incomplete

for those that remember my posts from a couple of years back, i've been about 2 steps from the finish line for roughly 2 years now... long story short, every fix i do exposes more fail, and it's reached critical mass. :\

my car is an 86 951, mildly chipped and running 15lb of boost on a K26/6.

anyways, after fixing my 'not wanting to start' problem w/a bunch of new sensors, a random nut managed to fly 15' through the air, land in my pile of intake parts and got sucked in to the turbo. see the attachment and shed a tear or two.

so, here i am w/a dead K26/6 turbo and wondering about some paths i can take. i got a referral to vargas turbos in hayward (a 30 minute drive: http://www.vargasturbo.com/) and they quoted me $750 for a 'rebuild'... this seems excessive, but the told me that the cold side compressor is pretty much only available from a donor turbo, which adds to the cost:

- basic turbo rebuild ($350)
- k26 core ($150)
- parts and **** ($200)

(these are my recollections about the cost breakdown, i wasn't able to write it down at that moment)

so, here are my options. any advice or sales are welcome.

1) upgrade to a k26/8. if someone has a good core to sell me at a sane price, let's talk.

2) stay with a k26/6. again, looking to buy.

3) upgrade to a k27. these are much more common (according to vargas) and therefore cheaper. with new injectors and some fitment mods, if the price is close to (1) or (2), i'd consider going this route.

4) other sane options?

thoughts? comments?

incomplete

btw i'm going to blow out/clean all the intake passages, and scope the cylinders and check for damage. it doesn't look like anything solid made it past the turbo -- only dust.

Dougs951S

Just go to a k27/8 and never look back. It'll spool up a few hundred rpm slower but the torque difference between a k26 car and a k27/8 car is night and day. A k27 makes a 951 a proper sports car, in my very humble opinion it is the compressor the 951 should have had from the factory.

Also you don't need new injectors to run a k27, just a new chip and the fitment mods are VERY minor. You will need a 2.75" J boot. You can definitely find a k27 and maybe even a used matching chip for under 700 bucks.

doabarrelroll

Yea, IMHO the K27 is too big for a stock 2.5L. You've got A-Tune right?

I like the balance of the K26/8, especially with the K27 wheel in it. Good used K26/8s go for around $4-500. I thought you had already sent out your turbo for rebuild?

Techno Duck

I would shy away from a 27/8, too much lag. 27/6 with the 7200 compressor, stay away from the 3LDZ. Both the 27/6 and 26/8 are good turbos for the street with similar hp potential. I have no experience with a 26/8 but I would expect spool up to be similar between the two. The 27/6 felt just a little slower on spool than the 26/6.

What are you power goals with this car? Track, street or both?

Dougs951S

I dont get my everyone rags so hard on the k27/8 here...I've already posted many times that I get spoolup in my car on par with what most people describe a k26/8 spooling up like. I don't know if its a particular of my car's tune, or the turbo has just been breathed on but I would love to take anyone for a ride in my car and show them a k27/8 with the 7200 compressor wheel can definitely respond. The extra 30-40 ft-lbs that separate it from a k27/6 are definitely worth it in my humble opinion. It just seems like everyone here thinks the only car a k27/8 belongs on is a track car. It isnt THAT big of a compressor.

travisgreen

I have a couple. Both from non s turbos. I have one great for a core with 160k miles, should be rebuilt And another from a 58k mile 87 turbo (always garage kept) If your looking to cut cost I can sell you that one for 250 shipped, it can be put in and driven

67King

I have a good, 62,000 mile 26/8 from my Turbo S I'll sell for $350. It is in good shape, and I did run it on my track car a few years ago, no issues with consumption or anything.

CyCloNe!

I run a T04E garret 57 trim with a stage III wheel and it does great for street I feel. I hear the 50trim is better though.

lee101315

Yea, seriously...why is everyone complaining about the lag with a K27/8? Your typical poorly maintained 951 is plagued with boost and exhaust leaks anyway...I didn't think my k27/8 was laggy at all with a maf, tial wastegate, and full exhaust...

incomplete

this is primarily for a street car with a simple, old-school tune and running a little boost. the first thing i want to do is get the car running and passing CA smog, and the 26/8 seems like the best bet for the price.

once that's done, we can talk tune.

incomplete

pm sent!

eman930

Im confused, Im currently running a 26/8... its spools around 3200rpm and hold boost till redline...has good power but it does leave you wanting more....now if one was to upgrade to a 27/8 wouldnt it spool just the same as a 26/8 since it has the same hotside? Basically from what I understand is the K27/8 should be close to the factory spool of a 26/8 but flow more air then a 26/8...

doabarrelroll

From clarks-garage:

I installed a K27-8 turbocharger on my 2.5L 944 Turbo in 1994. I was so disappointed, that I almost pulled it off and threw it in the trash. There was no noticeable improvement in performance and the increase in turbo lag was, in my opinion, completely unacceptable. Fortunately, when I later increased the engine's displacement to 2.8L, the turbo appears to be an almost perfect match. However, the fact that it does seem to be such a good match is more chance than anything else. With everything else remaining stock (i.e. displacement, cylinder head, intercooler), choosing a different turbocharger is much easier. Since the stock air flow rate capability of the stock 2.5L engine is fairly fixed, matching a turbocharger to that flow rate capability is more exacting. However, when you start changing displacement, going to higher flow rate heads, or bigger intercoolers, selecting a turbocharger becomes more hit or miss.

CyCloNe!

The K27/8 would have a tad more lag since the compressor wheel is larger. Your going from like a 66mm wheel to a 75mm wheel on the cold side it will take more force to get moving. With that said a K27/8 should see 330-350whp at 18-20psi given what additional mods they're are. A k26/8 typically max right around 300whp with same psi, given what mods are on the car. Usually larger exhaust, injectors, wastegate and so on would be needed to reach those higher numbers. A K27/6 generally is around the 325whp mark and generally most people enjoy this one for street driving if they don't car for high horsepower numbers and are looking for low lag, more power and a linear power band.