Turbo Advice

[DS3IAM]

Newbie here .. Need Turbo Upgrade advice - Goal DD around 500ish whp and be reliable.

2009 N54 E90 6MT Msport/Mtech
99K miles
Maintenance - all the general issues resolved
Index 12
Dinan Intercooler
Dinan CAI
Dinan Oil Cooler
AR Design DP
Stock Midpipe with cats
Dinan Exhaust
MHD v8 (previously Dinan stage 3)
Note: All the Dinan and AR DP mods was done by the first owner. I am the second owner.

Looking to upgrade turbos from stock without changing my Dinan parts and upgrading the fuel system. Is there any straight "plug and play" turbos on the market? What would you recommend? Please let me know what parts may require changing if there is no plug and play turbos?

While I am changing my turbos what maintenance items should I consider doing like Engine mounts and Oil Pan Gasket. Water Pump was changed about 10K miles ago.

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions and comments!

 

[Twisted Tuning]

pure stage 2 dd turbos.

 

[Mikejones1208]

Id sell those dinan parts off and buy better ones for cheaper, vrsf 7in. Hd outperforms the dinan unit by a landslide and is soooo much cheaper. As far as turbos go check out the new pure600 turbos, great company and awesome price for oem style twins that will still accept all your bolt ons and should put down 500whp with ease

 

[DS3IAM]

@Twisted Tuning and @Mikejones1208 Thanks for your suggestion .. Is there a difference between Pure Stage 2 vs. Pure 600? I notice there is a disclaimer on the PT website.

"-These will not work with OEM stock inlets. Aftermarket stock sized or 2" inlet kit is required. "

Does that mean I would have to change my inlet? I do like the look and performance of the Dinan CAI too.

My preference is to keep as much parts without selling and buying new parts.

 

[Mikejones1208]

Yeah youd need new inlets, especially if your wanting to make over 500, and the pure600 are cast housings to cut down on price, should still be just as reliable

 

[DS3IAM]

Yeah youd need new inlets, especially if your wanting to make over 500, and the pure600 are cast housings to cut down on price, should still be just as reliable

Thanks .. so I will have to add another $250 or so for inlet and loss my Dinan CAI.

 

[Torgus]

RB or Pure, rest is literal garbage. Get inlets and outlets as they are small money.

 

[gixercho]

Get stock location silicon inlets and connect them to Dinan CAI.

 

[Rcboosted2007]

All options are infinitely debatable go with what best suits your personal driving habits.

have you swapped out the charge pipe for one with a bung and tial flange.? Also any catch can? 1 step colder plugs, sell the dinan and go with a better flowing IC as new turbos will make a lot more heat.Low pressure fuel pump. Have you tracked the performance of your boost solenoids? If your upping the boost on bigger turbos i would start fresh. Also how much boost? You may need a new TMAP. Upgrade your pcv system to best manage pressure. At 10 years old i would do engine mounts since you will cross that road while down there
Reliabily just wont be there. It is non existent. If you have zero issues now. Leave it alone. Once you croaa this bridge You will forever need to baby sit the car and chase issues.

 

[DS3IAM]

All options are infinitely debatable go with what best suits your personal driving habits.

have you swapped out the charge pipe for one with a bung and tial flange.? Also any catch can? 1 step colder plugs, sell the dinan and go with a better flowing IC as new turbos will make a lot more heat.Low pressure fuel pump. Have you tracked the performance of your boost solenoids? If your upping the boost on bigger turbos i would start fresh. Also how much boost? You may need a new TMAP. Upgrade your pcv system to best manage pressure. At 10 years old i would do engine mounts since you will cross that road while down there
Reliabily just wont be there. It is non existent. If you have zero issues now. Leave it alone. Once you croaa this bridge You will forever need to baby sit the car and chase issues.

Thanks for the feedback! Zero issues haha. I think I fixed every leak and your typical issues with the N54 platform for the past three years. It's been one maintenance item after another! What other issues will I be chasing if I upgrade my turbos?!

I do not have a CP with BOV
I do not have a Catch Can
Currently running NGK

Will definitely look into boost solenoids, TMAP and PCV system. Geez this list is getting bigger now.

 

[Abacus38]

Go single turbo either 6266/GTX3582/s364sx-e trust me when I tell you you’re going to get bored with 500whp real quick lol

 

[DS3IAM]

Go single turbo either 6266/GTX3582/s364sx-e trust me when I tell you you’re going to get bored with 500whp real quick lol

I would love to go ST especially Doc Race but the cost is at least double. Plus all the other mods I would have to change and add to get it up to spec. I realize the ST would allow me to have some "head room" for additional HP but I'm not sure if it would be worth the extra time and money to track future issues. I do agree I'l probable will get use to the HP very quickly.

 

[Torgus]

Go single turbo either 6266/GTX3582/s364sx-e trust me when I tell you you’re going to get bored with 500whp real quick lol

Yeah 500whp doesn't blown my hair back anymore, if you will. Upgraded twins are still better than stock twins that you have to short shift, that is for sure.

I would love to go ST especially Doc Race

Go ACF single turbo, doc race is meh, for the same price it is a much better kit. I am not just saying that because I own one either. A single turbo is considerably more expensive than upgraded twins but once you add in inlets outlets and install kit it starts to get a bit closer. Especially if you pick a JB turbo, most people do not need DBB.

The speedtech bottom mount ST is priced well for instance.

 

[Rcboosted2007]

I would love to go ST especially Doc Race but the cost is at least double. Plus all the other mods I would have to change and add to get it up to spec. I realize the ST would allow me to have some "head room" for additional HP but I'm not sure if it would be worth the extra time and money to track future issues. I do agree I'l probable will get use to the HP very quickly.

All things considered. You would need to do transmission work, axles, and address any aging suspension work. Additionally speaking 1/4 mile. The extra $12,000 spent on generating and applying 200whp more, does NOT make a major impact . Then you need to address the built engine.$6500 +/-We are speaking tenths. And the power gets to being more noticeable up top anyway. Now you make your way down from 11.5 which can be done with a great set of tires and suspension. To 11.1 or 10.9. And that honestly isnt really worth spending upwards of $20,000 on top of what you paid for the car.

 

[KevinC39]

Uhh he's daily driving this thing. He doesn't need transmission work (it's a manual), axles, and a built motor. He doesn't care about a tenth of a second on a drag strip

 

[Rcboosted2007]

Uhh he's daily driving this thing. He doesn't need transmission work (it's a manual), axles, and a built motor. He doesn't care about a tenth of a second on a drag strip

This is exactly what i am intending to convey. Its really not worth all that effort to push higher numbers.

 

[langsbr]

Reliabily just wont be there. It is non existent. If you have zero issues now. Leave it alone. Once you croaa this bridge You will forever need to baby sit the car and chase issues.

I disagree on this if you keep the car om stock based fueling, i.e. no meth or PI. My car has been extremely reliable. The further you get from stock, the more potential for issues. Staying with hybrid twins means no issues with o2 sensors, no heat near the valve cover, etc. Sure, there are the 'ole 'hybrids suck and go bad' but you're modding a car so there will always be potential for issues, it just comes down to your risk tolerance.

I know everyone loves Pures, but they now have a chinafold, so what is so much better about them vs. any of the other china made ones? I would recommend the Hydra 800s. If I were buying turbos today, I would be going with them. I like the use of the OEM manifold paired with a better turbine housing. Plus, since they are so new, there's no negative feedback on them yet, lol. Joking aside, the only person that has had anything negative to say about them is Rob, but he says negative stuff about everything but his own. I guess you could wait for his chinafolds and go cheap since he's joining the chickety-china frame party now.

 

[Rcboosted2007]

I disagree on this if you keep the car om stock based fueling, i.e. no meth or PI. My car has been extremely reliable. The further you get from stock, the more potential for issues. Staying with hybrid twins means no issues with o2 sensors, no heat near the valve cover, etc. Sure, there are the 'ole 'hybrids suck and go bad' but you're modding a car so there will always be potential for issues, it just comes down to your risk tolerance.

I know everyone loves Pures, but they now have a chinafold, so what is so much better about them vs. any of the other china made ones? I would recommend the Hydra 800s. If I were buying turbos today, I would be going with them. I like the use of the OEM manifold paired with a better turbine housing. Plus, since they are so new, there's no negative feedback on them yet, lol. Joking aside, the only person that has had anything negative to say about them is Rob, but he says negative stuff about everything but his own. I guess you could wait for his chinafolds and go cheap since he's joining the chickety-china frame party now.

True, it amplifies the common issues of an aging car. I have doubts anytime any one says n54 is reliable. BUT... most people are pushing the hell out of it. Personally i never used this car as a commuter/ take it easy type of deal.

 

[DS3IAM]

thanks for everyone chiming in with your suggestions/recommendations. I still have some time to make a decision.

 

[Rcboosted2007]

Anytime! I Hope you enjoy whatever route you choose.