Aftermarket Turbos
 

So it seems we can get decent power out of the stock S 37mm turbo with tunes but I am thinking I am going to want more and don't like the idea of pushing the tiny turbo to its limits. Plan was originally just do a stage 2 and be done but of course I got thinking, for another 1000-1500 I can really crank this thing up without any more work than swapping the turbo, which isn't a big job either. My question is what aftermarket turbos people have used successfully that are basically plug and play. Is the JCW turbo a worthy upgrade? I was looking at the 42mm that JMTC has and that looks like a great option. Let me know your thoughts/experiences. Thanks!

Look up LORDVDR here or I think MarioKart they have done Bigger Turbos and added other performance upgrades including Tunes

They are a little bigger than I am looking to go. 42mm probably max as this is a DD and I want street drivability. It seems like the way to go as plug and play goes, same size inlet and outlet tubes as stock and for only $100 more why not get the 42mm over the 40mm JCW. Just that much less stress on turbo which should add to longevity.


Hopefully someone can confirm the swap looks as straight forward as the diagrams show. Looks like 4 bolts on turbo to manifold, 3 on the DP and all the connections for oil and water to the turbo? I'd be getting an install kit to replace lines and gaskets. Also, anyone know if a 42mm would need a tune right away? I've read the 40mm is a direct swap with no tune required.

i sent a used turbo to gpop shop and had them rebuild into a hybrid - k03 hot side, k04 cold side. cost was about 850 all together (700 rebuild/upgrade, 150 used turbo). searching around on here and other websites, even gpops website, its kind of a mystery what they actually built but seems their other hybrids get a 47mm wheel, 360 bearing upgrade, etc. Ive asked but they kind of avoid directly answering me :lol:
my old turbo was at 100k miles, wastegate bushing was trashed, and (upon swapping) stock manifold had leak at the gasket. so comparing new turbo to my old one wouldnt necessarily be fair.
I changed out the manifold for the updated one with from WMW, also have the milltek dp, and 3" exhaust, i never really watched the old turbo to see where it spooled up at but this one is bouncing off the 22psi cut (manic stage 2) well before 3k rpm and will hold close to it till redline.
If i switch back to the stock tune it runs pretty good, i notice afr is a little higher than desired but its still plenty driveable

what im getting at is, if you have any desire to keep modding i wouldnt change to a slightly larger turbo thats going to limit you in the future if you plan to continue upping the boost, just do it once with a "large" turbo. out of necessity i "needed" to replace mine, had i done more research and had the time/money i probably would have opened up the hotside as well and tune my way into it.

Thanks, that's great info! As much as I want to go bigger it turns out I am going to be visiting in California only 2 miles away from MarioKart within the next month. Since this is my DD I can't pass on an opportunity to get my tune with no downtime. Larger turbo will have to go on back burner for now. I'm sure the stage 2 will keep me happy for a while. I have 86k on this turbo and I'm sure I'll be pushing it hard and will need replacement within next year or so. I'll have to wait til I need it now. Thanks for the info guys!

Looking forward to meeting you. If you have time you can drive my tuned, bigger turbo CM in the Malibu Canyons

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

YOUR COUNTRYMAN IS SEXY.

I'm thinking about getting a JCW turbo for the R60 as well, simply because it is basically a bolt on for more power. I came from Subaru and previously owned a Legacy Spec.B with a VF52 STI turbo, manifold and a bunch of bolt ons. Going from 340whp to a stock R60 was kinda depressing, I need power back.

I thought that was a given! haha Will definitely be free in the afternoons and evenings. Will probably be riding from about 9am til 1-2pm.

Thank you:)
Are you already tuned?

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

Sadly not really. I bought the car supposedly stock, but about a week after I bought it I went to detail the engine bay and found out I have a Huberger JB+ thingy. I kept it in, currently I've only replaced charge pipes, added the stiffer spring from WMW and a K&N filter. no codes and the car runs well, just could be better :)

I plan to collect a few parts then tune since I have to remove the ECU and send it I figured while waiting fro the ECU to return I could install the parts I collected.

this is good information to me, although when I think about getting that stage 3 I think it would be worth going to that 42 or 45mm compressor

I run a 47mm turbo and Stage 3 tune from Mario.

Sounds sooo good! is that the stock DV? It's like a sigh of relief from it when you let off haha!

Thank you. :grin: Yes, that's the stock DV.

Thats amazing!!! I love the sound! and thats the stock diverter valve??? I thought i would need to upgrade it to atmospheric or reserc. How much boost are you pushing on the new turbo and if you have any numbers. Im doing this swap over the summer and plan to be done by august.

Map B is at 21PSI and Map C is 23 PSI. I run Map B most of the time. Depending on the weather, typically when it's cooler, I'll jump up to Map C when I can find some 100 octane. I've never ran Map A, but I think it runs around 19 PSI.

I havne't dyno'd it, but my guess is around 280HP to 300HP. I had a STI at 380HP/340 ft-lbs and an E46M3 at 385HP. This car is well below those 2 :lol: But it feels great, most people are always surprised by how quick it is as a MINI. More so because it's the "heavier" AWD MINI.

Both of those previous cars had pretty major weight reduction done to them, which made them feel "faster". The STI sat at 3150 lbs and the M3 at 2950 lbs. Right now the ALL4 is roughly around 2980 lbs.