apx turbo vs sos tt

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kevgk

Experienced Member
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7 July 2012
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Kelowna BC
Can anyone give me some insight with actual experience of the angus apx turbo kit? Does anyone out there run this kit? I kind of have two options here Im looking at the apx and the sos tt. Big price difference but all I want is 375-400 ish whp and reliability and driveability on a stock motor. I dont want to have to deal with oil line leaks, boost problems, intake charge temp or anything like that.
The advantages of the sos from what Ive read is it spools faster (sooner), and I could retain my current exhaust although the exhaust sound would change anyways.? I dont care if a turbo spools at 3k rpm because when I race a 1/4 and dig for full power theres no way Im revving it below 5 k anyways. (except off the line).
I want to know if the basic apx kit with the fic works well with my 93. I have read alot of threads and angus seems to know his stuff and is top notch in service. He says I dont need a new fuel pump. Would I need a better clutch than stock for this setup? I live close to him so I could just take the car there to install and tune. Seems like a no brainer for almost half the price and local support. Any advice would help thanks!
 
I run the angus kit with some changes , such as turbo, wastegate and AEM EMS.
Last year I ran a 40R, the car made 450whp @11psi on a full tune on 94oct gas. The car shaw about 10-12 track days on this set up and had no trouble . Besides some high AITs on the very hot days, but is spected when running such a small intercooler.
The kit was ok throght out the season but then again there isn't much to go wrong with it, if you get it just replace the couplers , since the ones that come with the kit will start "breathing" after a couple of track days (air comes trough the actual coupler)

At this moment I have replaced the 40R with a PT62-66 BB Turbo , and the car at a half tune is putting 440whp at 8psi no timing and not meth yet. The response is immensely faster the power will be about 50-60whp more when done .

Hope this help,
The kit is simple but it works, I'm not competing for money and I'm not even close to push the car at what it can do with 450whp so this kit is enough for me.

If I had disposable moola , I would defenelly look into the SOS there is no comparison on quality at all .
But....

-MSR
 
Half price and local support, I don't even think twice with apx kit. All the little problem u list like boost problem, oil line leaks are all from install problem not the kit itself. Any kit gonna get that problem with bad installer. If 400 whp all u want, u can get pte 58mm turbo and it will spool as quick as and twin kit out there, but my favorite turbo is gt35r or pte6266( with all the reliable problem with precision I seen lately I would lean toward gt35r from Garrett). I would go with aem ems and at least 550cc injectors and walbro 255 fuel pump from a start, just in case u power hungry down the road lol. Ive been run apx kit for 3 years now without any problem so u can trust and reliable of this apx kit.
 
^^^
Which I have run in multiple track days with no problems. BUT you have to be very careful because it is extremely sensitive and it can get jammed extremely easy by tiny debri.

-MSR
 
I'm not sure which pump Angus includes but I'm using a Turbowerx Exapump on my setup and, although its expensive, it has excellent reviews and I haven't heard of anyone having any issues with it. Customer service from them is excellent as well.
 
So correct me if Im wrong but to have a "safe" amount of power for a non built motor it depends on psi right? The whp figure would depend on the turbo system itself, meaning I would want to chose the most efficient turbo system for my application. I commented earlier I only "want" 375 hp but if I can safely get 400, or 430 or more out of a relatively low boost setup that is done right then thats what I would do. So the question is how much boost on a non built motor is safe? I see guys run 5,6 7, and 8 lbs.

I will look into the choices on oil pumps a bit more too thanks for the info on that.
 
Horsepower is the biggest factory, it's not the only factor but definitely much more critical than psi.

There are other factors very inefficient setups can generate unneeded heat which could potentially cause more stress at the same power levels.
 
kevgk said:
So correct me if Im wrong but to have a "safe" amount of power for a non built motor it depends on psi right? The whp figure would depend on the turbo system itself, meaning I would want to chose the most efficient turbo system for my application. I commented earlier I only "want" 375 hp but if I can safely get 400, or 430 or more out of a relatively low boost setup that is done right then thats what I would do. So the question is how much boost on a non built motor is safe? I see guys run 5,6 7, and 8 lbs.

I will look into the choices on oil pumps a bit more too thanks for the info on that.
Click to expand...
hybrdthry911 knows what he's talking about.

PSI isn't everything. You can have a high PSI setup that runs hot and produces less power but more importantly is worse for your engine. You want cool dense air even at a lower psi.

Also, where the boost is delivered in the RPM band can also have some affects when you're really threading the needle of "safety"

In my short time here 325-375whp is generally the safety margin I see. Some folks go 400hp but sooner or later they're rebuilding from leaky/busted ring lands or what not. FWIW you can get to 325-375 at roughly 5-7lbs of boost. 400 can be achieved at 9lbs+ in general. YMMV
 
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Since you live there, I would go with the Angus kit and then do some custom upgrades to get it how you want.
 
I am leaning towards the angus kit. Is water/meth injection and intercooler a good idea at low boost levels? Like I just read- cool dense air is alot better and makes better power at low boost than high boost hot air.
 
kevgk said:
I am leaning towards the angus kit. Is water/meth injection and intercooler a good idea at low boost levels? Like I just read- cool dense air is alot better and makes better power at low boost than high boost hot air.
Click to expand...

Whatever you do. Do it right the first time. If you think you'll be running higher boost or want more hp later or just want the added benefits to an inner cooler add it now rather than later.

Angus's kit is great for you because he's local, he can do the install, he can tune, and he could also design you a kit to your specs if you wanted but check out others as well and read some of the differences. Some kits may run you about the same price once you get to where you eventually want to be.

One thing that RYU mentioned but other people have countered with is that some kits use oil pumps. That was a factor when choosing my kit.
 
Intercooler is a must and just use water/ meth injection for extra cooling and detonation resistand. At low boost boost 400 whp or under u don't even need water/ meth injection but u can run it for extra safety
 
Why hasn't Angus mounted his turbo a little higher so that a scavange pump isn't necessary?

As for the OP, it's a budget kit vs. quality kit, that's the difference. With angus, you get off brand parts (turbo, wg, bov) that might or might not have issues later on. With SOS, he uses high quality name brand parts.

With that being said, I know enough that an Angus kit wouldn't scare me off if I was on a budget...

As for safe vs non safe... this topic has been beaten to death. It all depends on what YOUR tuner recommends.

A Good Tuner can be the difference between a blown up 300whp NSX or a 500whp NSX that runs its ass off.
 
EAC said:
Why hasn't Angus mounted his turbo a little higher so that a scavange pump isn't necessary?
Click to expand...
With the placement of his turbo you'd have to cut the trunk floor open. His setup is the best compromise if you want to use stock type headers. The oiling issue is what's preventing me to go turbo. SOS's TT kit is above my means and the CTSC I have now leaves a good enough grin on my face :)

I'm really itching for an all NA motor high compression, ITB build though. Damn you gsrboy and l_rao!
EAC said:
A Good Tuner can be the difference between a blown up 300whp NSX or a 500whp NSX that runs its ass off.
Click to expand...
A good tuner is the bare minimum to run any kind of boost imho. Actually a bad tuner can blow up your stock motor pretty easily too lol. However, 500whp on a stock block is probably an outlier from the norms. The stock components will have a hard time being put under that much stress. Is it possible? Sure.. but for how long?
 
RYU said:
With the placement of his turbo you'd have to cut the trunk floor open. His setup is the best compromise if you want to use stock type headers. The oiling issue is what's preventing me to go turbo. SOS's TT kit is above my means and the CTSC I have now leaves a good enough grin on my face :)

I'm really itching for an all NA motor high compression, ITB build though. Damn you gsrboy and l_rao!

A good tuner is the bare minimum to run any kind of boost imho. Actually a bad tuner can blow up your stock motor pretty easily too lol. However, 500whp on a stock block is probably an outlier from the norms. The stock components will have a hard time being put under that much stress. Is it possible? Sure.. but for how long?
Click to expand...

So my question is, why not change the placement of his turbo so a scavenge pump isn't necessary? Mine sits up against the trunk pan, uses stock style headers and doesn't require a scavenge pump. It's doable.

High dollar parts don't mean shit if you're got a bad tuner. Plain and simple.
 
I've had the standard Angus 67mm journal bearing kit for 2 years and about 10k miles. Zero kit related problems. I did have a bad MAP sensor on my FIC but AEM replaced it even though it was out of warranty.

I installed the kit myself. Since you live within driving distance of Wil, it's a no brainer.

I would do a few things along with the turbo.

My boost hits full 7 psi at 4100 rpm's. I kinda like to old school lag and then crazy punch. If you want earlier boost, I'm sure Will can offer suggestions.
Upgrade to some newer style NSX headers for increased flow without blowing your budget.

If you plan on 350hp, your stock clutch is ok. @400rwhp it is only a matter of time. I have the SOS 6 puck. It took 2k miles to fully break in but is tough as nails so far. DO THE CLUTCH NOW! Also go ahead and upgrade your fuel pump to a Walbro 255. The pump on my '93 began to get weak.
440 injectors are perfectly sized IMO. I have no leaks in my oil system and the pump works 100% fine. Honda bond is amazing stuff.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 

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