robert pain asked:
ok so 4 months ago i bought an 03 gti with 40k on it with borla turbo catback exhaust, euro sport intake, and 2months ago i chipped it with a apr stage 2 chip and had a hks blow off valve installed. i just saved up enough money for a bigger turbo! but im having some trouble picking out a turbo kit(brand of turbo and if i should buy it used or new) and should i buy it off ebay?
A few things to consider when buying turbos. First off unless you REALLY know what you are looking at you NEVER want to buy used turbos. You run into problems with gasket issues, shaft play, some people clip their compressor wheels….Just trust me, play it safe and buy new.
One thing to consider is if your motor will be able to hold the amount of power/boost that you intend on introducing to it. Also, do you want to go with a ball bearing turbo or thrust bearing turbo? Ball bearing turbos spool up faster(on avg boost starts ~500rpms sooner) but are more complicated and have extra coolant lines that will need to be routed. Thrust bearing turbos are more susceptible to wear and eventually failure.
As for buying on ebay there are tons of cheap knock off turbos that are significantly sub par. If it doesn’t say “Garrett” on it don’t waste your time.
Another thing to consider is the size of the turbo. If you get a larger turbo, it is going to be laggier. I don’t think I would go with anything much larger than a T28. You may want to consider buying a turbo kit with another stock turbo and virtually reduce the lag to nothing while still being able to produce more boost then a single avg. sized upgrade and do so more efficiently.
Another thing to consider is how you are going to increase the boost. I suggest a redundant system via external wastegates and a boost controller just in case one fails( you do NOT want that to happen). If you don’t get an electronic boost controller make sure it is a ball and spring type, other wise you will have what is known as boost creep. Boost creep is where the boost increases beyond the predetermined setting and there isnt a whole lot you can do about it. If you go electronic I suggest something along the lines of a Greddy Profec spec B II, or the boost controller that P.I.T. put out.
You will also have to figure out what size injectors you have, how much power they can support and what will be required (adapters, fuel rails, connectors, etc) if you will have to purchase larger ones to support the extra boost. If you do have to upgrade your injectors you will have to re-chip or re-flash your ECU/ECM. This is because injectors don’t go off of injector size, they open based off of the pulse width that the ECU/ECM sends to it. If you have to upgrade your injectors you will also want them to be pintleless because the pintle type injectors are much more susceptible to failure and get clogged much easier.
As you can see there are many variables to consider. Go on forums and see what has worked and what is popular for upgrades and determine from there where you want to go and how much it will actually cost you to upgrade.
LISTEN CLOSELY, GO THE U-PULL AUTO RECYCLER.
GO TO THE CRYSLER SECTION
CHECK ALL THE CARS LABELED ;TURBO
CHRYSLER MADE TONS OF TURBORIZED CARS IN THE LATE 80′s-90′s.NTHESE ENGINES WERE MOSTLY 2.2L- 2.3LITRE . I ADVISE NEW SEALS AND A CLEAN UP. TURBO WERE AROUND LONG BEFORE THEY BECAME POPULAR FOR EVERYDAY STREET USE,SO THE MOUNTING IS MORE OF A COUPLING THAN IT IS A MOUNT. SO IF THERE IS ANY DIFFERENCE A MUFFLER SHOP WILL WORK. A WONDER. P.S. A turbocharger is a compressor capable of more boost than your can handle, so explore performance wastegates.A gate set to release at 6psi will in theory release at 6 psi. a 10psi gate will rock your buddies world!!!!I”
You can buy a Turbo from Audi.
Get the Audi TT turbocharger, which gives 225HP instead of the stock 180HP.
This is just the 2002-2006 Audi TT turbo, which costs $1850 at the dealership.
Or you can get an HPA Turbo Kit. HPA is a good turbo kit for VW’s.