Nic Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Good advice from Ian and CW, the only issues I've had since doing the single conversion last year was a blocked radiator that had to be replaced and a turbo water line fitting that started leaking, that was replaced. Apart from that she starts perfectly everytime, runs very smoothly and never misses a beat, even today in 36 degree temperatures. If you are prepared to spend the money doing a proper conversion I'd say go for it, if not then stay stock. Brand new OEM J-spec Turbos are circa £950-£1K each to buy new, delivered, which is a fraction of what you'll pay to do a full single install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 did you have to fit the uk manifold etc? i am thinking it might be easier to get mine hybridized Yes you need to fit the Uk manifold and downpipe as they are different bolt pattern to the J-spec. Chose carefully where you buy hybrid turbos from, there are quite a few members who have bought new hybrid turbos, only for them to blow seals/bearings after a short period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim1978 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 this is a concern for me as well as I had to learn this the hard way with my Audi But as other have pointed out for you 1. buy high quality gear (no xspower, ebay or chinese crap) 2. do not cut corners 3. use a competent mechanic who has a solid reputation. Chris Wilson, Mark-Phoenix etc... 4. if all the parts/install/mapping cost £5000, be prepared to spend at least £7,500 remember, you get what you pay for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foodfreak Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Mine is a daily driver, I have put 35K on over the last 3 years, doesn't burn a drop of oil, you get minor niggles now & again......what do you expect, but I think 30k is reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkR Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm still going single. Will be starting my own thread soon with details. Nic, you'll be getting an email soon, probably with an attachment with a picture of my bank balance my password and login details etc!! I'm going to do it right, with as many of the nice to haves as I can get to have a reliable strong single setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm still going single. Will be starting my own thread soon with details. Nic, you'll be getting an email soon, probably with an attachment with a picture of my bank balance my password and login details etc!! I'm going to do it right, with as many of the nice to haves as I can get to have a reliable strong single setup. Mark, just setup a standing order to transfer all your monthly salary to my account I've already put together a spread sheet listing the parts we discussed, drop me an email when you're ready, with a full list of current mods and we can take things from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 did you have to fit the uk manifold etc? i am thinking it might be easier to get mine hybridized you don't even need hybrids, get a sound pair of low mileage UK's and you'll be fine. As nic said, manifold and downpipe needs changing as well, but often you can pick all up together when someone's gone single. Looking at around £300/350 for these + labour, a hell of a lot cheaper than going single. Maybe cams (Axle has some UK ones going cheap),550cc injectors, re-mapping etc. later to get a bit more power out, as I did plan to do but wedding plans got in the way. From reading other people's issues and costs, if I was going single I'd buy one already sorted out, a lot less hassle, ok you don't get the satisfaction of sorting it yourself, and you have to change cars, but it's a lot easier and cheaper....of course if you had a green supe you may want to do it as not many of those around;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkR Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Mark, just setup a standing order to transfer all your monthly salary to my account I've already put together a spread sheet listing the parts we discussed, drop me an email when you're ready, with a full list of current mods and we can take things from there. I don't think it's enough, I'll have to give you my earnings from the street corner too... Anyone want to buy a kidney? I look forward to the spreadsheet. I'll mail you a list today of the things I've bought so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquicktostop Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 When a single is working they are amazing to drive and for the money, NOTHING matches it for power, speed and noise, however it is a very expensive journey and I cant say this enough, you will always have something to do and you will always spend more that you had planned to Going single several times with different cars has aged me several years and blown any savings I may have had, my top tip would be to choose a garage that has been there and done it several times and one that will give you a car that is finished when you get the keys back and not one that just needs this and that doing to make good, which has happened all to often to members here including me in the past Collect all the parts you need first and think about more than just the turbo kit, you need to consider the fuelling system from pumps, lines and injectors, water pump, oil pump, cooling, intercooler, cams, valve seals, cam belt, transmission, brakes, suspension and any other old moving part that will have to face the strain of the new found power Most of all good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I think dangerous brains sum up covers it best, two category's, one being don't attempt to go single unless you have the money and somewhere you trust to do the conversion and maintain it. Two, only attempt it yourself, and on a budget, if you are fully competent mechanically, and can deal with anything that is thrown up, anywhere in between, and your looking for trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I've started buying all the bits for my single project and started stripping the car and I'm up to £4,000 already and I've not paid for the turbo kit, ecu or exhaust yet. I think £10k is a fair estimate for doing it properly and I'll be doing all the work myself with the help of friends following some shocking events at various tuners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra dan Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) right before i make a large mistake and regret it forever everyone says around £10000 to go single. why exactly cant i get a PHR street kit, 650 injectors, UK pump and a MAP2 ecu. fitting seems pretty straight forward, but there cant be that much to go wrong (although there are bound to be small teething problems). only major area for problems is mapping as far as i can see. and the single would be far easier to work on than twins. just to say i already have exhaust and FMIC, would i need more for a basic reliable sub 500 bhp car? Edited July 2, 2008 by supra dan (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 right before i make a large mistake and regret it forever everyone says around £10000 to go single. why exactly cant i get a PHR street kit, 650 injectors, UK pump and a MAP2 ecu. fitting seems pretty straight forward, but there cant be that much to go wrong (although there are bound to be small teething problems). only major area for problems is mapping as far as i can see. and the single would be far easier to work on than twins. just to say i already have exhaust and FMIC, would i need more for a basic reliable sub 500 bhp car? You will need to also budget for, fitting a flexy section to the down pipe/first pipe and making sure you have an adequate exhaust support bracket, an oil cooler if the turbo is not water cooled, and possibly even if it is. A decent wideband i would recommend the Innovate LM-1 with data logging, a decent EGT gauge, i would recommend a Redline unit from the states, as it had four thermocouples that can be also used for water, oil and intake temp, if you haven't already got all these gauges, and somebody to map it if your not confident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KDW Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I disagree with Ian C, 500bhp is not that fast! Is it going to be enough for the street? maybe for a while, but chances are that you are going to want more. IMO it's never going to be enough and the required budget will never stop going upwards. If you ask me, 500 bhp is NOT fast - it's "kinda fast'ish" but thats it.. I guess it depends on your personality, but to simply say it's plenty fast is really not something you should (or could) do. I know I would be VERY dissapointed if someone would tell me that, to simply find out 10K later that it wasn't what I expected at all. For some people 500 may do it, for others not even 1000bhp will be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 For some people 500 may do it, for others not even 1000bhp will be enough. On the street away from the motorway I would hazard a guess that 500hp would prob be quicker. A 1000hp supra is going to have less than 250hp up to approx 5000rpm by which point the 500hp 500ft/lbs supra would be gone and onto the next corner. All IMO of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 On the street away from the motorway I would hazard a guess that 500hp would prob be quicker. A 1000hp supra is going to have less than 250hp up to approx 5000rpm by which point the 500hp 500ft/lbs supra would be gone and onto the next corner. All IMO of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) I did all mine myself. In total i reckon i have spent around 8.5k, but i already had FMIC, Cams, catback exhaust. I didnt buy cheap stuff from ebay/xspower either. Not worth the hassle. There was a few things i wasnt expecting to have to change but had to. eg when fitting the new clutch, i found i the old one had been slipping so had damaged the flywheel. So £300 for the new flywheel £80 for new flywheel bolts, it soon adds up. But other than a couple of niggles, it seems to be running perfectly. (Well its only been 5 days so far ) Edited July 2, 2008 by Steve (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 I disagree with Ian C, 500bhp is not that fast! Is it going to be enough for the street? maybe for a while, but chances are that you are going to want more. IMO it's never going to be enough and the required budget will never stop going upwards. If you ask me, 500 bhp is NOT fast - it's "kinda fast'ish" but thats it.. I guess it depends on your personality, but to simply say it's plenty fast is really not something you should (or could) do. I know I would be VERY dissapointed if someone would tell me that, to simply find out 10K later that it wasn't what I expected at all. For some people 500 may do it, for others not even 1000bhp will be enough. Are you 12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt k Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Me and Rich fitted mine and i've adjusted the fuel map on the map ecu, daily driver and it hasn't missed a beat, all parts used were branded, no budget parts used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 For me it's about usable power, 500-550hp with positive boost at just over 2K rpm makes for a very responsive, quick, useable everyday car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 For me it's about usable power, 500-550hp with positive boost at just over 2K rpm makes for a very responsive, quick, useable everyday car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 For me it's about usable power, 500-550hp with positive boost at just over 2K rpm makes for a very responsive, quick, useable everyday car. Completely agree Nic. Mine was 545bhp and to be honest that was a bit much for day to day driving. Almost (but not quite) all single owners I've spoken to would much rather have a reponsive engine than one that makes massive peak HP at high rpm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignum Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Nearly, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob wild Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Hmm some interesting views as always IMO one of the most important things is to have a good base car! As you need to consider things like your brakes, shocks, suspension bushes etc etc. Im now into my 3rd year of being single and my original setup is pretty much still their i.e. PHR stage 1 kit. The PHR kit has now done 1000's of miles, santa pods, long runs i.e. JAE, down to Devon etc etc. My first set up was the following: BPU car (FMIC, BC, HKS fuel pump, AEM AFR) PHR stage 1 £2400 PE 650cc £450 Greddy EMU £450 Mapping £500 Total £3800 Once i'd remapped/fine tuned it the car was pretty good and on the dyno made 497fwhp @1.2bar. Although it was mapped to 1.4bar. I kept it at 1.2bar because of the stock autobox. I would class the above really as like a basic single setup really where i always knew that the setup was ok but wasn't as good as it could be. I have now upgraded the autobox with a BL + high stall, HKS cams, built fuel system, New FMIC, Exhaust, AEM ECU. The car now drives as i think it should which is just brilliant in comparison. Its virtually lag less and when set to 1.4bar i think its fast enough for most people BTW my car is and always will be a daily drive and has never failed to get me to work in over 5 years. Just my 2p's worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra dan Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 rob thats the kind of thing i was thinking about. nice reliable 500 bhp with the option of upgrading more later on. why did you ditch the e manage, not up to the job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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