Turbo City's Stage 1 Kit for TJ's!!

By James Hasler

 

In an ever increasing quest for more horsepower and fuel efficiency, Andrew bought Turbo City's Stage 1 Kit for his 4-banger equipped TJ. The 2.5 liter 4 banger is horsepower challenged so the claims of the Turbo City Stage 1 kit delivering around 18 HP to the rear wheels is music to Andrew's ears...Andrew is now challenging Phil and I to a drag race, touting his new power, but he still fails to realize that our 6 cylinder Jeeps still have about 50 HP on him...but I digress...

The Stage 1 kit comes with a new air tube, a conical, reusable K&N air filter, and a cat-back exhaust. You can also get a Stage 2 or Stage 3 kit where other goodies are added such as a bored throttle body, an adjustable MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor and more...on to the installation...

Andrew first removed the stock air box and the hose that goes to the throttle body...with that out of the way, the TJ engine compartment is cavernous with the little 4 popper cowering behind the enormous fan shroud...You simply use the supplied clamps to attach the filter to the new metal air tube and the air tube to the throttle body. Here's what the finished product looks like under the hood:

This combo alone produced a noticeable amount of power when climbing grades in 5th gear...there is a curious whistling sound due to the new combo which is probably due to the metal air tube...it is not annoying and sounds a bit like a turbocharger...on to the exhaust...

NOTE: Unless you LOVE beating on metal or have a torch handy, take the exhaust to a muffler shop and pay the 40 bucks or so to have it installed...it's just not worth the temporary insanity to do it yourself...

The exhaust was the next step in the Turbo City Stage 1 Kit...it comes with a straight-through type muffler (Magna-Flow), a 2.5" diameter mandrel bent pipe and all of the necessary hangers and clamps. The instructions, however, were a bit lacking. (Notice the Gearless Locker Manual in the background...obviously, we were gluttons for punishment and tried to do too many jobs at once.)

Phil began by removing all of the clamps on the old exhaust...he then proceeded to beat on the muffler to remove it from the catalytic converter...he then tried to use a pry bar to remove the muffler...finally, he started to swear profusely and call Andrew and I over to help him ..we then began to beat on the muffler in unison to find that the thing would not budge...

Finally, I got out my cutting wheel to find that I could not get in to the spot to make a clean cut...so, we proceeded to hack at the connection any way we could...

A screwdriver, along with a hammer and the cut-off wheel ultimately removed the beast.

Man, I don't think we'll ever be able to use THAT again...also notice the maniacal look in my eyes after banging on that thing for hours...

Next, with the muffler removed from the cat, we proceeded to removed the muffler and tailpipe from the vehicle...unfortunately, the left rear shock and control arm brackets prevented us from doing that, so out came the cut-off wheel to the rescue...

With, the old exhaust FINALLY removed, we installed the Turbo City parts...

Here's the completed exhaust...

We did find some problems with the fit, however...part of it was our fault, but we also felt the pipe was too long causing the bend in the pipe to not clear the rear trackbar, shock or control arm brackets...so, we cut 2" off the end of the pipe that went into the back of the muffler...

We also HATED the look of the tailpipe...it was curved down and stuck out too far behind the TJ's rear bumper...so, again, we hacked off about 3" of the pipe including the part that curved straight down...

Now, the exhaust is tucked under the Jeep and looks good...later, Andrew could add a stainless tip if he so desires...

I'll show you a pic of the new exhaust from the back of the Jeep once I get a picture of it...Andrew?

Overall, Andrew is impressed with the Turbo City Stage 1 Kit. The exhaust is not too loud and the power improvements are worthwhile...we'll have to see if his mileage goes up, but most likely, his now heavier right foot will negate any improvements...