Which turbo to replace my GT25? GT2860R or GT2871R? Neither? Recommendation?

P

Preferio

I break stuff.
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2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
I've killed another OE GT25, and cannot help but think spinning the little guy to 21psi and running it at full boost all the time is the cause. The first one made it to 185k before dying and the second only made it from 82k another 1,500 miles. I am NOT going to spend $1,200 on a real 'Disco Potato' and have decided to go the Chinacharger route. Whatever unit I go with will be a journal bearing equipped unit. Do I need a restrictor? If so, what size? What other items will I need? The turbo I think I will go with states "DESIGNED TO BE TO GARRETT STYLE SPECS"- will this mean that I can use my OE oil/water lines? I want as little modification as possible and this as closed to OE as possible. If not, what other items will I need? And, what unit would you recommend and why? GT2860R or GT2871R? Or something else? I also don't want 3-bolt flanged connections, but rather a straight outlet/inlet so that I can use couplers to connect.

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you'll need a restrictor(1.5mm) for any t2 journal bearing turbo. I think chinachargers can be a good alternative but only if you have them balanced/looked over by a shop before installing it. have you thought of going with a journal bearing t28 from an s15? or even a modified sr20 t25 with a t28 compressor wheel? Since you wont be running low boost you might want to go with a brand name turbo that's rebuilt instead.
 
Brian_K said:
you'll need a restrictor(1.5mm) for any t2 journal bearing turbo. I think chinachargers can be a good alternative but only if you have them balanced/looked over by a shop before installing it. have you thought of going with a journal bearing t28 from an s15? or even a modified sr20 t25 with a t28 compressor wheel? Since you wont be running low boost you might want to go with a brand name turbo that's rebuilt instead.
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Ryan, 2.0t03speed, had good luck with his and also noted that it required very little balancing. I am totally in agreement concerning balancing. He made mention of another user running a 'Chinacharger' 2871 at 22psi for, at the time, over 10,000 miles. This car isn't a daily and is now used minimally- approximately 4,000-6,000 miles per year, so even if it lasted 10k miles, that would equate 2 years of use for $350. I've also considered spending $450-500 on a ball bearing china charger.
 
Preferio said:
I've killed another OE GT25, and cannot help but think spinning the little guy to 21psi and running it at full boost all the time is the cause. The first one made it to 185k before dying and the second only made it from 82k another 1,500 miles. I am NOT going to spend $1,200 on a real 'Disco Potato' and have decided to go the Chinacharger route. Whatever unit I go with will be a journal bearing equipped unit. Do I need a restrictor? If so, what size? What other items will I need? The turbo I think I will go with states "DESIGNED TO BE TO GARRETT STYLE SPECS"- will this mean that I can use my OE oil/water lines? I want as little modification as possible and this as closed to OE as possible. If not, what other items will I need? And, what unit would you recommend and why? GT2860R or GT2871R? Or something else? I also don't want 3-bolt flanged connections, but rather a straight outlet/inlet so that I can use couplers to connect.

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Click to expand...

Why not go with Precision Turbo?....It's reliable, warrantied, rebuildable, and they have limitless sizes to chose from! You can snag one for under $700.....Just a thought, look into it.
 
I've been searching and haven't found any of their turbos anywhere near that pricing. Can you send a link?
 
Yeah, Ryan, I'm going to spend $1450 on that.
 
I'll get a stand-alone, this turbo, and build the transmission so I can put down those 470whp numbers like you... LOLOLOLOLOLOL
 
Ah, those are T3's though. Damn it. I'd really like to spend about $500-600
 
Believe I'm going with a 2871, though of the journal bearing variety, instead of ball bearing. Simply due to cost. I figure even if I get 10k miles of use out of it, it's worth it. I only put about 5k on the MSP a year. The one I'm down to is the Twisted Motion "GT2871R" version 2 that is, per my conversation with them, identical in spec to the Garrett GT2871R. Other than bearings obviously, but I mean water feed, water outlet, drain, oil feed, 5-bolt, etc. I want as little modification as possible. It's about $360. The other that I've been considering is the OBX hybrid 28 that's a ball bearing for about $550. That's $200 difference in price. Combined with the fact I want another manifold and needing some type of engine management, that $200 savings will help get it back on the road a bit quicker.
 
Truthfully, some sort of standalone with a quality tune might extend the life of any turbocharger you purchase by a considerable amount.

I'd suggest looking into something like a haltech and then dropping coin on a quality turbo. Really; these two things are something you do NOT wanna cheap out on regardless of how much you drive the car.

Cheers.
 
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