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2013 Genesis 2.0T Build... Suggestions?

18K views 50 replies 12 participants last post by  GenesisGen2 
#1 ·
Hey guys, i'm currently looking to sell the old 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac and move up to a 2013 Genesis 2.0T R-spec. I've saved up about $1.5k and of course have the estimated $4-4.5k when the truck is sold as a budget for performance mods. My goal is to get the 2013 Genesis 2.0T to about 350-400rwhp, even if it takes me several years. I will also have an added $3-4k by next June. Can anyone tell me if this is viable, given an $8-9k budget?

I've read everywhere that it's not safe to push the stock internals past about 350hp. What mods should I start off with to get as much rwhp as possible while making way and preparing for any later mods, like perhaps a big turbo? What can I get for my initial budget that can make the car as quick as possible safely (it'll be my daily)?

I was thinking full forged internals (crank, rods and pistons) upgraded valves and cams, new clutch and flywheel, intake and exhaust. Since i'm probably going to have a shop install the internals so they can balance out the engine while they're there, a good bit of my budget will be gone to labor and then a custom tune afterwards. What can I do, any words/suggestions?
 
#2 ·
First and foremost make sure to use the search, all the info you are looking for is pretty easy to find.

From what I have read everyone says not to push the stock turbo past 350hp, I haven't read enough about the internals though to be able to say what they are safe to but I am sure there is a thread on the forums somewhere. That being said BTRcc has a turbo kit that they just released for the 13+, dyno they provided shows them making 375hp with stock internals and stock fuel system and it is priced around $4,000. If you throw in a full TBE and an aftermarket BOV, both of which you will need, you are probably looking at around $6,000. That's just an estimate.

As far as internals go, I haven't really looked to much into that as I am not going big turbo until I run out my warranty a little more, so that puts internals last on my list.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
Thanks for the patience man, the link you sent me was a good place to start, but I really wanted to get something more tailored to my own purpose/budget. I don't care much for drifting, I just want speed. As much of a monster on the drag strip as I could safely make it, given my budget.

My only issue with the turbo kit is that I don't want to blow the engine. I guess I can have it tuned lower to run safer power until I shell out the extra thousands for forged internals later? I checked out the kit you told me about and it's $4200, including injectors, boost controller and turbo manifold for the tomei turbo they provide. After that i'm looking at around another $1000 for an exhaust that includes an O2 housing and downpipe. Then the BOV, for about, say, $275-400. Plus the FMIC and intake. Would I also need an aftermarket wastegate? I'd be fine with about 330-340rwhp until I get forged internals, seeing as though the stock 2013 geny makes around 230rwhp stock (or so i've found out through research)... but something tells me that with all those supporting mods, turbo upgrade and a tune, I could be making it into the 400rwhp range (with the forged internals obviously).

I've never had nor worked on a car with a turbo before, but I have worked on cars so I obviously get the concept of everything... I just don't want a blown block or rods before I get to push serious power.
 
#40 ·
Thanks for the patience man, the link you sent me was a good place to start, but I really wanted to get something more tailored to my own purpose/budget. I don't care much for drifting, I just want speed. As much of a monster on the drag strip as I could safely make it, given my budget.
LSx Swap Kit will give you the performance you're looking for with marginal effort and within that budget.


http://www.gencoupe.com/general-discussion/104306-official-lsx-swap-information-thread.html
 
#12 · (Edited)
Look at my stats in my signature. I am running on a stock block without forged internals. More questions? Go to my build page.

If you are looking for step by step details on how to build your car with someone holding your hand throughout the the process, good luck with that. If you have built cars on the past, you probably already know that no two builds are identical.

Here's a good tip to guarantee a successful build: Listen to folks who have not done what you are proposing in order to make buying decisions for your build. Then... when someone comes along who has been there and done that... argue with those people. Pay particular attention to the fanboys who will tell you to spend your money on their favorite vendor.... cuz that is always a path to success.

^^that was sarcasm, by the way^^

If you want to find out how to build your car, a shot in the dark forum posting is probably not going to get you to your target audience. Try starting in the build threads here I listed in the previous link I gave you (since it's obvious you didn't even read anything I took the time to write), figure out who has a similar build/stat that you are looking to emulate... then ask THAT person for advice.
 
#13 ·
OP, I just wanna tell you to search but I'll be nice and give you a little bit of info.

Cooling system upgrades are a MUST. The more horsepower you try and screw out of the motor the more heat you'll generate. The key to longevity is keeping things cool. Water/meth is a good way to keep cylinder temps down. An oil cooler and possibly a rad upgrade are also needed.

In my experience the stock fuel pump isn't up to the task of feeding the car once you upgrade the turbo.

The 2013 may have forged rods, but the rod bolts are still inadequate and a weak point. That said, Predator Performance has a 2013 up to 400whp on a Mustang dyno.

I doubt you'll get to 400whp with your budget.
 
#14 ·
http://www.gencoupe.com/2-0t-discussion-2008-2012/300681-d-rtylouds-turboxs-precision-5862-top-mount-turbo-setup-pictures.html

You may want to subscribe to this thread.. probably what you are looking at.. but you will also want to reference his build thread as well.. he has a lot of stuff done prior to the turbo build.

As far as I know, the limitations of the stock internals/block haven't really been identified. The fuel system is the weak link for this motor, so I am thinking for your budget, your fuel system will give out before the motor does.

Based on what you are saying, your budget is woefully insufficient. For a quality TBE, you are probably looking at $1.5k alone. If you are having a shop do it, then you are toast on your budget. The turbo kit alone will probably be a full day of labor.. at $80-$100/hr, you are looking at least $1k just for the install. Also, I don't believe there are cams currently available that are either A. worth the money or B. don't require additional machining of the head.

Also, you will have to upgrade the clutch. The clutch will not make it to 400 hp.
 
#15 ·
Also add to the fact that you will either A. have to have BTR or SFR do a custom tune or B. you will need to buy a Haltech (which would blow your budget completely up)

In all honesty.. for the numbers you are looking for, you are better off getting a Subaru or an Evo. Get a Cobb tuner, and you will have a much easier time hitting those numbers.

Also, the Genesis isn't really the best straight line car. You mentioned you wanted a monster at the strip.. Genesis will never be that. It is a better road course, and drifting vehicle than it will ever be at a drag strip. Obviously if you have unlimited funds, then anything can be made to be good at a drag strip, but this isn't the case here.
 
#16 ·
In all honesty.. for the numbers you are looking for, you are better off getting a Subaru or an Evo. Get a Cobb tuner, and you will have a much easier time hitting those numbers.
Huh? 350-400 on a second generation Coupe is not all that hard. Possibly you haven't spent much time looking at how much it costs to custom build a Subie or EVO.

Let me introduce you to someone who has had all three cars to set you straight. @LeesEvoGenX
 
#17 ·
I am not saying that it is all that hard to achieve. For his budget though, and what he is looking for, plus the ability to daily it, plus he wants something that goes fast in a straight line..

Thanks for the patience man, the link you sent me was a good place to start, but I really wanted to get something more tailored to my own purpose/budget. I don't care much for drifting, I just want speed. As much of a monster on the drag strip as I could safely make it, given my budget.
350-400 is easy.. and you can achieve that with about $6k-$7k worth of parts and labor.. depending on the cost of the complementing pieces. But the OP is talking about forged internals, and a balanced block, etc. and that is where this build goes from realistic for his budget, to not realistic at all. Also, for the platform, you are really going to spend $9k to build an engine on a car that isn't designed for drag strips? Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

I really don't need someone to set me straight. I know the difference in costs, but thanks anyways. I am just saying, you start with more HP out of the box, and you can run a simple Cobb tune without having to do much else, and you already blow this car out of the water in a straight line.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I am not saying that it is all that hard to achieve. For his budget though, and what he is looking for, plus the ability to daily it, plus he wants something that goes fast in a straight line..



350-400 is easy.. and you can achieve that with about $6k-$7k worth of parts and labor.. depending on the cost of the complementing pieces. But the OP is talking about forged internals, and a balanced block, etc. and that is where this build goes from realistic for his budget, to not realistic at all. Also, for the platform, you are really going to spend $9k to build an engine on a car that isn't designed for drag strips? Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

I really don't need someone to set me straight. I know the difference in costs, but thanks anyways. I am just saying, you start with more HP out of the box, and you can run a simple Cobb tune without having to do much else, and you already blow this car out of the water in a straight line.
This is a pretty hefty budget:

Can anyone tell me if this is viable, given an $8-9k budget?
A 350-400 whp car isn't what you would call a drag car anyway. Just because you want to take your car to the drag strip to play doesn't mean that it has to be a serious drag car.

The '13+ models hold up quite well to 400 whp/400 wtq without building internals. That is the OPs goal... so I'm not sure where you are coming from with a full block build. It's not necessary for the power goals. You might've told the OP that instead of rambling on about how much it costs to build a block.

@SteveJohns29 is running way more than 400 whp on stock internals on a 10-12 block without forged internals. The key is in the tune.

The EVO or a Subie is going to cost way more in base cost than the Genesis Coupe. You get AWD and a little more power, but for the price difference you can do a pretty awesome build on a Genesis Coupe. And... you won't have to worry about blowing your ringlands.

BTW... neither the Subie or the EVO was built for drag strips either. They do well and hold their own... but they aren't drag cars.
 
#21 ·
Take car to track... break stuff. That's kind of the nature of that beast. If anything is weak, it'll break.

As far as how the '13's hold up...you are right, time will tell. Going back on the forum archives it was believed that the 10-12 models would only hold a maximum of 300 wtq. There are many of us, you included, who helped change that perception.

Honestly... even with an aftermarket turbo you aren't looking at holding on to peak wheel torque for that long. My turbo build has air for days and my torque only drops off about 40 lbs/ft from peak to redline. It is almost flat.... still not flat. People who are serious about building their cars for serious tracking don't come on to forums and ask the general public about how to build a track car. At least, I wouldn't. To a lot of people when they say they want to take their car to the track, they are talking about is hitting the track with some friends, shooting some video, and drinking gratuitous amounts of malty beverage.
 
#23 ·
Correct me if I'm wrong but a turbo upgrade for a 2013 is no more then 2500 ? My buddies Evo turbo upgrade was 4200 (I'm talking just parts)
 
#26 ·
Yeah and if you want to get a serious turbo set up you are talking like 6k easily.....
 
#32 ·
By digital, I assume you mean a boost controller that can be remotely adjusted from inside the cockpit. <meh> Nice to have.

The tune is optimized for a certain pressure. Set it once and forget it. All the extra money you'd be spending on a digital boost controller would be wasted. If you are interested in safety... then an AEM Failsafe Wideband O2/Boost gauge is the answer.
 
#34 ·
Actually, that's a pretty good idea. I hadn't heard of the AEM failsafe, but it's a hell of a good investment for the daily driver I hope to be pushing harder in the future. I know I probably seem overly cautious lol. Would you suggest spending the $300 on the failsafe, or would I be okay with just the wideband, boost gauge and water temp gauge column cluster (I can get all of it, including the gauges and interior column piece for pretty much the same exact price as only the failsafe)? I haven't ever seen someone running a failsafe like that, so if I really don't need it, it wouldn't kill me not to have it

Also I totally understand what you mean about the boost controller, I didn't think of it that way. I'll definitely shoot for an engine bay boost controller. I forgot that the PSI would pretty much be set by the tune and not be touched. Like I said, i'm used to working with naturally aspirated, never worked with a turbo before lol
 
#33 ·
Just remember it no horse power that kills engines. It's torque. I know it's bin said before but that's the most important part.
 
#35 ·
If you are worried about blowing your engine, the AEM failsafe is the way to go. If your AFRs go wonky, the AEM will cut boost on you to bring the AFRs back into safe territory. Water temp is a waste of money. If you want a temp gauge, monitor oil temp.
 
#36 ·
I guess the failsafe is my option then, and it seems promising. The only real reason I mentioned a water temp gauge is that the car comes with an OEM oil temp gauge that I feel would be sufficient, seeing as though I'd have an oil cooler and figured I might as well monitor the water temp as well
 
#37 ·
Yanno... there's no rule that gauges must come in threes. You can have just two gauges if that's all you need. Yanno... unless you are also looking to get that Fast and Furious vibe when you get into your car.
 
#41 ·
Now we're talking about a whole different ball game though lol. The LS1 itself is at least 3k, the kit is 3k, and I don't even want to think about everything else i'd need to get it to work with the chassis and fabrication for the exhaust.

Maybe in a few years if I get bored of the old 4 banger (and hopefully win the lottery) i'll shell out some cash for a supercharged LS1 5.7L V8 lmfao

All jokes aside, I just think it's a bit "out there" for me right now, but honestly it's a pretty interesting idea
 
#43 ·
Meh, going the route you are, and now that you clarified how much of the work you are doing on your own, you will be fine with the budget you have. Plus you could always upgrade turbos later on, and do more, and by then more will have been tested and people will have pushed the boundaries further for this platform, so getting more out of the 2.0 than what we can now, and what your personal goals are, will be easier. The LS1 swap has its pluses and minuses, plus like you said, you might open up new issues with fabrication and stuff.

An even sweeter idea is a 2jz swap.. but that is more complicated and there is only one person on record who has accomplished it, and he is in the middle east..
 
#44 ·
I think a guy in Florida did it also.
 
#45 ·
I think for now i'll stick with the 2.0L. If I get the time and money later on, i'll consider the LS1 swap, but for now the easiest and safest path to be honest is sticking with the 2.0 and waiting for everyone to start popping their modified ones to give me a better idea of what its limitations are.

For now, i'll start with everything I stated and probably a bit more. I'll make way for a turbo swap in the future. In fact, I've seen some damn tempting Garrett bolt-ons that I might actually take a look at right now. The GT3076R looks pretty nice, and seems to be meant to fit onto the stock turbo manifold. Now, whether the stock manifold can hold any amount of power close to what i'll be running without blowing or cracking is another thing altogether. If you or anyone else can link me to a better manifold that could bolt on something with the same positioning and configuration as the stock turbo, i'd really appreciate it

Also, I haven't really been able to find a viable injector/fuel pump combo for the power i'll be running. Any ideas?
 
#46 · (Edited)
I recommend sticking with kit turbos rather than venturing out there on your own... especially if you aren't familiar with turbos. The advantage of kit turbos are that much of the guesswork has been taken out of the process. You know exactly what the turbo should do and the kit has all the pieces parts you need to get the job done. If you venture out on your own you are going to make mistakes... some of them quite costly. The other advantage of kit turbos are that the vendor supplying the kit can tell you exactly what supporting add ons you will require to purchase. If you need new injectors, the vendor will tell you that you need new injectors. Same with a fuel pump, engine build, and etc.

You seem to be inordinately stressed about blowing something up and you really shouldn't be. The tuners in our community don't make money by tuning cars that blow up. Our supporting vendors don't make money by selling parts that will fail. The folks who usually end up blowing their cars up are either: A) Doing some kind of stupid crap or B) Trailblazing a path for themselves. If you stick with the prescribed regimen, don't venture out thinking that you are smarter than the tuning community and/or Hyundai engineers who designed this car, and don't go cheap on pieces parts you'll be fine. If you go out and find your own tuner who used to tune Hondas for a living, purchase Honda parts on the advice of that tuner because "it worked on hundreds of other cars he's worked on", or decide that some of the parts you need can be purchased at Home Depot and Walmart where you can save a ton of money.... you are out there on your own. Before you go out and do that, please debadge your car and tell people it's a Honda.

Oh... and if you do the latter, I'll be changing your name on this forum to "ItzaBugzBoy2".

Edit: By the way, nothing fits on a stock exhaust manifold for a 2013+. The manifold and the hot end of the turbo are one piece. Any turbo upgrade will also require an exhaust manifold. If you are looking for a bullet proof exhaust manifold, look for a DEI/Spa T3 Cast manifold.
 
#48 ·
That has to be the funniest thing I've heard all day lol

Well in that case, i'll stick to the kit turbos. I'll wait a bit so I have more than enough money for the kit and fuel system upgrades. In the meantime, I can take care of all the supporting mods and a tune to hold me off before the turbo upgrade comes along
 
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