Ball bearing turbo

[Jeevan]

I am planning on swapping my stock turbo with a ball bearing one. I heard they spool much quicker than stock one. If anyone here is already running it please gimme the correct model number to swap with stock K03 without modifying anything. I am not looking to cheapout and have a budget about 1300$. I would also appreciate the reviews

[EvolutionArmory]

Which of the many ball bearing turbos are you going with?

What manifold will you run?

Which injectors and tune?

I think you need to do a little more research on the subject. If you could just swap a turbo and make more power for 1300 everyone here would.

[MALMGRDC]

Smacks own head

[Jeevan]

Which of the many ball bearing turbos are you going with?

What manifold will you run?

Which injectors and tune?

I think you need to do a little more research on the subject. If you could just swap a turbo and make more power for 1300 everyone here would.

I think I have clearly mention on my post. Stock stock stock. I am happy with stock 200hp and not interested in tuning a tiny 2.0T daily. 1300 budget is for turbo. I wanted to get clear information about brand and model from people who are currently running ball bearing one.

[EvolutionArmory]

Nobody is.

Say you went with the smallest Garrett GT series turbo. You’ll also need a manifold. More money. You’ll also need a custom downpipe to mount up to the turbos exhaust housing. More money. You’ll also need a custom turbo inlet so you can hook it up to the air box and be able to run a DV and plumb in your PCV stuff. More money.

Then you gotta hope that the wheel specs are similar enough to operate the same as the stock tune or else you’ll underboost or overboost depending on the specs of the turbo.

Like I said. Do more research. That’s not a dig at you. I’m just saying that’s the reality.

[EvolutionArmory]

Here’s the smallest Garrett GT series turbo. Rated for 170-270 HP

Attachment 184211

Here’s the OEM turbo.

Attachment 184212

Can you see the difference. The OEM turbo has provisions for a DV, the intake pipe, the PCV, the boost controller and the downpipe/cat will just mount up and the manifold is just built right into it. It also has a exit pipe placed perfectly for the stock intercooler hoses. This pic is probably from a VW so the compressor housing is different than what is pictured. Sorry. I just grabbed the first K03 pic I saw on google images.

The GT ball bearing turbo has none of those things and you’ll have to buy a manifold, downpipe adapter flange, down pipe, make the intercooler piping work, plumb in a DV, boost controller, the PCV and make the airbox be able to hook up too.


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[Theiceman]

Long and short of it.
Cars are not Lego. You can't just swap pieces at will and have them fit.

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[Jayz691]

There are no stock style, BB turbos, all gonna be a custom build. So $1300 will not get you close, sorry. But was already explained so you got the picture.

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[canadianA4B7]

There are no stock style, BB turbos, all gonna be a custom build. So $1300 will not get you close, sorry. But was already explained so you got the picture.

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There’s a guy in Poland who casts a nice turbine housing To fit an EFR supercore. The inners of the k03 or K04 CHRA does not have enough material to machine the proper spaces required for a BB inside the CHRA. You also might need 2 of these bearing as the factory bearing has a barbell shape which will also require some sort of surface for the shaft to sit inside in order to retain proper oiling (this space will be between the bearings tricky to make the 3 holes to align and make sure all do not bind.

Now I don’t doubt that with significant investments you could make or have a pair of tiny bearings make that wud fit. Issues will be making the 2 bearings outter case stationary to allow the shaft to spin. Oem uses one tiny retainer clip, how one could make this work for 2 separate bearings will require serious work. Best option is the turbo labs of America bearings $50 is a better known working bearing replacement.

For better spool invest in a billet compressor wheel with 14+ blades. They’re about 3 grams lighter then factor cast wheels and more blades will pull more air in through the smaller sections creating a “faster” spooling turbo. Same can be done when replacing the hotside. Fewer blades spaces will be better for top end more blades are designed for faster spool/bottom end power.

[Jeevan]

Long and short of it.
Cars are not Lego. You can't just swap pieces at will and have them fit.

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not helping and may be curb your arrogance. Its ok for some people to be ignorant and thats how they learn new things. Were you born with turbo in your hand?

- - - Updated - - -

Here’s the smallest Garrett GT series turbo. Rated for 170-270 HP

Attachment 184211

Here’s the OEM turbo.

Attachment 184212

Can you see the difference. The OEM turbo has provisions for a DV, the intake pipe, the PCV, the boost controller and the downpipe/cat will just mount up and the manifold is just built right into it. It also has a exit pipe placed perfectly for the stock intercooler hoses. This pic is probably from a VW so the compressor housing is different than what is pictured. Sorry. I just grabbed the first K03 pic I saw on google images.

The GT ball bearing turbo has none of those things and you’ll have to buy a manifold, downpipe adapter flange, down pipe, make the intercooler piping work, plumb in a DV, boost controller, the PCV and make the airbox be able to hook up too.


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Thanks for the advice, I have a local weekend exhaust guy to help me with that.

[Jeevan]

There’s a guy in Poland who casts a nice turbine housing To fit an EFR supercore. The inners of the k03 or K04 CHRA does not have enough material to machine the proper spaces required for a BB inside the CHRA. You also might need 2 of these bearing as the factory bearing has a barbell shape which will also require some sort of surface for the shaft to sit inside in order to retain proper oiling (this space will be between the bearings tricky to make the 3 holes to align and make sure all do not bind.

Now I don’t doubt that with significant investments you could make or have a pair of tiny bearings make that wud fit. Issues will be making the 2 bearings outter case stationary to allow the shaft to spin. Oem uses one tiny retainer clip, how one could make this work for 2 separate bearings will require serious work. Best option is the turbo labs of America bearings $50 is a better known working bearing replacement.

For better spool invest in a billet compressor wheel with 14+ blades. They’re about 3 grams lighter then factor cast wheels and more blades will pull more air in through the smaller sections creating a “faster” spooling turbo. Same can be done when replacing the hotside. Fewer blades spaces will be better for top end more blades are designed for faster spool/bottom end power.

thanks for the tip

[EvolutionArmory]

not helping and may be curb your arrogance. Its ok for some people to be ignorant and thats how they learn new things. Were you born with turbo in your hand?

- - - Updated - - -



Thanks for the advice, I have a local weekend exhaust guy to help me with that.

Lol!!

So your weekend exhaust guy is gonna make you a custom exhaust manifold, a custom downpipe, a custom turbo inlet pipe and a custom compressor outlet intercooler pipe?

No offense but you’re dreaming. Why bother when you can just buy a brand new Borg Warner K03 for like 900 and install it in a few hours and save more money and time with zero issue.

Kids these days, right Iceman?


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[Theiceman]

not helping and may be curb your arrogance. Its ok for some people to be ignorant and thats how they learn new things. Were you born with turbo in your hand?

- - - Updated - - -



Thanks for the advice, I have a local weekend exhaust guy to help me with that.

maybe is one word.

[Theiceman]

Lol!!

So your weekend exhaust guy is gonna make you a custom exhaust manifold, a custom downpipe, a custom turbo inlet pipe and a custom compressor outlet intercooler pipe?

No offense but you’re dreaming. Why bother when you can just buy a brand new Borg Warner K03 for like 900 and install it in a few hours and save more money and time with zero issue.

Kids these days, right Iceman?


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feels like fathers day every day around here... :)

[Jeevan]

Lol!!

So your weekend exhaust guy is gonna make you a custom exhaust manifold, a custom downpipe, a custom turbo inlet pipe and a custom compressor outlet intercooler pipe?

No offense but you’re dreaming. Why bother when you can just buy a brand new Borg Warner K03 for like 900 and install it in a few hours and save more money and time with zero issue.

Kids these days, right Iceman?


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Nope not the manifold. test pipe, downpipe will be done by my friend.

[EvolutionArmory]

Well, give it a try then. ATP turbo sells a manifold for our cars. Just buy the correct flanged turbo to mate with the manifold. It’s 500 bucks though. Just hope you don’t need tuning with the GT series turbo.

Honestly it seems impractical because with a new OEM Borg Warner it will last you longer than you’ll probably own the car.


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[aluthman]

A ball bearing turbo by definition is not stock. There is no such thing as a direct fit k03 equivalent BB turbo. You have to modify the car to do that and $1300 will not get you close. The K03 spools fast enough as it is. It just has no top end (which ball bearings would not change).

[Charles.waite]

I am just posting to echo what literally everyone else has said.

You can just throw ball bearings into a k03. You also can't swap a proper turbo into our cars for $1300. So this entire project is a non-starter.

And don't post a link to some $400 eBay turbo kit unless you want to get laughed at.

Also, there is nothing magical about ball bearing turbos that makes them better, journal bearing turbos are perfectly good and very reliable (I'd argue even more reliable than ball bearing turbos), they just tend to spool a bit slower. K03s don't exactly have spooling issues so a ball bearing won't really be doing anything in this case, even if it could be retrofitted...

[canadianA4B7]

Regarding manifolds there’s been a few things that are now pretty cheap/easy to Get your hands on. Ultimately if you shop around BT power for less then $1000. Even twin scroll for less the true borg Warner k04. Just gotta shop.

https://www.kmdtuning.com/audi/a4/b7...roduct_id=2436
T25 single scroll

https://spaturbousa.com/collections/...turbo-manifold
Twin scroll $399.

[Charles.waite]

I’ve had my eyes on that SPA manifold. Looks like a solid option for sure. The issue is that it’s T3 while all the suitably sized twin-scroll EFRs are T4. So it sorta throws a wrench in that particular plan.

[EvolutionArmory]

Just make sure the SPA manifold is for longitudinal cars. The description didn’t say. Not that I could see.


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[Charles.waite]

Places always say that but it really shouldn’t matter I don’t think. Besides, any setup you’re going to run a twin scroll turbo on, you’re going to need custom downpipe and inlet stuff anyways nd that’s the only part I could see that would affect the manifold fitment...

[rhfosu]

Places always say that but it really shouldn’t matter I don’t think. Besides, any setup you’re going to run a twin scroll turbo on, you’re going to need custom downpipe and inlet stuff anyways nd that’s the only part I could see that would affect the manifold fitment...

APR's inconel manifold was designed for transverse applications, but is used on longitudinal cars. Seems to me the only issue is the turbo sits farther forward as a result. This makes fitment tight. Not sure you could use a compressor much larger than a gt28. Mine damn near touches the frame rail as is.

[viperdsa]

APR's inconel manifold was designed for transverse applications, but is used on longitudinal cars. Seems to me the only issue is the turbo sits farther forward as a result. This makes fitment tight. Not sure you could use a compressor much larger than a gt28. Mine damn near touches the frame rail as is.

Gotta join that top mount life

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[canadianA4B7]

Gotta join that top mount life

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https://www.autotempest.com/results?...0&maxyear=2008

A few options for the same price.