Are big turbos worthwhile and hows the reliabilitys

[ledzz]

Hey
Running 224whp at the moment

Looking to buy an s280 for 280whp and limit the torque to about 295 ft lbs

Would you say from your own experience its worthwhile money aside as my 224whp feels nippy low down but after 4k rpms feels like a big drop in power and torque which seems normal for a standard turbo

Would ask this on the uk forums but not many people who have a big turbo tend to respond

Also wondering about how reliable they are
A lot of people mention the engines are fine for upto 350whp but looking for peoples opinions that have owned a bigger turbo

Also before anyone suggests a different turbo would need to finance the turbo and its the only one available

Thank you guys a lot of appreciation for any responses

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Hey
Running 224whp at the moment

Looking to buy an s280 for 280whp and limit the torque to about 295 ft lbs

Would you say from your own experience its worthwhile money aside as my 224whp feels nippy low down but after 4k rpms feels like a big drop in power and torque which seems normal for a standard turbo

Would ask this on the uk forums but not many people who have a big turbo tend to respond

Also wondering about how reliable they are
A lot of people mention the engines are fine for upto 350whp but looking for peoples opinions that have owned a bigger turbo

Also before anyone suggests a different turbo would need to finance the turbo and its the only one available

Thank you guys a lot of appreciation for any responses

You will always want more power after the jump. You get used to it and it becomes everyday. I like my BT. Its been almost 30k miles BTW. If you looking for more power up top S280 will be more then adequate and will NOT let you down. Just dont tune to the Ragged edge and you will be fine for years to come!

 

[ledzz]

Thank you buddy
Yeh thats why looking to limit the whp and torque for reliability

 

[ledzz]

People in the UK tend to say they have issues around 350bhp plus let alone whp thankyou

 

[xxiaze]

In my personal experience, so far, the transition to big turbo has been a mess. Mine might be a one off experience but actually most people that I know making the transition struggle to dial it in correctly. If you’re doing the work yourself be prepared to get super familiar with your car to correct the mechanics of it as the issues present themselves. I’ve had EWG issues with spring weighting and boost creep, then AFR issues with the auxiliary fuel, then knock or false knock issues in cyl 1 likely due to aftermarket motor mount... working that out now. I did however purchase the Peron stg 4 g25-550 kit so quite a lot changed on the car including the addition of 4 port auxiliary all over a single course install. So it’s been a challenge to get it dialed in completely so far. Lots of stress and hours to make it all happen. As for is it worth it... yes and no. The initial feel of power and sound is AWESOME, but as typhoon stated above you get used to it very quickly. To me now, making aprox 300WHP currently, it feels standard and really not all that quick. So unless you’re racing constantly and have the ability to show it’s worth by beating cars or track it really isn’t all that great. It was just as fun when it was stock turbo and tbh I had way less problems. Reliability once it’s all dialed in, with a proper tune and appropriate power point is totally fine for almost everyone. You should be able to tune your goals 100% reliably. All that to say, yea it’s kinda worth it for sound and initial feel plus street presence to race some cars occasionally... just be prepared to battle with initial setup and tuning process. It’s likely to present plenty of issues until you get it all squared away perfectly.

 

[Dpro]

I went to an S280 and besides switching tuners its been a great experience. The problem comes when people go to far with to many extras trying to go for big power. IMO.

I am tuned on pump gas and my numbers are in your target area. I plan on tuning for e30.
If I was going to go with more power above 300 hp I would never get a 4 port or single port injection system. Its an outdated design left over from the 90’s that is a piggyback system on top of your stock ECU.

The way to go now is with bigger injectors and a High flow high pressure fuel pump.So they are completely connected up to your ECU with no external BS.

Those two things allow you to tune the S280 all the way up to 380HP. ( Yes my tuner actually tested on a car) My current Tuner is well versed in s280’s as well which also helps. IMO.

In the end going big Turbo is all about the proper researched choice. There is a reason so many of us are running the S280.

In other words ones choice in which Turbo to run makes a big difference in how painful or painless those whole ordeal can be.

I choose an S280 because it bolts onto a stock manifold . No dealing with Aftermarket manifolds which can be wild cards.
I choose an S280 because it can do pretty damn well on stock fueling and unlike a hybrid is not going to be overspinning or performing outside its ideal condition to make power.
I choose an S280 because down low its still manageable in the drivability department but up top just screams.
I looked at fueling and came to the conclusion above which actually will create less problems.

I will come out and say this if someone is having that many problems with doing their turbo setup in my opinion they choose the wrong turbo.

Not saying some of the other Turbo’s might be cool but if you have to jump through so many hoops for cool its like why bother.

In that sense I am coming up on 6 months out with my setup and just love the car and drive it on a daily basis with a S280 . Its completely reliable.

Make the right choice and you will not have headaches make the wrong one and you will be plagued with problems. IMO

 

[ledzz]

I went to an S280 and besides switching tuners its been a great experience. The problem comes when people go to far with to many extras trying to go for big power. IMO.

I am tuned on pump gas and my numbers are in your target area. I plan on tuning for e30.
If I was going to go with more power above 300 hp I would never get a 4 port or single port injection system. Its an outdated design left over from the 90’s that is a piggyback system on top of your stock ECU.

The way to go now is with bigger injectors and a High flow high pressure fuel pump.So they are completely connected up to your ECU with no external BS.

Those two things allow you to tune the S280 all the way up to 380HP. ( Yes my tuner actually tested on a car) My current Tuner is well versed in s280’s as well which also helps. IMO.

In the end going big Turbo is all about the proper researched choice. There is a reason so many of us are running the S280.

In other words ones choice in which Turbo to run makes a big difference in how painful or painless those whole ordeal can be.

I choose an S280 because it bolts onto a stock manifold . No dealing with Aftermarket manifolds which can be wild cards.
I choose an S280 because it can do pretty damn well on stock fueling and unlike a hybrid is not going to be overspinning or performing outside its ideal condition to make power.
I choose an S280 because down low its still manageable in the drivability department but up top just screams.
I looked at fueling and came to the conclusion above which actually will create less problems.

I will come out and say this if someone is having that many problems with doing their turbo setup in my opinion they choose the wrong turbo.

Not saying some of the other Turbo’s might be cool but if you have to jump through so many hoops for cool its like why bother.

In that sense I am coming up on 6 months out with my setup and just love the car and drive it on a daily basis with a S280 . Its completely reliable.

Make the right choice and you will not have headaches make the wrong one and you will be plagued with problems. IMO

You have made myself buy an s280 thankyou
Do you have any issues putting the power down in low gears or have you found a way around that budd
Will be getting an lsd and 6 point installed

 

[ledzz]

In my personal experience, so far, the transition to big turbo has been a mess. Mine might be a one off experience but actually most people that I know making the transition struggle to dial it in correctly. If you’re doing the work yourself be prepared to get super familiar with your car to correct the mechanics of it as the issues present themselves. I’ve had EWG issues with spring weighting and boost creep, then AFR issues with the auxiliary fuel, then knock or false knock issues in cyl 1 likely due to aftermarket motor mount... working that out now. I did however purchase the Peron stg 4 g25-550 kit so quite a lot changed on the car including the addition of 4 port auxiliary all over a single course install. So it’s been a challenge to get it dialed in completely so far. Lots of stress and hours to make it all happen. As for is it worth it... yes and no. The initial feel of power and sound is AWESOME, but as typhoon stated above you get used to it very quickly. To me now, making aprox 300WHP currently, it feels standard and really not all that quick. So unless you’re racing constantly and have the ability to show it’s worth by beating cars or track it really isn’t all that great. It was just as fun when it was stock turbo and tbh I had way less problems. Reliability once it’s all dialed in, with a proper tune and appropriate power point is totally fine for almost everyone. You should be able to tune your goals 100% reliably. All that to say, yea it’s kinda worth it for sound and initial feel plus street presence to race some cars occasionally... just be prepared to battle with initial setup and tuning process. It’s likely to present plenty of issues until you get it all squared away perfectly.

Sorry to hear that buddy what a pain
Thankyou for your response

 

[Dpro]

You have made myself buy an s280 thankyou
Do you have any issues putting the power down in low gears or have you found a way around that budd
Will be getting an lsd and 6 point installed

I run the SwaveSummit 4 point front traction brace. Along with a Vibratechnics RMM. I also run sticky summer tires lol. I have a LSD on my short list . The only issues with putting power down is a bit more Torque steer. lol but sorting that out and its more an annoyance than a problem .
I actually get pretty damn good mileage as well and like I said I can drive it around town keeping my rpms down and it drives like a stocker. It only starts snarling when I rev it up and then its whole demeanor changes.
I could have gone hybrid and had the crazy down low kick but that amounts to tire spinning at a tap of the gas. I kinda like it this way though.

 

[ledzz]

I run the SwaveSummit 4 point front traction brace. Along with a Vibratechnics RMM. I also run sticky summer tires lol. I have a LSD on my short list . The only issues with putting power down is a bit more Torque steer. lol but sorting that out and its more an annoyance than a problem .
I actually get pretty damn good mileage as well and like I said I can drive it around town keeping my rpms down and it drives like a stocker. It only starts snarling when I rev it up and then its whole demeanor changes.
I could have gone hybrid and had the crazy down low kick but that amounts to tire spinning at a tap of the gas. I kinda like it this way though.

Strangely love torque steer keeps you on your toes and feels like you are driving a monster

Yeh buddy agree with you after maxing out the stock turbo

High end power beats low end all day long my friend

 

[dhminer]

I went with the GTX2860R Gen 2 route, same kit as Typhoon. Added an airtec manifold and like xxiaze have had a hell of a time getting it dialed in. Still not there 2 months later. Not my DD so not the end of the world but if I were to do it again I'd probably have taken Dpro's advice and gone S280. If I were to do it again today I'd buy the Peron S284 kit. As for reliability the Garrett options are, well, Garrett turbos. They're large (for our engine) and have a bit of lag so the torque steer is basically nonexistent and nothing stressing the engine at low RPM.

 

[ledzz]

I went with the GTX2860R Gen 2 route, same kit as Typhoon. Added an airtec manifold and like xxiaze have had a hell of a time getting it dialed in. Still not there 2 months later. Not my DD so not the end of the world but if I were to do it again I'd probably have taken Dpro's advice and gone S280. If I were to do it again today I'd buy the Peron S284 kit. As for reliability the Garrett options are, well, Garrett turbos. They're large (for our engine) and have a bit of lag so the torque steer is basically nonexistent and nothing stressing the engine at low RPM.

Hey mate
Quite drunk right now but your message is trippy
You would have gone s280 but you would also have gone s284

Please explain yourself sir

 

[akiraproject24]

Hell reading all these posts just now, had my mind set on hybrid. Now it's slowly unsetting again.

 

[ledzz]

Hell reading all these posts just now, had my mind set on hybrid. Now it's slowly unsetting again.

Annoying right
The low end torque with no top end starts to feel a bit of a bore

 

[subzerospeed]

Annoying right
The low end torque with no top end starts to feel a bit of a bore

Thats exactly why i went to a s280; my stock turbo on e40 was fun down low, but i wanted to be able to stay in gear longer and still be making power; no way im winning street races switching gears at 4500rpms on the stock turbo.
The bigger s280 also produces and holds less heat than the hybrids will

 

[Dpro]

Hey mate
Quite drunk right now but your message is trippy
You would have gone s280 but you would also have gone s284

Please explain yourself sir

Peron s284 kit is a S280 with some Peron tidbits and the 14psi wastegate for a couple Hundred more. I almost went for it but Ron had standard s280 kits arriving shortly and the Peron was out of stock. Truthfully you can save yourself a couple hundred and go with the stock s280 kit and just pick up the 14psi wastegate by itself. Its all Turbosmart on the wastegate no matter where you get it.

 

[AzNightmare]

I went to an S280 and besides switching tuners its been a great experience. The problem comes when people go to far with to many extras trying to go for big power. IMO.

I am tuned on pump gas and my numbers are in your target area. I plan on tuning for e30.
If I was going to go with more power above 300 hp I would never get a 4 port or single port injection system. Its an outdated design left over from the 90’s that is a piggyback system on top of your stock ECU.

The way to go now is with bigger injectors and a High flow high pressure fuel pump.So they are completely connected up to your ECU with no external BS.

Those two things allow you to tune the S280 all the way up to 380HP. ( Yes my tuner actually tested on a car) My current Tuner is well versed in s280’s as well which also helps. IMO.

In the end going big Turbo is all about the proper researched choice. There is a reason so many of us are running the S280.

In other words ones choice in which Turbo to run makes a big difference in how painful or painless those whole ordeal can be.

I choose an S280 because it bolts onto a stock manifold . No dealing with Aftermarket manifolds which can be wild cards.
I choose an S280 because it can do pretty damn well on stock fueling and unlike a hybrid is not going to be overspinning or performing outside its ideal condition to make power.
I choose an S280 because down low its still manageable in the drivability department but up top just screams.
I looked at fueling and came to the conclusion above which actually will create less problems.

I will come out and say this if someone is having that many problems with doing their turbo setup in my opinion they choose the wrong turbo.

Not saying some of the other Turbo’s might be cool but if you have to jump through so many hoops for cool its like why bother.

In that sense I am coming up on 6 months out with my setup and just love the car and drive it on a daily basis with a S280 . Its completely reliable.

Make the right choice and you will not have headaches make the wrong one and you will be plagued with problems. IMO

Why'd you switch tuners? Do you mind sharing more about that?

 

[Dpro]

Why'd you switch tuners? Do you mind sharing more about that?

Yes my first tuner was a local SoCal shop that has their own Mustang Dyno. I will not name names beyond that. I will say they are known of in the Ford community as well as other compact car communities. Needless to say I was not happy with the tune and went to Adam at Tune+ and the car has run great ever since.

 

[iGilgamesh]

I've been saving to build my own BT kit using Full-Race G25-550 and manifold along with ATP knick knacks. But I'm interested on what people have to say about the peron S284 and how it preformers.

 

[PhoenixM3]

Go with an S280 and be done.