John

Does anyone have a link or can educate me on the advantages of a ball-bearing turbo (or a regular turbo)? I'm kinda new to the turbo world, so any info is helpful. Thanks...

jamal-188

I know they spool up faster, but I"m not sure how much is helps?? Does it only help in 1st gear, cause after it's initial spool up it won't loose momentum until you let off the gas and slow down right? Also, I don't think ball bearing turbo's are re-buildable.

lazyvietboi

is that really true??

Flamenco-T

yep unlike shaft bearing, which is very rebuildable

lazyvietboi

does the turbo ball bearing last longer than regular shaft turbos?

Flamenco-T

techincally yes, since it has a ball bearings instead of the shaft bearings,
the shaft spins with a little less friction than the regular shaft bearing...that's why it spools faster....but as far as realistically, IMHO both shaft last for an equal time maybe ball bearing last a little longer....

John

so do ball-bearing turbos yield more power or are they just more efficient or do they just last longer?

PureTeg420

they last longer, and spool up quicker. they won't yeild any more power then a regular turbo. and you can feel it in every gear, but if your racing you will only notice it in whatever gear your starting in, or unless your shift drops you out of boost. Some people think 550 is a lot for it, but I am glad I payed my money. I'm currently waiting on a new ballbearing turbo from Ben (because I'm using my friends for this season, which is now over) and there's no way i'll ever go back to the standard t3/t04e

John

how much longer do they last and how much more reliable are they?

PureTeg420

if everything is installed correctly, it should outlast the motor that's for sure. And i don't know how much longer it will last then a regular shaft turbo, but there's less friction, less heat, less chance for problems...

Dee

BB turbo's are rebuildable but it is NOT COST EFFECTIVE to rebuild a BB CHRA when it composes 50~75% of the cost of the entire unit. HKS (Garrett USA/ Japan) and Apex(IHI) uses cartridge type center housings that usually completely fail when they go bad so a complete cartridge is needed. Failure is usually attributed to user errors such as over boosting their particular setup, improper oiling, improper cool down, and did I mention over boosting? The Turbonetics BB is thrust side only so it is easier to reuild.

pornstarSR

all turbos are rebuildable, just may be alittle more expensive

degradated

Just be advised that the wait period for a BB turbo is quite extensive....I waited 6 weeks for mine, and it never even came (they are still working on it)....Turbonetics is backed up as it is....Ball bearing parts take even longer to come in.
I finally gave up, got my $550 back and put in a shaft bearing turbo. Oh well....I could always switch it out later if I wanted to.

jamal-188

So, let's say you're racing 1/4, how much time will the ball bearing turbo shave off compared to the normal turbo? I assume we're talkin like .1 or .2 secs right?

dbman96

I doubt you would see an extra 0.1 from ball bearings alone.

BoostinDC2

BB turbo IMO is not worth it. to expensive to rebuild and most of them arent true ball bearing.

SpoonCivic

but think about it in the sense that u can use a bigger turbo without having to worry about the bigger turbos lag when u have a ball bearing turbo.

John

from what i understand, the absense of turbo lag with the BB turbo really contributes to the streetability of your car... after all, i spend 99% of my time driving around town, not at the track...