KO3 Turbo w/ boost controller "Any good?"

[Takedown]

Was browsing ebay this morning and stumbled across this turbo package made for a 1.8 audi a4 or a vw passat and the price is unbeleivably cheap. I was wondering if this would bolt up to my 1.8 SOHC engine without issues and if it would be a good turbo to start out with. Im only 17 so I do not have much money to buy a quality $2000 setup. All help/guidance is appreciated.

 

[Takedown]

Oh and heres the turbo- K03 TURBO 4 OEM AUDI JETTA 1.8T+K-03 BOOST CONTROLLER:eBay Motors (item 220423203190 end time Jun-01-09 17:45:04 PDT)

 

[justinhill98gst]

No ebay turbos are Junk. But you get what you pay for.

 

[Takedown]

No ebay turbos are Junk. But you get what you pay for.

Has anyone tested this one specifically?

 

[justinhill98gst]

Try the search bar above. People tryed ebay turbo's some people like them for the price but they will not last long, your better off just saving and buying either a 14b for your 1.8 or even a t25 would work i think. but your better off just saving up and buying a GsX or GST instead of throwing money into your 1.8.

 

[Takedown]

So this turbo would suit me better? t25 td04-h internal wastegate turbo charger+heat shield:eBay Motors (item 350206118468 end time May-31-09 19:43:34 PDT)

 

[crimsondragon]

If you don't have the money for a good turbo, you won't have the money for the supporting mods either. Since it's a 1.8, just keep it at that and make it a nice DD.

 

[JusMX141]

Have you ever actually seen a K03 in person? The inside diameter of the inlet is literally not much bigger than a quarter.

This turbo is horribly undersized for the car in which it's intended to be used; why you'd want to consider the time and money it would take to retrofit it to a DSM is beyond me.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

If you want a turbo dsm, sell the nt and buy a turbo dsm. You'll be 10,000 times better off, spend less money in the long term, and you'll be a LOT happier.

 

[1timehondalover]

That would be a bad choice.
Turbocharging a 1.8 is also a bad choice. Just save your pennies or mow some yards until you can afford a factory turbo car.

It's not worth the headache.

 

[Takedown]

That would be a bad choice.
Turbocharging a 1.8 is also a bad choice. Just save your pennies or mow some yards until you can afford a factory turbo car.

It's not worth the headache.

If i keep it under 14psi why would it be bad?

 

[Hcaruso4]

for starters ebay turbos suck. Second of all ko3's are tiny turbos and all i have heard about them is that they are garbage

 

[JusMX141]

If i keep it under 14psi why would it be bad?

1) A K03 with a compressor wheel the size of a 50-cent piece probably cannot hold 14psi to redline on a 1.8. I'd venture to say 8psi would be a more realistic figure for that turbo.

2) There isn't a turbo manifold made for a Mitsubishi with a VW / Audi turbo flange welded to the outlet. You would need a custom manifold, and that's big bucks.

3) Fuel mods? Have you even given thought to the additional fuel you'll need, a mass airflow sensor system that will read enough volume for a turbo, and the ECU mods / tuning devices that you'll need to make a turbo work on your car? You'll probably be close to $2k in the hole by the time it's all said and done regardless.

4) Even if you do make it all work, you'll be stuck with a FWD 1.8 SOHC that likes to eat head gaskets. At that point you'll be wishing you spent the $2k on a stock 1G AWD because you'd have a reliable car that is faster than the 1.8 you built.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

Why hasn't anyone pointed out the compression ratio would limit the boost to 5-8psi before the whole thing exploded in one slightly dull pop of utter failure?