How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
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From: Harrisonburg, VA
How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
I want to order a Garrett T3/T04E turbo kit for a B16 and I was wondering how long would it last if i was dumping the clutch on every light. How reliable are they?
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From: Harrisonburg, VA
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
lol.. not the motor.. i dont care about the motor.. i mean the turbo... how long will it last.. i was saying dumping clutch as an example.. how long will it last it i was killing it all the time.. does the turbo wear out quick?
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Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Harrisonburg, VA
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
lol.. ur gay.. how long do these turbos last? Has anyone had them break for no apparent reason, just killing it? I want to buy a reliable one, not a cheap one.
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Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
As long as you have sized the turbo correctly for your power goals and it is properly lubricated, a Garrett turbo is not going to break randomly.....and by the way, when you think of a cheap turbo most people don't think of Garrett. Sounds like you need to do some research.
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From: Harrisonburg, VA
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
Yes, thank you. I researched enough. The problem is, the distributors don't tell you how long it will last and how reliable it is. I'm looking at $3000 for a kit. I need to know how long will it last. Just driving like any car enthusiast... how long will it last.. a year? 1000 miles? I had all motor built B16. I want to turbo it with something reliable now. The Forced Induction FAQ's forum doesn't have anything about the reliability of these turbos.
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From: b00sting my D16s, SoWis, USA
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
Garrett turbos aren't cheap, they're just not SEVERLY overpriced like some mfg's turbos. I know the winning Audi Le Mans cars used special GT35 variants in their races. Even with billett wheels using exotic metals, they were probably still cheaper than a stock Audi turbo. 
The only way you'll kill a Garrett is how you'd kill any other turbo - overspin it, over oil it (pressure), overheat it, cook oil in it (no cool down), or run anti-lag every stoplight. Some people here have used the same Garrett for 50k miles.
The only problem with Garrett turbos is that they didn't design the t3 turbine shaft for a t3/t4 hybrid, thus they're not absolutely bullet-proof like a Holset. The small shaft t4's were intended for the small B compressors, while the big shaft t4's were designed more for the big compressor wheels.
The only way you'll kill a Garrett is how you'd kill any other turbo - overspin it, over oil it (pressure), overheat it, cook oil in it (no cool down), or run anti-lag every stoplight. Some people here have used the same Garrett for 50k miles.
The only problem with Garrett turbos is that they didn't design the t3 turbine shaft for a t3/t4 hybrid, thus they're not absolutely bullet-proof like a Holset. The small shaft t4's were intended for the small B compressors, while the big shaft t4's were designed more for the big compressor wheels.
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From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
for refrence ive got about 29k miles on my AFI kit with the garrett 57 trim(T3/TO4E) with over 200 1/4 passes and lots of 2-step action 
... and the turbo has no shaft play and still spools the same and makes great power.
... and the turbo has no shaft play and still spools the same and makes great power.
Re: How reliable are the Garrett turbos.
I'll humor the gentleman with a response with a little background...
Garrett turbochargers (as with the other 4 main companies) have been designed to work on a single application for over 300K + miles before it requires any maintainence, whether it be used in either the aftermarket, or the OEM, but this falls more for the OEM because the unit is typically driven in the conditions as the turbo was originally designed and manufactured for.
Aftermarket applications have a similar result but can vary, based upon the very nature of the sport; Power, Speed, performance. When you take a moving part (a turbocharger, an engine, anything mechnical), and subject it to harsh conditions that may fall far outside their scope of design, there is an increased probability of failure of that part, regardless of brand.
"Reliability" falls into 2 general categories:
1)The turbocharger
2)The end-user on installation and use
All other things being equal, the turbocharger's "reliability" then falls upon the parts used in the turbocharger itself. (Casting of the housings, the quality of the components of the cartridge, and quality in materials in the shafts and wheels). The 5 main companies of turbochargers and their components most used in the OEM industry, are built with the highest quality standards since it is mainly based upon the OEM, in which they understand the customer wants to last forever. These standards transfer into the aftermarket applications, for they do understand that they will be used for higher than normal applications. But they also understand that because in the aftermarket applications vary, and they put a bit more scrutiny in its investigation if a part were to fail since there are so many factors that they are not in control of.
Those companies are Garrett, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI (Ishikawa Hasagawa Industries), Borg-Warner, and Holset. These main companies have always been reliable based upon the quality of their construction, R&D and use of materials. That quality control is expensive to conduct, so that is why that cost trickles down to the end user. (this is why the cheap-chinese built units come into question as a comparison with the major companies based upon cost. Generally speaking, the higher the cost average, the better the quality of the turbocharger)
Reliability now rests in with the setup of the user, and how well it was put together, with attention to detail. (i.e. the parts used, the attention to quality in the installation, etc). They must make sure that the turbo is installed correctly using the right equipment and checking their setup to ensure that it will operate correctly with any of the companies I listed above. In the aftermarket, this is most important, because you don't have a team of engineers and car builders with design guidelines and specs to point the way for you; you simply have YOU, the turbocharger's recommended oil pressure guidelines, your equipment, and your attention to detail to the tune. After that, all bets are off. The "reliability" is all on you in the end, but using the right turbocharger from the right company as a basis, will help SOLIDIFY that reliability that you're looking for.
So, that is why most here consider your question rather a joke, because it is an extremely LOADED question, using a vague word . RELIABILITY. These turbos CAN last forever, but the user can easily KILL THEM as well if they do not take the time and effort to use the right supplemental equipment and attention to detail.
Sorry for the book, just thought I'd throw it all in a nutshell:
Addendum: For the purpose of keeping it short, I purposefully did not include Tier1 , 2 and independant designers for the aftermarket; Bullseyepower, Precision, Turbonetics, myself, etc, etc..
Garrett turbochargers (as with the other 4 main companies) have been designed to work on a single application for over 300K + miles before it requires any maintainence, whether it be used in either the aftermarket, or the OEM, but this falls more for the OEM because the unit is typically driven in the conditions as the turbo was originally designed and manufactured for.
Aftermarket applications have a similar result but can vary, based upon the very nature of the sport; Power, Speed, performance. When you take a moving part (a turbocharger, an engine, anything mechnical), and subject it to harsh conditions that may fall far outside their scope of design, there is an increased probability of failure of that part, regardless of brand.
"Reliability" falls into 2 general categories:
1)The turbocharger
2)The end-user on installation and use
All other things being equal, the turbocharger's "reliability" then falls upon the parts used in the turbocharger itself. (Casting of the housings, the quality of the components of the cartridge, and quality in materials in the shafts and wheels). The 5 main companies of turbochargers and their components most used in the OEM industry, are built with the highest quality standards since it is mainly based upon the OEM, in which they understand the customer wants to last forever. These standards transfer into the aftermarket applications, for they do understand that they will be used for higher than normal applications. But they also understand that because in the aftermarket applications vary, and they put a bit more scrutiny in its investigation if a part were to fail since there are so many factors that they are not in control of.
Those companies are Garrett, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI (Ishikawa Hasagawa Industries), Borg-Warner, and Holset. These main companies have always been reliable based upon the quality of their construction, R&D and use of materials. That quality control is expensive to conduct, so that is why that cost trickles down to the end user. (this is why the cheap-chinese built units come into question as a comparison with the major companies based upon cost. Generally speaking, the higher the cost average, the better the quality of the turbocharger)
Reliability now rests in with the setup of the user, and how well it was put together, with attention to detail. (i.e. the parts used, the attention to quality in the installation, etc). They must make sure that the turbo is installed correctly using the right equipment and checking their setup to ensure that it will operate correctly with any of the companies I listed above. In the aftermarket, this is most important, because you don't have a team of engineers and car builders with design guidelines and specs to point the way for you; you simply have YOU, the turbocharger's recommended oil pressure guidelines, your equipment, and your attention to detail to the tune. After that, all bets are off. The "reliability" is all on you in the end, but using the right turbocharger from the right company as a basis, will help SOLIDIFY that reliability that you're looking for.
So, that is why most here consider your question rather a joke, because it is an extremely LOADED question, using a vague word . RELIABILITY. These turbos CAN last forever, but the user can easily KILL THEM as well if they do not take the time and effort to use the right supplemental equipment and attention to detail.
Sorry for the book, just thought I'd throw it all in a nutshell:
Addendum: For the purpose of keeping it short, I purposefully did not include Tier1 , 2 and independant designers for the aftermarket; Bullseyepower, Precision, Turbonetics, myself, etc, etc..
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