How To Select The Correct Turbocharger/Torque Converter?

[Cool Guy]

Why would you need carb approval for flooring?

The laminating glue off gasses formaldehyde fumes. The packaging was rubber stamped CARB Approved.

https://globalnews.ca/news/1594273/high-levels-of-formaldehyde-found-in-chinese-made-floors-sold-in-north-america/

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/01/18/apple-supply-workers-describe-noxious-hazards-unsafe-conditions-at-china-factory.html

[motorhead]

I'm not so sure on the Chinese stuff. Where is most of it coming from? Yep, over there. The problems start when the seller, buyer, installer don't know the difference between junk and quality stuff. Or  The maker knowingly misrepresents the stuff and the seller, going by the makers specs sells It under that guise and the buyer cant make it work or the stuff fails. Remember the roller cam fiasco.

Depends on the reseller and how they manage the QC on the product.

If you are out to make a quick buck and don't mind flipping garbage - yeah off shore parts are going to justifiably get a bad rap.  To the contrary, if you hold the manufacturer to task and want sustained sales - the off shore goods are good.

How many Buick owners chase their tails with cracked OEM headers (blankets, braces, etc)?  Those things are just low-grade stainless MIG welded POSs by a drunk line worker in the 80s.  OEM header is best header.  But the offshore Buick headers are "junk", right?  But, why are they junk? Because someone wanted to fill a budget-level need and rushed them to market - no validation, no QC, no follow-up or version control. Quick buck made.

Ever notice how Precision and Turbonetics have had QC issues too (Procharger doesn't even warranty its own products)? Or the various vendors who couldn't engineer a cereal box much less a budget roller cam?  Some are excellent at making high quality parts, and suck at business (Mease I am looking at you).  It goes on and on.  No one company is perfect, some just choose to be more accountable than others. 

The mass contingent of folks just follow along like sheep looking for "proven recipes" because they are incapable of thinking for themselves, or just really risk adverse.  You can tell who the few thinkers, movers, and shakers are because they do things successfully and generate a lot of interest but no followers.

Go on, buy what makes you "comfortable" I am not trying to stop anyone.

EDIT: Main reseller of the T66 is CX Racing which moves a lot of product and has managed it brand well https://www.cxracing.com/TRB-T6-GN_PIP250-90-L-KIT  So, I doubt it is total shit (just well cloned old tech).

EDIT 2: https://turbobuick.com/threads/new-turbo-on-ebay.310895/ Still hit or miss in 2010, some marginal success, but 8 years of refinement is proving to be closing the gap.  There are so many effective clone turbos on the market now it is hard to argue against their validity for a budget build.  Not everyone has $1200 to spend on a name brand turbocharger.

[phil_long]

Excellent post Motorhead...

[Cool Guy]

Chinese products cause job loss in the USA. They copy an existing design (usually poorly), then the USA manufacturers are faced with either having to move production to China, or go out of business. Once the Chinese product has killed off any competition, the pricing is raised. Now you pay about the same, for lower quality, plus your family, neighbors, etc, lose job opportunities.

Do you really want Chinese parts vs. USA manufactured parts? What happened to supporting the Country that you live in?


PS. This post is supposed to be educational on various turbo & converter combinations.

[motorhead]

Chinese products cause job loss in the USA. They copy an existing design (usually poorly), then the USA manufacturers are faced with either having to move production to China, or go out of business. Once the Chinese product has killed off any competition, the pricing is raised. Now you pay about the same, for lower quality, plus your family, neighbors, etc, lose job opportunities.

Do you really want Chinese parts vs. USA manufactured parts? What happened to supporting the Country that you live in?


PS. This post is supposed to be educational on various turbo & converter combinations.

First of all I am Canadian - so protectionist rhetoric doesn't resonate with me.  We rely on a heathly import/export model here in America Jr.

Back on topic, I gave an option.  It just happens to be outside of what you wanted to hear.  Fine then - buy a Garrett, Turbonetics, or Precision turbo - they are all equally expensive and should smother you in a warm blanket of self-assured buyer's remorse.  But, you can fell validated at the next Cars and Coffee that you dusted your car off for when it proudly displays the comforting image of a name brand - lest ye be judged.

As for a converter... ummm... get a Precision Industries 9.5" triple disc (they are still stupid expensive, right?).  The stall rating isn't important because you'll never get the trans up to temp putt-putting to the nearest Starbucks fetching your mocha frappe purse drink.

To sum up, there are more reliable cost effective options than the narrow-sighted hive-minded Buick community cares to acknowledge.  But, go ahead and spend top dollar on something you rarely use to avoid feeling like an outsider - please piss your money away.

China T66 and a used cheapo Art Carr converter - $1000 all in.  You'll run 9s. I promise.

I rarely bought a new part for my Buick and it did okay.

EDIT: This is a funny take on the classic go-to 9/11 converter: http://converter.com/article1.htm

EDIT 2: With the way I rant I should work at PI: http://converter.com/article3.htm

EDIT 3: Or just run the T66 with a stock D5: https://www.turbobuick.com/threads/spooling-a-t66-turbo-with-a-stock-d-5-converter.148573/

EDIT 4: Evidently the China T66 was sold by a Buick vendor in 2015: https://turbobuick.com/threads/t66-turbo-from-cxracing-com.428403/

[Cool Guy]

First of all I am Canadian....

French Canadian by any chance?

[reality]

Mike. just as an aside to the 3 turbo;s you mentioned, they are all the same company now.

[Grumpy]

China T66 and a used cheapo Art Carr converter - $1000 all in.  You'll run 9s. I promise.

Have you run 9's ?? You make it sound so easy.

[motorhead]

First of all I am Canadian....

French Canadian by any chance?

Why would it matter to this discussion?  What if I was non-White - would that also make a difference to you too?

Mike. just as an aside to the 3 turbo;s you mentioned, they are all the same company now.

So it is a case of vendor bias and price fixing. Nice.

China T66 and a used cheapo Art Carr converter - $1000 all in.  You'll run 9s. I promise.

Have you run 9's ?? You make it sound so easy.

Evidently my sarcasm isn't coming through clearly enough, Dan.  It was a loose Fast and Furious reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyOG16bQgDw

[Cool Guy]

Well this thread has become a real douche fest!


Apparently there is only 4 or 5 guys that know how to build & drive a Turbo Regal. 

[motorhead]

Well this thread has become a real douche fest!


Apparently there is only 4 or 5 guys that know how to build & drive a Turbo Regal. 

That is the best you have for us?  Come on, try harder.  Nothing that was said in this thread (other than my drivel-fueled rant) isn't something that hasn't been said everyday for the last 15 years in the Buick community.  Next time maybe we just toss the subject into http://lmgtfy.com/ or you take a ride on the Internet Wayback Machine https://archive.org/web/

Never forget that this is a public forum, meaning your thread is not necessarily your own, and if gets derailed - so be it.

[Steve Wood]

Sorry that I participated in this thread.  I apologize to any snowflakes for any distress I may have caused and have removed my posts to stop further injury

SMH

[good2win22]

Well this thread has become a real douche fest!


Apparently there is only 4 or 5 guys that know how to build & drive a Turbo Regal. 

I'm still learning.  Mike is my hero

[Grumpy]

First of all I am Canadian....

French Canadian by any chance?

Why would it matter to this discussion?  What if I was non-White - would that also make a difference to you too?

Mike. just as an aside to the 3 turbo;s you mentioned, they are all the same company now.

So it is a case of vendor bias and price fixing. Nice.

China T66 and a used cheapo Art Carr converter - $1000 all in.  You'll run 9s. I promise.

Have you run 9's ?? You make it sound so easy.

Evidently my sarcasm isn't coming through clearly enough, Dan.  It was a loose Fast and Furious reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyOG16bQgDw

NO I didn't.. You have to use 

[Grumpy]

Well this thread has become a real douche fest!


Apparently there is only 4 or 5 guys that know how to build & drive a Turbo Regal. 

Winter is here !!!!!     Thanks for giving me a plug.  Oh you stole one of my best quotes as your name. Lighten up Francis