Chinese ball-bearings

[babyviper]

I've seen a lot of ball-bearing turbos on Ebay replicating Garrett ball bearing turbo. When the first GT35r replica came out we soon realized it was only a journal bearing turbo. I pretty much stopped paying attention to Chinese made turbo until I saw these start showing up on the market. They sell rebuild kits for GT28rs to GT35rs. CHRAs, and some companies are making their own billet wheels for turbos. I am currently in the market for a GTX35r and the garret price for one without the exhaust housing is $1700 I'll end up spending around $2100 after the exhaust housing. Has anyone ran any of these turbos with the Chinese ball bearings?

Below are a list of guys who are selling ball-bearing turbo with Chinese ball bearings.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBJ1OF8uPJc7r4NWD8WEXw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTJPjKmobnh2FwMxOkN0Rg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHRA-GTX358...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a96f47462&vxp=mtr

This guy sells ball-bearing turbos with genuine Garrett center sections and he just makes his own billet wheels.

https://www.facebook.com/snailturbo
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GTX3582R-Du...Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e7617dbc6&vxp=mtr

 

[Seamus]

The snail turbo might be a good compromise. Its been proven that some of these aftermarket wheels have sound aero.

as fire ad the China charger, I'm sure it probably more of the same. But to be honest, part of ne says id rather have a Chinese ball bearing system than a journal bearing if I had to buy a chinise turbo. Given proper oiling, ball bearing really are more robust than journal bearings. But here is the real deal. I can understand a guy throwing a $150 Chinese 16g on their car to see what happens. But spending $1600 on some unproven knockoff is pretty crazy. Its only a few hundred more for the genuine article. Its pretty insane in my eyes to drop $1600 on a chimes knockoff.

I think everyone knows you can't trust ersatz turbocharger.

actually looking at that site I don't think he is using OEM cartridges.

 

[babyviper]

Yeah I was leaning more towards the snail-turbo option, It saves me a little over $350 and I get a genuine garrett CHRA. You can pick up the chinese GTX3582 for 580,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GTX3582R-Tu...Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c3fccc3ee&vxp=mtr


The one for 1600 is the snail-turbo genuine chra
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GTX3582R-Du...05&prg=11353&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=251640706146&rt=nc

 

[Seamus]

I'm pretty sure the snail does not use a genuine chra after looking at the link. I think it uses cartridges from kinagauwa or greensource or someone similar. That. Guy is a knockoff dealer. If he was a Garrett reseller, id imagine he would have OEM Garrett parts on his site as well. It makes no sense that a Garrett reseller would have cartridges available with knockoff parts. But not sell any other OEM parts or complete turbos. You get what I'm saying. He is getting those "gt " cartridges from the same suppliers he is getting his other knockoff parts from. look at kinagauwa. They sell OEM and knock offs. The OEMs are very clearly labeled.

 

[babyviper]

If he does, that would suck for the price he charges.

 

[JusMX141]

Beware what you buy on eBay.

Here's a link to a personal experience many years ago:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/ebay-knockoff-gt35r-testing.299821/

Summary- bought a $400 "Ball Bearing" GT35R from eBay. Oiled as directed in the poorly-written instructions which came with the unit, and it still failed within 400 miles on it's first trip to the track. Upon disassembly, I found my "Ball Bearing" GT35R wasn't a ball bearing turbo at all.

 

[babyviper]

I know all about that story, but I'm questioning the ball bearing center sections. Like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/BALL-BEARIN...Parts_Accessories&hash=item339a612586&vxp=mtr
and this, http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDS-Garrett...Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ae21c8139&vxp=mtr

 

[JusMX141]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/garrett-gt-series-rebuild-kits.460856/

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/rebuilding-garrett-bb-chras.462209/

 

[babyviper]

Thanks, definitely didn't find that on a search. Good info there.