So yeah…why is the gt28rs called the disco potato?
because of the paint job on the Nissan Sentra it was first installed in.
That particular turbo was prototyped using a B15 Sentra SE that had one of those funky chromalusion paint jobs. So the shape of the car + the paint job inspired the nickname for the car, which they (either Sport Compact Car, Garrett, or Jim Wolf staff, I forget which) dubbed the “disco potato”. And from then on the nickname transferred over to the turbo they were testing (the Garrett GT28RS).
quote from SCC:
A year and a half ago, we drove a very unlikely Sentra. Dubbed the Disco Potato for its unique combination of psychedelic color-shifting paint and unfortunate Jerry Hirshberg styling, the car was the culmination of the clandestine efforts of a few very driven engineers.
The story starts with Dan Passe who, at the time, was a Nissan PR genius with a penchant for bending rules. He conveniently “lost” the paperwork for a 1.8-liter Sentra which Nissan Design International had modified for the L.A. Auto Show. The car quietly landed in the hands of Nissan engineers Steve Mitchell and Mike Kojima.
Meanwhile, a few miles away at Garrett, turbo engineer Jay Kavanagh wanted to boost his Miata. Having full access to the newest Garrett technology, he concocted a physically small turbo with a ball-bearing center section and internal aerodynamics 20 years more modern than the T3/T4 standard the aftermarket is used to.
A few cubicles from Kavanagh, Rob Cadle, a good friend of Mitchell and Kojima, realized Kavanagh’s Miata turbo would be perfect for the SR20DET the Nissan boys were planning for the Sentra. He brewed up a turbo, stuffed it under his shirt, and went out the back door.
Jim Wolf Technology built a very mild SR20 for the Sentra, making it functionally equivalent to a stock Japanese-spec SR20DET. The turbo was installed, and amazing things started happening. The car’s power was impressive, 280 hp at the wheels, but not earth-shattering. The driving experience however, was. Throttle response was excellent, turbo lag virtually non-existent, and the tire-shredding power was easily modulated. The turbo spooled up early, making so much torque, that the best quarter-mile time (13.7 at 104.5 mph) was achieved launching in second gear.
Mitchell brought the Disco Potato to the Ultimate Street Car Challenge in 2001, and placed an impressive fourth overall. The rest of the time, the car was stashed away in Nissan USA’s service garage and used strategically as an attitude adjustment tool. Whenever Nissan or Garret executives needed an injection of gasoline in their veins, they were offered the keys. They would inevitably come back grinning from ear to ear and breathing heavily, eager to bring horsepower to the masses.
There’s no telling how many decisions were nudged in the right direction by the Disco Potato, but it did prompt two that are critical to this story. We drove the car for a week, including a 1,000-mile road trip and track day at Thunderhill Raceway. After outrunning every car at the track, and blasting down the freeway at 140 mph, we knew we must have that engine. Ours, however, had to be in a rear-drive chassis. Thus was born Project Silvia.
Several Garret executives also experienced the Potato. They were so impressed, they decided to produce the turbo, double the engineering staff in the aftermarket department, and start applying this modern Garrett technology to a whole range of aftermarket turbos. Technically, this is a GT28R with a 62 trim compressor (.60 A/R) and a 76 trim turbine (.86 A/R), but you don’t need to know that. Ask anyone at Garrett for a Disco Potato turbo, and this is what you’ll get.
lame turbo … lame name …
What’s lame about the turbo?
coming from a guy who’s scared to take his cars outside of the garage…lol
325 WHP maxed out
Any turbo that size will have no lag.
I believe all the GT series turbo’s are over-rated tho.
coming from a guy who’s scared to take his cars outside of the garage…lol[/quote]
:o
coming from a guy who’s scared to take his cars outside of the garage…lol[/quote]
very related to this topic indeed …
Z32s with appropriate support mods can make > 650rwhp with two of them.
Z32s with appropriate support mods can make > 650rwhp with two of them.[/quote]
z32 with supporting mods and 2 holsets or gt 42 can alot more than 650!
[quote=“nismo”]
z32 with supporting mods and 2 holsets or gt 42 can alot more than 650![/quote]
I’m sure they would.
But personally I wouldn’t go bigger than a GT28RS for a 300ZXTT, and that’s with the smaller .64 A/R. Anything bigger and there’s just too much lag. Remember for a Z32, each turbo is only seeing 1.5L displacement, not 2.0L like the SR.
dont be mad because your car didnt make 400 WHP HAHAHAHA im very happy with my “overated” turbo…
T2 vs T3 flange.
I should have said t2 turbo’s are overrated.
And yes 2 of them on a Z32 are a good size.
I might go with a pair of GT2560R (formerly known as “GT28R”) on my car, which is roughly inbetween a GT2554R and a GT28RS.
The turbo has really gotten its recognition from its ability to make some good power out of small engines without sacrificing much lag time. Id say in terms of drivability vs power, it would be one of the better turbos for a 2.0 and under engine. Of course that is just IMO 
It all depends what kind of power you are wanting to make.