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Which turbo guys?

24K views 19 replies 5 participants last post by  RcrsWetDream 
#1 ·
VF52 with all the supporting mods. I have priced out a vf52 for about 1k. lowest I have seen so far.

or 18g td-05. A little cheaper, but supports more power apparently.
With supporting mods.

I am looking to get to about 300 to 350 awhp when said and done in my 08 wrx.

I know the vf is a direct fit.....is there anything else required for the 18g?
is the 18g even worth while for a few hundred less?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
the VF52 can get you 300-320 maybe depending on dyno. if you want 350 you need something bigger. there are some direct bolt on companies but one i saw looks like a hack job. the AVO380 will get you what you want. its more money then the VF52 but gets you more! also direct fitment. $100 less you could look into Blouch 2.5XTR but you'll need a FMIC. lots of options here
 
#4 ·
I agree with Synolimit. The AVO380 is what I would go for as well. I went with the VF52 myself as an impulse buy because it was cheaper. I keep thinking I should have went for the AVO.
That being said, BNR now makes direct bolt on turbos for the 08+ WRX and Legacy GT by using the VF40 turbo housing.
Below is a quote from the advertisement on their page. You may also want to check out the various BNR threads on the Legacy forums as they are just getting them into their cars now.

"BNR Supercars offers 5 turbochargers for your Subaru. Everything is 100% bolt up with no fabrication required!


•EVO 16G compressor wheel/TD05H turbine wheel (max-rated at 300 WHP)
•18G comrpessor wheel/TD05H turbine wheel (max-rated at 335 AWHP so far!)
•20G compressor wheel/TD05H (max-rated at 384.9 AWHP so far!)
•20G compressor wheel/TD06 11-blade (max-rated at 440 AWHP)
•BNR/HTA 68-TD05H (max-rated at an estimated 420 AWHP)"

Check out their site at bnrsupercars.com
 
#6 ·
No way in hell I would pay almost 2 grand for the avo... Barely bigger than the 52 to boot.

They claim hella spool but from their site

"We saw 16psi of boost at 3300rpms. Now, this is not due to the turbo alone, of course, as there is a full set of engine modifications to support this turbo."

On my vf52 I hit 19 psi at 3300 rpm's, 21 by 3500.

To each their own though.
 
#16 ·
1. You can't compare PSI on different sized turbos like that. Running 16 PSI of boost on an AVO 380 is not the same as running 16 PSI on a VF52. The AVO makes equal power with less boost.
2. You also can't compare peek power either. With comparable mods the old AVO380 will be making in excess of 40 more AWHP over the VF52. The bigger difference you need to consider here is the AVO will be holding and increasing that peak power all the way to redline where as the VF52 runs out of breath way before the AVO380. If you look at the power difference from where the VF52 dies out and how the AVO keeps on going, the difference is huge. There is no need to taper off boost in the 380 like you have to do with the VF52.
3. The AVO is a ball bearing Turbo not a journal bearing turbo like the VF52 so once you install it, the AVO should last the lifetime of your car.
4. The new AVO380 version 2 spools quicker than the old 380. I don't think they have any dyno charts up for that yet but I am willing to bet the difference between the performance of the AVO380 v.2 vs the VF52 will widen even more.
5. Most enthusiasts that mod their car and run them at the track don't ever let the revs go much lower than 4000rpm anyway. for street use if you like low end power and shifting really early the stock td04 in the 2008 model is quite good for that. In that case you could really save a ton or cash.
6. the AVO will get you to over 350 AWHP if that is the goal where as the VF52 as good as it is will not. Not that here is anything wrong with that. The potential of up to 320 is pretty good.
I'm not saying the VF52 is a bad turbo. After all I do have one too. Just not in the same league as an AVO 380 for making power.
 
#7 ·
$1800 is a lot but your ass hurts if you think a VF52 can come anywhere close to a AVO380 out put. ralliteks stage 3 puts out 375HP 440TQ on E85 and 22psi. and all it comes with is the turbo, fuel pump, injectors, TMIC, intake, and not needed inlet tube. yes it has TBE but no headers, no EWG, ect. the most ive seen a VF52 do is 320-330hp. theres a good 50hp difference if you did both on the same dyno with same parts. 22psi is also conservative. push it to 24-25psi on E85 and ill bet it breaks 400HP.
 
#8 ·
There's also something to be said for the top end, not just the spool at 3300 RPM. At 3300 RPM my stock turbo feels pretty good at stage 2. Go much past 5000 RPM and the story changes. It feels like you took your foot half-way off the gas and are casually getting to redline. 16 psi is decent at 3300 RPM, but where does it end at the top end compared to the VF52. That's where I'd like to compare, because the satisfaction of having your power consistently increase is what you're paying for.
 
#11 ·
well said! i make 19.5psi right now but have to drop to 14.5 above like 4500rpm. the VF52 just doesnt have top end power. now i do need fuel injectors so the VF52 might push more at redline but not much.

the VF52 only flows 36 or 38lbs/min. the AVO is 44lbs/min. that will surely push more PSI at redline.
 
#13 ·
ooo no one really knows. no one has really done it. boostaddict on here made like 380/380 and his motor blew one of the ringlands on one of the cylinders. now i dont know for sure why it blew, i cant remember what he said or if they found out. it could have been one of his aftermarket injectors might have gave out so thats not the motors fault. also i dont know what cylinder it was. i hear a lot the number 4 cylinder gets lower fuel with the stock fuel rail set up. so if you get an after market fuel rail set up you could be making it safer. also the tranny being a LGT 5 speed ive heard 400TQ is right around the mark because thats what the LGT guys are doing and if driven right then its ok.
 
#12 ·
Check out Boost Addict's page and he did a lot of research for these transmissions on what they can handle. He's pushing well over 300, and I don't remember his current output because he changed it recently, but he was pushing in the range of 350 for a while on the stock transmission. It's about the torque more than HP because a low torque curve is what puts the most strain on the transmission.
 
#17 ·
That info I had is from the v2 380. They don't even have the original on their site anymore.

I'm not arguing that the 380 will outperform a vf52, there's just no way I can justify an 1800 dollar turbo over the vf52 for maybe 40-50 whp... If I'm gonna drop just short of 2k on a turbo you can buy the new dom 4.0 xtr, or the 5.0 for another $100.

I stand by saying get the vf52. The avo is the better turbo and will for sure get you 350 whp, but the cost is just stupid high.

VF52, TMIC, 1000cc injector dynamics, fuel pump, headers/manifold, intake, E85. I that'll push 320-340 whp and that is still plenty fast.


The turbo may be good, their price point however is way off the mark.
 
#19 ·
I'm not arguing that the 380 will outperform a vf52, there's just no way I can justify an 1800 dollar turbo over the vf52 for maybe 40-50 whp... If I'm gonna drop just short of 2k on a turbo you can buy the new dom 4.0 xtr, or the 5.0 for another $100......The turbo may be good, their price point however is way off the mark.
Is the Dom 4.0 bolt on or do you have to buy a front mount and rotate the turbo? The Dom 4.0 is about the same price point as the AVO Turbos. If you need more power like the Dom 4.0 XTR provides but don't want to go crazy all at once, AVO also has the AVO 450 and 500 which cost about the same as the 380 and are also direct bolt on. None of those turbos including the Dom 4.0 will show much better gains than the 380 unless you get a FIC and very expensive engine work though. Once you are pushing over that 350 whp mark you really need to consider upgrading internal engine components and sourcing a stronger transmission and/or gear set among other things. it's never "just $100 more".

That being said, both the AVO 380 and VF52 are good choices and no longer the only options out there. The VF52 is more than plenty for most people. It all depends how far you eventually want to take the mods. The AVO has a little bit more room to grow, and a real whole lot more if you don't mind a bit more lag and go for the 450 and 500 series. The advantage being direct bolt on so you can grow if you ever get tired of 350 AWHP and you have the cash to do the bottom end up in the future. The AVO should theoretically outlast the lifespan of the VF52 turbo as well and if it does for whatever reason die an early death, the AVO turbos are rebuildable so not all is lost.
If I were to do it all over again, I would look into the BNR turbo upgrades and compare them to the AVO line up. My 2 cents.
 
#20 ·
The dom's need an FMIC or swap to the sti intake mani and tmic layout. Either way you're looking at 500+ in extra work to run the dom. Shouldn't have to rotate it though.

Only reason I compare the avo to to the dom is comparing price to power potential. yes there are other things to consider, but when you drop 1800 on a turbo that can push a little more than the vf52 (look how avo titles their turbos- 380, 450, 550 - those are crank hp figures) Although I've seen the 380 push 342 hp 365tq with 93 octane on a mustang . Best vf52 I've seen is a setup very similar to mine making 345hp/384tq on E85 on the same dyno. Stock on the dyno is about 230-240 hp/240tq. I bet the avo would be coming up on 385/415 on corn.

Other than that, :beatentod
 
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