In Development: KPower 86 K Swap Turbo Kit
For Rear Wheel Drive K swap customers in search of 300-650whp, we have something cookin' here at KPower Industries for you!
Utilizing our Black First Generation Subaru BRZ as the test bed, we are in development of a production turbo kit designed for RWD K swap cars. That’s not all, this kit is designed to work in any RWD K-swapped vehicle with at least 4 inches of clearance between the crank pulley and the chassis, while remaining fully compatible with our very popular RWD front sump E30 oil pan.
What we dislike about current offerings is that no one provides a complete solution that really focuses on heat management and overall efficiency. Some companies only sell their own turbo manifold, leaving you to sort out the plumbing and fabrication required to essentially build your own kit. Our goal is to deliver a true bolt-on solution that gives you tremendous throttle response with no sacrifices of any kind, while also giving customers the flexibility to purchase parts individually as needed.
Our BRZ is K24A2 swapped with our 86 Complete Swap Package, optioned with Haltech Elite 1500 Electronics and a RBB balance shaft oil pump with a separately available KPower pre-modified subframe.
We are managing boost with an electronic 3-port boost solenoid. With E85 fuel being used, we are using our 86 PnP Flex Fuel sensor kit. To do additional testing, we have added the newly released Haltech IO16 expander, so we can do thorough testing of the efficiency of the turbo kit. More on this below!
After years of testing tubular hand-welded stainless turbo manifolds that failed from heat and vibration, we’ve run the ARTEC cast stainless manifold trouble-free, making it the reliable choice for our turbo kit.
When Garrett decided to release the new G2 series turbochargers earlier this year, we knew we wanted to take advantage of the 10% power increase potential, that why we chose the Garrett G30-725 turbocharger with a 0.83 exhaust housing to be at the core of our system. This turbo provided an excellent exhaust pressure ratio to provide fast spool up time, and sustained power to redline.
Rather than utilize an airflow blocking thick front mount intercooler system that will result in engine coolant overheating issues, we have opted to utilize a Garrett 750hp rated air to water aftercooler system that works in conjunction with a thin heat exchanger that mounts in front of the AC condenser.
Thanks to the packaging of our design, all of the exhaust piping and charge piping have a massive focus on flow efficiency, you'll notice we do not have any harsh bends which will greatly retain excellent transient response and reduce any turbo lag feel with this kit.
To ensure overall efficiency, we have a number of electronic sensors installed on our car through the Haltech IO16 mentioned above.
- Aftercooler water temperature on hot and cold side
- To confirm aftercooler and heat exchanger sizing efficiency
- Aftercooler water pressure on hot and cold side
- To monitor aftercooler system water pump efficiency
- Exhaust gas pressure
- To monitor pressure ratio and ensure no restriction/laggy turbo feel
- 4 channel exhaust gas temperature
- To monitor individual cylinder efficiency as a complete package
- Rife fast acting air temperature sensor between turbo outlet and aftercooler
- To monitor the turbo outlet temperature
- Rife fast acting air temperature sensor between aftercooler and throttle body
- To monitor efficiency of aftercooler system
- Rife fast acting air temperature sensor in front bumper
- To monitor on track surface temperature
Dyno testing confirmed exactly what we expected: about 380whp at 13psi, and 570whp at 20.5psi, all on an Exedy Stage 2 clutch and a stock BRZ transmission. To help preserve the factory transmission on the higher power tune, we tapered boost so it ramps in more gradually as RPMs climb.
Next up is track testing to validate heat management and ensure everything performs at peak efficiency. As we continue refining this kit, we’re excited to share more results.
As mentioned above, this marks the first true mass-produced turbo kit for RWD K-swaps, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring it to the community. Stay tuned!
