hey i tried using the search command and checked a lot of different posts...most people seem to build there own custom turbo...but im a rookie to the whole entire eclipse world...and i've had my car for a year and a half now and i think i wanna turbo it...which turbo kit is best for me? or does anyone live in southern NJ thats good with this stuff that i could talk with? thanks jeremiah

Hahn Racecraft or Star.

If you look through the archives (go to the search, type in hahn vs. star and just have it do the turbo section) you'll find that people's opinions are all over the board. Some like Hahn, some like Star. It's like asking, "what's better, Coke or Pepsi?" People will like both, despise one, love another....you get the idea. So there's not really a general consences on which one is better. (plus, what do you mean by "better?") Better price, better customer service, better expandability...etc? If you read through the topics that the search produces, you will find that there are differences, and you'll find one that you're more comfortable purchasing.


Brian

I went with the hahn kit but i didnt buy a kit i used hahns 16g turbo and manifold set up, hahns oil line kit , and hahns intercooler piping,and hahns downpipe set up. Everything else i bought cheaper on ebay ex. vortech fmu, walbro fuel pump, type s bov, gauges, missing link. I personally like the kit i put together and think it works very well with my car. Its very easy to install and after reading and researching you should be able to do it yourself in an afternoon. it will help a great deal if you do some of the sapporting mods first like get your walbro fuel pump and put it in while still n/a, install your fmu and missing link. to the best of my knowledge these mods will not hurt your car while n/a and will make your turbo install a breeze once you do it. To be honest with you the gauges took the longest out of the whole ordeal. this is another think that can be done while still n/a. Doing things this way worked for me because it allowed me to spread my money out over time and it wasent like i dropped 3 grand all at once for a turbo kit. but everyones different.
just my .02
joe

I bought a hahn, but if i could go back in time, i would piece my own kit together. Just keep doing research and piece together your own.

I would get the STAR kit, because then you can easily bolt up any Garret T3 hotside, giving you insane flexibility, you want as well as a TiAL 38mm wastegate which is all a car really needs. I tried using the Hahn Racecraft manifold, which is also a T3 flange, and bolting a T3/T4 to it but you run into all kinds of fitment problems with an internal wastegate and the manifold is too fat to put a TiAL on it. A Deltagate or a Turbosmart gate might fit, but it would be tight, and not that worth it in the end.

Search...

Piece together your own. Buy some stuff from HRC, or from a Star vendor. If I had to do it over again I would have just bought the basic stuff from HRC like the turbo, manifold, oil lines, intercooler piping, and a full downpipe that goes to the cat. Stay away from the rest of the stuff in their kit, other than the mounting bracket and the high pressure pump their fuel system is cheap and not very good unless you go with the PortFueler which is alright. At some point I will completely redo my fuel lines with stainless AN stuff, that is the way it should be done.

you'd most likely be able to piece together a kit with good parts for less than you'd pay for a brand new hahn or star stage 2 kit. It's really all based on how willing you are to learn about the products available and whether or not you want to search and read about how to install them.

BTW what part of south jersey, there are a few guys on here from Jersey. I'm from northern but am in trenton most of the year for school

Piecing together is the best kit. You can buy parts slowly if money is an issue and you can get what you want and need. Hahn and Star are good, but its all about what your plans are and the way you want to do your project.

im from barnegat, but im mostly in toms river area, hmm judging as what everyone is saying, im guessing piecing together a kit is best and seeing as i have some time till im actually gonna try and get boosted...prolly around june im gonna go for it...any help would be appreciated...whether it be people from jersey who want to get together and show me a few real life pointers or on here would be great...thanks your all a big help

I have a slightly modified HRC kit, but if I could start over again, I'd piece the system since there are more options out there today. You resources (mainly $$$$) is an important factor to consider. How much do you have or is willing to spend? What's your goal? Of course, you're already on the right site to learn about the 420A. The guys on the board really know what they're talking about; I've learned a great deal from them.

OK, back to the question, like everyone else has mentioned, "better" means different things to different people. Do you need to have a straight off the shelf kit, or are you patient enough to read and assemble a system to fit your purpose and personality?