Turbo Suggestions

[Negligence]

I just purchased a 1981 280zx 5spd donor car for 73 240z build

 

Clive and my friend Jeff from Dallas (who sold me the 240) are helping guide me through my build and what parts to purchase.

 

Im looking for a quick spooling turbo to make low 300's to the wheel but have some more room for down the line when i can build the motor

 

Any suggestions?

 

Also, there will soon be a part out thread for the 280 i purchased, heres a few pics of it

 

The turbo has been on it for 2 years but no miles on it.

 

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/PeterMartin/100_1785.jpg

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/PeterMartin/100_1786.jpg

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/PeterMartin/100_1790.jpg

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/PeterMartin/100_1791.jpg

[S130Z]

How much money are you looking to spend?

[Negligence]

i have around 2800**** right now to play with, but i would liek to make that stretch and cover as much of the necessities to get the car running as possible, also hoping to make enough back on the 280 part out and throw in some more to cover megasquirt, should have another 1,000-1500 in a couple weeks as well

[S130Z]

Well I went with a SlowBoy Racing GT30 w/ stage 3 wheels, .70 compressor and .63 a/r turbine. It has a 4.5" inlet and a 2.5" exhaust outlet. I am running 15 psi on the stock L28ET bottom end and I should be pushing at least 300 hp to the wheels. I can get them for about $650~. Here is a link to a pic of it. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=153338

[Negligence]

Hows spool time?

Well I went with a SlowBoy Racing GT30 w/ stage 3 wheels, .70 compressor and .63 a/r turbine. It has a 4.5" inlet and a 2.5" exhaust outlet. I am running 15 psi on the stock L28ET bottom end and I should be pushing at least 300 hp to the wheels. I can get them for about $650~. Here is a link to a pic of it. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=153338

[S130Z]

All I can say is it's deffinately worth the wait! I honestly dont have any real numbers as of yet. My tune is horrible but I'm planning on getting to the dyno by Feb 21st. I will know some numbers by then and let you know.

[nosebleedZ]

If your looking for about 300hp, there are a few guys on here with the stock 280ZX T-3 making 240-280+rwhp. You can get these at pull-a-part or for $40 & get a rebuild kit from G-Pop Shop by mail for $45 more! Plus you'll learn alot about 'em as well. $85 turbo + shipping. Then you have the cash for MS ECU & Treadstone intercooler/ BOV-tuning is where it's at anyway. A ginormous turbo tuned crappy is a ginormous dissapointment usually. The stock turbo spools great, but turns into an 80 year old smoker above 15PSI. Also a T-28 from late 80's Z31 spools like a mother, not sure about HP though. Word to the wise- turbo's are like heroin, more is never enough & all your money will go to support your ever-increasing habit...good luck my friend....told by a recovering junky, who's wife staged a turbo intervention. I still crave it though...LOL!

[Negligence]

I agree, big turbos always leave you with empty pockets and unfulfilled expectations

 

Either way, thank you for your .02 and I guess I have a little time before deciding what I really do. Im hoping the part out of the 280zx goes well!

[Alxxpress]

TO4E, GT30 - GT35, any of those will make 300WHP with the programable EFI and a decent injector. Keep it simple.

[Zmanco]

I'm running with a Garrett T3/T4OE as many here do and am really happy with it so far. Head is shaved P90 with unshrouded valves and gasket matched ports and Scheider stage II turbo cam. I won't be out to the dyno for a while so can't say about power, but others with this setup are seeing 300+whp at the 15-18 psi mark.

 

FYI, with the 4.11 R180 LSD and 82-83 zx transmission, even at the 8 psi I'm currently running, it spins the wheels in first gear by 4500 rpm, and in second it's struggling to stay hooked up (I can feel the rear end moving around as the tires lose/gain traction). This is with 225 wide Dunlop Direzza Star Spec tires treadwear 140, so reasonably sticky. I'm also at 6k feet elevation. With a lower ratio diff you will probably have less of an issue with traction.

 

I'll be adding boost control via MS soon and plan to experiment up to 18 psi, but expect that I'll dial it back for the street as I expect I'll have wheel spin in 2nd gear by then. Car is a 73 so a bit on the lighter side compared to later S30s.

 

Even at 2k it generates around 3 psi and it's at full boost by 3500 rpm. Compared to a NA engine it has more torque just about everywhere.

[Pyro]

if you plan to use a stock cam then use a stock exhaust turbine (0.63 a/r). If you run a higher rpm spool turbine (say a T3 stage 3, 4, 5....) then the boost will come on later (3200 to 3500 rpms) but the power will still end when the cam stops pulling (around 5,000 rpm) so this setup will limit the useable power range. I know because I made that mistake. Ended up changing to a bigger cam to get a power band from 3500 to 6500. But I miss the low rpm torque of the stock turbine and cam setup (better for a street car).

 

If you use the NA cam, then the usable rpms will be extended about 500 rpm, say to 5500 rpms. This is a nice upgrade over the stock turbo cam.

 

I would get a turbo from a first gen 300zx because it has a water cooler center section and therefore a 360 degree bearing. This center section will take more boost as compare to the stock 280 t3 which is non water cooled and has a 180 degree bearing. You don't need to actually water cool the turbo if you don't want to. just use the stock oiling system and plug the ports.

 

Furthermore, first gen 300 turbos are more common in the junk yards than 280zx turbos. You can normally pick one up for 40 or 50 dollars at a U-Pull-It type junk yard. But they are hard to get off due to not much room.

 

Then get a turbo shop to replace the compressor with a T04E-50 trim. This turbo will also need a 1/2 inch spacer on the exhaust manifold for extra clearance. This turbo could easily make 350 at the wheels. Most likely the best compressor for a L28.

 

you could run a t04b-v1 compressor if you don't want to use a spacer but it will be about maxed out at 300 hp to the wheels.

 

I use the t04b-h3 compressor but it will surge with a stock turbine because it is to big for 2.8 liters. Works well with max boost at 3500 but any lower would cause a surge problem.

 

Finally, don't discount the stock T3. can make 275hp at the wheels with 15 psi of boost and well over 325 ftlb of torque at low rpms. Makes a fun car to drive on the street. lots of wheel spin even in 3rd gear. but use a first gen 300 turbo with the water cooled center section for high boost like that.

[jc052685]

I agree, big turbos always leave you with empty pockets and unfulfilled expectations

 

You are crazy!

 

Running turbonetics 62-1 ball bearing turbo here. 334whp / 384wtq at under 16psi. Stocker junkyard motor, no cam, port work or intake runner porting. Turbo is good for over 600whp.

[Negligence]

How does it spool?

 

You are crazy!

 

Running turbonetics 62-1 ball bearing turbo here. 334whp / 384wtq at under 16psi. Stocker junkyard motor, no cam, port work or intake runner porting. Turbo is good for over 600whp.

[Negligence]

Nice bit of info here thanks!

 

if you plan to use a stock cam then use a stock exhaust turbine (0.63 a/r). If you run a higher rpm spool turbine (say a T3 stage 3, 4, 5....) then the boost will come on later (3200 to 3500 rpms) but the power will still end when the cam stops pulling (around 5,000 rpm) so this setup will limit the useable power range. I know because I made that mistake. Ended up changing to a bigger cam to get a power band from 3500 to 6500. But I miss the low rpm torque of the stock turbine and cam setup (better for a street car).

 

If you use the NA cam, then the usable rpms will be extended about 500 rpm, say to 5500 rpms. This is a nice upgrade over the stock turbo cam.

 

I would get a turbo from a first gen 300zx because it has a water cooler center section and therefore a 360 degree bearing. This center section will take more boost as compare to the stock 280 t3 which is non water cooled and has a 180 degree bearing. You don't need to actually water cool the turbo if you don't want to. just use the stock oiling system and plug the ports.

 

Furthermore, first gen 300 turbos are more common in the junk yards than 280zx turbos. You can normally pick one up for 40 or 50 dollars at a U-Pull-It type junk yard. But they are hard to get off due to not much room.

 

Then get a turbo shop to replace the compressor with a T04E-50 trim. This turbo will also need a 1/2 inch spacer on the exhaust manifold for extra clearance. This turbo could easily make 350 at the wheels. Most likely the best compressor for a L28.

 

you could run a t04b-v1 compressor if you don't want to use a spacer but it will be about maxed out at 300 hp to the wheels.

 

I use the t04b-h3 compressor but it will surge with a stock turbine because it is to big for 2.8 liters. Works well with max boost at 3500 but any lower would cause a surge problem.

 

Finally, don't discount the stock T3. can make 275hp at the wheels with 15 psi of boost and well over 325 ftlb of torque at low rpms. Makes a fun car to drive on the street. lots of wheel spin even in 3rd gear. but use a first gen 300 turbo with the water cooled center section for high boost like that.

[EvilC]

I am going to watch this thread as I am reading through some older threads to see where I am going to go on my 3 liter turbo build. I am also looking at turbo maps to help me plan my attack.

[Zmanco]

I am also looking at turbo maps to help me plan my attack.

The best way to start on this is follow the calculations as laid out in Maximum Boost to determine your target PR (pressure ratio) and airflow. From there you can look at the maps and determine how efficient the turbo is at various power levels (WOT, half power, quarter power, etc). That's really the best approach to this. What it won't do is tell you how to choose between a stage 3 and 5 wheel for example, and that's where advice from threads like this come in.

 

Also, once you know the max airflow, you can properly size the intercooler piping. I see guys running 3" pipe with 300 whp and scratch my head - what were they thinking? "More" isn't always better.

 

You may already know this - I know you're pretty experienced building up Z motors - but thought I'd throw this out there anyway.

[EvilC]

 

Also, once you know the max airflow, you can properly size the intercooler piping. I see guys running 3" pipe with 300 whp and scratch my head - what were they thinking? "More" isn't always better.

 

You may already know this - I know you're pretty experienced building up Z motors - but thought I'd throw this out there anyway.

 

I wish, I am learning like most others. I will update my own thread once I get close to ordering parts.

 

Like you said, I am sizing my turbo, piping and tb based on the intake I am going to run.

 

Peter, take sometime out to read through some old threads, Also come up with your "goals" if you are keeping your hp in mind. There are plenty of guys here with setups you can copy or learn from. When I get some good calculations and site, I will post them up here and on my thread.

[thetremendoustim]

This site originally had a L28et instead of VG but its the same concept. Luckily, I downloaded it maybe a year ago (I have a dedicated hard drive for Z information I'm trying to compile, carfiches, diagrams, AFM rebuilds, etc)

 

http://www.mygen.com/users/dbruce/myz31/TurboMaps/VG30ET%20Engine%20Air%20Flow%20and%20Turbo%20Compressor%20Maps.htm

 

Anyways, read this, He gives good examples of what you should be looking for for low end power AND high end power. Make a map of your engine (I have a l28et map if you want) and just plot it according to each compressor map. Most major turbine companies such as Garrett (turbobygarrett.com) have maps available on their websites.

 

If you're looking for that glued to your seat feeling, perhaps invest in a quick spool turbo and a larger ratio rear end. I hope i wasn't redundant, just trying to give you my .03

[letitsnow]

The t61 and BW s256 have some pretty good looking maps for big power.

[palauoriginal]

anyone try a ct26 turbo out of a 7m supra?