turbo kit vs. homegrown kit
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sr20meplease
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Checkered-Member
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2003 Audi A6 2.7T (stock) - Contact:
Well it depends on several things
Turbo kit: More expensive, easy install (fitment), comes with everything (usually) no control for parts used specifically the turbo itself.
Home made: Less expensive, need to buy all components individually; need to fabricate intercooler piping, down-pipe and sometimes the manifold.More control about the parts used.
In my opinion a home made kit is better, because you have control over all parts, and its cheaper.
Turbo kit: More expensive, easy install (fitment), comes with everything (usually) no control for parts used specifically the turbo itself.
Home made: Less expensive, need to buy all components individually; need to fabricate intercooler piping, down-pipe and sometimes the manifold.More control about the parts used.
In my opinion a home made kit is better, because you have control over all parts, and its cheaper.
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sr20meplease
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TrunkMonkey
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a home made kit is not always cheaper. i'll agree that most of the time you get more bang for the buck, but when all is said and done, it's easy to spend more than the cost of a kit.Checkered-Member wrote:In my opinion a home made kit is better, because you have control over all parts, and its cheaper.
-demetrius
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Checkered-Member
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HolyShiznit
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My whole kit is going to cost me 2100ish +/-150 dollars. That includes the price of the clutch, dyno tuning, and all the custom intercooler/dump pipe/down pipe tubing. I didn't go cheap either, I have a T3/T4, Spearco Intercooler, SAFC II, Z32 MAF, 370cc injectors, yadda yadda.......... If you wait and get the right deals a home made kit is so cheap! Oh well, thats just me. If you are worried about missing something or installing something wrong, buy a kit!!!
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sr20meplease
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sr20meplease
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i was just wondering about wastegate acuators and small stuff like that...this is my first turbo deal. i don't want a kit so i can really say you see that motor...thats all me..i did it by myself...plus money is a problem...i can't save enough for the kit so i figured i'll buy piece at a time...its easier on me...
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sr20meplease
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C-Kwik
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There is a significant difference in building a budget kit, a middle of the line kit and a high performance kit. I've seen some build up a KA turbo with no more than $1500 out of his pocket. It worked fine. But in looking at the kit, if he wanted to upgrade, he'd have to reinvest money to make modifications to fit the upgrades. And there were some areas that didn't include optimal design factors, but hey, it worked. If I were to try and build a kit to my specs, I'd probably spend nearly as much as I would on a pre-fabbed kit. When building a budget kit, you tend to make compromises, i.e. looking for turbos that fit your price range that will do the job, rather than find the best turbo for the intended goals then look for the cheapest price. I've done a little searching on internet sites for a turbo with the specs I'd like and am unsuccessful. I expect I'll probably end up paying closer to MSRP for the turbo I want.
If money is not a huge concern, you can always ask the kit manufacturer if they can sub in specific parts. Say a turbo of a specific spec. I doubt most will have a problem with it. Usually as long as the external dimensions are the same, it's an easy swap. They may ask for a little more money, but it's better than buying a whole new turbo later.
What you might consider is what your goals are. What you need to get there. Research the cost of getting there and the options. If you are not looking for a lot of power, a budget turbo build up might be a cheap solution. But really consider the type of person you are. If you'll end up wanting more power later, you may end up spending more to acheive it. From my experience, it's better to do it only once and do it right. I'll admit though, anytime you put cheap and power in the same sentence, it tends to be very tempting. You'll probably want to take into consideration your knowledge of turbos and how they work with an engine. Having parts fabricated isn't terribly hard. For the most part, all you need is a good welder. Beer tends to reduce their fee some too. But there are some nuances that you should understand. If you haven't alredy, buy and read Maximum Boost or any other good technical book about turbos. You'll want to understand it comfortably. Run through many of the posts here or any other good turbo forums. If you feel comfortable and understand the technical information that is thrown around, you probably won't have any problems piecing one together yourself.
Personally, unless I was looking for absolute maximum power, I'd probably just stick to a good pre-fabbed kit. Of course, I'd be asking that it come with certain parts, but I don't like having to take my car or any of my parts to be modified, fixed or fabricated. It costs money and takes up my time outside of the weekends since many shops I need are not open on weekends. Particularly, the ones I trust.
If money is not a huge concern, you can always ask the kit manufacturer if they can sub in specific parts. Say a turbo of a specific spec. I doubt most will have a problem with it. Usually as long as the external dimensions are the same, it's an easy swap. They may ask for a little more money, but it's better than buying a whole new turbo later.
What you might consider is what your goals are. What you need to get there. Research the cost of getting there and the options. If you are not looking for a lot of power, a budget turbo build up might be a cheap solution. But really consider the type of person you are. If you'll end up wanting more power later, you may end up spending more to acheive it. From my experience, it's better to do it only once and do it right. I'll admit though, anytime you put cheap and power in the same sentence, it tends to be very tempting. You'll probably want to take into consideration your knowledge of turbos and how they work with an engine. Having parts fabricated isn't terribly hard. For the most part, all you need is a good welder. Beer tends to reduce their fee some too. But there are some nuances that you should understand. If you haven't alredy, buy and read Maximum Boost or any other good technical book about turbos. You'll want to understand it comfortably. Run through many of the posts here or any other good turbo forums. If you feel comfortable and understand the technical information that is thrown around, you probably won't have any problems piecing one together yourself.
Personally, unless I was looking for absolute maximum power, I'd probably just stick to a good pre-fabbed kit. Of course, I'd be asking that it come with certain parts, but I don't like having to take my car or any of my parts to be modified, fixed or fabricated. It costs money and takes up my time outside of the weekends since many shops I need are not open on weekends. Particularly, the ones I trust.