well played

 

When people ask about my turbo setup I don't want to say eBay

 

That would be embarrassing.

 

Don't do it! I've seen too many bad things with ebay turbo kits. Sure it's cheap but is it worth the destruction of your motor? Do it right the first time and save yourself some time, money, and hair pulling. If you want a cheap turbo kit then buy this guy's kit. He's been trying to sell it for quite some time now. It's not a complete set but it's a good start for a fair price.
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/part...elcome-307343/

 

I have a k04 turbo, manifold and o2 housing on the classifieds

 

zzp will be the best bet for parts like
-zzp turbo exhaust manifold ( i ran a cheaper one that blew up)
-name brand bov and wastegate to avoid surge and wastegate flutter

As for the intercooler and other parts its possible to build yourself. Its taken me a good half a year to finally get the car where it needs to be.

As for the turbo, buy a cheaper one and replace internals with a garrett kit

 

Don't do this.

 

Also LNF turbo kits bolt on the l61

 

Just get a ebay electric s/c

 

Posts like this get under my skin.

OP, seriously, if it sounds like a horrible idea...it's a horrible idea. Do not cheap out on one of the most important parts of the car just to try to get it. Save your pennies, if you're serious. Because an ebay turbo kit will cost you much more than you think once your **** has a hole in it or your motor's fucked....all because you wanted super low quality cheap ****.

If you're looking for respect too....you definitely won't get that, as said earlier.

 

So many uninformed people in this thread. Sigh

 

le sigh

 

Cmon rida drop some knowledge on us

 

An eBay turbo kit is not good but parts of it are very good for the money. Take the turbo and rebuild it with garret parts and buy a used tial waste gate and blow off valve. All of the other parts are fine. You would have a hell of a lot less in this kit than a zzp kit and it would be just as good.

Guys with foxbodys do this and make 800 horsepower all day long son it can be too bad

 

I disagree, respectfully. I did read your post about foxbody guys doing it, but I feel that there are a few different factors to look at with it.

I don't think it will end up being that much cheaper in the long run. Maybe initially. I don't really like the bang for buck debate, as it comes down to preference almost always.

But for my counter argument I will use deltas/cobalts are the base here.

So you're taking a junk turbo and getting it rebuilt from the get go. Okay, a proper rebuild will net you with a decent bill that you could have bought a legitimate, balanced, specced turbo from the get go with.

Then you're taking pipes that may or may not fit and you may have to cut the crap out of to get to fit in the cobalt, and that MAY rub/corrode/break/bend easier due to their cheaper quality. Same for the core, it may not with stand the abuse/leak/flow like a quality core (just like any core could though). Lets not forget most of the kits don't have the proper welded oil pans, line lengths, BOV flanges, and other various things you will have to fit/modify/cut just to fit right. So there is more money right there if they can't do it themselves.

You aren't guaranteed the fitments etc like a kit of a company who developed and R&D'ed the parts. You're also supporting people who attempted to copy their design, which we shouldn't do in our scene, in my personal opinion.

And you had this car you know how sensitive they are. Or any new cars. Your s2000 is/was beautiful, and if I remember correctly, you didn't use an ebay kit on that. All legit parts.

An older, "tougher", or 'more simple' car like a foxbody I could see it. also that car has a saturated market lol. But a contemporary car, no way. It will come down to tuning as well, but we also don't see how often the turbos/maintenance has to be done with replacing these parts.

this is just my opinion from what I know. I know 5-6 people who have had nothing but problems, and a few guys with older v8s that running decent power through them...for a little while, but they always end up failing and getting the parts they should have in the first place.

 

I see no point it buying a kit that needs parts replaced off the shelf save a little and do it right the first time plus for the average user a cut to fit kit is gonna provide way more problems in the long run than saving a little more and buying a kit that is designed for the application
Having said that there is value in these kits like you said but I think its more for custom applications

 

A bov and waste gate can be had for $250 used for tial stuff and Garrett parts for a rebuild can be done for around $450. So having a fairly good quality kit for 1500 shipped can't be beat. And the piping I've bought from eBay is great quality for what it costs. And the cxracing intercoolers on ebay have made over 1200hp in a few corvettes. I'm not saying I'd buy an eBay kit I'm just saying a lot of people diss eBay **** when they have no clue and just take a friend of a friends advice.

 

its nice to buy the whole kit from zzp ready to go, but spend upwards to 5k?

Even if you have a cheap turbo, inspect housings and replace bearings/seal with garrett parts.
Intercooler system can be made fairly easily for under $400

After blowing up a used t3 manifold, id suggest getting zzp cast.
just make sure:
-intake mani
-wastegate
-bov
-boost controller

are name brands with good reputation

My total turbo build is in the low 2ks. SO it is not saving a "little" money, its saving a ton.
But it isn't possible for a lot of people to do, not a beginners project. No so plug and play.

if you've got the money to buy zzp that's good. Id rather do some custom work and save money

 

I remember going through one of these phases when I used to drive an MX6, and I too am in university so I know the struggles. After much research the conclusion I came to was everyone had different experiences. Some people have had eBay kits that last years while others don't last for more than a month. For me I just saved my money and bought something that came boosted.

Better off buying something with a reputable name. It'll save you the headaches and even offer customer support which I doubt the eBay brands do. But then again you could take a gamble and buy one of the kits and never have any problems. So who knows

 

Ching chong kaboom.
lulz

 

^ This

you would be surprised how cheap you can put one together if you take the time to source parts from junkyards or online forums like this. Your baby deserves better then ebay junk!

 

Listen to the majority here and save up ur money. Ur gonna spend what little u have on a pos kit, its gonna blow up on you and then u will have no money to fix it because u wasted it all. Not trying to be mean but thats prolly what will happen. Save now buy later

 

Buy a SS/SC thread