I was looking at the JWT 500 Sport turbos. As far as I know they are the stock ones which have had the internals improved. Am I right?

 

Anyway these where going to cost me over a grand for the turbos, which is acceptable but not exactly cheap.

 

However!

 

I have been given a phone number of some one in the UK who rebuilds turbos. I phoned him and he knows what he is talking about. He knew what turbos where on a 300ZX anyway and said that I would need new oil feeder lines.

 

Anyway, to rebuild my turbos with 360 Degree BB, Air Cooled and Step Gaps (Or could be Stop Gaps) works out to be £400 cheaper than the JWT and that is before I add any tax and shipping of my turbos back and new turbos here onto the price too.

Plus JWT 500 are not BB are they?

 

This guy seemed to know his stuff and didnt sound like he was trying to con me. He basically explained that there is little he can do to the turbos just make them really strong with the strongest parts he can get.

 

I have seen some sites say they ground out the housing to make it take a larger wheel. I dont like the sound of that.

 

What do you guys thing? By the sounds of it this guy does the same thing that JWT does to the 500Sport. Just makes them very strong, and for that much cheaper should I give him a try?

 

He has come very very highly recommended by people who race cars so I believe he is capable.

 

What are your thoughs on this? Would you go with him?

 

Stuart

The JWT aren't just strengthened stock, as you say,they have bigger compressor wheels in a ground housing.

They do a 530BB which is a ball bearing, apparently good for 500RWHP (American so call it 430?!) with less lag than stock.

Don't know about price though.

 

I'd personally go for those as they're pretty well proven on the Z and the mods needed to get the best from them are well known.

The thing is the 530 BB turbos are $3000 or so. Which after tax and shipping your turbos back and forth, the final cost will be close to £2000. The Sport 500 are not BB but the ones I have been quoted are BB.

 

What do the BB do? Make it stronger? Or does it mean it can spool up quicker and spin faster?

the ball bearing part is the thrust washer, which allows for faster spool up as there is less reisistance compared to a regular thrust washer

thought of fitting smithy's hybrids??

Hi Stuart,

 

The problem with fitting a custom turbo is that it is an unknown quantity!

 

If you have trouble with the actuators or some other querk then who can you consult? Noone apart from the maker and he could say it is a problem with your engine or the fitter!

 

If you get the JWT or PE1420 $2400(my choice), then there are plenty of people on TT.net or 300zxclub.com to give you advice/experience on how to solve your problem!

 

Also the ecu mapping would have to be custom mapped for your turbo engine setup!

 

BTW the main advantage of BB turbos is that they enable the turbo to run higher boost than 360 or 270 thrust bearings, i.e. 20+ psi!

 

Also if you gonna get your tubs shipped with the price of shipping/customs, you might as well have a weekend break in New York and pick them up yourself?

The Sport500's are really good and have a proven (good) reputation that already exists for many years..

Spool up is same as stock, but they can boost up to 1.6-1.7bar without major efficiency loss, where the stock turbos run out of puff around 1.1bar.

(...mind you'll need at least bigger injectors first if you want to run these kinds of boostlevels.)

 

the 530BB's seem to be very good also...and they don't require a core charge.

So no additional costs of sending in your old turbos and you could sell your old turbos, if those are still alive..

 

Another cheap upgrade seems to be the Z1 stage 1 turbos.

They have slightly higher flow rates as the sport500's, are cheaper and come with all needed gaskets and stuff..

They don't have the proven reputation of the 500's though..

Dunno Lymon if you talk to the guy who owned Tony C's car before him, he was not happy with Sport 500's!

 

Plus also, there is a core charge with the 500's and not the 530's so you could recoup some money selling your old tubs!

Thanks guys, keep your thoughts coming.

 

I am getting 555cc injectors and ECU to work them, so running higher boost should not be a problem.

 

 

Stuart

Oh BTW... it's a myth that BB turbos have faster spoolup.

The lag of a ballbearing turbo is the same or sometimes even a little bit worse compared to a similar sized turbo with an old type thrust bearing

It is true however that ballbearing turbos have BETTER spoolup (once the boost starts to build) and they keep spinning much longer (which you'll notice between shifts).

Originally posted by SRRAE

Thanks guys, keep your thoughts coming.

 

I am getting 555cc injectors and ECU to work them, so running higher boost should not be a problem.

 

 

Stuart

 

Twin intake and upgrade IC's as well stuart! If you have the money Greg Duprees split downpipes, decrease lag and increase BHP :D

I have dual intake ;)

 

Which reminds me I have to post something :rolleyes:

 

Intercooler will come too.

Am biased obviously to certain turbo's after i considered many others, one very important factor as mentioned above, when it comes to the Zed, make sure WHO EVER you buy em off is gonna be there for yer IF things go wrong, and yes they certainly can.

It's nearly a grands labour to whip em out and post back where ever, who pays for it ?. Have knoweldge of at least 4 times another companies turbo's have gone back to them to be repaired, but no help with the labour costs. In short if our car was any other Nissan, i'd say buy anywhere from around the world cos the costs for labour are easily a third if not less in some cases.

smithy

I have taken that into account too. I dont know what his policy is on a matter like that, but his attitude is you dont skimp on the cost of rebuilding the turbos as it could just cause them to fail later on.

 

But I am fitting the turbos my self. So if some company does offer to pay for the replacement of bad turbos and asks for the invoice for the cost of changing them, I cant show. Plus they could say they where incorrectly installed.

 

I am in no way implying that about you, Smithy, but you can see my prediciment.

 

Stuart.

Stu,

 

Do you have a dual intake, with a filter independently feeding each bank or two filters both feeding into one AFM?

I bought the dual one from AdamR.

 

Its 2 hoses with a dummy MAS on one side

OK excellent, you need a separate hose for each bank of cylinders!

Seporate hose of what?

 

Mean corner hose?

HKS 2530bb in my oppinion are the best in the 500whp category

Oh dear! :rolleyes: To fit a BB cartridge on a stock turbo would be rediculous! Grinding out the compressor housing is also a no no - you must have the shape there to reduce the air velocicty as it leaves the compressor and if you grind out the housing, the shape is lost.

 

How long is a piece of string? What power are you trying to achieve? IMO Sport500s are now well out dated - although they do get some good reviews still. 555 injectors will give enough fuel for a nice safe 500/530 RWHP which is getting close to 600bhp @ the crank. For 600bhp you are looking at some pretty meaty turbos - not to mention, for them to realise their power you will also need to replace the shit stock manifolds!

 

Should give you a few things to think about ;)

Originally posted by Pambos

HKS 2530bb in my oppinion are the best in the 500whp category

 

Old Fashioned now!

What's new on that range?

JWT 530 or PE1420 both give equal BHP and less lag than the 2530!

Oh and one other point too! The BB (although most are actaully roller bearing not ball bearing) means the centre cartridge which the turbo shaft runs in. It is not the thrust bearing - thats entirely different. BB turbos do not have thrust bearings!

 

I would not buy any turbo that wasn't roller bearing/ball bearing cartridged these days - technology has moved on, move with it or be a dinosaur! :D

Originally posted by andyduff

technology has moved on, move with it or be a dinosaur! :D

 

yeah and look what technology has done for the 350z when the 300 dinosaur still beats it!!:rolleyes:

Originally posted by scoops

yeah and look what technology has done for the 350z when the 300 dinosaur still beats it!!:rolleyes:

 

The 350 is a product designed to earn Nissan a Profit, not beat other cars!

 

It is a well known fact, that modern cars are getting slower because of all the extras and safety features etc., they have to accomodate, because people expect more from their cars and not necessarily speed!