turbo smart waste gate??

[TimF]

I tired Googling for reviews but couldn't find any. Does anyone run one? Have any issues or good things to say? I know a lot of people run TIAL and its trusted but the Turbo smart is bnib and a good deal locally.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Go for it that company is well known. Reviews of Turbosmart Ultra-Gate 38 External Waste Gate

 

[polarmoment]

Be aware that there were a run of knockoffs a few years ago. They perform just as well as a real gate, but don't pay the price tag of a real gate for one. Look at the cap, if it says 'desigaed in australia' it's the knockoff. Worth $70 tops. I've run one of the knockoffs for several years now with no issues.

 

[Dert]

Real deal says "designed and manufactured in Australia" on the cap, knock offs tend to spell it wrong. Ask seller if they are real or knockoff in an email so you have a paper trail. If they reply with "real", buy one, when you get it, call in the serial #'s to turbosmart, they will tell you if it's legit. If its not, get ahold of seller and let them know you are aware it's a fake and demand your money back, and remind them they commited fraud by sending you a reply stating clearly that it was real. 9 times out of 10 they will refund you no questions asked and you can still keep the knockoff (not that you'd really want it)

 

[TimF]

I already Have a TiAL knock off, and I read a lot of posts that they actually work fine, I was even going to use a real TiAL spring for it. I'm probably not going to get the wg anymore cause I got a great deal on a full thermal exhaust, so I am getting that instead, and see were I am with money.

 

[polarmoment]

9 times out of 10 they will refund you no questions asked and you can still keep the knockoff (not that you'd really want it)

There's nothing wrong with how the TS knockoffs work. I've actually held one in my hands. If you haven't, then maybe it would be best to keep your opinion to yourself. They are quality parts, just blemished. They're just not worth the money of a real gate (and IMO, the real gates aren't worth that kind of money either).

Totally worth the $70 though. As I said, mine has worked flawlessly for the past 3 years in probably the harshest environment it can live in- between the block and turbine housing of a mid-engined car. I wouldn't hesitate to run another TS knockoff if I could find one. Holds rock solid at whatever boost level I set the controller to.

The ONLY reason I mention the difference in the knockoff is so that OP doesn't pay full price for one.

Here's what the knockoff looks like:

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And before someone spouts off about "trusting your engine to a fake WG," keep in mind that you should never trust your engine to a wastegate, PERIOD. Your ECU has overboost protection for a reason. Your ECU should be protecting your engine, not the wastegate.

 

[TimF]

Like I said I already have a TiAL knock off, and have read numerous threads and talked to people who run them and no one has had anything bad to say. I wanted something with a brand name, but like I said I just bought a full thermal exhaust and that killed my bank account . I will just stick with my TiAL knock off for now, but thanks for the input

 

[polarmoment]

Eh, brand names are for people with inferiority complexes. Any idiot can swipe a credit card and build a cookie cutter car with brand name parts. It takes actual ingenuity to go fast for less. "Fast, cheap, and reliable" is entirely possible. Fast, cheap, reliable, and easy is not.

It would be more correct to say, "fast, cheap, reliable, easy. Pick 3."

 

[AK Maniak]

Eh, brand names are for people with inferiority complexes. Any idiot can swipe a credit card and build a cookie cutter car with brand name parts. It takes actual ingenuity to go fast for less. "Fast, cheap, and reliable" is entirely possible. Fast, cheap, reliable, and easy is not.

With comments like that I can't for the life of me figure out why DSM'ers are considered cheap.

Perhaps with something like a TS WG getting a knockoff is fine as they have been tested by the community quite a bit. But just generalizing and saying that fast, cheap and reliable is possible seems a bit of a stretch. Items like wastegates or even exhaust parts are fine but don't kid yourself and think that an ebay turbo is going to hold up as well as the real thing. There is a very big difference between actually doing the R&D and devloping a part, and imitating another product and making it look similar.

 

[polarmoment]

don't kid yourself and think that an ebay turbo is going to hold up as well as the real thing. There is a very big difference between actually doing the R&D and devloping a part, and imitating another product and making it look similar.

What part of "not easy" did you not understand?

If ebay parts worked, they'd be easy. Part of the challenge of building a fast, cheap and reliable car is not just researching which knockoff parts work and which parts don't, but in finding parts from other applications that not only work, but are cheaper and more reliable upgrades than aftermarket.

There's a big difference between being cheap and being clever. People who are clever can pull off fast, cheap, and reliable. People who are not have to settle for fast, reliable, and easy. There are some pretty clever folks on this forum.