Installing Universal Turbo in a Turbocharged Car

Continuing our previous discussion of prepping from a naturally aspirated to a turbocharged vehicle; in this discussion we’re going to talk about how you may prepare yourself on choosing the perfect fit upgraded turbo for a turbocharged car. We’ll cover on several things that guide you to choosing a complete turbo with all the suitable setups for your engine.

First, choose the types of flanges on the new turbo, mainly the turbine inlet and turbine outlet, as you will need to also upgrade your manifold and downpipe. Common flange types in the aftermarket include T25, T3, and v-band. You may find manifolds with one of these flanges easily.

Next, decide on how much power would you like to increase. If you’d like massive power upgrade, turbo with external wastegate is strongly recommended; for upgrade with smaller scale, a turbocharger with internal actuator saves you some time and cost.

Setting your power upgrade target is important, as it also impacts how you may choose the turbine and compressor wheel sizes along with turbine and compressor housing A/R. Similar concept applies, bigger sized wheels and housings lead you to greater horsepower increase. Bigger compressor housing inlet combined with bigger A/R creates better and more airflow.

Once done with turbo parts options, it’s time to select intake pipes and compressor outlet pipes. Make sure if you have chosen a bigger compressor inlet, prepare intake pipes that fits with the bigger inlet. Same applies to compressor outlet pipe, if it’s an upgraded outlet which is larger than factory pipe, you need to prepare the ones that fit too.

Following the turbo size, you may decide on installing a turbocharger with both water and oil cooled or simply oil cooled, although turbo with both cooling system would be better for the turbo parts. We’ve covered the details on another article discussion which you may find on our website.

Last but not least, using an appropriate oil restrictor is essential in keeping your turbo in good condition and operates smoothly. Arashi attaches appropriate oil restrictor in every turbo, make sure you use the restrictor included with the turbo.

These are the things you should consider before choosing an upgraded turbocharger when you already have a stock turbo in your car. However, due to various configuration in each car, make sure you consult your local mechanic for optimizing your tuning.