well, iv yet to do any tests, but im pretty sure iv spun a rod bearing. and since my engine is at 130k i figure might as well rebuild the whole thing. i have been looking at the howell kits and crate motors and soforth at options. i dont have ALOT of money to spend...but i want something decent and not stock. im either looking at just a 2.0L, or the stroked 2.2L. and here is where my dilema starts. they only offer compressoins in 8.6, 10.5, and 12.5. no stock compression. i plan on going turbo in the upcomming years...but who knows when that will be. now, i can either go with the lo comp pistons...and drive it around N/A. my question is....how badly is this gonna suck? like geo-metro performance? iv also looked at just going with a 10.5 rate...which will give me a little more pep from stock while im still NA...which will be nice...then i can bolt on the turbo later..and just run a hi comp turbo application.

what do you guys think? here is my thinking

8.6 PROS: can run higher boost with less detonation and less tuning i suppose

CONS: gonna be slow as balls for the next few years untill i go turbo

10.5 PROS: nice increase in HP from stock..while im NA. nice to brag once i get the turbo that ill be running hi-comp turbo.

CONS: from what i hear...tuning a hi-comp turbo application is kinda a bitch. also, wont be able to run as much boost numbers as i would with a lo comp setup.

please keep in mind that this will be pretty much my daily driver for probabably the next 2-3 years or so. im fixin to graduate college and will be hard enough to get a place and everything while starting out...much less paying for a new/different car to daily drive. i do sorta have a backup vehicle while i rebuild....a 91 nissan pathfinder. sure, it has a couple issues...but the engine is still relitavely strong for being at 250k miles. dosent really have problems like my potentially rod-spun engine.

i suppose i COULD just find a used stock engine to throw in for a while...but i dont really wanna do that. then id have to shell out money for more engine stuff, so maybe i should just bite the bullet and do the rebuild and get it over with. everything else on the car is in good shape...cept the rod bearings. let me know what ya think TIA!

Didn't read you're entire post, but it'll be fine to install the low-comp pistons and turbo later. I actually did that at one time. Fuck the high-comp pistons.

Actually theres nothing wrong with running the 10.5,s, then boosting the car later. Thats what Im running now and I will be boosted in a week or two. Yeah you will run lower boost, but with the higher compression it kinda equals itself out. Also, it isnt any harder tuning a high comp/boosted motor than it is to tune a low comp/boosted motor.

Think of it like this, if you run the 10.5's now you will run better than you would stock n/a and your still good to go when its time to boost.

>>Yeah you will run lower boost, but with the higher compression
>>it kinda equals itself out.

Bullshit.

>>Also, it isnt any harder tuning a high comp/boosted motor than
>>it is to tune a low comp/boosted motor.

Bullshit.


You don't know what you're talking about.