Bwhit12

I am planning out my turbo build and I am curious as to what turbo I should use. I am running an ls and will be putting 8lbs of boost on it. I want a turbo that is affordable, but good quality. My main question is, which turbo should I use to get a nice quick spool up?

If you guys could fill me in on what factors play in the quickness of the spool too that would be great.


Thanks
Billy

thegatekeeper14

Id have to say we have just the turbo your looking for. We can set you up with a great responsive turbo that will make great power, with your desired pressure range. I'll pm you with a few questions about your set up. We will then go from there to build you a turbo that will set you back in your seat, but not in the bank

Oh and did i mention they come Ceramic coated too!

STC turbos FTW

zedron

iTrader: (1)

Garret T3/4 .53/.60

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

on an LS, i would go garrett .50 trim .48 turbine

Bwhit12

Sounds like everyone is agreeing somewhere right around .50 trim is a nice quick spool. I still have a few more weeks. I won't actually be put together until this crappy winter weather goes away.

Turbo-LS

iTrader: (4)

50 trim with a .48 housing for more midrange or a .63 housing for more upper rpm spooling. generally on stock LS .63 works very well but the smaller housing will give you quicker spool and a 50 trim can be had pretty cheap brand new from garrett or precision etc..

Bwhit12

Thanks for all this info guys.

Schister66

Don't limit yourself to an arbitrary goal of "8 lbs" of boost. Boost isn't a deciding factor in building your setup. Power breaks parts, not boost levels. On your stock LS, you're safe up to around 300-320whp...

I would have to agree that the T3/T04e 50trim is a good turbo for your setup. The .48ar turbine will deliver slightly quicker spool up, but may tend to choke out up top. I would go with the .63ar housing instead since the 50 trim isn't a large turbo anyway. Another turbo to consider is the T3 Super 60 .63ar. Its cheaper than the 50 trim and will spool quicker while not limiting your overall power goals. As long as you buy a GM 3bar map sensor, reaching 300+whp on the Super 60 is still possible. Its worth looking into...

Bwhit12

I just have to ensure that the car is very dependable. This is also my dd and I figure 8 pounds will keep it plenty dependable while also allowing me to reach somewhere around the 220hp mark.

Turbo-LS

iTrader: (4)

if you choose a 50 trim you can safely daily drive the car with 12 psi boost on a good tune and be completely reliable. that should put you in the mid 200whp range

Bwhit12

It's a possibility. I think max I would go is 10.

Ryank327

I don't think you understand, your going about the whole process backwards. When turbocharging you don't start with a PSI and go from there. You should choose a power level then choose your PSI and Turbo to reach your goal.

You say you want it to be a reliable DD and put out the number 220 Whp. Well a stock LS will be plenty reliable at that power level. But you could also easily run up to 260-280 whp and still be reliable also. Theres plenty of guys out there running around with ~300 Whp on there stock LS for years with no problems.

Figure out your power level you want, then figure out how you want your turbo to spool and what you want your powerband to be like. Then choose the turbo that matches those characteristics and run it at the PSI required to get your desired power level.

Schister66

^^Excellent post

Exactly as said above. Your car will be reliable into the higher power levels if you choose to try. For example, i drove my GSR with a bone stock engine and a turbo setup at 315whp/216wtq for 2 years before deciding to build it. The car was perfectly reliable and quite fun around town. You'll enjoy the quick spool of the 50 trim. If anything, you may consider a smaller turbo such as the T3 Super 60 i mentioned earlier. I've noticed since i bought my STi that i've been suggesting rather small turbos in general. Quick spool is fun when you have the traction to use it

Bwhit12

Well my whp goal I would have to say is mid 200s. I will be keeping the stock map so that definitely limits me to 12lbs. Would the T3 Super 60 be able to reach my goal on a stock map and still get me that quick spool? (I am assuming yes)

Does anybody else have suggestions on the turbo? Maybe some turbo you have ran and had a good experience with.

Ryank327

Yes a Super 60 would be able to get you that. A 50 trim or a GT28R(S) with either a .48AR or .63AR would be good choices also, the GT28R being the more expensive of the bunch . I wouldn't let the stock MAP limit your choices either because you can easily get a GM 3 Bar for around $50 new on ebay.

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

Those are pretty much the main ones. The GT3251b, 50 "trim", T3 Super 60, all have slightly similar characteristics, and these are all the T3 flanged setups. If you have a T2 manifold that doesn't support an external wastegate, you can go with the GT28 Journal bearing, or the GT2860RS ball-bearing. You now have to look at what your budget and the rest of the setup. We've ALL had good experiences with them. now it is up to you to look at the power goals. Don't worry about the map sensor so much. anything over 49lbs/min will require a new one anyway for your LS.

Google search "justateg" and his LS turbo setup from Team-integra and Honda-tech. you'll find a great example of what you're looking for here.

DelSolMarine

I would say a precision 5557 which would give u a little room for future growth.

EFPhilly

^Listen to the man, the myth, the legend...!

Just because I heard it mentioned a few times ill put my input in...the super 60 spools very fast and makes good power. Another thing it that it can be purchased for cheap. I did not like the super 60 because of not enough power...but for spool times I would say that it is a great turbo with no lag. When I think of a good lag/power turbo on lower amounts of boost I first think of the gt3071r but that is just meee

Bwhit12

What kind of power is the Super 60 maxing out at?

Ryank327

Pretty sure it'll max out around 300, not positive though

Bwhit12

While I have all these great minds... Should I run my stock intake or upgrade it and the TB?

Ryank327

I'm doing a similar build myself. Looking to get 275-300whp but have fast spool. My goal when I set out was to try and build a car that would drive like it was Turbo'd stock. I'll be upgrading my valvetrain and running Crane Stage 2 cams or Crower 402Ts along with a Skunk 2 IM with a port matched TB.

You don't really need to upgrade your TB but if you change your IM it can help shift the power band. But also it is definitely not "needed" at this power level and your stock mani will be just fine.

But also since no one has mentioned it yet and since your main concern is reliability I would say if you have to choose where to put your money put it in engine management and tuning since that can be make or break for a DD Turbo'd car.

Bwhit12

There will plenty of money put into engine management for sure. I should be running off of Chrome or possibly hondata. Just depends on the tuner I choose.

Schister66

Rather than upgrading the IM and throttle body, save for a VTEC head...its a much better investment of your time and money. Its roughly twice the price of a typical IM/TB setup, but will be a good return on investment

Turbo-LS

iTrader: (4)

for up to 300whp an intake manifold isnt nessesary for a LS engine, and dont upgrade to a vtec head unless its what you really want to do. yes take more to make same power with an ls but if you like nonvtec stick with it. The vtec will net more hp per psi though.