Turbo manifold, cheap ebay?

[Radugns]

Hello,

I start to build my second engine, turbo application this time. I want something at around 320bhp at maximum to can run a jc5 box.
So far I got:
Mk3 head and intake, wossner and pec combo with 9:1 CR, intercooler and hoses and full ARP bolts set.
I found that the exhaust manifold is really expensive for what I get (cast iron). There are cheap turbo manifolds on ebay, from China, and looks for me exactly the same. Does anyone use that manifold? As for turbo, I might get the gt2860rs as it is used for this application by a lot.

Thanks,
Radu

 

[R3k1355]

Pretty sure people have run the Chinese manifold, just get the mating faces machined to ensure they are true and flat.

 

[Crayola]

Can get the F4RT manifolds fromAliExpress

Just have it linished otherwise you wont be laughing

 

[Brigsy]

Id bet my bottom dollar most of the clio turbo conversions use the ching spec cast manifold, rebranded as theirs at a fair markup. Same with the turbos, i cant believe a lot of the low boost conversions use cheap no brand turbos. Just check the faces are true and linish as necessary, ive seen people cutting a slot in the flange to stop it warping too.

 

[R3k1355]

Same with the turbos, i cant believe a lot of the low boost conversions use cheap no brand turbos.

You often see them offered for a range of conversions on different cars, I guess not all go pop after 5 minutes. Pity you can never tell which ones.

ive seen people cutting a slot in the flange to stop it warping too.

That was a common trick on MX5's as well, the manifolds on those were from Greddy.

 

[Brigsy]

You often see them offered for a range of conversions on different cars, I guess not all go pop after 5 minutes. Pity you can never tell which ones.

Indeed, some must be decent quality its just a gamble which one. I know a few people who have made loads of power on ching spec turbos on the hondas, treated them as disposable as so cheap compared to a garrett or similar.

 

[Crayola]

Most F4RT mani's already have expansion gaps. Even the ling long happy boy manifolds from China haha

 

[Aydon182]

Chinese turbos are usually fine for low boost aplications, like the ED one it runs something pissy like 7psi, so theyre usually fine. Probably more disposable when you start running them at their boost limits though.
Also ED have been around doing their turbo conversions for donkeys, so i bet the chinese turbos they use now are probably from a good supplier through years of trial and error and from purchasing from alot of different places, i believe they actually used to do garrett turbos in their packages years ago, but in 2019 using a garrett would probably put the conversion price out of the market..
The cost of a turbo conversion is already at the price youd pay for the entire car anyway

 

[bloke]

Genuine housing compared to Chinese one from a reputable UK supplier. Not ed.

 

[Radugns]

Regarding the turbo, I will go for original garrett, just for manifold I don't want to spend over 200 pounds for that cast iron part. The china ones also have expansions slots.

 

[Crayola]

Genuine housing compared to Chinese one from a reputable UK supplier. Not ed. View attachment 1420908

The Garrett one is just a slag and has big old holes ?

 

[bloke]

The Garrett one is just a slag and has big old holes ?

But doesn't run over 20psi the wastegate is fully open!!

 

[R3k1355]

The inevitable result when you're good at copying stuff but have no idea what these things actually do.

 

[Crayola]

But doesn't run over 20psi the wastegate is fully open!!

Tbh most low blow stuff is only about 7 or 8 pound anyway and high boost is about 12. Them Chink Chonk ling lang happy bing bong turbos are more than capable strapped to a Clio. Unless they're wanting maximum performance instead of just a bit of fun in a french wobbly bean tin

 

[bloke]

But when you only want it to run 9psi and it's way higher that's when you're in trouble.

Think that one did actually hit over 20psi with wastegate fully open. Was fine once it had been ported.

 

[Brigsy]

I can imagine no control of the boost pressure at all when cranking it up with that pissy little hole behind the w/g penny. Still quite a way to go until the lower end ching stuff compares to garrett. The mamba stuff looks ok, but not cheap !

 

[R3k1355]

The mamba stuff looks ok, but not cheap !

This is the thing, the stuff that looks decent costs decent money, which again makes you scratch your head a little at the cheaper stuff.

 

[Crayola]

I can imagine no control of the boost pressure at all when cranking it up with that pissy little hole behind the w/g penny. Still quite a way to go until the lower end ching stuff compares to garrett. The mamba stuff looks ok, but not cheap !

Their stuff looks good but a mate tried one and wish he hadn't ? In the end he just went out and bought a Holset HX35

 

[Aydon182]

Genuine housing compared to Chinese one from a reputable UK supplier. Not ed. View attachment 1420908

Never seen a Carrett turbo before, they any good? ?

 

[bloke]

Never seen a Carrett turbo before, they any good? ?

disleksick casting ?

 

[Dec_NE]

Never seen a Carrett turbo before, they any good? ?

I'd assume they're all much of a muchness, but we used to run them on old smokey Vauxhalls and they used to do the job and were almost cheap enough to not be arsed when they eventually blew up.