Rs4s New Turbo - Need Suggestions

[beaugus]

Hey everyone, I've ready through plenty info on the forum with upgrading the turbo on my Stagea but I'm .. overwhelmed with the amount of info to say the least. It's almost like an art in knowing the goods on the right gear and thats why I'm at the mercy of the forum now

Basically its like this, I've got a 45v3 stocker at the moment on my Series 2 RS4S Stagea and for the most part its doing its job but I would eventually like to go down the path of having it changed out for something a bit more punchy. With all the right supporting mods I'm not looking at breaking the speed of sound or the bank either but I'd really like to know what is the going to be the right path to take or what turbo charger options are suitable to my criteria:

1) Needs to be as simple as old turbo off, new turbo on same spot (I don't really care about factory lines as such because I'm expecting to change these anyway with fresh new parts)

2) Needs to run a happy 12-14PSI max (like i said I'm not trying to spin the earth backwards as I go forward but this is my target PSI)

3) Even though this is sure to spark controversy amongst us, I'd like to hear experiences good or bad with those who went ebay cheap vs who ponied up the dough for branded units

And for those who can resist telling me that google is my friend or SAU search function is as well, a dancing banana is your treat

I suppose the last question I'll throw out there whilst I'm at it, I've seen and heard much about GCG's hi-flowing work on stock units but at costing in the areas of $2k Its hard not to consider brand new fresh Garret units as well (especially when considering what I'm looking for out of a turbo anyway)

Thanks guys.

[horrace]

I'd say high flow, i know GCG are good but hypergear do highflows for under a grand its pretty hard to beat that for price and ease of fitment.

[pixel8r]

Hey everyone, I've ready through plenty info on the forum with upgrading the turbo on my Stagea but I'm .. overwhelmed with the amount of info to say the least. It's almost like an art in knowing the goods on the right gear and thats why I'm at the mercy of the forum now

Basically its like this, I've got a 45v3 stocker at the moment on my Series 2 RS4S Stagea and for the most part its doing its job but I would eventually like to go down the path of having it changed out for something a bit more punchy. With all the right supporting mods I'm not looking at breaking the speed of sound or the bank either but I'd really like to know what is the going to be the right path to take or what turbo charger options are suitable to my criteria:

1) Needs to be as simple as old turbo off, new turbo on same spot (I don't really care about factory lines as such because I'm expecting to change these anyway with fresh new parts)

2) Needs to run a happy 12-14PSI max (like i said I'm not trying to spin the earth backwards as I go forward but this is my target PSI)

3) Even though this is sure to spark controversy amongst us, I'd like to hear experiences good or bad with those who went ebay cheap vs who ponied up the dough for branded units

And for those who can resist telling me that google is my friend or SAU search function is as well, a dancing banana is your treat

I suppose the last question I'll throw out there whilst I'm at it, I've seen and heard much about GCG's hi-flowing work on stock units but at costing in the areas of $2k Its hard not to consider brand new fresh Garret units as well (especially when considering what I'm looking for out of a turbo anyway)

Thanks guys.

A GCG turbo essentially IS a brand new fresh garrett unit. You get the full garrett warranty on parts etc. They replace all the bits that "wear" so essentially what you get is a brand new turbo. The fact that it still has "nissan" on the side is a benefit, not a downside (ie. it still looks stock). I believe the wheels and shaft etc are indeed official garrett parts. Having said that, I've never had one so cant tell you how they perform - but the feedback from the people who have gone down that path has generally been very positive.

With my last stagea (s2 auto) I had a GT30 hybrid fitted (from Adelaide Turbo Services). These go well but need a lot of money spent on supporting mods to get the most from it (in the end I gave up and sold the car). Also, 12-14psi is only just entering its efficiency range so I'd be looking for a slightly smaller one in order to get more benefit from lower pressures. Also remember pressure doesn't necessarily equal airflow...with the stock exhaust still on, my GT30 actually flowed less air at ~8psi than the stock turbo did. Check out the efficiency range of the turbo before deciding...

The biggest problem I faced was that most of the time when cruising around the car revs around 2000rpm. With the GT30 there was a very noticeable dead spot before it started to build boost and then when it finally did hit boost it was a huge rush...not very linear power delivery. It lost the instant response that the stock turbo had, and although it was very strong from 3800rpm to redline, that power was almost useless to me.

You can improve most of the issues I had, by spending more money. But in the end how much is your car worth to you? I could've added a better piggyback ecu like an e-manage or something, which would've helped build boost sooner etc through better ignition timing and basically improved tuning capabilities, and I could've put in a bigger fuel pump and bigger injectors and that would've given me over 200awkw...but again thats just peak power, and after the $thousands$ that would've cost, none of that would've helped when I'm cruising around at 2000rpm or less. There'd still be a delay when I hit the throttle.

Now I have an M35 which is even more responsive than the C34 was.

[wolverine]

There are only a few options that are true bolt off and bolt on with no other changes.

GCG Hi-flow is a direct swap.

HKS GT-RS kit comes with new lines but otherwise bolts up in the same spot.

The Hypergear Hi-flow are usually bush bearing (unless you specify otherwise) which can come with different specs but they may require a new oil line.

Most other options will require changing the dump and/or intake and/or heatshield and/or new lines.

The pick of the bunch for what you want is the GCG Hi-flow with a neo turbo/OP6 housing based on price and simplicity or refitting and proven results. (All moving parts are replaced so they are a new turbo)

Engine management is the key so getting it all tuned with a Nistune is the most cost effective way of getting the most out of your current set up.

Keep in mind you should also have a 3" exhaust, FMIC, decent boost control, fuel pump and possibly will require new injectors to get the most out of the turbo upgrade.