What turbos to run?

[Arif]

I've searched and searched to find dyno charts but other than SAU with their all-wheel drive skylines and their funky conversions from kw to hp not much is out there. BTW why do some of their dyno charts have kph instead of rpms on their dyno charts? I'm trying to decide on a twin turbo set up for my RB26. My goal is 450hp with an emphasis on minimal lag. I was thinking of going with stock turbos with metal wheels instead of ceramic. Will these turbos get me there?

[Arif]

I found this post with a lot of info on running different turbos. The info is about 12 years old so it's old technology we're talking about. The post is about 2/3 down the page with a listing of about 20 different entries: http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/717-dyno-runs.html

 

Here's the chart too:

[DREW RBZ]

You will be able to achieve your goal with steel wheel stockers with minimal mods. Have you considered a pair of Garrett 2860r-5. Good for the power you are looking to make and then some. I run them and they are not laggy.

[Arif]

Do you have a dyno chart of your set up? How's the lag compared to the stockers?

[slowspeed]

Drew rbz, I have few questions about your turbo, on the garrett 2860-5 did you have to use an oil restictor on those turbos? Did you use the stock ( hard lines ) oil and coolant lines or you went  with steel braid lines? What injectors are you using?, and did you upgarge the head gasket? Im planing to upgrage my twins to -5, just want to clear some question befor i get them thanks.

[R3VO 3VOM]

You could covert to N1's. Conversion kits run about $1700. Nice steel wheels and new seals and all. 450hp isn't hard with a RB26. I'm pushing 400hp with a RB20.

[DREW RBZ]

Do you have a dyno chart of your set up? How's the lag compared to the stockers?

I have it somewhere. I will see if I can dig it up.

[DREW RBZ]

Drew rbz, I have few questions about your turbo, on the garrett 2860-5 did you have to use an oil restictor on those turbos? Did you use the stock ( hard lines ) oil and coolant lines or you went with steel braid lines? What injectors are you using?, and did you upgarge the head gasket? Im planing to upgrage my twins to -5, just want to clear some question befor i get them thanks.

I did not use an oil restrictor...there is some debate as to the necessity. From what I understand there is a built in restrictor. Someone please chime in if I am incorrect. I used the stock water/oil lines. I use 750cc bosch style injectors with resistor pack. I also run aggressive cams and have extensive headwork. Cometic steel headgasket.

[BLOZ UP]

BTW why do some of their dyno charts have kph instead of rpms on their dyno charts?

 

For RPM dynos need some kind of knowledge of the car's engine speed, or in some cases the gear ratios. Some dynos can tell you to hit a specific speed/rpm and calculate it before the run, others have optical hookups to the crank (most accurate and reliable in my experience), and some have inductive triggers on a spark plug wire.

 

I don't like looking at the speed ones, but if you know the gearing and the gear it was run in (usually 4th), you can calculate RPM. It's one more step for the shop to hook it up, a lot are lazy.

Edited August 7, 2013 by BLOZ UP

[DREW RBZ]

 

" Did you use the stock ( hard lines ) oil and coolant lines or you went with steel braid lines?"

 

 

Here is a good turbo swap article for 2860r-5 turbos. Make sure to note the "slight" modification to oil drain for this swap.

http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/TheSkyLife?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skylife4ever.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fturbo-swap-and-external-overhaul.html%3Fm%3D1#2895

[slowspeed]

Thanks drew rbz for the info. just what i needed. thank you again.

[Wedge]

For your hp goal N1s are a good idea they are garrett gt2860-7 .

[Arif]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I didn't know the N1 turbos were gt2860-7. My turbos are shot (tons of shaft play) but I'm wondering since the stockers will get me there is it worth rebuilding them?

[dwarlick]

FWIW When I swapped the GT2860R-5s into my RB26 it was no bolt in affair.  The plumbing had to be reconfigured and it was a lot of time waiting on parts.  Before I did the swap I debated about updating the stockers to steel wheel.  The tech I had working on my car at the time talked me out of it because she thought that since the wheels were not installed by Garrett the turbos would be unreliable.  I took her advise and opted for the N1 turbos.  There was a noticable difference in the boost response from the stock GT25s but they were only running 12lbs of boost and the N1s were at 18 (which is still mild for the N1s) and at higher RPMs the car felt unstable and easily lost traction in straight line accelleration.  Given your situation of having kaput turbos which are worthless I would find a reputable shop that could rebuild your turbos and upgrade to steel wheels and reinstall them and see what you think.  You should be out less money and if you decide later that you need to get the N1s or go with a single for that matter.

Edited August 9, 2013 by dwarlick

[DREW RBZ]

 

FWIW When I swapped the GT2860R-5s into my RB26 it was no bolt in affair. The plumbing had to be reconfigured and it was a lot of time waiting on parts.

 

 

I installed the turbos myself and there were no issues with the stock lines except for a bit of modification to the returns ( which required a simple elongation of bolt holes . Sounds like the "tech" who installed yours simply told you that the lines needed to be "reconfigured" . What parts did you need?? Gaskets/seals came with the turbos when I bought them

[ZT-R]

yea the N1s or the -7 turbos for that, or you can run the -5 if you want more power later.

[EF Ian]

I'm currently looking for a decent RB26 setup (although tempted to go 2JZ) I want little lag and good response and usable power from low revs and I'm not looking for massive power, around 430 - 450hp max.  I was thinking a pair of GT2860-7's would work well but after talking with a tuner/builder he was saying that he thinks that a single turbo setup could work well and not be any less responsive than a twin setup.

 

He was thinking of a single Precision 5130 turbo. For me a single turbo setup would look cool and be easier to fit in the bay space wise, would likely weigh less and as there is only one its going to be cheaper to buy the setup and also if anything fails. But if its going to cause more lag than twins then I don't think I would want to consider it.

 

 

 

What are your opinions on this?

Edited August 21, 2013 by EF Ian

[R3VO 3VOM]

Single turbo is usually more costly than getting upgraded twins that will just bolt right on and use the stock hardware. N1's should be good for that power. The skyline guys run about a max of 500hp through them with all the other needed supporting mods of course. But you can also go to "bigger framed" turbos, like the above mentioned garretts. But if you're only looking for 450, I myself couldn't justify converting to a single unless I wanted to go for max horsepower.

Edited August 22, 2013 by R3VO 3VOM

[EF Ian]

Well, if I stay with the twins I'd want to upgrade to Tomei manifolds and downpipes for best flow so the cost probably wouldn't be any more for a single setup.

[Arif]

Well, if I stay with the twins I'd want to upgrade to Tomei manifolds and downpipes for best flow so the cost probably wouldn't be any more for a single setup.

I've read several posts online saying that the Tomei manifolds tend to crack over time and to stick with the stock manifolds. If anything just port match the stock manifolds for better gains without the worry of cracking. Is any here running the Tomei manifolds? I'd like to here your feedback on them.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Arif