another "whatturbodoigetguyspleasehelp!!!?!?!" post

tbf everytime i search "site:miataturbo.net 2860" or anything similar i end up on posts 15 years old.

I just got done with my rods only build and am looking to hit around 300whp on ethanol.
Ive had my eye on these cxracing ball bearing turbos for a bit and they seem like a pretty good deal.
I'm not very nice to my turbo, no bov and such.

What im torn on is the exact turbo. I had decided on a ball bearing 2560 clone, but that was before I rebuilt the motor. I pretty much wrote that off not wanting to run that turbo at its chokepoint all the time.
Im debating on these options

GT2871 0.64 A/R

Single Ball Bearing GT2860 0.64

Dual Ball Bearing GT2860 0.86 A/R


Im getting some conflicting info on which of these would spool the best, but also not be insanely on their limit.
Log manifold vvt head, 2.5" dp iirc but will go ahead and go to 3" soon.
The dual bb 2860 is the same price as the single bb 2860, but with a larger turbine iirc. Looking at spool data im seeing that its "just a few hundred rpm" from car to car. But "just a few hundred" difference between the turbos, and then "just a few hundred" difference in manifolds, and little things here and there definitely make a difference.
If im being entirely honest. Any turbo I switch to from this shitty near 2554 sized sr20 clone I have will feel laggy, but flow so much more air that Ill be making the same power on half the boost if what ive seen is correct.
They have billet wheel options as well, but jumping up to 500$ range im nearing just saving a bit more for a pulsar. I dont need a top of the line fastest spooling tech turbo, just looking to get the best bang for my buck preferrably sooner than later before this sr20 turbo stops just burning oil and blows sky high.

Someone with more confidence link me what I should just get and be happy with. If its north of $500 lmk why its worth the extra dime. Thank you and happy thanksgiving.

 

Pulsar (PSR) GTX2860 GenII. Spools like a 2560 with headroom for 350+whp. Still a cheap turbo in the scheme of things, but will actually last. Sure. it's still a Chinese turbo, but not all Chinese turbos are created equally. PSR is actually VSR balanced with real QC and won't blow up and take your motor out with it. And they have a great warranty.

I'd 100% skip cxracing turbo bullshit and at $430 you are well over 1/2 way to a PSR.

 

honestly at that price point i think its made my decision, not to mention i finally found all the more recent threads and have all pointed that direction too.

 

If you're looking to buy soon I think Pulsar's doing a black friday sale. I want to say the 2860 Gen2 was around $550?

 

For anyone thinking about the pulsars right now, a friend of mine let me know he loves his, but had to pay 300$ extra before he could get it.

 

I saw that on Pulsar's website when I ordered mine as well. I went through their eBay page and didn't have to pay any extra tariffs. I noticed sometimes they get some in stock stateside and you can save ~$50 on shipping compared to if they're coming all the way from China.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS.

 

Pretty much dead set on it now, was going to buy it in coming weeks but christmas and my fiances birthday are weeks apart, and she is going on a trip to CT to visit family. Maybe some virtual dyno updates late January if all goes well !

Also does anyone have an issue when saving for something large, or at least more expensive than average, where you'll consider the other large things you want instead, and then have to fight off the idea of just saving a bit more for something else. Ie me getting a pulsar or saving more and getting a link or ms3, or getting decent suspension... or this or that...

Any reason to get the billet actuator?

 

Well I think it would make your turbo cooler than all of ours that don't have the billet actuator.

 

Yes it would be much cooler and since it's cooler it's gonna make mo' powah. Honestly I have a billet actuator on my car lol 😂...from arashi turbo. Mostly I like that I can swap springs out if I want to change base pressure which I haven't once since I like it at 1bar. So yes it just looks cool at this point.

 

This alone is worth the 50$ extra

 

I will say, having gone with the 7.4 PSI actuator and now wishing I had the 11 PSI one, being able to swap springs would actually be kinda nice unless you're pretty confident of the boost levels you want to run.

That is also assuming the 11 PSI spring actually holds pressure and doesn't creep to 20 PSI or something crazy, which wouldn't surprise me.

 

I very purposely went with the OEM style stamped steel wastegate can on my pulsar. Previously on my 2860rs I had a baller looking billet "mamba" wastegate with interchangeable springs. It seemed snazzy but gave me nothing but trouble and failed multiple times at the track. The wastegate arm would unthread from the diaphragm cup (the part that came apart to change springs). This happened even after loctite red. Eventually I jb welded it together as an emergency fix at the track and it never came apart again, but that also made it so it no longer could come apart to swap springs.

I have no idea if this would happen with the pulsar billet adjustable gates, but those OEM style stamped steel cans are dead reliable so I went with that. My only regret is not going with the 11psi can since it boost creeps past that anyways.

 

You can always go with turbosmart and play with the springs.

 

That might happen. For now thought the wastegate is maxing out right around where I think the 6 speed is going to survive, so aside from possibly getting some better control over boost levels I might just leave it as is to keep myself from blowing things up too quickly.

Also, as much as I've dumped a ton of money into this thing, spending another $200 for a wastegate actuator isn't super appealing.

 

Although I had decided on the pulsar gen 2 after christmas, I woke up to a listing of a m24 garret turbo on facebook for 100$ This was normal, usually just some random stock journal bearing 2554 I didnt need. Though I recognized the part number from the photos as a s15 oem turbo, gt2560r. "No shaft play, has actuator and worked great."

This is too good of a deal to pass up. Can I make 300 on e85 with it? No idea. Will I try? Of course. Will I still want a pulsar? Yes.

a good working ball bearing 2560 with adapters and an actuator for 100$ is not too shabby. Maybe ill resell it locally and use that towards a pulsar anyway.

PN is 14411-91f00

 

Nice pick up man. I'd jump on that as well. The turbo will be strung out a bit more than the Pulsar would've been but with E85 and a goal of 300 I don't think you'll be too far off. ~275 WHP will keep the 6 speed happy as well.

 

…6 speed???



We love consumables over here.

 

Lol, I was wondering as I wrote that.

I still love to shout out our local guy who's been running a single 5 speed for ages. He's been running a 2560 for 8+ years(?) making around 275 whp without issues. Doesn't see as many street miles but that things been beat on at autocross on Hoosiers without issue.

 

The 5 speed is actually pretty decent. I ran a 5 speed on my old NA and I don't think I ever broke it( ok I did break one keep reading lol ) and the car was turbo for 6 years and I was young and racing everyone in existence lol. I ran a GReddy TD04H-15G and made 227whp/217ftlb on the 1.6L. Then I ran a T3 super 60 and made 267whp. Then I blew up the 1.6L and went mildly built BP05 and made 294/270. I'm trying to remember if I broke one I've had so many different cars and I'm 43 now lol. I think I might have broken a gear because I do remember replacing the trans. But the replacement 5 speed survived and now my dad owns the car and it's not turbo anymore. Still shifts great.