turbocharger, turbochargers, garrett Garrett, GT06, GT0636SZ, Turbocharger Garrett, GT12, GT1241, Turbocharger Garrett, GT15, GT1544, Turbocharger Garrett, GT15, GT1548, Turbocharger Garrett, GT20, GT12052, Turbocharger Garrett, GT20, GT2056, Turbocharger Garrett, GT22, GT2252, Turbocharger Garrett, GT22, GT2259, Turbocharger Garrett, GT25, GT2554R, Turbocharger Garrett, GT28, GT2854R, Turbocharger Garrett, GT28, GT2859R, Turbocharger Garrett, GT28, GT2860RS, Turbocharger, Disco Potato

Friday, March 4, 2011

Garrett GT25R - GT2554R - 60 TRIM - 270 HP


The Garrett GT25R or GT2554R turbocharger is the smallest Garrett GT turbo that have Dual Ball Bearings. This GT turbocharger is a popular choice because of that. The GT2554R turbo is internally wastgated also so there is no need for you to put out extra money on the fabrication of manifolds for an external wastegate setup. The turbo exhaust flange for the GT25 have the common T25 flage so it's a very easy job to bolt it on to you're existing stock manifold. This means the GT25 turbocharger is a great upgrade for many cars originally equipped with T25 & T28 Turbos. This includes cars like the 300ZX & SR20DET 240SX and many more.


The dual ball bearing GT25 will give you a very quick spool, even on a very small engine. And also give you a solid 200 WHP power figure without even breaking a sweat.

The Garrett GT25 turbocharger will work well for engines between 1400cc and 2200cc and will give you 270 HP in the engine. And that means you still have well over 200 WHP left at the wheels. The GT2554R will work well also if you are looking for 170 HP.

Model: 471171-3
CHRA: 446179-24


Bearing: Ball
Cooling: Oil & Water
Compressor
Inducer: 42.1 mm
Exducer: 54.3 mm
Trim: 60
A/R 0.80


Turbine
Wheel: 53.0 mm
Trim: 62
A/R: 0.64 
Wastegated






The other good thing about the Garrett GT2554R turbocharger is that it's both oil and water cooled.

Oil inlet 0.4375IN - 24 Thread for 6.35 Tube
Inverted flare connection
PER SEA J512 Oil inlet

Oil outlet 2 x M8x1.25
13.5 oil outlet

Water connections thread M14x1.50


Short Specs about this car.
1994 Mazda Miata
'99 longblock with GT2554R turbo
225/45-15 Nitto NT-01s on 15x9 949Racing 6ULs
217whp/192wtq
2100lbs w/o driver
weight in video approx 2530lbs (2 people + gas)


You can see here that the Garrett GT25R turbocharger works very well for the small engine Mazda Miata. And with the 217 WHP and some good racing tires on have no problem holding it's own on the track.





Service Kit
Component
Quantity
Item
Journal bearing
1
1

Retaining ring, jnl/brg
1
2
Pin, anti-rotation, jnl/brg
1
3
Piston ring, t/end
1
4
Thrust bearing
1
5
Bolt, seal plate/th brg
4
6
Thrust spacer
1
7
Piston ring, c/end
1
8
O ring, seal plate/brg hsg
1
9
Thrust collar
1
10
Locknut/shaft111
O ring, c/hsg112
Bolt, c/end613
Bolt, t/end 4 16



I also have more technical pages for you that will come in handy. They will be of great help when looking at compressor maps Use the conversion tools And you will be able to calculate airflow, pressure and HP figures for the turbocharger you are interested in.

135 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this good for a 1.5? What rpm does it usually start spooling. I'm concerned about the fuel economy so i want a turbo that spools at about 2800-3000rpm so that my daily driver still gives me near-stock gas mileage.

JD said...

Hello,

This turbo bolted on to a stock 1.5 without to much work done to the engine probably will come on boost around 4000rpm.

However when we are talking about gas milage and fuel economy the only thing that will keep that down is you're right foot. Just drive off boost and you will have stock fuel economy.

Anonymous said...

You will see positive boost around 2800rpm on a 1.5L I currently have one on a 1.3L and mine statrs making boost around 3000, and have longer runners, larger inlet plenum etc.

Cale said...

Is there any issue with this turbo burning oil and smoking if it's oriented with the rotating axis vertical?

JD said...

Hi Cale,

Most turbochargers can be mounted at an 30-35 degree angle without causing wear to the bearings and leaking oil past the bearings into the exhaust as long as they have either 360 degree bearings with thrust plate or are the ball bearing type with a dynamic seal. The tricky part is to not get to much oil into the turbocharger and make sure the oil drain side from the center section is free flowing without restrictions.

Mounting a turbocharger vertically is a different story because the turbochargers center section and bearings are not designed to handle the oil flow in that way at all. The Garrett GT25R Turbocharger being a dual ball bearing turbocharger, mounted vertically the ball bearings would most likely be soaked in oil and that would also start to hurt the spoolup of the turbo.

Subaru did have an WRC car that thay ran a vertically mounted T04Z turbocharger on. However rally teams with big funding also change the turbochargers very often so just because they did it does not mean it works.

See Picture: Vertically Mounted T04Z Turbocharger on WRC Subaru

Anonymous said...

hi there,
I have Mitsubishi Lancer GLI 1.8L car will this turbo fit in this car???

JD said...

Hello

Short answer yes, you have a pretty good clearence in the engine bay for a GT25R turbocharger on a Mitsubishi Lancer GLI 1.8L. Depending on your model you might need to relocate the battery and standard airbox for the turbo piping. Other things that can be in the way is the AC and power steering. But that can be solved with a custom turbo manifold, or have someone modify an aftermarket one to fit.

With a stock 16 valve or 8 valve 4g93 Mitsubishi engine it will be able to run the GT25R turbocharger without much modifications and put down 200hp or 150kw to the wheels with bolt on parts.

Keep in mind that you will need to keep the boost pressure low on stock pistons and headgasket, due to compression ratio. But because the Garrett GT25R turbocharger have such good air flow at low pressures you really don't need to run massive boost to get the power you want.

Anonymous said...

will this turbo work on a mk3 vw 2.0L engine?

Anonymous said...

Hi.... I got d17a in a 2002 civic.... how efficient wud it be to my car .... I lookin to get 250hp....since honda is known to have a high oil pressure, would it damage the gt25 seals???

JD said...

Having a high oil pressure won't damage the GT25 but it can make the turbocharger slow to spool up having to much oil pressure inside the bearings, the way to do it is to fit an oil pressure reducer or oil pressure restrictor fitting on the feed line to the GT25 turbocharger.

When it comes to Honda Civics and turbocharging people do tend to prefer the K series swaps with K20 engines. The Honda Civic d17a engines do have a few aftermarket turbo manifolds that will even give you 400whp but it all comes down to if it's worth all the upgrades. On as stock auto d17a Honda you should not go over 10 psi boost or things will start to brake.

Anonymous said...

The build I'm doin is not a joke an I wants no k series UNLESS U GIVIN ME IT FREE!... but on a serious note I'm stressin. Yesterday I finish my lil project (port an polish head, pistons bearings rods hondata kpro ecu bigger injectors bigger fuel pump new water pump an oil pump) full works I put into this to make it 250hp safe an daily driven..... I hav a sandwich fittin by my oil filter an my feed line is from there to a oil restrictor an to the turbo an drains bak offf to the oil pan. Note I'm using the smallest steel braided feedline I could of gotten and the restriction size is 0.035mm..... thats the smallest I cud of gone.....now after I made a block an come bak home, I notice an oil stain under the turbo housing..... I'm puzzled. .. last time dat happened my oil seal bussed... now if its the same problem, what can be causing that seal to go bad..... what I'm I doin wrong?????

JD said...

Hello

It's nice to hear you are doing a proper turbo build. About your problem with the oil.. Garrett suggest a 1mm or 0.040" restrictor on the oil feed when maximum oil pressure exceeds 45psi.

"Your oil pressure at the ball-bearing turbocharger needs to be between 40 psi and 45 psi at the maximum engine operating speed"

Garrett ball bearing turbochargers should also come with an restrictor already fitted into the ball bearing center section, but it could be that this restrictor have been left out in your case and that is what's causing problems.

But if it's not that and not the seals going bad I think you have a problem with the oil drain from the turbocharger being too small. Causing oil pressure to build up in the ball bearings and go out the seal.

The problems with "small ball bearing turbochargers" is that the oil drain outlet size is also reduced in size. Bigger Garrett GT ball bearing turbochargers don't normally have these issues because they have a bigger ball bearing center section, and a larger oil drain outlet size that allow the oil to have more room to easily flow back into the engine.

You need to check the oil outlet fitting so that it is free flowing and check and see if there is anything blocking or clogged the oil outlet line. Check the crankcase ventilation so you don't have too high pressure in the crankcase causing problems for the oil to flow back to the engine also. Piston blow-by can cause this. And if that does not help you might need to fit an even bigger oil outlet hose and fitting. You could also try moving the oil drain to another location on the engine. And make sure you use a good quality oil like 5W50 or similar, however in some cases with 5W50 being a very light oil it can also cause oil to leak past the seals.

You should be carefull not to go too small on the turbo oil restrictor because if the seals go bad and exhaust pressure and inlet boost pressure from the other sides of the seal gets into the ball bearings it will push out any oil and make the ball bearings run dry and destroy your garrett turbocharger.

Anonymous said...

From what you said there, it seems my oil pressure may be to high.... i installed a pressure gauge to kno the pressure in the engine and its about 75psi upon startin an after it warms up an idlin its about 30psi an drivin at high speed oil pressure can be about 50-60psi..... so I feel dats my problem. .... can dat high pressure also cause a white smoke from my exhaust???

JD said...

Hi

Yes if you have the same 50-60psi oil pressure at the turbocharger after the restrictor you fitted on the oil feed line then that can very well be the problem right there. So it sounds like an easy fix.

Are you really sure it's white smoke? Blueish white smoke from the exhaust means it's burning oil. There is a possibility that there is some oil left in the exhaust that show up as smoke, but you should smell it in the exhaust if it's oil being burnt. And it would start to clear up after some driving with the car.

If there is white smoke with a strong smell of fuel with the exhaust gasses then it means you are overfueling. So check your tune, injector time, fuel pressure regulator.. Cheap Air/Fuel ratio meters do not necceseraly show overfueling because they can get confused and instead of showing that you are running rich show that you are running lean.

White smoke always indicates there is water present mixed with the exhaust gasses, so that could mean your headgasket is going bad.

If you use Multi -layer head gaskets like Cometic head gaskets then these are known to leak and cause problems. And you really need to glue the layers together to be on the safe side. The reason is that fluids can leak between layers if this is not done.

You should check the coolant and see if there is an oily film in it, a blown head gasket will most likely contaminate the engine oil with engine coolant and vice versa too. And you end up with the the engine oil being gray brown milky..

Anonymous said...

Hi I'm thinkin bout purchasing a gt30 turbo an I'm wondering how much bigger is it compared to a gt25 in size. I wanna install it in a built dseries I got but don't wanna remove my compressor. .lol... oh! An whats the maximum psi of oil can the gt30 support

JD said...

Hello, the size difference between a Garrett GT25 turbocharger and a GT30 turbocharger is around 10mm bigger on the compressor inducer. And about the same difference if not a bit bigger on the exhaust, due to a bigger turbine wheel.

So the GT30 turbo is going to be a bit bigger than a GT25 turbo, but not much. And because the GT25 have an internal wastegate the lenght of the GT30 turbocharger is going to be a bit shorter than the GT25 turbocharger even. But keep in mind that if you are getting a new turbocharger, Garrett have now the new GTX line. Garrett GTX30 turbochargers with Billet Compressor Wheels. So that's something to look into if you are out looking to get a brand new Garrett GT30 turbocharger.

About the oiling for ball-bearing turbochargers, Garrett does not give any different recommendations other than they state that you should try and keep the oil pressure at the turbocharger "between 40 psi and 45 psi at the maximum engine operating speed". So the same 40-45 psi for the GT30 turbocharger should be fine.

Good luck with the dseries build!

Anonymous said...

The build is goin great! I bought the gt30 journal turbo due to shortage of funds lol.... but I wanna kno where to take my oil feed from? I orginal took mines by the oil filter. Is there any other place to take the inlet oil from?

JD said...

Hello, that's good to hear. I'm sure you will be very happy with the Garrett GT30 turbo. About turbo oil feeds, some take the turbocharger oil feed from the engine block, like with a T fitting at the oil pressure sensor or a sandwich plate at the oil filter.

Try and can keep the oil feed line short (longer oil feed will have more restriction and take a bit longer for the oil to get to the turbo on startups) but it's not that big of a difference really. And if you want to be on the safe side you can also use an turbo inline oil filter on the oil feed.

A thing to remember with Honda vtec engines, is if you take oil from the cylinder head some oil ports at the cylinder head only have oil pressure under vtec. So make sure you have oil pressure at all times for the turbocharger if you take the oil feed from the cylinder head!

Anonymous said...

What is V-band and how does it affect the Turbo?

JD said...

Hi, and thank your for your question. A turbocharger that uses v-band clamps instead of the more ordinary "bolt type" T25 flanges (like this Garrett GT25R turbo above) or the bigger T3 or T4 flanges does not affect the performance of the turbocharger.

Think about a v-band clamp being your regular hose clamp but instead the band is made in a V-shape. This allows for two pieces like the exhaust downpipe or turbo exhaust housing and the turbo manifold to be clamped together with the tightening of just one screw. And this also allow for the whole turbocharger to be rotated in any degree.

If you have a bigger turbocharger then chances are you even have the compressor cover and exhaust housing attached to the center section with V-band clamps, and this allows for the turbo compressor and exhaust housing to be rotated. You can see an example of this on my 67mm Holset HX52 turbo in this post (second picture) http://turbochargerspecs.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-post-little-bit-about-this.html

So even though the v-band itself does not affect the turbocharger it does mean that any maintenance and installation is easier and quicker to do. This is why you will see this type of V-band setups in all types of racing with turbochargers like WRC, Rally, Indycar, Dragracing and now as of 2014 the new F1 turbo engines. But also the old Formula 1 turbo engines from the 80s had turbochargers with v-bands.

Unknown said...

Hi,
I am driving a vitz turbo and it is using an IHI RHF4 turbo. I am thinking of changing to GT2554R. Can I exchange without modifying my exhaust manifold?
Thanks.

JD said...

Hi

From the looks of the IHI RHF4 turbocharger they don't seem to share the same flange as the GT25 turbo that uses the T25 type flanges. You can see the measurements for the GT25 turbocharger in the picture above from Garrett. However you could probably make an T25 flange adaptor for your exhaust manifold if you don't want to modify the manifold.

Jeremy deguara said...

I have a Punto GT 1.4 I'm running 162bhp with standard turbo and no ECU changed .
how much BHP will I get with gt25r without changing the ecu?

JD said...

Hi Jeremy

In short I would get the ECU remapped. There is a company that makes a bolt on turbokit for the Fiat Punto GT 1.4 but with the little larger GT2560R turbocharger for 769 Euro. And they claim 320 hp at 1.6 bar boost with the GT2560R turbocharger on that engine (It can flow 330hp if you look at the specs). However they also say that the stock Fiat Punto GT ECU must be modified and remapped. And I would say you also will need bigger fuel injectors if going over 270hp (Bosch 803 green fuel injectors will do 350hp). I would strongly advice anyone doing changes to the engine that changes air and fuel delivery (like with a bigger turbo or cylinder head porting and bigger camshafts) to have a professional look at the air/fuel ratio and ignition, boost levels so you know that the engine is running right.

Here is the link: www.jmtech.fi/kauppa/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1741_1598&products_id=14843

And here is a 8v Punto GT dyno 220 hp 262 Nm with a GT2560R running 1.4 bar boost and stock ECU (but with a SEB 4 eprom installed) www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmM7xG5hcQA

Kitty said...

I have a 91 Isuzu Impulse AWD turbo will this GT2554R WORK on my car. 4cy 1.6L DOCH. Need your help. Have looked everywhere. If not what will?

Unknown said...

Just curious as to how this would work on my 1.0 litre (twin cam, 3 cylinder) Daihatsu Sirion engine? I having my cams treated to a base circle regrind to move peak power up to 8500rpm.

JD said...

Hello Dale, it's hard to say how well this GT25r turbocharger would work on your 3 cylinder 1000cc engine. In reality I would say that it would start to pull from around 5-6000rpm with your peak power being between 8500 - 9500 rpm.

But again with it being a 3 cylinder it's hard to tell. I would go with a smaller turbocharger if I was you to get a wide powerband instead.

Unknown said...

Hello JD, i want to ask you 3 questions since im knda new and i want to install the gt25 on my ford fiesta 1.6s. I do have a mechanic that will install this for me. But i want to make sure it with you
1. Is there any extra maintenance after i installed the gy25?
2. Since this is ford fiesta 1.6s and it only comes in automatic transmission(suck), do i need to change any parts from the transmission?
3. Do you have any suggestion for me before i install this turbo? Thank you so much for your time.

Warm regards
Joel

From Indonesia

Sergio Pujante said...

Hello I would like assembling a GT2554R turbo 1.4-liter engine Carburetion , and 7.9 : 1 compression ratio

At how many rpm approximate 'll have the start of boost and full bost ?

Thank you very much , greetings from Spain ;)

JD said...

Hello Joel, when it comes to maintenance be sure to use some good oil like full syntetic 5w-50 and check the oil level regularly, you don't want to run low on oil. Also keep an eye on the coolat level. Depending on how much you drive I would change the oil and filter 1-2 times a year to be on the safe side.

No you wont need to change any transmission parts, the automatic can handle the power and so will the differential no need to worry.

I would suggest that you install an oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge and water temperature gauge. And last but not least get an boost pressure gauge installed that also show vacuum. That way you will know how the engine is doing.

Good luck!

JD said...

Hello Sergio, I would say that your 1.4 liter engine would start to build boost pressure around 3000 rpm and you would probably have full boost at 4000 rpm. You might even get boost a bit earlier because of the carb but 7.9 compression will also play a role in how quick the GT25 spools up on your engine. With a good intercooler you should have no problem running 1.5 - 1.7 bar boost with that compression ratio.

Sergio Pujante García said...

Very thanks for answering JD :)

If it helps someone , now I have a hybrid T2 / T25 ( AR35 48mm / 35mm exhaust ) ( ar48 52mm / 41mm intake )and starts blowing at 1500 rpm and full boost at 3500 ( 0,6bar ).

My goal is to blow this gt2554r to 1 bar.

regards from Spain ;)

Unknown said...

Hi JD, thank you for your suggestion, i do change oil every 5000km and also the filter. I also change the matic oil for every 15000km. Thank you for your suggestion.
Warm regards

Erlissa Global said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Erlissa Global said...

Hello, I currently use CRZ 1.5L bolt on turbo with GT2052 turbo.(stock internal)
I started with 0.4 bar and got 150WHP, 200Nm torque.
Later up the boost to 0.5 and got 170WHP 210Nm torque.
Again I up the boost to 0.6 bar but unfortunately the output remains at 170WHP(almost no change) but more torque 230Nm.
So Im thinking to change the turbo to GT2554 to get my goal 200WHP with stock internals.
Do you think I can achieve it with this GT2554?btw is it a good idea?
Currenly the car is perfect without any issue even I use the car for daily.
Thank you in advance Sir!

JD said...

Hello Erlissa, that's very good numbers from your stock GT2052 turbocharger. I'm thinking that you might get a few more whp out of the stock turbo if you can fit a free flow exhaust system to the car if not already fitted. But do consider the exhaust housing outlet flanges are different on the GT20 and GT25r turbochargers so you need different downpipes. Also a good intercooler would help.

Theoretically when I crunch some numbers the stock GT2052 turbocharger should be able to give you close to 195 whp and a corrected 225 hp in the engine. But you would need to push it to 0.8-0.9 bar boost.

If you look at the compressor map on the Garrett GT2052 http://turbochargerspecs.blogspot.com/2011/02/garrett-gt20-gt2052-225-hp.html

It really looks like your stock Garret GT2052 turbo is close to it's limits when you already got 170 whp at 0.6 bar boost.

Considering the options I think that the best turbocharger for you is the GT2554 turbo and it will give you +200whp. But you could also try and push the stock turbo a little bit further, you wont get 200whp but might get close to your goal.

esotoracing said...

Hey JD, i found a good deal on a GT2560 and im thinking about it for my Swift Gti motor. 1.3 twin cam but it wont be stock as i have the option of lowering compression, ported head and also have some high lift cams at my office with a high flow intake manifold and bigger throttle body. High revving balanced engine looking for broad power and high HP....what do you think?

JD said...

Hello esotoracing, I think it would be ok if you can rev the engine high. You can keep the compression high and instead run on Ethanol E85 that would help with the spool time if possible.

With a 1.3 liter engine I would also look at the smaller Garrett GT2554R turbo, it would spool faster because of it's 54.3 mm turbine vs the GT2560R turbo that have a bigger 60.1 mm turbine. You would lose some HP up top because of the smaller turbine and compressor but it would probably give you a broader powerband.

If you can get hold of both turbos it would be easy to test and swap because the GT25 turbochargers both share the same flanges.

Erlissa Global said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Erlissa Global said...

Hello Sir,
Can you tell from the link, is it turbo from silvia S15 auto?
URL : http://www.mudah.my/Garrett+ar60+s15+silvia+sr20det+ballbearing-47379957.htm
housing stated as GARRETT A/R60 M24 1-2.
I am looking for silvia s15 auto turbo.
I know the tag should be Nisan_14411-69F00/Garrett_466541-5001,
but unable to see clearly in the pic.
Also what do u think the output roughly from my crz 1.5L manual.
target to get 250whp.
Sorry Sir for asking too many questions.

JD said...

Hi Erlissa, it's ok to ask questions.

Not very good pictures and can't read the numbers but from what I can see in the pictures it does look like the correct OEM Nissan sr20det turbocharger but it's missing the internal wastegate actuator. Part number for stock 6-7 psi GT28R actuator is 448734-5. It might be a better deal if you can find one with the wastegate instead.

Power for most stage 1 tuned Nissans get around 280whp or 300 hp at 1 bar boost with this turbocharger so it should be ok for your 250 whp target.

Unknown said...

Hello
I have a 2013 Dodge Dart 1.4l and was looking to upgrade the stock turbo to the gt2554r. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this and if you could maybe give me an idea on what oil and coolant lines sizes to use.
Thanks!

JD said...

Hi Nathan, like with most turbo upgrades you are going to loose a bit of low end because of the bigger turbocharger until it starts to build boost. But if your looking for a solid 200whp turbo then the Garrett GT2554R will probably be one of the better ones due to it being dual ball bearing.

You should be ok with your existing turbo oil lines but make sure that if your new ball bearing turbo don't come with an oil restrictor then you need one. Ball bearing turbochargers don't need as much oil flow as journal bearing turbochargers do. And supplying too much oil to a ball bearing turbocharger will make them slow to spool up. So you can buy Oil Restrictor Fitting Kits -4AN x 7/16-24 for Garrett Ball Bearing Turbochargers GT25-GT35 that's installed between the turbo and oil line feed to solve the oil issues.

Erlissa Global said...

Hello Sir,
thank you for your last reply!appreciate it very much!
Can you have a look at the next one ?
URL : http://www.mudah.my/Garrett+AR60+Ballbearing+Turbo-47343483.htm
from what car do you think it is from?
Seller confirmed no leaking and no vibration at the shaft/fan.
And he is selling very cheap around USD150 in Malaysia(I am in Malaysia)

JD said...

Sorry Erlissa looks like it was removed before I could have a look. But considering the price $150 for any used turbo that's in working condition is a good deal. Only thing to be extra careful with when buying used turbochargers are the ball bearing turbochargers. If the ball bearings are broken and needs replacing this can cost another $100 or more to get fixed. Journal bearing turbochargers are better in this manner because they are much cheaper in parts to rebuild.

Unknown said...

.

Unknown said...

Hi JD,
Have a 1700cc V Twin Yamaha Motorcycle, a Few Guys Have turbo's On Them
Makes Best Power From 2500 to 4000 rpm Redline 6250 Runs 8.3:1 Compression & Can Handle 14lb With Stock internals. As You Can Appreciate @ 850cc Per Pot She Not a Big Rev Machine, More TORQUE Than Dr Phill & Oprah Winfrey Having an Argument. In Your Opinion Is This The Right Turbo For This Machine Or Should I Look @ Something Different? Just For Street Application, Not Going To Drag Race It Or Anything Like That.
Your Thoughts Would Be Much Appreciated.

JD said...

Hi Michael, big V Twin engines like these seem to run best with bigger capacity turbo intake manifolds. The rule of thumb is around 2x cylinder displacement, and that makes it a 3.4 liter manifold for your bike. It's not set in stone, but it is to help smooth out the intake pulses, from 2 big cylinders opening and closing. This however also makes it take a bit more time to fill up with air so expect the turbo to come on a little bit later. The GT25 turbocharger would probably be your best option, it might be a bit "laggy" and come on boost around 3-3500 rpm with a big manifold. But I would not really advice you to get a smaller turbocharger either because you already have plenty of low end torque. And that would make up for running a little bit bigger turbo. A small turbo would just add to that low end torque and you might find that you can't put the power down when you constantly get boost at low rpms.

Now the 1700cc V Max is not that bad of an engine with it's 90 mm × 66 mm bore and stroke and you could probably rev it out to 7000-8000 rpm if you need to with the stock internals. And the GT25 turbocharger would not restrict the engine if you like to rev it a bit higher in the future like a small turbo would.

Unknown said...

Cheers JD,
Should Have Mentioned She's a Warrior, 1700cc Pushrod air cooled, Not Looking @ Running The Water Side Of The Turbo Either.
Thanks In Advance.

Ruvim said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mahesh said...

Hi,
I am running a greddy TD04H 15g turbo on my 1.5l D15 Honda Engine. Its for street use. This turbo looses steam pretty fast.
Will GT2554r suitable upgrade option? I want something that spools faster and decent top end.
thanks,
Mahesh

JD said...

Hello Mahesh, the GReddy TD04H-15G turbocharger is very similar in size to the Garrett GT2554R turbocharger. The TD04H-15G you should be able to push to around 250hp on E85 fuel if you can get it. I don't have the exact measurments for your 15G turbo but the GReddy TD04H-15T turbo is supposed to support more boost and more power over the TD04H-15G with close to 300hp and that turbo have a 42.00 x 56.0mm turbine vs the Garrett GT2554R that have a 53mm turbine wheel.

So I think if you want to do a quick turbo upgrade then search for a TD04H-15T turbocharger because it would be an easy upgrade and it's a good street turbo. But if you also like faster spool and similar power then the ball bearing Garrett GT2554R turbocharger is something to look for, it should get on boost quicker and stay on boost between shifts and support around 270hp.

Unknown said...

I have a Fiat Abarth 1.4 turbo multiair.

Would a GT2554R be a good swap for my current setup? What modifications would I need to run a larger turbo? I'm looking for a good turbo swap, not the "turbo upgrades" that require me to send in my stock one for a rebuild.

Performance mods installation:
-BMC High Flow Intake System
-RRM Catless Downpipe
-Eurocompulsion Front Mount Intercooler
-Eurocompulsion E+D tune: Phase 1 custom
-NeuF Single Exit Race Exhaust
-Forge BOV
-Forge Wastegate
-Brisk Silver Racing Spark Plugs: gapped at 0.020"
-Eurocompulsion Silcone Vacuum Line Kit

JD said...

Hello Skyler, The Garrett GT2554R would be a good start for your current setup. I'm not sure what size injectors the Fiat Abart 1.4 turbo engines use stock. But to get the most out of the GT2554r turbocharger you would need 6-700cc injectors if running E85 Ethanol fuel or a set of 500cc injectors if tuning for regular gasoline with this turbo.

While doing the fuel system I would also try and fit a Bosch 040 fuel pump or similar and a fuel catch tank to make sure there wont be any problems with fuel flow.

santilli said...

Good evening, I have a toyota glanza cc1333 and I would like to do a turbo upgrade (small ct9) as a GT2554 would work on this car.

Bongo Bennie said...

I have an 02 Insight, swapping in1.5L 08 Honda Fit auto (will have a very short runner manifold due to clearance)and turbocharging foe a nice bottom end, goals are 150whp and super fast spool. I like the 2554r due to BB but the 2052 would work as well, question is which would spool faster, price difference is very small

JD said...

Hello santilli, I'm sure the GT2554 would work but you might want to look at getting the GT1548 turbocharger instead. The GT15 should give you about the same spool as your current ct9 turbo but also give you more power because the Garrett GT1548 turbo have a larger 37.2mm inducer.

JD said...

Hello Bennie, if it's spool you are after and you can get a good price for the bb GT2554r turbo then that's the one to go for. The GT2052 would also spool well, but it might take a bit more tuning and work like a nice flowing manifold to get it to spool as fast as the ball bearing one.

Unknown said...

Hi there quick question what's the best garrett turbo to bolt on for a 1.6l engine with Low compression piston with forged con rod and cam shaft of 272.My goal to achieve a 300hp-400hp if it's possible. I'm sorry to sound so noob coz I am. Thank u in advance

JD said...

Hello Tiswal, your best option if looking to get closer to 400hp then it would be the Garrett GT2860R turbocharger.

Or if you want a bit faster spool but a bit less power around 350hp then look at the Garrett GT2860RS "Disco Potato" turbo, also check out the video of the 1.6l Honda with this turbo in the link http://turbochargerspecs.blogspot.com/2013/02/garrett-gt28rs-gt2860rs-62-trim-360-hp.html

Unknown said...

Hi JD, I'm building a 1.0L Suzuki powertrain and my goal is 175-200whp at approximately 3000 ft of elevation. It's an extensive build with 8.5:1 compression, moderate head work, medium/big cam, an efficient intercooler, excellent turbo manifold, high flow exhaust, Haltech management, water/meth injection and an excellent tuner. This will mostly be a daily driver with occasional track days so I'm trying to get the quickest spool possible and still hit my goal. How late do you think the GT2554r would spool with some creative use of the water/meth?

JD said...

Hello Shawna, low comp and big cams are things that change how fast the turbo starts to spool and high elevation is also not helping. But mostly if you go with big cams it's going to push up the spool in the rev range.

Not knowing the details I would guess you should see the GT2554r turbocharger start to spool and give boost around 5000rpm for your engine.

Now if it's faster spool you are after and would be happy with a little bit less power you could also have a look at the smaller GT1548 that's rated for 200hp, with a good tune you could see close to 175whp with this smaller turbocharger, however this turbocharger is not a ball bearing turbocharger so the difference in spool might not be as big if you can get a good tune with the Garrett GT2554r turbocharger.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hello, i have a 500 abarth biposto 1.4cc, rc 9,1:1 . Currently with gt1446 starts pushing at 2200 rpm .. with gt2554r how many laps starts to push? thank you

JD said...

Hello Benny, the 1400cc Fiat Abarth engine will start to build boost after 3000 rpm with the GT2554r and it should give you full boost at around 4000 rpm if everything is setup right. The 9.10:1 compression can also help the turbo to spool a little earlier than that also.

Unknown said...

Hi, my name is Josh and I have an issue with my car. The GT2554R may be a solution.

I have a Jan 2006 MKIV Volkswagen Golf-GTI 1.8L 20-Valve Turbo with 135,000 miles The stock KO3-Sport Turbo is failing (excessive shaft play and griding under low boost (regular driving). The K03-S still spools well and the 161 MPH top speed is still achievable. Firstly, would you say the turbo absolutely needs to be replaced?

Secondly, the GTI is modified with Stage 1+ Unitronic Software, Stage 2 2.0 TSI/ Audi R8 V8 ignition, Forge 008 Diverter valve, Pwrhaus Side-Mount intercooler upgrade, Forge Turbo Inlet Pipe, and an unknown exhaust installed by previous owner. I have stock rods, pistons, and all other engine internals plus stock 318cc injectors.

ATP Turbo makes modified versions of the GT2X series specifically for this engine (called the "Eliminator" Series) including the 2554R. ATP Turbo states that all I need is 380cc Bosch injectors to run this turbo effectively at full boost, but Unitronic claims I need Stage 2+ software, 550cc injectors, Upgraded Fuel Pump, and 3" Downpipe. I believe ATP is correct, the compressor exducer of the GT25R is only 3mm larger than the stock KO3-S, so would I be correct in saying the GT25R could be run on my car with no additional modifications?

I am currently running around 225 Engine HP up from the 180 Stock. The "Golden Rule" on this engines is a max of 300 ft-lbs Engine Torque before needing upgraded rods, something I am NOT looking to do to a 12 year old car with 135,000 miles. Do you know what kind of power I could expect from the GT25R? Do you happen to know the max HP limit of a Stage 1+ Tune (Unitronic refuses to tell me)?

JD said...

Hi Josh, Yeah if the K03 turbo bearings are that bad and the compressor wheel is starting to hit the edges, then it's time for a rebuild. If you are handy you can get K03 replacement bearings from Ebay for around 20-80 dollars. And a complete K03 turbo core around 100-140, just make sure that everything lines up well and take your time if you are doing the rebuild yourself.

Well with the 380cc injectors you are really close to 100% injector duty at around 300hp. And if it's the green Bosch 803 injectors I know people do run them a bit more than that. However running 100% injector duty is not something recommended by most tuners. Most tuners aim for 80-90% injector duty at max. This way there is a safe zone.

Running the 380cc injectors and full boost with the GT255R you might see 240-250hp if everything is right, but you are close to the injectors limit. If you want to run 380cc injectors with no mods, then make sure the fuel pump is getting the right voltage +14v and that the fuel pressure is what it should be on boost.

I would say the stock 318cc injectors you have now are pretty much maxed out with 225hp, I would not go any higher due to the injectors running at 100% injector duty. Any fault like a voltage drop at the fuel pump etc could make you run lean on full boost.

Unknown said...

Hello JD! I got a 1.3l car right now. Stock internals and everything. Got a turbo kit on with a vf33 turbo. 290cc injectors. 255 fuel pump. Would the gt25 be a good upgrade or will be it be the same as the vf33.

Thanks. Hope to hear from you soon.

JD said...

Hi, from what I can see the IHI VF33 turbocharger have a 47.0mm inducer 6 blade compressor wheel. So it should flow more air than the Garrett GT2554R turbo that have a smaller 42.1mm inducer wheel. However the Garrett tubocharger is a ballbearing turbocharger and have a bigger exhaust side so it might give a wider powerband.

Unknown said...

I have a Peugeot 106 gti and would like to put the turbo GT2554r but I have some doubts regarding that. I would like to reach between 200-250 HP, do you think it would be necessary to change the internals, would it be better to reinforce or think that it will hold up? And to achieve the power I want, what is the pressure required? What do you think about the Laurent Motors and Dp-Enginering kits? Do you think they are reliable and that they are a good option? I have a series of doubts about the internals, I do not know if they will take it.

JD said...

Hello João, I would not worry about the stock 106 GTi pistons and rods, I think they look strong and should handle the power you are after. Maybe consider some ARP conrod bolts if you are going to rev the engine higher than stock like above 8000rpm and do trackdays with a lot of high rpm engine braking.

To get 250hp you need to run around 1.3bar boost. You might want to fit a thicker 1.5mm headgasket to drop the compression ratio if you are going to run 250hp on normal fuel and stock pistons. If not you can run water meth injection, but It depends on how the engine responds to boost and if it knocks at those boost levels. However if you tune it to run E85 you should be fine with the stock compression ratio and pistons.

I would keep the engine as it is for now and fit the turbo, do some testing with low boost around 0.7bar that would be close to 190hp and then think about what internals you want to change later if you want to go to 250hp. I would go with a kit like 9.0:1 compression Wossner Pistons and PEC connecting rods with a Cometic MLS gasket.

I'm not familiar with Laurent Motors and Dp-Enginering kits but with any aftermarket parts the most important thing is to inspect, measure and check that the clearances are right and you should be fine and have a reliable engine.

Unknown said...

Thank you JD. I do not want to run in the track days, I just want some more power, nothing too much. The least I want is to reach 200 HP or approach that power. Do you think it's worth putting the decompression plate even just putting the turbo without putting any pistons and connecting rods? I think it's best to change the MA box to BE. Place larger injectors, walbro fuel pump, fuel regulation and turbo. I still do not know what the best engine management for this project. I've seen a lot of people put Megasquirt, Vems, Emerald, omex, but I do not really know much about it. What do you think of the project?

JD said...

Hi João, sounds like a fun project. I think you would be alright running the stock compression ratio if you can keep the boost around 0.8 bar (that should give you 200hp). But you need to make sure you don't get any boost spikes and manage the inlet temp with a good intercooler. And I would also for safety run a bit more rich air fuel ratio than normal to help cool the combustion just be on the safe side. I would also recommend the new AEM X-Series Wideband it's very good and the sensor gives fast readings.

I do like the Vems ecu and megasquirt because they will work with most stock sensors and give you all the features even the most expensive aftermarket ecus have. However they do require you to know a bit more about the setup and wiring etc. So the initial setup can be a bit more difficult to get everything to work right. But there is a whole community using these and there is always someone that can help with problems.

The thing with Omex and Emerald etc. Is they are easier to setup and you can get help and support from the manufacturer. Omex to me is a bit better due to the fact they have a dedicated knock sensor and that is a very good safety feature to have. Vems and Megasquirt also do knock detection, but they will use the OEM knock sensors and because they do not have a dedicated sensor made for the ECU it makes knock detection not always 100% accurate.

One other thing to think about when changing the ECU is your tachometer, if it gets the signal from the stock ECU and you remove it. Then you need to make sure the new ECU you buy also works with the tachometer in the car. Otherwise you might end up having to run a separate tachometer. Both Vems and megasquirt have tacho outputs but worst case you end up having to use some extra resistors/diodes to make it work. The Omex 600 ECU and Emerald K6 do have a programmable tacho driver also so that might be easier to setup. And Emerald do have a pre-configured ECU option so all you need to provide is the car make and model and they set it up for you. But best is to ask them if it works for your car.

Unknown said...

I think I'll stay at 0.7. 0.8 may be too much for the stock engine, but I'll test it out. Now I've been worried about not having safe driving because of boost spikes. Do you think an intercooler measuring 530 × 170 × 60mm will suffice? Do you think an external wastegate would be a good option because of boots spikes? I was a little hesitant among engine management but I think I will decide between Megasquirt and Vems. I will follow your advice on the AEM sensor.

Unknown said...

And what do you think about changing the gearbox MA to BE, do you think it's really necessary or only a ceramic clutch solved?

JD said...

Hi, I think that size intercooler should be fine if you stay below 1 bar boost like you are planning. And the GT25 internal wastegate should be able to give you stable boost around 0.7bar if you adjust the wategate very lose. Just make sure when you first start testing that you keep an close eye on the boost levels.

If you find that you are getting boost creep you can do a little porting on the internal wastegate to make it flow better, and that should solve any issues.

I think the Vems ECU is probably the best management you can get, with an added Bluetooth adapter you can run Vemsdisplay on an android tablet / phone, and you can also do tuning wireless with Vemstune (Windows or Linux).

The AEM wideband gauge itself have a 0-5v output signal so you should be able to use that together with Vems but they also use a similar Bosch LSU sensor that Vems use, so you can also send the air fuel signal from the sensor to Vems so you don't need an extra sensor for the ECU.

I found one Vems user that is using the AEM LSU 4.9 Bosch sensor so it should work. http://www.vems.hu/wiki/index.php?page=MembersPage%2FGachax%2FHardware

You can see the difference in pinouts here and how to connect
http://wbo2.com/cable/lsuconns.htm

JD said...

I would only do the upgraded clutch, try and get an Organic Clutch instead because they are easier on the gearbox and will hold the power and also better to drive on the street. Take a look at the Helix Organic Clutch Kit.

Unknown said...

JD, thank you very much for your help. Your help will be very important to my project, thank you again.

Unknown said...

Can a GT2554R MAKE 280whp on a 1.6l fiesta St? Is it possible with e30?

JD said...

Hello there, 280whp is really pushing it with the GT2554R. I would expect to see close to 250-260whp with a really good tune and setup.

Unknown said...

Hi

I have a vw polo 1.2 tsi and saw that this particular turbo was used in a big turbo build shown on etuners website. Is there any major modifications needed to run around 200bhp mark with this turbo? Im maxed out on my stock turbo and need an upgrade to make more.

Thanks

JD said...

Hello Jay, my only concern with the Polo 1.2 TSI engine at that power level is the stock pistons, there seems to be an issue with the stock pistons made before 2012 cracking on some of the engines. Even stock engines have had failures. I think that is the reason the "big turbo build" went with upgraded pistons and connecting rods..

You can read some more about it here and have a look at the pictures
https://1200cctsiengine.wordpress.com/other-cases-of-tsi-engines-defects/

You would need around 1 bar boost with the Garrett GT2554R turbo to get 200hp from the 1.2 tsi engine, and that's a bit high with the stock 10.0:1 compression ratio. If you think you need aftermarket pistons I would try and get some with a lower compression ratio like 8:1 or 9:1, that would work better with regular fuel. And you might as well get some aftermarket rods at the same time if you can find some. If you do all that you could get close to 250hp at around 1.5 bar boost with the GT2554 turbo.

Unknown said...

Hi, I am looking to get a turbo on my bike. It is a 3 cyl,1050cc, red line is just under 10000 rpm and compression is at 11.5:1. As I can't find low compression pistons for this bike (Triumph), I will have to add another head gasket, taking me to about 10:1 and fit an intercooler. Looking for around 200-220 rwhp and think the gt2554r might be the the one for me. Would like full boost at 4-5k, maybe 0.6-0.8 bar. Will the GT2554r give me what I want, or is it too big for my application? Other options?

Regards Kristian

JD said...

Hello Kristian, I was going to advise you to machine the stock pistons to lower the compression. But seeing that some 1050cc Triumphs use cast pistons (and most bike pistons don't have much material to remove any way to keep them light) I would not recommend that as it would further weaken the stock pistons.

So doing double head gaskets to drop the compression is probably the easiest way. And also if you are not going to be running on E85 you would need an intercooler. But most bikes can run without an intercooler on E85 with low comp and low boost.

If the stock engine have no restrictions to the exhaust and inlet to get around 200hp you would need around 0.8bar boost, and if the engine is a good flowing engine you might get a solid 200whp. But expect to run 1 bar boost if you are going over 200whp but in that case I would switch to E85 to be on the safe side.

However with a set of camshafts the engine would make around 130hp and in that case you would make the same power 200hp at around 0,6 bar boost and a solid 220whp with 0.8bar boost.

It's hard to say how the GT2554r turbocharger is going to spool on a 3 cylinder engine vs 4 cylinder. I would say you probably will have full boost around 5-6000rpm.

On bikes you don't want the turbocharger to be too small either because you are only going to struggle keeping the front wheel down if it comes on boost too hard and early.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info JD, I am aware of the issues with the pistons on these bikes, and if this project works well, I have a spare engine ready for some upgrades(custom pistons and conrods).

Think the engine will flow quite well, as I am porting and polishing the head. I may have to keep the boost below 1 bar since E85 is nowhere to be found here in Norway. But we have 98 octane at the pump.

So think I will try the GT2554R and take it from there.

Cheers!

Kristian

Stevie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stevie said...

Hello
I purchased a gt25 turbo and was wondering if i could get a link to oil and coolant fittings for the turbo
Could i also get some help about turbocharging a 1.8l Lancer, i know it has been asked before
and any other guides about setting up turbo

Cheers
Steve

JD said...

Hi Stevie, you can check out some of the regular sellers. These have full kits for sale with all the gaskets and lines. This first one have a 70cm long braided oil feed.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-oil-water-line-gasket-Install-Kit-For-GT25R-GT28R-GT30R-T25-5-bolt-hsg/192519974260

And this second sellers have a 100cm long oil feed in their kit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Oil-Water-line-kit-Garrett-Ball-Bearing-GT25R-GT28R-GT30R-GT35R-100cm/122683990556

There are cheaper kits out there, however then you only get a very short oil feed and are forced to use hose clamps and regular rubber hose for the oil and water return.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Charger-Oil-Water-Feed-Drain-Line-Kit-T25-T28-T25-T28-G28-GT25-GT28/272612337153

All these turbo oil & water line kits work you only need to check and see what length you would need for your car. But I would not get the cheap kits, sure they work but why risk an oil leak that could start a fire.

EFFEKT Record's on youtube have number of videos showing how to install a turbo on a 08 Lancer, in this video he shows how he did the oil lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAhyY8AobU

As for setting up the turbo, I would get everything fitted, get it running. You can remove the wastegate or have it set very lose so the turbo won't build any boost. And before you start to turn the boost up make sure you have all the mods needed like ECU, injectors, fuel pump, intercooler etc.

Stevie said...

Thank you JD for the quick reply
with the internal wastegate how do i know its set very lose,
i have looked at many guides and that the only thing i haven't read about yet.
does it matter that any of the oil feed/return kits support gt25r and not gt25,
they are still the same correct?

cheers
stevie

JD said...

Hello Stevie, have a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p12g1PpIcjE
Now what you can do is instead of having preload on the wategate actuator arm like shown in the video, you adjust the arm to be longer. This will now instead keep the wastegate open a bit and the turbocharger won't build boost. Just be careful not to drop the C clip when doing the adjustments.

The fittings should be the same, but if you have a journal bearing or ball bearing turbo the size of the restrictors are different.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Oil-and-Water-Line-Garrett-GT25-GT28-GT30-Ball-Bearing-T25-Inlet-5-Bolt/132423618803

The ball bearing turbos use a 1.0mm restrictor and the journal bearing ones use a 1.8mm restrictor. But check your turbo before ordering and make a note of what fittings you would need. You can also have a local shop make the lines and fittings for you if you are unsure, most hydraulic repair shops or shops that services trucks or big rigs should have the fittings and lines needed in stock.


Stevie said...

I ordered a set oil/water kit and just received the turbo
is it worth getting a set of turbo extractors of ebay or getting them custom made and the dump pipe
cheers

JD said...

Hello Stevie, well it depends, a lot of Chinese made manifolds are made from thin wall tubing and are tig welded, they look nice but can crack if there is too much weight on them. So to make them last make sure to have a turbo support brace fitted.

But if you have everything custom made I would say it would be stronger and you won't have to worry about it cracking.

If you need some more adjustment for the downpipe you could get a V-band clamp type flange similar to this. This one is for a 3 inch downpipe but you can get them in 2.5 inch also.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GT25R-GT28R-5-BOLT-TO-3-INCH-V-BAND-VBAND-CLAMP-FLANGE-DOWNPIPE-ADAPTER-KIT/222292872488

If you get the V-band flange kit make sure the flange have the correct bolt pattern for your turbo.

Anonymous said...

Hey JD. I currently have the JWT 530bb turbos that are basically GT2554R turbos. Can I replace the compressor wheel with a 71mm one from a GTX2871r? If I machine the compressor housing? What about replacing the turbine wheel and shaft from a GT2860R to get the added length to fit the 71mm compressor wheel? Will the GT2860R turbine wheel be able to fit GT2554R turbine housing without machining the turbine housing and just machine the compressor housing to fit the 71mm compressor wheel?

JD said...

Hello, J. Tran yes the compressor housing can be machined to make the GTX2871R compressor wheel fit. However the GT2554R turbine housing would also need to be machined to make the GT2860R turbine wheel fit.

Also the GT2554R don't have the anti surge housing like the GTX turbochargers have, so there is also a chance that you could run into surge with the modded GT2554R compressor housing and GTX compressor wheel.

Unknown said...

I will order the 49.7mm inducer 67.4mm exducer compressor wheel and the gt2860 compressor wheel. What length do u recommend for the turbine shaft 103mm or 112mm I’ll try and see if I can get away with not machining the turbine housing since the turbine is originally 53mm and the GT2860 turbine is 53.9mm. Think it’ll be possible?

JD said...

Hello Johnny, I don't have all the measurements but it looks like the 103mm turbine shaft would work. If you have the 112mm shaft you would have to machine the shaft for it to fit right.

I still think the 53.9mm turbine wheel would be a bit too big to fit the 53mm turbine housing. If you do try and make it fit without machining you need to make sure you have around 0.15mm side clearance for the turbine wheel. Otherwise when the turbo heats up there is risk of the turbine wheel hitting the sides and you would destroy the turbine.


Unknown said...

Ok. I’ll just send the housings off to get machined. I Just wanna be safe and do it right after u enlightened me with these facts.
Thank you JD. It’s cool that you’re helping people and spreading knowledge. Cheers

Unknown said...

Good Afternoon,
Would you recommend running this turbo on a 1999 gsxr 750?
I am planning on running stock internals as the 99 750 is known to be extremely strong.
I will be tuning using a power commander 5, running 550cc denso injectors and 50/50 water/methanol.
I will also be running an AEM wideband to keep an eye on everything.
I am hoping to lay down 200hp at the wheel and would like something that would come on boost around 5500-6000 rpm.
Thanks for your time and any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
Cheers
Kris

JD said...

Hello Kris, the GT2554R should be a good turbo for the bike. You would need to run around 7 psi or 0.5 bar boost for 200hp and around 10 psi or 0.7 bar boost to give you 250hp and you would have over 200whp.

At that power level the 550cc injectors would be close to 80% duty. So if you want to switch from water meth and try and run E85 fuel in the future you would need a bigger set of Denso 700cc injectors to run the same power to be on the safe side.

Also you could use a AEM Tru-Boost gauge or similar boost controller to control the boost levels. The built-in overboost protection is a nice thing to have especially on a bike.

Unknown said...

Hey JD,
Would you recommend this turbo for a Honda 1.5L engine (L15A7) with 10.4:1 compression ratio.
Looking for around 200-210HP (Stock 116HP), Quick spool around 2700-2900 rpm as its a daily driven with a free flow.
Stock injectors/ fuel pump.
Spark plugs upgraded to iridium
Stock ECU Tuned to sharpen throttle response, improve low end and support that new found boost
Any advice would be much appreciated
cheers
Sajan

JD said...

Hello Sajan, I think the Honda stock injectors for the L15A7 engine is only around 185cc so they would only be good for 116 hp like the engine makes stock. So you need to upgrade to some bigger 400cc or 500cc injectors to be able to get to the 200 hp you are looking for.

If you want to go with the Ball Bearing turbo option then the GT2554R is probably the best option. Due to the high compression ratio of your engine I would like to have you use an intercooler also. But if you stick to around 0.7-0.8 bar / 10 psi boost pressure and 200 hp you should be ok to run without the intercooler. However if you fit an intercooler you should be able to push the GT2554R turbo on your engine to around 250 hp with some more boost.

Now if you like to use a Journal Bearing turbocharger instead and still have quick spool then something like the GT2052 turbo would also be an good option. However with the same boost pressures you can only expect to get around 200 hp with that turbo. The bigger Journal Bearing GT2056 can give you around 250 hp but you will lose some spool and response due to it not being a Ball Bearing turbocharger like the GT2554R turbo.



KeviKoni said...

Hi, i am planning to install gt2554r turbo to air cooled motorcycle.
Is it ok to leave water cooling off from the cartridge?

JD said...

Hello, you should be ok with not having water cooling, it only takes a bit longer for the oil and outside air to cool down the turbo after a hard run so you can safely shut off the engine. If you like you can try and direct some air flow to help cool the turbo cartridge quicker.

Unknown said...

Hi JD
I have renault 5 gt turbo 1.4 litre,with carburator.
Goal is 180-190hp,lower rpm boost.
What is better solution gt2554,or gt2056?
Also at how many pressure should i get this power for booth solutions?
How good would it bee if i put 270 cams?

Thanks

JD said...

Hello, both turbos would be a good option but if you want to rev over 6-7000rpm then the GT2554 would give you a bit more power at the end of the rev range due to the bigger turbine housing.

With 1.6 bar / 23 psi boost pressure both the GT2554 and GT2056 should give you around 180hp. I would expect a 270 cam to give you around 220hp with the same boost pressure. And if you go with a bigger 285 cam you should have a solid 230hp, but going too big on cams means you also lose some power below 4000rpm.

Unknown said...

Let say that i put gt2056,better intercooler:
1.with standard cams@ 1.6bar around 180ps
2.with 270cams@1.6bar,how many ps?
Also if i put 270cams should i get more power lower range,than the standar cams?

JD said...

Hello, 270 cam GT2056, 1.6bar boost would give around 220hp but you would also lose some power below 3000rpm vs the standard cam. A 270 cam instead give a bit more power above 6000rpm vs standard.

However if you can run 2.2 bar boost / 32 psi without any risk of detonation on your engine, and have some stiffer valve springs put in that can seal properly under high boost then you could get 220hp with a standard cam and GT2056 at 1.6 bar boost pressure. But again power should also start to drop off some after 6000rpm with that setup.

Now if you instead would use 270 cam GT2056 at 2.2 bar / 32 psi boost pressure then you could get around 260 hp but that is the limit on how much the GT2056 turbo can give you.

But if you are going that far you also need to start to consider things like the carburetor could start to limit the power when you start to push higher numbers.

Unknown said...

Is there any other option of cams that is increasing power but stay as much possible to lower range rpm?
I think that is for this type of engine 6000-6500 max.after that as some people say this engine should be with another pistons etc.
I do not like to put more money in.

JD said...

Hello, well not really something like the R5TBP270 cam listed on pipercams site have a 8.68mm lift and 260 duration and have a 2000-6000 rpm power band so that is probably the best option for not losing too much low end power.

https://pipercams.co.uk/Camshafts-Car/Make-Renault/Engine-RENAULT-5-GT-TURBO/

With the R5TBP270 cam and the GT2056 turbo at 1.6 bar boost you could get around 200-210 hp.

Then with the R5TBP285 cam listed with 9.95mm lift and 270 duration you again lose 500rpm with a 2500-6500rpm power band instead but with that cam you could get to around 230hp with the GT2056 at 1.6 bar boost.

I would not go with the rally R5TBP300 for a road car due to the idle and drivability if not otherwise needed.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Wondering if a GT25 could be used in a twin setup with one per side on a 6.2 diesel. Looking for a fast spooling wastegated (9-11psi) turbo setup for an engine that has an absolute max rpm of 3600 and works best around 2000-2500.

JD said...

Hello, you would probably have full boost 11 psi around 1500-2000rpm with a twin GT25 setup and a good tune.

Unknown said...

Hi JD ive fitted Suzuki Hayabusa gen2..1340cc into a car weight 650kg will be around 900kg when iam finished, its now converted to rear wheel drive Custom diff gear ratio 3.89. Ive bought Garrett GT 25/60 R..Q..I want the Boost to come in 8,000rmp At 5psi, because Hayabusa revs so fast, want it boost at motor 8000rpm then should hit 11,000rpm. then next Gear..is this the right turbo.?? last what type brand weight full syn.. Stan.

JD said...

Hello Stan, in high gears I would expect the turbo to start building boost around 6.5-7000rpm, so you should be on 5 psi boost between 8-11.000rpm even on low gears.

With this turbo the power should also keep climbing at 11.000rpm. So if you can rev the engine to 12.000rpm that would give you a bit more top end power also and a wider power band.

If you are unsure what oil to use remember that with a ball bearing turbo it is important to check that the turbo have around 40-45 psi oil pressure at peak rpm/load. I always use Mobil 1 5w-50 full synthetic in my engines but 10w-40 is also a good option.

Galih Leo said...

Hallo JD, a lot of information and knowledge both on article and comment section.

i have Suzuki Grand Vitara 2400cc AT. Is standard engine parts capable enough to be installed this turbo?

JD said...

Hello Leo, with a good tune you should be ok with the standard Suzuki J24B engine parts if you don't rev past 7000 rpm.

I would recommend you to give the Garrett GT2560R turbo a try if you can find one. It is also called GT28R sometimes. It would give you a bit more power at the same boost levels. They both share the same turbine housing, so on your 2.4 liter engine the spool on the GT2554R and GT2560R should be almost the same.

You can expect to get around 250hp at 1 bar / 14 psi boost with the GT2554R turbo. But running the same boost with the GT2560R should give you around 300hp with similar spool times.

Unknown said...

Hello, JD, boxer engine 1.7l 8v engine, when would gt2554 start to spool? I am looking for around 180 whp, runing comp ratio 9:1?
I can get gt1548 cheap(spool rpm? ) and gt1752(when would it start to spool?) car has short gearing, si I am in fifth gear at 60km/h at 2000 rpm, so i dont want to be in boost at ity traffic

Unknown said...

The manifold is quite long, if that makes spool the turbo slower?

JD said...

Hello, usually engines like the bigger VW boxer are able to spool turbos very well due to the bigger bore sizes used in those types of engines. So in those engines you have strong exhaust pulses and the manifold lengths are not that big of an issue to spool.

In your case if we are talking about an Alfa Romeo 1.7 liter boxer engine you also have a similar situation with a bigger 87mm bore and 72mm stroke. So with a good manifold it might not be that big of an issue.

I would say you would probably have full boost around 3500-4000rpm with the GT2554 turbo. You should be able to get a solid 180whp with 1 bar / 14 psi boost pressure. And you would still be able to get around 210whp with a bit more boost if you like.

The GT1548 will spool faster and have full boost around 2500rpm with a good setup however you would really have to push that turbo to 1.5 bar / 22 psi or more to get to around 160whp.

Considering the GT1752 turbo it might be a good alternative also however there are no official compressor maps for that turbo and all existing maps are estimated maps so I can't really say if it's a good option. From the looks of it, the GT1752 might be able to support a bit more power over the GT2554 due to it being a high boost +2 bar / 30 psi type turbo. However how good it spools would depend on what size / type turbine housing it's got fitted.

Unknown said...

Its a turbo from saab, turbine housing a/r is .47, and yes its alfa romeo engine, now using 67 mm stroke crank, but comp is too low, 7:1 or less, need to go with 72mm crank, the car itself has a lot od torque, so gt1752 would bee a good choice i think, and to save a gearbox from turbo spooling too fast?

JD said...

Hello, if you can run the higher compression ratio and 72mm crank you should probably see the GT1752 turbo start spooling around 2-2500rpm and have full boost around 3000rpm.

From the estimated GT1752 compressor maps you should get around 180whp with 1 bar / 14 psi boost. However you also might need to run a bit more boost due to it being a 8v engine. The GT1752 would be a bit easier on the gearbox.

Unknown said...

Γειά σας έχω ένα μοτέρ sr20det κ θέλω να αλλάξω τουρμπίνα. Σκέφτομαι την gt2554 η gt2560.. Εσείς τι λέτε

JD said...

Hello, for the stock sr20det you can go with the GT2560R turbo and get a solid 250hp. But if you want some more power you should get the GT2860R turbocharger, it should make +300hp no problems with around 15 psi / 1 bar boost on the sr20det engine.

bhorayi said...

Will a GT2554R with turbine AR.64 be suitable for a 2300cc engine

JD said...

Hello bhorayi, if you want quick spool it is a good option. You should have full boost around 2500rpm and even a bit earlier with a good setup. However due to the smaller turbine housing power will start to drop off earlier, probably around 6000rpm for your 2300cc engine.

Myst said...

Will this fit in my 2009 Toyota Corolla

JD said...

Hello Myst, it will fit but you would probably need to have a Bottom Mount Turbo Manifold fitted.

Unknown said...

Hi, how is it on a stock 4efte engine
Any reviews on a bar

Thx

JD said...

Hello, with the stock Toyota 4EFTE engine you should see around 200hp with 1.5 bar / 22 psi boost and around 170hp with 1 bar / 15psi boost. You can expect the GT2554R turbo to start spooling around 4-4500rpm. If you want more then you need to look at the 62 trim GT2860R or 56 trim GT2854R turbo, both can give you around 250hp with 2 bar / 29 psi boost.

JTA said...

Hi i have an Mazda 2.2D Skyactiv its an Compound turbo engine and i like to upgrade it have an GT1238Z as the HP Turbocharger and an GT1752S as the Lp, can i upgrade one of them or do i need to upgrade them both ? i would like to get around 250-300ps if its possible

JD said...

Hello JTA, I think you can keep the smaller GT12 turbo because the built in bypass valve would bypass the small turbo so it won't become a restriction. That said you could probably port the GT12 compressor bypass valve if you find that it does become an airflow restriction. The turbine housing bypass valve looks to be very big so I don't see that being a big restriction either.

You would need a pretty big turbo to get 250-300hp, something in the the GT2860R size. I don't know how efficient the Mazda 2.2D Skyactiv engine is so I can't say for sure if the GT28 would get you 300hp.. However if you go with the slightly bigger Holset HX35 turbo or a similar size +50mm inducer you should reach 300ps. The good thing with compound turbo setups is that once the small turbo starts to spool the bigger one will also start to build boost very quick even if it is a very big size difference.

JTA said...

Hi again and thanks for your time :-)
I have a GT2871R 743347-5001s that i bought from e freind a couple years back do you think that i could use it for my 2.2D ? i was orginaly planing to use it on my Sons Volvo 240 but thats a different project ;-) The GT2871R has Comp A/R 60 and Turbin A/R 64

JD said...

Hello JTA, yes the GT2871R would work. It should allow you to reach 300ps and still spool fast with the help of the GT12 turbo.

Oliver said...

Hello JD, i would liek to ask you if you can help me,

I want to go for garret gt 2554r in my Honda Accord 2.2 ictdi 2006. If i can connect it properly in car will this turbo work for me ? I have already installed supporting mods like FMIC, clutch, and injectors and fuel pump on stock can push 240 hp but i would like to achieve with this setup around 220 230. Is there anything to watch out or i should forgett install this turbo on that car?
I already have stage 2 map where stock turbo pushing 1.4 bar (just to know if this can be problem when switching turbo)
Thank you!

JD said...

Hello Oliver, going with the GT2554r turbo would give you a bit more top end power and around 30hp more. However due to it not being a variable vane turbo you would also lose some spool and low end power.

I would instead try looking for hybrid turbos like the 41.5mm inducer GTB2056VK or 44.5mm inducer GTB2260VK turbo found in Audi or MB. These would give you similar spool to the stock setup but 30-70hp more at the top end.

Also you would need to look for the vacuum converted / or vacuum controlled versions of these hybrid turbos because they normally come with the electric actuator control for controlling the vanes. But if you are handy you could remove the electric actuator and replace it with a wastegate actuator instead.

Post a Comment

Folks don't forget about racing safety gear when buying auto racing parts

I have been tuning engines for a long time and with that experience I tend to look a bit more at how other people tune their cars and bikes than anyone else. Now this is not true for everyone, but most of you will recognize yourself at some level.

About 25 years ago the level of tuning an ordinary street car would ever see was at most 30% increase in power. (Not true for every car out there, but I'm talking ordinary street cars here)

So if you had an Ford, Volvo or BMW the amount of power you could get would have been in the 150hp range and in some extreme cases 250hp. At this point this was the "limit" of ordinary naturally aspirated engines at that time. Yes there was a lot of racing going on at that time, and some of these race engines did get put into street cars and power levels would have been 300+ hp. But the amount of maintenance these race engines required and the cost to keep them running were too much for most people.

Back then you could not just go into a racing store and buy yourself a set of forged pistons and connecting rods. Let alone camshafts and valves to build your race engine.

With the introduction of turbochargers however the power suddenly increased to levels that are still uncommon in today’s cars. At the beginning people where not really sure how to tune turbo engines and intercoolers where something that most people had never heard of. Silicone hoses where did you get that?

You would have to know someone in the maintenence department that did service on trucks or busses that had turbocharged Diesel engines at the time to buy the simple things like, clamps, hoses, gaskets, oil lines etc. Even something like an external Wastegate that are availiable almost everywhere now today you could not get your hands on. And something like real drag tires where not that common either.

But as time passed by, engine tuners got their hands on more parts, most that had the machines and tools started to make their own intercoolers, wastegates and all the parts that were hard to get and the knowledge and the tuning business took of.

Now it still took some time before engine management systems and electric fuel injection where you could really start to extract power out of engines became common and figure out how to tune the software to make that work. To start if you found someone who could tune these you would have to fork out serious doe to get everything working. Well you still might have to do that today, and serious race teams do spend alot of money to get the electrical side working right. Today there are so many more things you can do with a powerful ECU, like traction control, different boost pressures for low and high gears, launch control, shiftcut etc.. This list is very long.

But before all that came chip tuning and fuel injected turbo engines. What was unheard of just 20 years ago would now become a reality for anyone with a few minutes of tuning. Some of you might know the story of the Ford RS Cosworth, Nissan Skyline, Audi S1 Quattro, Lancia S4 to name a few and other icons of the late 1980 and early 1990. The turbo engines back then would give you 200hp and that is still today 25 years on about the same power level you would get from a new car. However today this is a common power figure for a station wagon. And back in the 80s only a few racing breed turbo engines would give you that.

But with a few changes to the ECU with chip tuning and some larger fuel injectors all that was needed then was to turn up the boost pressure and 350hp where unleashed. The only real limit here was only how much air the standard turbocharger could supply.

Sure there where different levels of basic tuning you could do but the effect was the same, more power.

With more and more tuner friendly cars coming out over the years the power figures are still holding almost the same. Just until recently where the powerfigures have really started to go up and beyond what was thought possible only a few years ago..

But what have really changed today is the huge amount of DIY tuners out there. What engine tuners did 25 years ago have now entered the garage and racing parts have now become widely available to anyone. From the cheap Chinese made turbo exhaust manifolds to wastegates and almost every tuning part you can think of to the pure racing parts like forged pistons and engine management systems on sale that anyone can buy.

So what has happened is anyone with a little background in mechanics can now build their own race engine. Power levels have just gone up and up and up.. It’s not uncommon to see street cars today with 500hp and then there are the ones who have gone even higher, breaking the 1000hp barrier.

The one thing that all these engines have in common to achieve such power levels are of course the turbocharger. Without the turbo it would not have been possible. Well a supercharger or N02 injection could do the job too but that’s another story.

However time and time again people forget the most important parts when tuning cars. I’m talking about safety and racing safety gear. I do see that people buy racing seats and that’s good. But most of the time they don’t buy racing seats because of the added safety. It’s because they think racing seats look good. And what about things like auto racing helmets that keeps your head intact. Most of the time people come to the track without real racing helmets and if it’s street racing that’s taking place, no one seems to bother wearing any kind of racing helmets at all.

I do understand that people feel protected inside their cars and they don’t think they need roll cages and in some cases opt for roll bars instead but you really need to think about this.

Some of the racing safety gear you should look at are the following:
racing suit
racing shoes
racing helmets
racing gloves

This would be the minimum for my liking if your going on a trackday or similar race day event with your tuned car.

In case you don’t have a fuel cell in your car and there is a chance of fire or fuel leak then you should consider racing fire suits also because these will save your life.

Fire is not to be taken lightly. If you have a good fuel system in place to feed your engine and anyone who are looking for power is going to have that. Then you need to understand that at any given time those racing fuel pumps are pumping 2 gallons of fuel every minute. And if you get a leak and have an accident you are in real trouble if the power to the pumps are not cut right away.

So having the right racing safety gear to protect you is always a good choice. Today’s car are much safer than the ones years ago, but you need to understand that when we double and triple the amount of power and turn our 100mph car into a 200mph fire spitting monster of a car you really, really should spend some time and pick out some racing safety gear also.