Kinugawa turbo?

[Brinsley]

Hi all,

First post! Been on the forum a while just never posted. I used to have a gen 3 Rx2.5 wagon. Great car but never really felt that I would get much out of modding it, hence no posting...

Recently went and got myself a stock 07 GTB 6mt wagon a couple of months back and have loved every minute of it so far.

However it has been lacking in power recently when coming on boost, at first I thought it was just a boost leak, still leaking a bit, but my mechanic reckons the turbo is also weak and needs replacing. Any thoughts on this anyone?

Been looking at the kinugawa td-05 18g as it's within my budget, What are everyone's thoughts on these?

Car is currently stock but I'm thinking of putting an invidia dump pipe on at the same time and then a tune.

[ferret89]

Put a dump pipe on your turbo as it is now and get a re-tune.

If you still don't like it look at turbo upgrades imo

[Caution]

+1 to dump pipe and tune. although a small turbo a dump and tune can really wake the thing up.
Also check your intercooler to throttle body hose and turbo inlet hose as they tend to split/turn to shit as they age.
Edit: wouldn't hurt to get a new BOV either.

[Brinsley]

I'm thinking that if I'm going to have to replace the turbo sometime in the near future I may as well do it all at the same time, save on labour and tuning costs. Would probs do the inlet and throttle body hoses too as I think that's where my leak is.

I'm pretty keen to do some more mods down the track and want to make sure everything is running smoothly before I really get started. Any suggestions on supporting mods if I do get a new turbo?

[Caution]

depends what you want out of the setup. what's your budget?

exhaust
turbo Inlet
bov if leaking
injectors + fuel pump (E85?)
better intercooler
3 port boost solenoid
oil air separator
tune
tatrix cable / setup to keep an eye on things

[Manaz]

Depending on your power target, the stock turbo is pretty good - spools nice and early. It does run out of puff at high revs - but for a street-driven car, that may not matter too much, because most of your time is spent at low-mid revs.

With turbo inlet hose and dump pipe, you should be able to push 160kW ATW or more out of the stock turbo, as high as 180kW with full exhaust and good tune on top of the afore-mentioned items. Go nuts and the sky's the limit (Jackson has 330kW ATW, though that requires a lot of supporting mods).

Dump and turbo inlet can be changed pretty easily compared to turbo replacement. Be aware that in general, turbos that produce more power at the high end probably don't spool as early at low revs, meaning you'll almost certainly get increased turbo lag with a turbo upgrade.

[Brinsley]

Appreciate the input guys.

I'm now thinking that first up I'll do new turbo inlet, dump, bov and tune and see where that gets me. (Any suggestions on a good bov?)

My main reason for thinking about a new turbo is if my current one has nearly had it I'd prefer to replace it before it goes (maybe I'm just to keen to upgrade!)

I just moved to Sydney and don't have a mechanic I can trust here but the guy I took it too (top tech auto) seems good and reckons the turbo is weak (would he be able to tell this without taking it apart?) not sure if I trust him but I'm fairly new to turbos and their issues. What are people's thoughts on this?

Not looking for stupid power goals in the short term ( I can see that changing pretty quickly tho!)

[kiwigene]

Appreciate the input guys.

I'm now thinking that first up I'll do new turbo inlet, dump, bov and tune and see where that gets me. (Any suggestions on a good bov?)

My main reason for thinking about a new turbo is if my current one has nearly had it I'd prefer to replace it before it goes (maybe I'm just to keen to upgrade!)

I just moved to Sydney and don't have a mechanic I can trust here but the guy I took it too (top tech auto) seems good and reckons the turbo is weak (would he be able to tell this without taking it apart?) not sure if I trust him but I'm fairly new to turbos and their issues. What are people's thoughts on this?

Not looking for stupid power goals in the short term ( I can see that changing pretty quickly tho!)

BOV (BPV) upgrade is only necessary if it's leaking - or if you want more "whoosh" you'll need one that can vent externally.
I went with a hybrid from Kobe Motorsport (Jacks-GTB on this site). It vents back to the intake first (which is good) but can also give you the "whoosh" if you want.

You'll need to ask your mechanic what he means by "weak". He might just be describing that the VF46 runs out of puff at higher revs.
That's not a problem - that's just the characteristics of this turbo. It's spools nicely at low-medium revs.
Otherwise he needs to explain in more detail why he thinks it needs replacing.

[shav]

I agree with Gene. The VF46 is still a very capable turbo for the street. Not weak at all unless top end is what you seek. Mine gets up and boogies off the line to the speed limit very quickly which is where I want the power to be. Top end is great if you drag/track the car. The VF52 is a common upgrade for the libs like ours and can be had for a very affordable price if you find one with low kms and no shaft play. Acts like the VF46 but has more top end to red line if thats what you prefer.

[bigBADbenny]

What is the aim for your mods?
Depending on what you want to do, a bigger turbo can be going backwards.
I'd decide on a budget and a plan for those mods, do some research on a good workshop/mechanic/tuner and then go for it.
As for a VF46 being weak... I'd avoid that swinging dick mentality from anyone touching my car.
Get a proper diagnosis, then make a plan.

[THE SpecB]

What is the aim for your mods?
Depending on what you want to do, a bigger turbo can be going backwards.
I'd decide on a budget and a plan for those mods, do some research on a good workshop/mechanic/tuner and then go for it.
As for a VF46 being weak... I'd avoid that swinging dick mentality from anyone touching my car.
Get a proper diagnosis, then make a plan.

Vf46 Shav as Ben said far from weak

[Manaz]

As for a VF46 being weak... I'd avoid that swinging dick mentality from anyone touching my car.
Get a proper diagnosis, then make a plan.

Vf46 Shav as Ben said far from weak

All that said, the mechanic COULD have meant that the VF46 on this particular car is showing signs of wear (noisy, bearings shot, shaft play, etc), and may be recommending a replacement for that reason, rather than because it's not able to achieve a particular goal (and even then, if that particular goal is something like 20psi at 6,000rpm and the associated power/torque levels that go with that, the mechanic is probably right).

[jacks-GTB]

i very much doubt the mechanic would even know it's vf46....

if your living in the city, and you want something punchy keep your vf46... the key to getting the most out of your turbo is, getting air in as quick as you can, removing exhaust gas out as fast as you can...

If your worried about the turbo, then take in the inlet pipe off to have a look at the condition...and listen to bearing noise as Manaz said....better yet ask what your mechanic meant by "weak"...It's hard finding a good & trustworthy mechanic

If the car feels like it's got less power, I would be double checking for boost leak...check the Throttle body hose, opposite side to the turbo of the intercooler donut gasket may have slip...

[Brinsley]

Pretty sure he means that this particular vf46 is weak, he didn't elaborate much on what exactly the problem was but i assume that he has some knowledge of libs (he's a subie specialist and races rexies). I originally saw him to try and diagnose the boost leak and he came back saying that there is a leak but that also the turbo was worn out and not producing that much boost, not very helpful as he didn't fix the leak but if the turbo is shot then i feel I should replace it now before i start tuning/modding things around a busted turbo.

There is definitely a boost leak somewhere (I can hear it) but I can't find it and have looked through the whole system (albeit briefly) and everything seems sealed. Anyone got any tips for quickly finding a leak?

I don't have any massive goals for power mainly just want a car that is fun to drive as a daily with a good bit of punch but then can have a lot of power when I want it (thinking maybe setting S# to 18psi). Maybe I'm being unrealsitic but the libs are pretty versatile.

[shav]

Pretty sure he means that this particular vf46 is weak, he didn't elaborate much on what exactly the problem was but i assume that he has some knowledge of libs (he's a subie specialist and races rexies). I originally saw him to try and diagnose the boost leak and he came back saying that there is a leak but that also the turbo was worn out and not producing that much boost, not very helpful as he didn't fix the leak but if the turbo is shot then i feel I should replace it now before i start tuning/modding things around a busted turbo.

There is definitely a boost leak somewhere (I can hear it) but I can't find it and have looked through the whole system (albeit briefly) and everything seems sealed. Anyone got any tips for quickly finding a leak?

I don't have any massive goals for power mainly just want a car that is fun to drive as a daily with a good bit of punch but then can have a lot of power when I want it (thinking maybe setting S# to 18psi). Maybe I'm being unrealsitic but the libs are pretty versatile.

I know Matt (Kido Tuning) can reach your goals with the VF46 if it's in good order. First port of call is to diagnose the boost leaks one by one. Once that has been established, then diagnose if there is a weakness in the turbo with some logs and an LV making sure the tables are within spec. Once that can be confirmed, either swap the turbo with another VF46 or VF52 and let Matt wield his magic on your tune and make it the fun daily you have been always wanting.