| STAGE 0?
Robert's Stage 0,
is one of the *first* upgrades that should be done to your car. This
is mostly for ST165 and ST185 owners. What you do is get a CT26 from
a Supra Turbo, 87-92. Preferably as new as possible. These can
be sourced for as little as 100 dollars, and a basic rebuild is
cheap. If you have the money of course you should go for the bigger
upgrade, but if you are on a budget this is perfect. Visit the FAQ
for more information about the actual installation procedures. There
are no horsepower numbers, but it basically makes your car more aggressive
on the upper end without any negative fallbacks. If u are familiar
with DSM then this would be like moving from a stock turbo to a 16g.
In terms of horsepower, say the
stock turbo was good for 275 horsepower, then the supra would be good for
300 hp (on our cars) based on percentages, it's not that much bigger, but
it will carry you further. If you are putting it on an ST185 you can
bump that figure a little higher due to the response of the Twin Entry
System. That would put you close to or above the power of the ST205
turbocharger.
STAGE 1
This
is the most common of upgrades that are offered by some of the companies
below. The compressor is removed and replaced with a TO4
"B" compressor wheel. These are usually from Garrett or
similar larger turbos. The B series is not the largest of the TO4
series, but significantly larger than the stock or supra turbo
compressor. The compressor housing is bored out to match the size of
the new compressor wheel. The exhaust side is left alone. This
formula leads to a turbo that has very little lag if at all.
Speaking in trim, that actual size of the compressor wheel, this would be
a 46 or 50 trim. Generally these have a strong flow up to 20 psi and
can be found as little as $350. An example picture is below.
 
STAGE 2
This
is the more aggresive of turbo upgrades. This is fitting a very
large compressor wheel into the compressor housing. Usually this
also involves modifying the exhaust wheel by clipping. Clipping the
exhaust wheel is removing some of the material (at an angle) which will
allow more exhaust to bypass the turbine in extreme conditions. The
reason this is done is that when u are using your big upgraded turbo at a
high psi and RPM, the exhaust cannot get out fast enough. So the
clipping procedure will allow a little more flow at the expense of
lag. The large compressor wheel also has it's share of lag, which
most don't mind for the absolute kick in the pants it offers once spooled
up. If you do go with this upgrade it is suggested that you upgraded
your downpipe and exhaust system to help the turbo spool up earlier.
This upgrade usually contains a TO4 "E" upgrade wheel.
Speaking in trim this would 54 and 60. Some companies even offer a
60-1 wheel which is even larger. Most consider this overkill and
would never operate at full potential. These turbos flow well at up
to 25 psi, and are limited basically by the exhaust side. The usual price for this upgrade is $650, but you can
find it for less at some companies. An example picture is below.
Keep in mind that this a supra turbo, note that the supra compressor wheel
is even bigger than an all trac. Also notice the clipped turbine on
the bottom right picture. They also clean up your turbo nice.
STAGE 3+
By
this point you should be considering changing to a different style of
turbo. This would involve getting a new manifold or adapting your
current one to suit the new style turbo. This also would involve a
new downpipe and custom lines, etc. But for those who still wish to
stick to their CT26, there are even further upgrades available. The
next step in upgrading is changing the exhaust side (turbine) to a TO4
size wheel to match the compressor. The compressor is also upgraded
to TO4 size with a large compressor wheel, or even the 60 series
(bigger). The exhaust housing is modified or even replaced all
together with a custom high flow housing. Turbonetics (below) offers
this type of upgrade. They have a stock style exhaust housing that
will mate to a garrett center section and still keep your stock compressor
housing as well. Basically you are installing a new turbo, but it
will still bolt to your current setup. This would require new oil
and water lines of course. The extreme benefit is that u could go
with a ball bearing center section. These types flow 30 psi and
beyond and are in the 800-900 dollar range. Example below, notice
the CT26 compressor housing, but the new different style exhaust housing.
How Big Is My Turbo?
Here
are some comparison measurements.
Compressor
Inducer - The inside part of the compressor, the part you "see"
Compressor
Exducer - The total diameter of the compressor wheel, hidden behind the
housing
Turbine
Minor - The inside part of the exhaust wheel, the part you
"see"
Turbine
Major - The overall diameter of the turbine exhaust wheel, hidden inside
the housing
| Turbo |
Comp. Inducer |
Comp. Exducer |
Turbine Minor |
Turbine Major |
| 3SGTE CT26 |
1.574" |
2.559" |
1.97" |
2.36" |
| Supra CT26 |
1.75" |
2.559"?? |
1.97" |
2.36" |
| 3SGTE CT20B |
1.88" |
??? |
2.05" |
|
| T3 - 45Trim |
1.595" |
2.367" |
|
|
| T3 - Super 60 |
1.90" |
2.367 |
|
|
| Mitsubishi 16g |
1.83" |
2.37" |
|
|
| Mitsubishi 20g |
2.07" |
2.68" |
|
|
| TO4B V Trim |
2.18" |
2.75" |
|
|
| TO4E 46Trim |
2.00" |
2.95" |
|
|
| TO4E 50Trim |
2.12" |
3.00" |
|
|
| TO4E 54Trim |
2.17" |
2.95" |
|
|
| TO4E 57Trim |
2.23" |
2.95" |
|
|
| Greddy TD06SH-20G |
2.071" |
2.677" |
2.177" |
2.559" |
| Greddy TD06L2-20G |
2.071" |
2.677" |
2.126" |
2.401" |
| Greddy T67-25G |
2.381" |
3.070 |
2.130" |
2.402" |
| KKK K26 |
|
|
|
|
| T3 Turbine |
- |
- |
1.898" |
2.319" |
| T3 Stage 2 Turbine |
- |
- |
2.122" |
2.559" |
| T3 Stage 3 Turbine |
- |
- |
2.229" |
2.559" |
| T4 N Trim |
- |
- |
2.071" |
2.922" |
| T4 O Trim |
- |
- |
2.296" |
2.922" |
| T4 P Trim |
- |
- |
2.544" |
2.922" |
| T4 Q Trim |
- |
- |
2.693" |
3.111" |
|
