Few questions before going K04

[Jason11213]

First off this lockdown has me going a bit nutty. I'm working from home (and very lucky to still have a job) but being inside all day drives me nuts so once I put the kids down for bed I look forward to to my nightly drive through my ghost town. Few cops and cars = very fun driving! I currently have the stage 2 Unitronic tune for 93 octane with FMIC and test pipe. I was going to do the Unitronic K04 next but they're out of stock with no ETA of restocking times. I was looking at the CTS option and found two: the CTS on their website and then one on modded euros website. I'm a novice with modding cars but from what I can tell it looks like the modded euro option is a true BW K04? And it's a bit more expensive. Honestly the cost difference is not an issue if the reliability and performance are there but does anyone have any input on those two options (or maybe one I'm missing?). I'm going to have my local shop do the install and then use the Unitronic Stage 2+ software upgrade. Any input before I make this next investment on my car would be greatly appreciated!

[wack0]

CTS has 2 turbos, the more expensive BW and the cheaper CHRA. They claim the cheaper one is sourced from the UK not China. If you have the money you cant lose with a real BW.

[Nano909]

Nothing has been released yet that has surpassed the Borg Warner K04.

[bb-tt]

read the B8 Ko4 owners follow up thread, and the ebay k04 thread, a different road than k04


I have the original cts k04 a couple guys have just installed the new cts k04 waiting to see what type of results they get.

[dalmation53]

haha Ebay K04... something i would buy just to test its limits lol

read the B8 Ko4 owners follow up thread, and the ebay k04 thread, a different road then k04


I have the original cts k04 a couple guys have just installed the new cts k04 waiting to see what type of results they get.

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Audizine mobile app

[bb-tt]

haha Ebay K04... something i would buy just to test its limits lol

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Audizine mobile app

Not really basically cutting out the middleman (frankenturbo, jhm,...) and replacing the CHRA with a k04 or similar chra yourself. Lots of interesting info and quite honestly if my k04 goes bad for a couple hundred bucks i will modify my old ko3 to see how it compares to the k04-0064.

[EvolutionArmory]

haha Ebay K04... something i would buy just to test its limits lol

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Audizine mobile app

Too late Ivan. The limits we’re already tested and there’s some surprising results. Read the thread. It’s good.

[Spawne32]

haha Ebay K04... something i would buy just to test its limits lol

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Audizine mobile app

What do you think you are getting from any other brand that manufactures hybrids? The only way that these brands can sell a genuine "K04" from borg warner is if they A) remove the compressor housing and swap for a machined K03 housing or B) modify the existing transverse housing that the K04 only comes in. CTS claims they have begun casting their own compressor housings to put on genuine K04's, so we will see because I have one coming on the 22nd. I look forward to seeing if the CHRA and exhaust manifold are genuine. The idea behind the ebay K04 was to give people the ability to run whatever compressor wheel combination they wanted, as there are many different options out there to swap into existing K04's. So you purchase the ebay K04 turbo, and then you can mod it however you want without spending thousands.

[98A4TurboAWD]

I have the new CTS K04, but I haven't tracked or dyno'd it. With the IE k04 93 octane tune, it's very impressive. You definitely won't be disappointed, but I cannot vouch for reliability. I think they may still be on sale for 10% off with free shipping.

[bb-tt]

I have the new CTS K04, but I haven't tracked or dyno'd it. With the IE k04 93 octane tune, it's very impressive. You definitely won't be disappointed, but I cannot vouch for reliability. I think they may still be on sale for 10% off with free shipping.

CTS will also apply a military discount if you are military.

[Spawne32]

CTS will also apply a military discount if you are military.

Yeh its hard to beat the pricing right now if you are looking for something with a warranty thats ready to go out of the box. JHM wants like 1800 for their turbo. lol

[EvolutionArmory]

CTS is DEFINITELY sourcing their own castings. At least the compressor housing. Their name is cast right into the housing and it’s raised. Casting molds aren’t exactly cheap to have made.

Attachment 172494

I said this before and I’ll keep saying it. Just because you grabbed a cheap K04 off eBay and threw another cheap CHRA in it to make a half decent turbo doesn’t mean all the respected aftermarket parts makers are too 🤣

CTS isn’t. JHM isn’t. APR isn’t. That’s the top 3 and they aren’t just sourcing China turbos.

JHM gets most of their guts from England. Someone said they heard CTS is using parts sourced from England too. Probably Melett for both.

[Spawne32]

CTS is DEFINITELY sourcing their own castings. At least the compressor housing. Their name is cast right into the housing and it’s raised. Casting molds aren’t exactly cheap to have made.

Attachment 172494

I said this before and I’ll keep saying it. Just because you grabbed a cheap K04 off eBay and threw another cheap CHRA in it to make a half decent turbo doesn’t mean all the respected aftermarket parts makers are too 🤣

CTS isn’t. JHM isn’t. APR isn’t. That’s the top 3 and they aren’t just sourcing China turbos.

JHM gets most of their guts from England. Someone said they heard CTS is using parts sourced from England too. Probably Melett for both.

Never said they were sourcing china turbo's, I said they were sourcing the parts from china. CTS very well could have their own castings made which is great, because it allows them greater flexibility in designing the compressor housing (AR and such) but in order to be sold as cheap as they are selling them and actually make a decent profit, the housings have to be sourced from china. With all due respect your not getting a turbo for 1350 with OEM parts made in germany, or even when JHM was selling theirs for around 1500. The idea behind the ebay turbo was to take advantage of the fact that you can get these compressor housings the same way the hybrid brands do and use your own internals. It's cutting out the middleman costs entirely by sourcing your own components and allowing you the flexibility to custom design your turbo with whatever compressor wheels you so choose.

My beef with some of these brands selling hybrids is that they claim to be selling "genuine" K04 components. You can't put together a hodge podge of parts and claim its genuine if it isnt directly from BW. The wheels could be specced the same as a "genuine" borg warner turbo but that doesn't make it legitimate. CTS was the only ones to ever sell a legitimate borg warner turbo for our application and it needed tons of custom modification to make it fit that they did for you. Notably, that CTS genuine turbo seemingly performed significantly better than every other hybrid on the market, APR, JHM, HPT, Frankenturbo, despite whatever those brands claimed about genuine or genuine like K04 components.

Naturally, we are going to find out with this new CTS just how well it performs on par with their original genuine borg warner counterpart.

[Perry01]

...Notably, that CTS genuine turbo seemingly performed significantly better than every other hybrid on the market, APR, JHM, HPT, Frankenturbo, despite whatever those brands claimed about genuine or genuine like K04 components.

Naturally, we are going to find out with this new CTS just how well it performs on par with their original genuine borg warner counterpart.

It would be nice to see dyno numbers and Dragy times instead of just MAF readings...

[Spawne32]

It would be nice to see dyno numbers and Dragy times instead of just MAF readings...

I might wind up waiting until the fall for dyno results, im not sure.

[bb-tt]

It would be nice to see dyno numbers and Dragy times instead of just MAF readings...

I'm a cheap f@q but will probably buy draggy once i'm done playing with hp tuners and get everything the way i want it. Does dragy ever go on sale?

[Nano909]

It would be nice to see dyno numbers and Dragy times instead of just MAF readings...

I'll play. I just have supporting mods on 91. Nothing too crazy. We can use that as a base. Just need to buy Dragy.

[Perry01]

I'll play. I just have supporting mods on 91. Nothing too crazy. We can use that as a base. Just need to buy Dragy.

I got mine for $150. That’s all you need besides a flat, open stretch of road. 1/4 mile trap speeds are a good measurement of horsepower.

An A4 with a K04 and good tune should get you in the mid to low 12 second ET with a trap speed of 105-110 MPH.

[Nano909]

I got mine for $150. That’s all you need besides a flat, open stretch of road where you can accelerate to around 105 MPH. 1/4 mile trap speeds are a good measurement of horsepower.

Just saw it on ECS for $150. Going to order it.

[Jason11213]

It sounds like it’s mixed reviews on the CTS turbos but after looking further their Borg Werner K04s are out of stock and they have their CHRA K04s available. It’s weird because the BWs from Unitronic are our of stock too so it must be a supply issue with BW turbos. I would prefer to go with the BW K04 but if there are none available then oh well. One other question is I noticed there was a CTS big turbo kit option for my make/model on their website too? They look new but does anyone have info on this setup? Also if you all know where I can get my hands on a BW K04 lmk.

Thx for all the info fellas!

[EvolutionArmory]

If you want that BOSS big turbo kit you’ll probably need to build your block and you’ll want a bunch of other supporting mods.

The nice thing about a K04 is that it’s a big bump and relatively cheap.


Sent from my iPad using Audizine

[Jason11213]

If you want that BOSS big turbo kit you’ll probably need to build your block and you’ll want a bunch of other supporting mods.

The nice thing about a K04 is that it’s a big bump and relatively cheap.


Sent from my iPad using Audizine

Ah okay. Yeah not looking to go that far with this. I liked the idea of the K04 route b/c it seemed relatively easy. Just a few bolt ones and a tune.

[Nano909]

Ah okay. Yeah not looking to go that far with this. I liked the idea of the K04 route b/c it seemed relatively easy. Just a few bolt ones and a tune.

The BOSS 500 kit doesn't require internal modifications. The BOSS 600 kit does.

[Jason11213]

The BOSS 500 kit doesn't require internal modifications. The BOSS 600 kit does.

Any idea on performance numbers? I haven’t heard of this turbo option before. Any members here running the BOSS 500 setup?

[Nano909]

Any idea on performance numbers? I haven’t heard of this turbo option before. Any members here running the BOSS 500 setup?

It's pretty new, I don't think any members are running it. You could be the first.

[A4x]

An A4 with a K04 and good tune should get you in the mid to low 12 second ET with a trap speed of 105-110 MPH.

It will take E85 or 100 octane to get a K04 A4 to low 12 seconds.

For 93 or 91 octane we can expect mid to high 12 seconds.

The fastest Allroad (earhythmic) ran 12.6 @ 106 on 91 octane, and a best time of 12.57 @ 106.8 mph. His best times on E85 were 12.1 or 12.2 @ 111.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post13161726
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post13911301

Coldcarnival JHM K04 E85 12.39 @ 110 mph:

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post12809074

[EvolutionArmory]

The BOSS 500 kit doesn't require internal modifications. The BOSS 600 kit does.

Famous last words.

[Nano909]

Famous last words.

Well that's what they said. Lol

[EvolutionArmory]

Well that's what they said. Lol

That’s not what they say. They say that fueling upgrades are needed for the 600.

It says right in the 500 product description that rods are recommended.

Attachment 172524

Of course you need rods for a GTX2867 turbo.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Nano909]

That’s not what they say. They say that fueling upgrades are needed for the 600.

It says right in the 500 product description that rods are recommended.

Attachment 172524

Of course you need rods for a GTX2867 turbo.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

Didn't say any of that a month and a half ago o.O

[dalmation53]

ah man. really. i mean i guess thata good to hear.

Too late Ivan. The limits we’re already tested and there’s some surprising results. Read the thread. It’s good.

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Audizine mobile app

[Jason11213]

Thought I’d give a quick update on this to say I went with the CHRA K04 kit from CTS. The K04 Borg Warner isn’t in stock anywhere and hasn’t been for quite awhile. I can’t get an ETA on when/if they’ll be in stock either. So, once the CHRA K04 gets in my shop will do the install and stage 2+ tune from Unitronic. All of my other bolt ons are Unitronic and they didn’t think there would be any issue using the CTS K04.

Not sure how long it’ll take to get here but I’ll update this thread once it’s installed. Just curious if there’s any break in period with a new turbo like this? I’m already running stage 2 with no issues.

[EvolutionArmory]

No. The only thing you really gotta do with a new turbo is take out the fuel pump fuse or disconnect the coils so you can prime it with oil before you start the car. Gotta crank it over for a few seconds at a time a few times to make sure there’s oil in it.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Traptalk]

It sounds like it’s mixed reviews on the CTS turbos but after looking further their Borg Werner K04s are out of stock and they have their CHRA K04s available. It’s weird because the BWs from Unitronic are our of stock too so it must be a supply issue with BW turbos. I would prefer to go with the BW K04 but if there are none available then oh well. One other question is I noticed there was a CTS big turbo kit option for my make/model on their website too? They look new but does anyone have info on this setup? Also if you all know where I can get my hands on a BW K04 lmk.

Thx for all the info fellas!

Yes there is a shortage of genuine BW k04’s

The turbo engineers posted That on Facebook almost 2 weeks ago and ultimately raised the price on any of their “hybrids” that use a k04-0064 as a base