Blaize

Hey folks, I am still a relative noob at this and I am having a little trouble deciding what turbocharger I want, looking for a little advise advice.

I dont actually have the car yet as I have yet to sell what I am replacing it with, but here is the plan- I will be buying a 1.6 na I think, with plans to make north of 200 hp. No stupid power goals, but a solid daily driver with MS standalone, bigger injectors and a fmic, I figure a little over 200 is realistic. I know of all the advantages of starting with a 1.8 but here in the uk there are advantages to the 1.6. Anything pre 93 does not have to have a cat conv installed, the smaller engine size will give cheaper insurance (even after it is turbocharged) and the price difference between the two is about the same as the cost to buy the lsd 1.8 rear and upgrade the brakes. So unless I find an absolute steal I will probably be going 1.6.

In any case I have made my mind up that I will be buying one and the Megasquirt will be here in a day or two to keep me busy for a few weeks. I am also starting to look into buying the turbo. Trouble is for all my reading I still cannot get a solid grip on what the options are. sr20 t25's are pretty easy to find here and I am leaning that way. What is the difference between this and the gt2554 that BEGI suplies with thier kits. Somthing about the bearing? are they both water cooled? It looks like I can get one for about 1/4 the cost of a new gt2554 from begi and that is my kind of math.

Anyone know of a decent website where all of this is broken down? what is the difference between a t25 and a t28? or a gt2556 and the gt2560? are they all four based on the same design and just different internals? would they all use the same mani and dp?

And out of casual interest what about the mitsu unit that greddy uses? it is any good? can it be canibalised from any factory fit car at the jusnker? Would I want to?

And in conclusion, why Brainiac, does the otherwise outstanding DIY FAQ not at least give some recomendations as to what turbos fit/work well and the same for manifolds?

Thanks and let the hazing begin

Rafa

iTrader: (22)

Here's a link: TurboByGarrett.com - GT Basics / Nomenclature

happy readings!

If I were you, I'd buy a 2560 where you live. Not worth the hassle other way.

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

If I had a 1.6 and wanted to turbo it cheap, I'd buy a used greddy manifold/turbo and use that. I would think they can be had pretty cheap and are decent units.

akaryrye

iTrader: (5)

if you're looking for a cheap turbo that spools reasonably quick, i would suggest a used OEM turbo from a volvo/saab/ford etc... A few of the common ones are the t3 .60/.48 from the ford SVO cars, the volvo/saab T3 .42/.48, and the SR20 t25

Toddcod

iTrader: (8)

The garretts are water and oil cooled, I have a 2560 and 2554. My setups are totally different so I can't give a good comparison. But they both will reach the goal you are trying to achieve. The 2560 gives a little more head room at the expense of a fraction of spool time. I personally like my 2560 a little better. But it also has a good dp, better mani, and a IC. So it is much more free system.

But even with the restrictive setup on the 2554 car, It spools superfast.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

yes they are; they are a pretty good alternative to a new GT2554.

They are brand new Ball Bearing turbos. As opposed to the old journal bearing turbos of yesteryear.

yes.

thus is why a few member here have gone with this turbo with their BEGi kit.

turbobygarrett.com

eh. T25 footprint with a TD04 outlet. would require custom parts, unless a GReddy manifold/DP combo. Can support around 275rwhp, but aren't the best turbo out their.

The Greddy turbo? I don't believe you'll find it on a car....others you may.

There's like 1500000 turboz out there. The most common turbos you'll find on our cars are the: 2554, 2560, 2860, 2871, SR20 T25, GReddy Td04-15g, T3 50, 60, S60 trims, Mistu 15 or 16g.

Blaize

Well thanks for all the advice. Looks like it will be a t25 then. I am sure the ball bearings are better, but I doubt they are 3 times the price better. So I will begin hunting for one.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

the sr20 t25 is a pretty nice fit, the spool fast and deliver lots of torque, then they start to peak and trail off. Great turbo if you're really looking for around 200rwhp:

Blaize

Alright, thanks for all the input. I think I will use a t25 as they are so cheap compared to the new models and as far as I can tell they seem to hold value, that is to say once the rest of the system is up and running I could sell it on, get my money back out of it (or close to) and then swap in the newer gt series.

So one final question- is a t25 a t25? over here they are also fitted to rover 200's. For all my fellow yanks this is a bit like if mercury tried to make a volvo 740. Genrally they are all owned by blue hair's and they are not terribly reliable. Anyway the turbos as you can imagine are usually in decent shape, and they are SOOOOO cheap. I found one guy selling a pair of them for £100 REBUILT. the one problem is they have a strange bypass valve built into the comressor housing as seen here-

Garrett T25 turbo - Rover T series 220 420 620 820 on eBay, also, Rover MGF, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 29-Dec-08 15:49:25 GMT)

No I wouldnt buy that one but it has a decent picture of what I am talking about and gives you an idea of the prices I am talking. So if I was to pick up one (or two) of these and perhaps a decent normal housing (or perhaps not but VTA is somthing I do enjoy) can I swap things around to build a good one.

Or, more to the point, are all the impellers the same for all t25's I have also seen good units with chipped blades, replacment impellers, and rebuild kits all at decent prices. I am pretty sure I could get a good 'un together for around £100. I am confident I can do the rebuilding I just dont know if there are codes or something I need to look out for the make sure it will all work together.

I know. I am being cheap. This is the DIY forum right, try not to bash me for it.

Oh and the Ms turned up in the mail today. Ordered everything in your FAQ braineack. What have I gotten myself into.