece of advice most of these "kits" that say they will fit will always need some modification

Another vote for the tomei manifold, t28, STI 550, z32 maf, ROM tune. This would be a fun affordable setup with less risk of downtime and headaches.

[Rustys14]

Originally Posted by Blu92

The reason I like the CX kit is for the completeness of it all, it includes everything from oil lines to a full intercooler kit. I also like it for it being a top mount setup (yes I know, I'm a ricer) and that its externally gated (again, I know). I am not experienced in the realm of boosting a factory NA car, which is what makes me nervous about putting a kit together from scratch. I've got plenty of mechanic experience just as it is, I'm just afraid I'll end up buying a bunch of stuff that is not compatible with each other.

I've got no problems with buying used parts for it and shopping around for some of them, I just don't really know what parts made by what manufacturer to buy. I just would really like to stay in the $1500 - $1700 realm for the turbo setup itself, obviously will be spending more on accessories and supporting mods.

The CX kit is definitely not the best on the market, and is honestly kind of scary because of the damage that cheap parts can cause, I just lack the knowledge to actually put together a quality kit efficiently.

On the subject of injectors, why do you not like DW? I've really only heard good things about them, shed some knowledge on me. I figured 740s would be a better route to go because of the future hopes of more power and not wanting to buy another set ideally.

My goal for the car is kind of an OEM+ kind of thing. I just want a very nice street car that can keep up with my friends. I really don't plan on taking it to the track or anything like that, just mainly to keep the car nice. I also do a lot of highway driving because of where I live so a new gearset isn't really an option for me. I also want to be able to reach some higher speeds.

Keep in mind the CX kit is CHEAP stuff. I'll give props to however designed the kit since the turbo placement is excellent and it seems to be well thought out overall. The main issue is the quality control is extremely lacking. I'm old and have a white collar job now, but I paid for college by working in performance shops and over half the eBay/CX racing kits we installed required a lot of modification to fit correctly even though they are advertised as "bolt on". If you are truly mechanically inclined it shouldn't be hard to figure out what's needed to build a turbo setup for an NA car, especially for a common engine like a KA. You really do get what you pay for, and the CX kit would be well north of 3k if it had decent components. Your engine probably won't be killed by the failure of any of the components in the kit (except for the wastegate) but expect to spend just as much replacing or modifying broken or ill-fitting parts as you would have if you bought quality parts from the start.

As for DW injectors their quality control is... to put it nicely... lacking. A lot of their products are fine, but too many of them aren't for what you pay. I've personally lost an engine due to their parts failing and would rather spend a bit more on other brands that don't have the same issues. If you do some research, you'll find that I'm not alone.

Also keep in mind that a rom tune will only get you in ballpark of where you want to be. Its unlikely that you will safely hit more than 300 hp on the T3/T4 hybrid setup with the CX kit without a custom tune. I stuck to top mount options in my previous post since that seems to be what you're geared toward, but as others have said a Tomei manifold/T28 setup seems to match your goals the best. Keep in mind that a 220-260hp S-chassis makes for a VERY fun car. Big power brings a lot of extra expense/headaches that sucks the fun out of things.

[NukeKS14]

Cx are known for their manifolds cracking at the collector. Mine cracked where the wastegate branches off. It also boost creeped like none other. Do yourself a favor and get a quality manifold the first time.

I'm on a VG trans after eating my countershaft in the stock trans passing a semi in 5th gear (totally my fault but yeah trans is weak.) Nothing cheap about the KA-T but it's fun as hell. This is my 2nd garage queen and I can afford to let it sit on jackstands while I tinker with it. Everyone else has pretty much covered it.

Bare bare bare minimum for anything over 8-10psi with a conservative tune is going to be regapping your rings. If you're already in there... you see the slippery slope.