cheap Ebay K04 Turbo

[dalmation53]

I read on the B8 forum a lot of people having good luck for the f23l from frankenturbo which is made in china. a lot of people were also taking the chra and putting in a quality one and and would all cost around the $800 area for a K04 instead of spending the $2k. has anyone in here have done that? curious to know realiabilty and and uograded chra with a cheap ebay K04 Turbo.

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[EvolutionArmory]

The few guys running China turbos with upgraded CHRA’s in that thread seem pleased once they learned how to set the wastegates up correctly. Took them 5 pages to start listening to me though. 🤣

One guy in that thread ran a 12.3 Draggy time with APR or IE software. I forget which. But their cars are faster than ours with a K04.

Give it a shot Ivan. It’s only money and you only live once.

[oVeRdOsE]

A member found a cheezy website with a k04 kit for around 800$ iirc. Can't find the thread, and I don't know if he bought it...

here one review B8 : https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...bay-K04-thread

[EvolutionArmory]

You can get those eBay F23L turbos for as low as 400 bucks. If you’re gonna throw all the guts away might as well get the cheapest one.

[oVeRdOsE]

It could be a win or miss. I won't go no-name turbo on a 600whp+ setup. But for a 350bhp, bah... maybe if its not total junk.

[Jay-Bee]

My Dorman chinese turbo is running just fine in my MK4 TDI for almost a year now, Garret VNT17 type clone.

Rusty, beat ass 478K km diesel gets a 400 dollar turbo. I'd rather have quality in my B7, but I have considered that F23L on ebay for a short minute with new guts.

[oVeRdOsE]

damn those are still expensive. My buddy mk7 1.8t got a 4000km is20 rebuilt turbo for 200$ cad. 300hp.

Those turbo got replace under warranty on gti because the wastegate rod jamm because of the rust. A guy got them for free and replace rods and resell them for 200$.

[audilove3]

K03 turbo anyone?

[dalmation53]

you already stole one. no need for another one

K03 turbo anyone?

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[dalmation53]

lol my k03 is working fine but buying a f23l for cheap and changing the guts seema like it might work well.

The few guys running China turbos with upgraded CHRA’s in that thread seem pleased once they learned how to set the wastegates up correctly. Took them 5 pages to start listening to me though.

One guy in that thread ran a 12.3 Draggy time with APR or IE software. I forget which. But their cars are faster than ours with a K04.

Give it a shot Ivan. It’s only money and you only live once.

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[Cyrik]

It could be a win or miss. I won't go no-name turbo on a 600whp+ setup

Totally not relevant to the topic but here to say that Boostedboiz on YouTube would disagree

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[EvolutionArmory]

lol my k03 is working fine but buying a f23l for cheap and changing the guts seema like it might work well.

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The turbo part of a turbo upgrade is always cheap. You spend more on the stuff to make it work than the turbo every time.

Injectors and tune is 1500 bucks.

Exhaust is 1000

Intercooler is 700

That’s assuming you’re buying name brand stuff. 3 grand to 3200 to make a 400 dollar eBay K04 run right if you buy quality parts.

Add another 2 grand to build a motor that won’t blow up in 3 years of hard driving.

[Jeevan]

would you rather install turbo 3 time a year or pay extra few hundred bucks :)

[aluthman]

Totally not relevant to the topic but here to say that Boostedboiz on YouTube would disagree

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Same with Sloppy Mechanics...

[dalmation53]

tune is $600 , S3 injectors used $250 , to my understanding no Exhaust is necessary to run a K04 and upgraded intercooler wont hurt it but not necessary either. i'm I wrong?

The turbo part of a turbo upgrade is always cheap. You spend more on the stuff to make it work than the turbo every time.

Injectors and tune is 1500 bucks.

Exhaust is 1000

Intercooler is 700

That’s assuming you’re buying name brand stuff. 3 grand to 3200 to make a 400 dollar eBay K04 run right if you buy quality parts.

Add another 2 grand to build a motor that won’t blow up in 3 years of hard driving.

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[dalmation53]

why would I replace a turbo 3 times if i said i would use a quality Chra?

would you rather install turbo 3 time a year or pay extra few hundred bucks :)

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[EvolutionArmory]

tune is $600 , S3 injectors used $250 , to my understanding no Exhaust is necessary to run a K04 and upgraded intercooler wont hurt it but not necessary either. i'm I wrong?

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If you want a slower K04 that generates a ton of heat, don’t get an exhaust or intercooler. The stock exhaust system is too small for a K04. The stock intercoolers can barely keep up with an aggressive stage 2 tune.

I would never recommend used injectors for these cars unless they were cleaned and flow tested before the sale. And that would most likely bring the price up and you’re close to new price anyway. Used injectors are a gamble.

Most K04 tunes are more than 600. Mine was 750. Many are around 600 but if they’re the flash from home kind now you’re adding 150 for their cable.

The actual prices of everything doesn’t even have to matter to make my point. The point is, the turbo is usually cheaper than the rest of the parts needed to support it. It’s easy for a 400 dollar turbo upgrade to need 2-3 times more money than the turbo. I didn’t even factor in the HPFP upgrade that is required or the RS4 PRV that might be required or the fact that you might need to update the fuel pump controller or fuel pump to support the tune and turbo. See what I’m getting at?

[EvolutionArmory]

And if you’re using that B8 EBay K04 thread to get your ideas from you have to remember this. Their cars don’t need injectors to run a K04, their motors have Audi valve lift and their stock cat backs are bigger than ours so it will cost B8 drivers a lot less to make more power than us with the same turbo.

[dalmation53]

I cam get S3 injectors for cheap on my audi junker in palm bay fl. that's not a problem. the injectors not a problem, the hpfp not a problem, the tune not a problem. all i can buy that little by little. all i want to make is a cheap turbo work good. that's all i care about now. i'm not in a hurry since my car is working fine. oh btw that code was the vacuum pump hose was bad. lol just in case you wanted yo know.

If you want a slower K04 that generates a ton of heat, don’t get an exhaust or intercooler. The stock exhaust system is too small for a K04. The stock intercoolers can barely keep up with an aggressive stage 2 tune.

I would never recommend used injectors for these cars unless they were cleaned and flow tested before the sale. And that would most likely bring the price up and you’re close to new price anyway. Used injectors are a gamble.

Most K04 tunes are more than 600. Mine was 750. Many are around 600 but if they’re the flash from home kind now you’re adding 150 for their cable.

The actual prices of everything doesn’t even have to matter to make my point. The point is, the turbo is usually cheaper than the rest of the parts needed to support it. It’s easy for a 400 dollar turbo upgrade to need 2-3 times more money than the turbo. I didn’t even factor in the HPFP upgrade that is required or the RS4 PRV that might be required or the fact that you might need to update the fuel pump controller or fuel pump to support the tune and turbo. See what I’m getting at?

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[mgfranz]

What other vehicle runs the K04? I can only assume that VGA out-sources these from someone like BorgWarner, and if so, what's wrong with salvaging one from a NOS source and having it rebuilt from a certified rebuilder?

[dalmation53]

who are you asking the question too?

What other vehicle runs the K04? I can only assume that VGA out-sources these from someone like BorgWarner, and if so, what's wrong with salvaging one from a NOS source and having it rebuilt from a certified rebuilder?

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[EvolutionArmory]

What other vehicle runs the K04? I can only assume that VGA out-sources these from someone like BorgWarner, and if so, what's wrong with salvaging one from a NOS source and having it rebuilt from a certified rebuilder?

Because ZERO models run a stock K04 that fits the longitudinal Audi motor without heavily modifying it. It’s not as easy as just buying a used Golf R turbo and rebuilding it and slapping it on. There’s no DV port, the cat bolts don’t line up and the outlet pipe for the intercooler is way different 😉

The Golf R came out 8 years ago. If it was just that easy we’d all be doing it.

[canadianA4B7]

What other vehicle runs the K04? I can only assume that VGA out-sources these from someone like BorgWarner, and if so, what's wrong with salvaging one from a NOS source and having it rebuilt from a certified rebuilder?

Mazda. Similar CHRA different compressor and turbine housing. Poor man could make a k04 buying parts $249 turbine housing, $249-399 high quality CHRA with upgrades, and the Mazda turbos sell for $80 complete.

Looks like this

[oVeRdOsE]

tune is $600 , S3 injectors used $250 , to my understanding no Exhaust is necessary to run a K04 and upgraded intercooler wont hurt it but not necessary either. i'm I wrong?

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I made the calculation many times, including all the hardware for the unitronic stage 2+ tune requires, and the safety 'while im there' stuff like the oil pump and balancer; a proper and reliable k04 is more or less 10k$ depending on labour.

the only reason I would go k04 is to find a used kit for dirt cheap. Wish I did in the past, but I thought it was expensive... the guy was asking 3k$ for all the hardware to make the car run on a complete k04 turbo setup.

[EvolutionArmory]

To run a K04 efficiently and safely on pump gas you’re not looking at 10 grand. It’s only when you’re looking at the more aggressive tunes and trying to run at the ragged edge of safety does it climb up that much. Or if you pick a super high mileage or not well maintained car to start off with would it climb up that much.

My K04 ran fine on the 93 octane file for 3 years and if I didn’t drive 100k in that 3 years and add 100 octane and meth I probably would have doubled the time before my failure. Plus I probably took my car to redline a dozen times too many. 🤣

[dalmation53]

you talking about this?

Mazda. Similar CHRA different compressor and turbine housing. Poor man could make a k04 buying parts $249 turbine housing, $249-399 high quality CHRA with upgrades, and the Mazda turbos sell for $80 complete.

Looks like this

Screenshot_20200303-233810.jpeg

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[AudiB720TS]

I also don’t think there’s a cheap route to K04, or as said: it’s not the turbo that eats up your funds. You’ll find a bunch of things on that journey that will need patching and once done, you find you are not done at all.

Happy life is JHM stage 2. It’s a perfect balance between cost and performance.

[dalmation53]

Ok looking at my options since i Don't race my car and i have my kawasaki 636 that does 0-60 on 2.8 seconds i don't need no race car. so therefore looks like I wont be going full K04. but i was looking at unitronics stage 2 for HPFP upgrade and found 275HP and 305 LBS of torque,if this is indeed true based on the dyno i think i will be happy with that. also jhm has a great tune but they never show dynos for HP gain or torque. so what exactly is jhm stage 2 require and whats the real crank HP and torque? i can live happy with unitronics stage 2 tune all day. K04 power is only 30hp away from 275hp.

I also don’t think there’s a cheap route to K04, or as said: it’s not the turbo that eats up your funds. You’ll find a bunch of things on that journey that will need patching and once done, you find you are not done at all.

Happy life is JHM stage 2. It’s a perfect balance between cost and performance.

Screenshot_20200304-020327.jpeg

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[EvolutionArmory]

Dude. A K04 is more than 30 HP more. Look at the real dyno threads. Stage 2 cars are 215 wheel or less all day. K04’s are making 270-280 wheel.

And you’re looking at the peak numbers not the powerband as a whole. A K04 powerband doesn’t make peak power and die off quickly like a K03 stage 2 file does.

[oVeRdOsE]

Yeah k04 is not only more powerful, but also better area under the power curve aka power over more RPM range.

I have unitronic stage 2, but I didn't go to dyno.
Stage 2 HPFP was too expensive for me. couldn't find a HPFP under 500$cad, for 15hp... Also need to check the cam follower more often if you're using the autotech piston on the OEM pump.

But this online calculator use mathematical and physics algorithm to estimate your HP, and according to my trap speed at the 1/4miles, I was spot on. Meaning the car is healthy.
Of course its an estimate, but it gives you a approximate bhp.


http://www.torquestats.com/modified/...bmit=Calculate

best bang for the buck, on a non-race car dd, is stage 2.

[canadianA4B7]

you talking about this? Screenshot_20200303-233810.jpeg

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Awesome item. Though the cast section where the clamp goes is incorrect. The size which Mazda uses matches the k03 turbine housing. The turbine wheel is the exact same as the S3 k04 turbine. The compressor “arin@apr” and person measuring s3 k04 is 46.32 mm and 59.57 mm the 882 you’ve posted 46.42 mm and 59.52 mm. All of this is measured at -3*C and my hands are not 100%.

This is also something I’ve found too.

Top is the custom ordered. Bottom is new S3 k04, Mazda 882/similar.

Someone with a JHM turbo should count the blades on turbine (classifieds). Measurements wud be nice.

[dalmation53]

isn't a K04 330Hp? anyways i don't care since its way to much shit to go that route. meaning i'm sticking to just use tuning and probably the hpfp upgrade. now i wonder wich tune makes more power jhm or unitronic

Dude. A K04 is more than 30 HP more. Look at the real dyno threads. Stage 2 cars are 215 wheel or less all day. K04’s are making 270-280 wheel.

And you’re looking at the peak numbers not the powerband as a whole. A K04 powerband doesn’t make peak power and die off quickly like a K03 stage 2 file does.

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[oVeRdOsE]

isn't a K04 330Hp? anyways i don't care since its way to much shit to go that route. meaning i'm sticking to just use tuning and probably the hpfp upgrade. now i wonder wich tune makes more power jhm or unitronic

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yes it is. You can get it more or less, depends on calculation and everything. K04 will be way faster on 1/4miles. Around 12.x high. K03 will be on low 14.x s.
1+ second is more than 55hp increase. K04 will hold power for longer.

you can go stage 2, then find a hpfp, and the upgrade will be something like 75$ cad on the 2+.

[EvolutionArmory]

isn't a K04 330Hp? anyways i don't care since its way to much shit to go that route. meaning i'm sticking to just use tuning and probably the hpfp upgrade. now i wonder wich tune makes more power jhm or unitronic

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Mine is probably closer to 350 crank. 282 peak MAF X 1.25 = 352.5 HP

[JLAllroad]

yes it is. You can get it more or less, depends on calculation and everything. K04 will be way faster on 1/4miles. Around 12.x high. K03 will be on low 14.x s.
1+ second is more than 55hp increase. K04 will hold power for longer.

you can go stage 2, then find a hpfp, and the upgrade will be something like 75$ cad on the 2+.

I’m at a 14.2@96, but a DA of 7700. I would expect to gain ~1-.8 at sea level or about a second off the K04 best.

This is APR stg2(ko3)E85 4200lbs of Allroad.


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[oVeRdOsE]

I’m at a 14.2@96, but a DA of 7700. I would expect to gain ~1-.8 at sea level or about a second off the K04 best.

This is APR stg2(ko3)E85 4200lbs of Allroad.


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for a k03 its good. But unfortunately slow enough for a tuned car .

I got 14.3@97mph , on a avant , 6mt , unitronic stage 2 on OEM clutch.

expecting 13.9999s@96-98mph with the RA4 clutch kit and meth injection.

[JLAllroad]

for a k03 its good. But unfortunately slow enough for a tuned car .

I got 14.3@97mph , on a avant , 6mt , unitronic stage 2 on OEM clutch.

expecting 13.9999s@96-98mph with the RA4 clutch kit and meth injection.

Some of that is also the B7 vs B8 difference ie;B8 has about a second on B7 for stg 2.....and flex fuel


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[dalmation53]

we are getting of topic here. I don't care about drag time numbers lol this is not the correct thread for that. does anyone here have hp and torque numbers on jhm stage 1 and 2. everyone says go jhm but never show numbers.

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[JLAllroad]

we are getting of topic here. I don't care about drag time numbers lol this is not the correct thread for that. does anyone here have hp and torque numbers on jhm stage 1 and 2. everyone says go jhm but never show numbers.

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JHM is more about drag numbers than hp or tq.

And if we are talking about KO4 aren’t Ko3 numbers a good reference of performance?


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[dalmation53]

JHM is more about drag numbers than hp or tq.

And if we are talking about KO4 aren’t Ko3 numbers a good reference of performance?


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Ok so you are telling me they have no real hp and torque numbers so they say sure buy our kit ots really good ans reliable but no data?

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