Need to buy a turbo. TOMORROW ... t28?

[endeffect0]

please forgive the lack of research but I'm in a bind. I have 300whp mr2 that has been my daily driver for the last few months while I build up my dsm. I wasn't planning on finishing the DSM till spring break but now the MR2 has weird ass electrical problems and I need this dsm on the road now.

Car is mostly stock (see profile) just finished rebuilding the bottom end and now i am now in need of a turbo to replace the stock t25. plans for spring break included water to air intercooler, dsm link, walbro fuel pump, injectors, and a whole list of other things. none of which i have the money to do now, i just sank everything into the MR2... But enough with the back story...

I'm planning on doing a T28
which T28 should i look at ... money and time are a factor.

I'm on the websites of a few people right now...

G-pop shop, has good prices and offers porting....

Turbochargers.com offers the Big T28 Killer for about 100 more without porting... and they also offer the "Big T28 cartridge ".... could i possibly use this core and my t25 turbo housing?

Finaly Forced Performance This was my initial choice but with porting it comes to over 860 which is very steep for me at the moment... do i really want the porting ..

and im also concerned about bolting up a t28 to my mostly stock car, i'm not running a boost controller right now and i would rather not have to pull one off the mr2, can i run a t28 without changing anything else?

the other option was looking at a 16g variant, but i like quick spooling and haveing to use a kit may just complicate things. and to boot i'm not really sure if it would be much cheaper in the long run.

what do u think guys? favor one over the other, am i crazy? or am i just ####ed for getting this finished in time....

 

[absolute_DSM]

If you NEED to get it on the road, then just throw another T25 on it. You dont have any mods to support a larger turbo anyways, so why throw the money at it now?

 

[diablos991]

Out of those options, I would chose Gpopshop... Well, that is what I chose since I have one myself.

Their turnaround time is great, they have awesome customer service and you can't beat that awesome price. I have had mine for well over a year and it still works like a dream.

With the ported big t28, you will maintain very fast spoolup time and it will be a direct bolton VS. the 16g variants which require an install kit.

If you do buy the big t28 and bolt it up to your stock car, I would get that boost controller off the MR2 and istall it as well. Be sure to keep the boost to stock levels for the time being. Having a logger would be the best route because then you can actally monitor what is happening.

 

[winterftbl]

Why not go the 16g route? I know you need a install kit but you will have more power. And also if you dont have a mbc than just run your boost line straight to the wastegate. Then you will be running off your spring pressure.

 

[endeffect0]

I plan on keeping the stock boost for the moment. thanks for the review of gpopshop diablos991... thats exactly the kinda info Im looking for at the moment..
what do you think about the port job... do i need it or should i save some cash to get supporting mods as soon as i can... I am really strapped for cash at the moment and if its not gonna make a difference in the long run than it aint worth it to me... i guess...

The reason i dont want to through another t25 onto it is because i am going to fully build this car this summer. If i could find one in my area cheap then yes i would do it but i just dont wanna spend any more money than i have to and buying a stock turbo no only to replace it in a moth or two is what I'm trying to avoid....

 

[diablos991]

When you say "fully build your car" are you meaning your horsepower goals that can be met with one of the above turbochargers? If you are planning on getting a larger turbocharger in the future, you may want to look into picking up a cheap t25 as a replacement.

If one of these turbochargers would suffice your horsepower goals then go for it and get one.

Regarding the porting. They do a fantastic job on the port work. I believe there are photos in the gpopshop thread. The main benefit that you will notice from porting is decreased spool time.

 

[endeffect0]

I am not totally convinced that the 16G will produce more power than a car built around a good t28... also this car is being built for autox and hill climb where throttle response and lag time are important...

If a 16g and kit were a good amount cheaper than the t28 route i may be willing to look into it. but the complications of kits worry me when working in a 1 week time frame...

thanks for the tip on the boost controller like i said its stock boost for this turbo for now....

 

[whiteflash]

If you're worried about pulling the MBC off the MR2, why don't you pick up a ebay MBC for 20 shipped. just a thought....

 

[endeffect0]

diablos991: my HP goals are fairly low for this car (its all relative, but compared to my previous projects...) I'm shooting for the low to mid 300whp range. this may be a stretch for some of these options but at the shop i work at we have some cool tricks for making power and most of the components for this car will be totally custom. I'll do a write up on it when i start the fabrication. but primarily spool time and Throttle response will be what i'm shooting for.. this car is more or less an experiment.

just did a search for 'Boost controller' on ebay... wow their is a lot of cheap ones out their, and i'm sure they work pretty effectively as well. On the mr2 i have a dual stage turboXs boost controller and if i can avoid the complication of a boost controller by just hooking strait up to my waist gate than i would rather do that. If i pull the boost controller out of the 2 then i should probably take the boost and EGT gauges as well and eventually i would need to reinstall them in the mr2...

its really not that I'm lazy.. its thats I'm seriously stretched for time and trying to avoid complications... i swear...

 

[turbosax2]

You can always make your own manual boost controller. It's cheap, easy to make, and works great.

http://www.geocities.com/chmwatson/FAQs/mbc.html

 

[winterftbl]

Well considering the links for the t28's were all between 700 and 900 dollars and most big16g turbos can be had for around 500 bucks, than I say thats cheaper. But its all up to you, for around 300hp I would say 16g over t28, but thats just my opinion.

 

[endeffect0]

turbosax2: I actually have a friend who is going to try to mace a boost controller this afternoon for his SR20det it should be interesting to see how well that works in comparison to the turboxs single stage pro that he will be getting later this week...

winterftbl: their are plenty of people who would prefer the 16g for anything over the 300whp mark. I have personaly been favoring the t28 just because of the spool time and the fact it bolts on/ looks like stock. I suppose if i could come up with a ported evo 16g with kit for less than the non ported t28 i would consider it. If anyone would like to suggest any where to look for either turbo set up please do.

does anyone know any performance differences between t28s? turbochargers.com offers their Big T28 killer with a bigger 16g compressor wheel and bigger housing... where forced performance dosn't specifically say what goes into the case.... any thoughts..

 

[diablos991]

I have heard bad reviews about the t-28 killer. In my opinion, it is just like the whole evo3 16g GT fiasco.

I have not seen any numbers when comparing big t-28s to other big t-28s. However, I would imagine that the numbers would be minimal at best so long as you are getting the same size compressor and turbine wheel.

When I purchased my big t28, my main concern was the lack of quality parts that may come from ordering from a vendor other then Forced Performance. I can't remember who exacly I spoke with up at Gpopshop, however, they assured me that the parts were of grat quality and I have to say that I would agree completely.

 

[endeffect0]

Looks like I am going with a Forced Performance t28, found one used for 400... gotta contact seller and see whats up...

 

[dsm-onster]

Before you buy. . . Think about what you're saying:

I am not totally convinced that the 16G will produce more power than a car built around a good t28... also this car is being built for autox and hill climb where throttle response and lag time are important...

The evo3 16g has been proven time and again to spool at early 3000rpms and flow enough for 400whp.

After all, the evo 3 was designed for WRC racing.

 

[endeffect0]

any one have any thoughts about the cartridge offered by turbochargers.com? could i bolt that into my t25 housing

 

[fwdeclipse]

Before you buy. . . Think about what you're saying:


The evo3 16g has been proven time and again to spool at early 3000rpms and flow enough for 400whp.

After all, the evo 3 was designed for WRC racing.

I was about to post the same thing. The turbo cost less and you are worried about spool on a evo3 and the spool is incredibley good. Plus it will have more in it than a t28. You can reuse your old water lines and if your on a tight budget get a stock 1g return line and j-pipe. Then all you need is the feed line and they can be had at a cheap price. With the looks of your posts you have already made your decision.

 

[endeffect0]

dsm-onster: your right the Evo III 16g they are capable of making big power, but unless i were to stumble across one with a kit in my area going cheap i think i would rather play with a t28 for this build.

fwdeclipse: admitly i am biased, but it really comes down to the bolt in issue, i am now down to 4 days to get this running an i would rather not be sourcing parts to make my own kit...

 

[dsm-onster]

If you're in a time crunch, then you should definately pick up a bolt-on. Guys don't like giving up the MHI bolt-on parts. . . For logical reasons.

You could always sell your t28 used and it would put a big dent into a evo3 16g down the road.

 

[endeffect0]

Thats a good point man.
the guy who was selling me the used one was trying to scam me... hes got a post up in the for sale form so be wary...
either way I just got off the phone with forced performance, ordered their big t28 with the 16 compressor wheel, should be a good compromise.
I didn't get the housing ported because it would have taken an extra week of build time... maybe I'll do that down the road.
I talked to the lady who send out the orders personally and she said it would be leaving their hands in just a few hours and be at my door thursday afternoon... hows that for turnaround time.

thanks everyone for the info. ill let you know when i get it...

 

[winterftbl]

good luck with your build.