help with turbo choice

SON240sx Automotive
1

my motor is a ca18det and i wanna use the stock manifold. i have already ventured down the road of i high mount and t3/t4 and it bite me hard in the ass :frowning: i understand i have to redo the exhaust AGAIN to bring it backdown to stock location, but hey thats the price sometimesā€¦

i have been looking at the t28 turbos and was told they bolt rite on. i have been browsing around and theres a few different versions and i was just looking for some clarification, anyone experiences etc.
I am favouring a gt28rā€¦?

2

First off, try to stay away from a USED Turbo. I know iā€™m a hypocrite because I did buy a used T25 for my motor when my other turbo blew but I did not want to spend a lot of money on a brand new one. However, I bought it from Varun and heā€™s one guy who will not sell you something that he knowingly knows is in bad condition. A t28 is just the stock turbo that can on s14 SR20DETā€™s, some are ballbearing and some arenā€™t. They should bolt right on but you might need to clock the turbo. Iā€™m not too good with CAā€™s sorry.

The GT28R which some people also call the S15 Turbo is a pretty good choice. It should be a pretty good upgrade as your spool times will still be fairly quick and the turbo can flow around 300 - 320hp Iā€™d say.

If you want more power you can go with the GT28RS but that costs around $1400. I think Bing can get them for that price, not sure if he can anymore.

Donā€™t go with top mount if youā€™re not willing the spend a lot of money either. You will need custom lines, possible clocking of the turbo, etc, etc.

With a Bottom mount setup, everything is a lot more straightforward.

Iā€™d definitely recommend getting an S15 turbo, you can get one on phase2motortrend for around $800 USD + shipping. It should come out to $1000 or $1100 in the end after customs. Maybe even less.

How much power are you looking to get?

With a bigger turbo though, youā€™re going to max out your maf and injectors pretty soon, so you will probably want 550cc injectors and a Z32 MAF as thatā€™s the most common upgrade when you put in a bigger turbo.

And then thereā€™s tuning which you will definitely need.

You could run an SAFC but itā€™s just a piggyback. Something like a Power FC would be nice, (i donā€™t know if they make power fcā€™s that work with CA18DETā€™s though)

Once you have all that, go to Dan and get it dynoā€™ed and tuned.

Good luck

3

yea ive done a lot more research this time, im looking at the 250-300 hp mark. ive found a good site called optionimports for 800 bucks. and an aussie site called midnight mods for the braided oil and water lines. - 280
ive got an safcII which i know the complete basics of :S my denso 555 cc injectors are here this week but wount be installed till tune time. as well as a z32 maf, havent gotten yet. ive got a good greddy ebc. fmic, bov already installed as well which i was running with the t3/t4.
ive been looking into this nistune program alot and and really considering picking that up :slight_smile:

4

If you scale back your HP expectations i dont think putting a known-good SR turbo is a bad idea even though itā€™s used. fmic, exhuast and the other basics and you can have a fun car with over 200whp.

When people say dont buy used, to me it means dont buy used aftermarket turbos. But a factory nissan T25 or T28 should be good if you know where it came from.

For aftermarket turbos make sure you get a warranty. The stories of people buying used or rebuilt ball-bearing turbos that dont last a week out weight those of people buying used or rebuilt successfully by about 10 to 1. In fact, i cant think of anyone off hand who bought a rebuilt ball bearing T25/28 that worked long term.

James (twistedsteel) rebuilt my old S14 T28 and it worked on his car but then the motor went so weā€™ll see how that goes.

5

if you plan to keep this car for a few years then a new turbo is the only way to go.
why take a chance on a used or rebuilt turbo? i know money is always a factor
but you get what you pay for.

peace

6

ā€œFor aftermarket turbos make sure you get a warranty. The stories of people buying used or rebuilt ball-bearing turbos that dont last a week out weight those of people buying used or rebuilt successfully by about 10 to 1. In fact, i cant think of anyone off hand who bought a rebuilt ball bearing T25/28 that worked long term.ā€

are u saying that option imports is a rebuild? i mite be missunderstanding that comment? becuase i know thats like a 400+ price diff between yours and theirs. keep in mind that is us funds. im under the assumption its newā€¦

7

another ca owner

who knew

8

no i am not saying Option is a rebuildā€¦ iā€™m just saying be weary of anyone local who sells ā€œrebuiltā€ ball bearing turbos.

I know Jesse got burned on one of those and i have had a couple people order new ones from me after falling victim to the same type of thing.

9

yes sir :), very happy with the motor to, different then most :wink: just made a poor decion on my first turbo chioce lol. This one will most definetly be brand new, waiting to hear back on shipping prices from the states. elsewise il be talking to bing. sick of messin around wanna cruise soon !!!

10

ill let you know how my turbo holds up

the ca is a great motor, and reponds very well to the right mods

no complaints

11

S15 turbo all the way. Anything bigger will make too much lag for my likeing

12

now after bing talkign about a used turbo coming from a good source i recently came across an offer for a used t28 turbo

Everything in there;
T28 Turbo (S14 SR20DET engine)
O2 sensor
SR20DET Manifold
Inlet and outlet pipes
Heatshields

$550ā€¦could be delivered!

P.S I purchased this off a VERY top rated supplier, Varun aka slipperysilvia with plans of going KA-T but than purchased a skylineā€¦my reason for selling

im somehwat new and dont know anyone or their reputations so this somewhat sparked my interest. im waiting to hear back on kms, but for 550 hmmm. or an extra 4 for a brand new gt28rā€¦ tough call :S

13

Varun wont mess you around. Iā€™d call him for a used turbo first.

14

GTiR T28 is bigger and better :wink:

I see full boost by 3500rpm so I dont see how its to laggy for being a big turbo. Even has the exact same hotside has the 2871 just minus the BB center section.

Myself personally, Iā€™d rather have a journal bearing turboā€¦

15

enjoy the ca while you can

it is currenlty taking it last few steps towards extinction

a motorset is becoming hard to find, those that are found arent in great shape, and ebay ones are not trustworthy

parts are getting even harder to find (nice parts)

many ca guys ive talked to talk about starting to save for an rb swap for their next motor

16

thanx to all those with input i did pickup the used t28 , in great shape got it today and swapped over manifold to my ca, with a small amount of turbo housing clocking. im waiting on new gaskets betwen the manifold and and block and shes ready to be strapped in ! redo the water lines as they were not needed on the last turbo and were just looped.

Which by the way is there a feed and return coolant line?? seriously cant remeber which is whichā€¦

Matty - ive thought about the rb swap but i gonna keep that ca for a while like u said there rare and different :). later on who knows ive heard of rb 25s in a lil s13. go baby go p.s. a great sorce for ca,sr, rb info and stuff is nissansilvia.com dont knwo if im gonna get frowned upon for praising other sited been they have helped alot! ide rather share the wealth