Blown turbos, UPGrade to RB or Vargas stage 2

[Freon]

There's definitely no free lunch on spool vs. power. Improvements are usually incremental at best every once in a while when one of the big guys come out with some new tech, and the factory system is damn good to start.

I'd love to see at some point a kit with a standard divided T3 flange and 3" v-band downpipe, then you could pick from the GT30 and GT35 family (GTX30, GTX35, GTX28) since most of those fit the same outline. That should cover most needs (just over stock to ~650-700hp). Just a stripper hard pipe kit (manifolds + downpipe + probably wastegate(s)) would be great and let the individual finish out oil/water lines, intake, etc.

Not holding my breath for a bottom-mount 1er kit...

[Allen@MOTIV]

Our kit is bottom mount and 135i compatible

Saying a single turbo is always going to be laggy or not fun to drive on the street is inaccurate. This is where a really well designed kit will shine over other kits. Obviously, you're not going to have 800whp and full spool at under 3Krpms but 600whp and spool around 3K isn't out of the question. Believe me, once you drive a car with a power band like that you will not miss the stock turbos one bit.


The very first step in deciding on what path to take with any modification is to decide exactly what your realistic goals are and go from there.

[N88888_dawg]

Without trying to derail the thread, are there any rhd 135 single turbo conversion kits?

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by Allen@PTF

Our kit is bottom mount and 135i compatible

Saying a single turbo is always going to be laggy or not fun to drive on the street is inaccurate. This is where a really well designed kit will shine over other kits. Obviously, you're not going to have 800whp and full spool at under 3Krpms but 600whp and spool around 3K isn't out of the question. Believe me, once you drive a car with a power band like that you will not miss the stock turbos one bit.


The very first step in deciding on what path to take with any modification is to decide exactly what your realistic goals are and go from there.

I need to bug Jake about riding in the test car. It was down in NC last I was with him.

550-600WHP in a 1 series that spools at/around 3K would be SILLY fast from a roll. Look at what Terrys car did with the 58mm Precision, and it isn't tuned particularly aggressively.

I totally agree with all the above . And props to you guys for being patient and getting it right the first time. People bitch about waiting, but they'd bitch far more if you over-promised and under-delivered.

[spain4065]

Wow, lots of great info. I would like to go single, but not lookn at spending over 4k for the kit. Decisions...

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by spain4065

Wow, lots of great info. I would like to go single, but not lookn at spending over 4k for the kit. Decisions...

When all is said and done taking a FBO car to a functioning single is more like $8-10+K.

[Zombie1]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

When all is said and done taking a FBO car to a functioning single is more like $8-10+K.

That seems fair to me. 8k for a supercar killer!

[Allen@MOTIV]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

I need to bug Jake about riding in the test car. It was down in NC last I was with him.

Yeah man, just ask him and I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige.

Originally Posted by spain4065

Wow, lots of great info. I would like to go single, but not lookn at spending over 4k for the kit. Decisions...

Any single turbo kit or conversion will be a relatively financially heavily investment. Where the cheaper kits save money you will more than likely end up spending anyway to modify or buy yourself. There is an Ebay kit floating around for $5.5K but last I heard it didn't include downpipe or turbo but that may have changed. Like pats said, 8K-10K should be expected to be spent by the time it's all said and done.

Honestly, when compared to other equivalent platforms(AMG, 911TT, M3 etc...) there is a tremendous value to the N5X even at that price level. With a little luck it's possible to pick up a ~50K mile 1er for under $20K invest $10K and be at the 700whp mark for around $30K total investment. That kind of cash won't even get you into an E9x M3 in decent shape or a 10 year old turbo P car.

[comtrang]

Originally Posted by Allen@PTF

Our kit is bottom mount and 135i compatible

[b]Saying a single turbo is always going to be laggy or not fun to drive on the street is inaccurate.[/b[ This is where a really well designed kit will shine over other kits. Obviously, you're not going to have 800whp and full spool at under 3Krpms but 600whp and spool around 3K isn't out of the question. Believe me, once you drive a car with a power band like that you will not miss the stock turbos one bit.


The very first step in deciding on what path to take with any modification is to decide exactly what your realistic goals are and go from there.

This. Honestly, I always find that a majority of people on car forums talk down on turbo lag and about how larger turbos are no fun and get smoked by lower horsepower cars. I know dyno graphs are tossed around a lot on here but before only looking at those, people need to actually drive a large turbo car and know what turbo lag actually feels like. When I upgraded my previous car from a stock, tiny T25 turbo to a 56mm from a Dodge Cummins engine, I actually enjoyed driving around town even more. You're able to stay out of boost and the car feels less on edge because it isn't always itching to go. I loved it til the day I sold it.

But having said all that, it is indeed expensive and if I ever (probably won't) were to ever want to go beyond the stock twins, I'd go all out. Not worth paying $3-8k for me unless I'm gaining a ton of power. In this case it'd have to be 800whp+

[Freon]

Originally Posted by Zombie1

supercar killer!

As much as it's great to be enthusiastic about the E82 platform on an E82 forum, that's a very silly statement. Lots of horsepower doesn't make a 135i (or a Civic, or a Mustang) a supercar killer. Also, success at those levels is still almost mythical.

Allen@PTF, have you guys actually released anything? I can't find anything on your website, and other forum threads I see mentions of releases back to April, but no pictures, specs, kit part lists, etc.

[Allen@MOTIV]

Originally Posted by Freon

Allen@PTF, have you guys actually released anything? I can't find anything on your website, and other forum threads I see mentions of releases back to April, but no pictures, specs, kit part lists, etc.

Unfortunately, nothing released yet. I really hate to say "soon" but that's the closest estimate I can give. There have been some recent improvements we have incorporated into the kit that has pushed the time frame back... but it will be worth it.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by Zombie1

That seems fair to me. 8k for a supercar killer!

Yep. Another kit from California just hit the market as well as a top mount hot parts kit. Looks pretty good. Then Tony's big twins should be out at some point this year, so we'll have another approach to low end spool issues on the singles. And lest we forget the PTF kit which from what i've heard, is going to be the single turbo kit from a quality and performance standpoint.

So by years end we should have more, better, cheaper options 2015 is ST time for me.

[heist_tub]

wish we could just swap in bigger twins and be done

[Zombie1]

Originally Posted by Freon

As much as it's great to be enthusiastic about the E82 platform on an E82 forum, that's a very silly statement. Lots of horsepower doesn't make a 135i (or a Civic, or a Mustang) a supercar killer. Also, success at those levels is still almost mythical.

Allen@PTF, have you guys actually released anything? I can't find anything on your website, and other forum threads I see mentions of releases back to April, but no pictures, specs, kit part lists, etc.

Yeah I hear what your saying. I'm just pumped for the kits, a 650whp 135i would surprise a couple cars. Obviously high end cars are built on much better platforms with much more R&D.

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by N88888_dawg

Without trying to derail the thread, are there any rhd 135 single turbo conversion kits?

+1

[spain4065]

Thinkn about going out on a limb and trying the Hexon twin upgrade. Seem pretty reputable and offer warranty. Afterwards, I plan to do an honest review and dyno tune.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by spain4065

Yes, this is my daily, so single is gonna be out the window. Ok, so RB's over Vargas got it. Anyone have any input on Dinan NEW turbo upgrade kit, priced around the same ballpark as the RB's. Leaning towards RB's bc I hear good things and not many complaints with them.

GTX3582 would provide acceptable spool still :P

nothing like full boost by 2700rpm like the stock frames though.

Originally Posted by N88888_dawg

Without trying to derail the thread, are there any rhd 135 single turbo conversion kits?

nope, i've been looking around for a little while.. some mention of people running them, but no kits.

any RHD person wants an ST, best go talk to a quality local fab shop at this stage. will take more time than an OTS kit, but actual $ cost directly will be slightly lower more than likely.

there's been a few LHD cars that have gone in, and the shop that's made it has made up the jigs for repeat builds, so no reason someone RHD couldn't do that.

[N88888_dawg]

Originally Posted by spain4065

Thinkn about going out on a limb and trying the Hexon twin upgrade. Seem pretty reputable and offer warranty. Afterwards, I plan to do an honest review and dyno tune.

i've just had a quick google of these. They 'look' pretty good, but are there many people running them?

[Lmaiuri]

SMH, VERY few enthusiasts have the amount of disposable income to build a LARGE turbo kit the right way. I.E. fabrication, transmission building, tuning, etc. There are about 5 guys on Golf MK6 that have taken the time and effort and coin to make a functional (semi) 500+whp GTI. Even then, 1-2 of them are actually reliable and street-able. A 600 whp 135i would be retarded. BRB gears 1-3 being useless. When it's all said and done and you've got a barely streetable drag monster that will probably get you locked up for speeding; you could have had a nice down payment on a FBO 996/997 with 550+ usable awhp. Pioneering anything BT where you have to worry about the block, transmission, fueling, and other components is a headache.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by Lmaiuri

SMH, VERY few enthusiasts have the amount of disposable income to build a LARGE turbo kit the right way. I.E. fabrication, transmission building, tuning, etc. There are about 5 guys on Golf MK6 that have taken the time and effort and coin to make a functional (semi) 500+whp GTI. Even then, 1-2 of them are actually reliable and street-able. A 600 whp 135i would be retarded. BRB gears 1-3 being useless. When it's all said and done and you've got a barely streetable drag monster that will probably get you locked up for speeding; you could have had a nice down payment on a FBO 996/997 with 550+ usable awhp. Pioneering anything BT where you have to worry about the block, transmission, fueling, and other components is a headache.

The upkeep on a bolt on or K24 996/7.1 is going to be every bit as hellacious and wallet-draining as a big single N54. That's hardly a value proposition, it's a near supercar that requires a near supercar budget to keep on the road.

You are def correct a 600WHP 135 would be silly and impractical in the first few gears. For how many 600 wheel cars is that not the case? A few with AWD but that's about it - and most of those will have built transfer cases. EVOs, STi's, their TCs are made of glass. In relative terms I can't think of many other platforms that provide this type of power potential, for this type of cost, with sacrificing very little in the way of creature comforts.

At this point 600WHP on an N54 is not even close to "pioneering" anything. The motor will make that all day long, with less backpressure, less in-cylinder pressure, and lower EGTS than a 520 wheel hybrid stock frame set up.

800 wheel is pushing boundaries. 600 wheel is a 58mm and about $8K.

[Freon]

The STI 6 speed will handle 600hp without any troubles with no modification. However, the engine won't, so you're looking at $4-5k for a built engine, and it will have a TON of lag at that power level.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by Freon

The STI 6 speed will handle 600hp without any troubles with no modification. However, the engine won't, so you're looking at $4-5k for a built engine, and it will have a TON of lag at that power level.

Lol those Scoob motors let go if you look at them the wrong way.

Exactly. Bottom line is there are VERY few platforms out there that can do what this does, for the cost, while giving up very few creature comforts. People complain about reliability – how reliable do you expect 600+ wheel to be? Will it be a bear to put the power down? Of course, that’s the case in any car of this power level that’s not an outright supercar.

Some people act as if there are these magic 600WHP cars floating around with no NVH, Honda K series reliability, etc etc. This platform is seriously accessible for these types of power levels, it doesn’t get much better.

If your goal is outright ETs, go get in an LSx or Terminator Cobra and enjoy the cloth, failing AC, and 1980s panel gaps. The N54 is ridiculously efficient for a factory 6, and as a total package for these power levels is close to unbeatable.