ZX2 w/VJ11

[underclassman]

Hey guys, I'm currently running a VJ11 and I'm looking into the VJ17 compressor housing/wheel upgrade. Would I need a retune if I stick to the same or lower boost? My AFRs are currently 10.2-11.6 @ WOT. The reason for the upgrade is because my car chokes out @ 6k and I'd like a little more pull to 7k for drag racing.

Specs and options:
'98 Sport - White - 192k miles - PW, PL, Keyless entry, 6-disc CD changer, Premium Sound, Cruise, AC, Tilt wheel, Map light, Surfboard spoiler (lol), light grey interior. Has a PA system that makes several different noises. Fun for cruising in town.
Mods so far are:
POWAH
IHI VJ11 turbo w/9psi wastegate
Focus manifold redrilled for turbo
2.5" downpipe
2.5" catback with swappable race pipe and cat. One muffler, sounds great
70mm Cobra 4-wire MAF on suck thru
2.25" charge pipe
FMIC
1g DSM BPV
Esslinger cam gear on intake - advanced 2*
Ford Racing 9mm plug wires
Autolite 5144 copper plugs gapped @ .028"
Ported intake manifold
Ported throttle body
'98 trans. '98s had shorter 3rd-5th. Good for 1/4 mi racing and bad for traveling.
NOS Wet kit - 50 shot (not used)
Autolite boost gauge
AEM wideband
SCT 6600 flip chip
12" slim fan - 50whp here

GRIP
Front & Rear Tie Bars
Ford Racing Struts
Progress Springs - 1.5" drop
Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit
21mm RSB
Half of a strut tower bar. I think a part failed. Replacing it soon
Rear Disc conversion
HPS pads
Konig 17x7 Helium wheels
Nitto Extreme 555 205/40/17 tires
B&M short shifter


Help is much appreciated.

[yunvmyegt]

with those afr's you might get away with no retune, but id do it anyways.....

[underclassman]

I purchased the car turbocharged, and I haven't a decent tuner for quite a few miles. I live near Vegas.
Another question I had is where would the vj17 compressor side choke out at? I'm seeing the most torque @ 5800 and a steep drop off after that.

[yunvmyegt]

im honestly not sure of the wheel size difference, but someone else will post soon enough. try even looking around for a vf10 , or a vf8 or vf12, but expect to maching the turbine housing to fit the wheels. i knew a kid who had some piggyback thing, or chip in his zx2, he would make logs and do the etune thing. but if you get that thing youll atleast be able to have a shop change stuff....

[underclassman]

I did some digging on here and the VJ17 appears to be a direct bolt on as far as the compressor side. I believe the VJ11 and VJ17 share the same diameter shaft, so that wouldn't need to be changed The VJ17 has a T3 turbine side and the VJ11 has a much smaller side. I'd like to keep things simple, as this is a daily driver for a bit. I'm also getting the VJ17 for $50 shipped, which is a great deal for a small power adder.
If I were going for some real power, I'd change the whole setup.
Thanks for your input!

[yunvmyegt]

ya just unbolt yours and plop that one right into the turbine housing, and see what your afr's are, i was running mid to high 11s full boost, if your at 10.2 full boost, you got a bit of headroom...

[underclassman]

Are you saying I swap the cartridge with the compressor side?

[yunvmyegt]

ya just swap the center and compressor off the vj17 into the vj11

[yunvmyegt]

check out chris's thread on the swap http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41738

[Mazda_Powered]

yep, it swaps right in, but attention is required to the oil feed thread, since the vj11 uses a m10x1.5 and the vj17 uses m10x1.0

here's the thread for the compressor wheel sizes

http://wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25601

[yunvmyegt]

ya i figured yould post, i never had to look that stuff up..lol...

[underclassman]

Awesome, thanks for the links guys!
I have some questions about the swap now. First off, which wastegate do I use? Second, if the vj17 turbo I'm getting doesn't have the restrictor, what should I do?

[Mazda_Powered]

you use the vj17 wastegate arm/actuator, but you have to drill 2 holes for it to mount.

I think the vj11 one will fit, but I can't recall to be sure lol

restrictor? from what I remember it's built in the CHRA (center housing rotating assembly)

[bomdoutscort]

YOu have to retapp the threads on the t-bird turbo and put your bolt restrictor from the vj11 in there.

[yunvmyegt]

thats just sketchy, get the right fittings and some stainless line....