I would like to know your opinion on who is the best quality turbocharger manufacturer(s).

 

Borg Warner or Garrett, if your primary concern is longevity these guys are it. If you are looking for a performance turbo the EFR line has all the bells and whistles built in.

 

Agree with Ben, but I'll add that size for size, Garrett outflows borg.
Borg is cheaper, their EFR turbos are awesome.
Garrett is expensive, just priced a $17k compound kit for a customer and ~$10k was just in 2 turbos.

 

I absolutely hate any thread that starts with 'Who is the best ___________?'

It is purely subjective and based on opinions and not on any objective criteria. Just ask, what did you use and why? Or who did you choose to tune your car and why?
You'll get a ton more information. It's like asking who makes the best dyno? I'd like to read that thread.

 

Please be free to add additional information it is welcome. I would expect some of the responses to remark why it is a quality unit, as there are high dollar turbochargers off the shelf that have issues they shouldn’t. I am not trying to force a person into a long explanation if I had asked the question a different way.

 

I bought mine from Turbos Direct. They have a lot of engineering test data on Youtube along with test comparisons between their units and other units. They show destructive tests to see what it takes to to hurt a turbo and the differences between a cheap one and a more pricey one.

They do a lot of comparisons between Borg and Garret and sell each of them but they also make their own turbos. Initially they recommended a Borg for my combo but after more talking I ended up with a pair of their own TDI turbos with custom cast compressor, exhaust housings and wheels.

I think Mike there is very honest and will only sell something that he strongly feels will work for your combo.

https://www.youtube.com/@TurboDirectSA


ks

 

Thanks for the link. I now have a bunch of informative videos to watch on night shift.

 

Here's the video that I like the best. This one goes into great detail on their experience with comparing a Chinese copy to a Garret but Mike also goes undercover to question the actual MFR of the Chinese turbo and gets a bunch of BS run-a-round about the specs.

Mike then put the turbo on their dyno for comparison and the output varied all over the place on each run.. it wasn't even consistent after each spin..

It's a long watch but damn, does he cover about every single detail about testing the quality and understanding the design or lack of designing that went into it..



ks

 

Out of curiosity do you know if they tested any of the VS racing clones?

 

I don't know what brand they tested. They chose that specific turbo b/c it was supposed to be a real Garret G25-660 for less money but it was actually a copy and Mike went through to identify all the issues with buying "cheap" turbos.

ks

 

TDR and not TDI.

 

We are both worng. It's actually TD..
No Inc or Racing in their name..

© 2020 Turbos Direct. All rights reserved.


ks

 

https://www.turbosdirect.com/product-category/tdr-turbos/

 

Ha.. not buying it...

TDR is the Category for their custom turbos. It even has it listed in the web link:

turbosdirect.com/product-category/tdr-turbos/

Kinda like Garret GTX series.


ks

 

Isn't the model of your turbos a TDR part? You stated that you had a pair of "their own" TDI turbos.
Their own turbos are the TDR model. No? The part number begins with TDR. The compressor housing is stamped "Turbos Direct Racing"
Please see link.
https://www.turbosdirect.com/product/turbos-direct-tdr61-turbo/

 

It doesn't matter. Sorry for messing up the OP's thread.

 

No worries, you didn’t mess it up, you kept it alive!