Hey guys!

I was just searching around for turbochargers and such and I stumbled across this on the ebay. Is a universal turbo kit for only $680 +shipping. I was just wondering what you guys think about it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVE...item5ade1f4d7f

Thanks,
Tyler

 

That is just a basic starter kit. It will not bolt on by any means without custom work. You will still need turbo headers or manifolds with a turbo crossover. It may have a large enough variety of bends/pieces to plumb everything on the intake side but you may still need to cut/bend/weld some new pieces to make it work. You also may need larger injectors and a higher flowing fuel pump as well as a good tune. Its also all generic ebay parts so I wouldnt expect it to be very good quality stuff. It basically has all the pieces you could source yourself, all the difficult pieces/work will still need to be done for it to work.

 

So the ZZP Z3 Turbo Kit would still be a better choice?

 

I think its a huge waste of money. The price may look cheap compared to the bargain turbo kits available- but it is missing 2 MAJOR components. #1 is the actual exhaust piping and mounting required to mount the turbo. The mount and exhaust routing for the turbo, wastegate, downpipe etc is the bulk of the kit- anyone can run some intercooler plumbing with universal pipe, but the hard part still needs to be done. #2 is the pcm tune- obviously you can't just mount that thing up and run it- you really should at least have L67 injectors, and you'll need a pcm tune too.

My other problem with the kit would be the questionable quality of the turbo. Look at the price of a T04E from AGP (a turbonetics turbo):

http://www.agpturbo.com/product.php?...cat=252&page=1

$1100 standard, or $1350 as a ball bearing unit

or a T04E from Garrett:

http://www.nipponpower.com/product.phtml?p=823

$690

or here is a Borg Warner 56mm like comes with the base ZZP kit (although this is extended tip):

http://www.agpturbo.com/product.php?...=0&page=1&js=n

that's $580.


Now I'm not saying you can't get a budget setup- but doesn't it make you think for a second when that whole kit costs just as much as the cheapest name brand turbo? Obviously the turbo in that kit is cheap junk (like one of those new $200 turbo's all over ebay)- and you can't honestly expect it to function well long term.


Doesn't your 2000 SS have a 3800? If so, why not get this:

http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_p...=964&catid=109


Some favorite quotes from the page:

lol, I'd hope so- its a turbo kit....

Notice the lack of the word "ball" in front of bearing- I'd hope it has a bearing.... Also "30+ PSI" out of a cheap $200 ebay turbo, lol.

Minor? Really? Like "minor assembly required" with a kit car right?

Turbo - Isn't this assumed? If they didn't state it, should I assume its improperly balanced?

Turbo - Is it a mystery material? Also, cast isn't the big money thing- its billet turbos that are the expensive thing- not sure why they would advertise is being cast.

BOV pipe - Is quality the material then? lol....

Oil catch can - Do they not know what a catch can is for? It keeps the engine oil out of the intake tract of the engine- not sure what that has to do with preserving the oil.

Oil line feed kit - Sweet- a JDM oil line...

Voltage stabilizer - Well, that just says it all then....

Sure doesn't sound like an 'almost bolt-on' to me!

So its not required to tune the pcm... seriously? So you can put this on, crank it up to 30 psi and it should be fine right? lol

 

At least with ZZP you will get specific parts designed for your car not a "universal kit"

 

Thanks so much for that HUGE write up! Great catches! Lol. I did look at it a little more and decided that if a whole turbo system costs ONLY $680, it couldn't be awesome. So all in all, this sale on eBay WAS too good to be true. I'll be saving for the ZZP Z3 Turbo kit. I can't wait to get this all set up and in place!

Thanks again, bumpin!

 

Is there ANY way to grab a quality turbocharger for around $1000, maybe less? I don't understand why a FULL top swap costs like $1300 but has more parts, and requires more work to do, than a turbocharger, that costs $2300 (for a cheap one).

If it's possible to get a quality turbo for approximately the price of a top swap, I'll probably buy that instead of the supercharger setup, just because I can put it in myself and, in my opinion, it's more efficient than a supercharger.

The turbochargers I know of are the two ZZP Turbos, the Z3 kit, and the Z7 kit, and the Stattama kit.

If theres anyway to build my own, that might be an option too. Whatever works

Thanks a bunch!
Tyler

 

You can always get your own built, but ZZP's cost includes the research and development costs that they ran. They make these for our cars, for a living. They run them, they love them.

Top-swaps are cheaper because it's all used parts and the quantity of W-Body cars on the road is so high and people are constantly parting them out.

There is also a crappy cartuning turbo for our cars.

http://www.3800performance.com/Merch...roduct_Count=0

 

Easy killer! I am more than happy with mine.

 

Honestly, other then looking for name brand parts (Like a borla exhaust, or SLP parts) on ebay, perhaps for cheaper then a store, EBAY should NEVER be used to buy any automotive parts...for some reason people mistake ebay for an auto store like ZZP or SLP and that is simply not the case...it is a flee market where a person/company will put anything in the discription to sell (ripoff) the unkown public.

It is good that you/others ask here and on other forums first so you do not get ripped off, but there is still a huge public that unkowningly purchases this stuff, and waistes there money.

Additionally, there are quite a few websites out there to do research, and if everyone is spending lotsa money 1500-3000 to get turbo/supercharger kits it should throw up a huge red flag that a 600 kit is probably not the best route to go in. Unless someone knows exactly what there doing and can do custom fab work, it is best to stay with a tried and true method that everyone else has done (ZZP,top swap, etc)

I know what everyone wants, especially youngin's who first get the car, they want to go fast right now for cheap, but paying less now, or for an item, ussually costs far more in the long run.

Trust me, if you want to go fast, be patient, save your money and get the correct parts and items, in the long run you will be happier, save money over all, and have a fast ride.

Joe