FAQ for turbo-ing your 12v/24v vr6

[jims13 6]

looks like its the same questions again .

so to save them having to be asked i thought id put this brief email together that should answer most of your questions.

As you may or may not know , there are different ways to turbo a vr6 . ill list the main parts, its for you to decide were you purchase them and who fits them. remember its normally the fitment that screws up the running once its all together.

ill ammend it when i have time ( and correct my spelling mistakes )

people can add to it if they wish

any comments made that drag any company down will be removed .

turbo manifold - spa , ebay etc or your favored tuning firm

turbo - a externally wastegated unit is best . take your pick , ive successfuly used ebay twice and made 390 bhp at 17psi with supporting mods , else check out garrett or the normal tuning firms

you can spunk upwards of 1000 pounds on a new garrett unit , or as little as 180 ish on a ebay unit , ebay units tend to need a oil restrictor in line with the feed

inlet manifold - works well as is , short runners help with less pipework and on big hp/trq applications will make more power , but they do add upwards of 500 pounds to your build

injectors - Source new or recon'd , ebay is your best bet or a tuning firm , 440 cc units are popular .

maf housing - UM , Phirm , Ebay , a 4" maf housing is needed for anything over say 280 ish bhp . again choose carefully and id suggest buying this from the same place as the software

software - UM , Stealth, Phirm , Storm developments .

you only want to buy this once , choice is yours , prices are all similar i imagine . most people seem concerened with price , rather than the time thats gone into it or the support you get .

arp headbolts - straight from arp , or your favored tunning firm . i would always fit these . Down to you if you fit the bottom end stuff . perhaps not needed for anything less than 450 bhp .

spacer plate - again use The phirm , UM , or Ebay . you need to pay attention to the thickness of it as it does go hand in hand with your ultimate trq / power goal .

headgasket - self explaintry .. remember to get the metal layered unit, part no's on here if you look . remember the copper spray , i always use it .. works well for me .

cams - ive used 263's to very good effect , but your dont have to buy them . 268's dont seem to work as well according to the graphs ive seen .

exhaust - i made a additional 30 bhp from fitting a 3" system . up to you to decide where from .

downpipe - less restriction here is better . ideally 3" all the way , again UM , The Phirm , Stealth or your freindly powerflow dealer

external wastegate - spa, tial , ebay generic unit . again choice is yours , look at the size of it e.g 44mm , it does matter and should be sized with the turbo, and you goal for bhp .

clutch - i used a helix unit , very good clutch imho . you standard clutch will take around 290 ish bhp , and maybe 300 ish lbft or trq , but if you drive it like you stole it , it wont last . Expect to spend upwards of 350 pounds just on the clutch alone .

intercooler - this will more than likely be a core from ebay . as people generally fit them behind the front bumper . its all custom fit stuff.

Fpr - keep the standard 3 bar unit.. you dont need a 4 bar one .

fuel pump - standard units are hit and miss ive seen some be ok and not lean out at the top end on cars making 280 ish bhp , others havent made that .. a walbro unit is the best bet . all of our favorite tuners sell these , as does the bay of e . remeber to get the fitting kit else you wont be able to place it far enough down into the tank .

odds and sods - once you have brought what you think you need, you will also need, fuel lines, hose clips , tape , cable ties , etc .. this little lot alone can cost you big.

remember , before you start you need a idea of where you want to end up .. you can build a < 300 bhp vr6 turbo for around 1000 pounds , using methods detailed elsewhere on this forum .

For applications over > 300 , id suggest decent manifolds, turbo's and software .

The reason you pay good money for a kit from any tuner is that its known to work and time and effort has gone into it to produce reliability .

dont if you buy all your kit yourself from seperate suppliers , then moan at a software supplier when it doesnt run just as you would like .. as there are so many varibles its untrue .

if your doing a 24v conversion the same information mainly applies , parts required are roughly the same , but more expensive by roughly 20/30 %

[Nex 17]

Nice work Jim, should help a few folks

maybe even me one day

[michael5556 247]

Good thread dude

[nick74 0]

Hi there guys. Ive recently joined up and after a bit of info which by the looks of things i will get plenty,from all the knowledge that's on here.i was a proud vr6 owner until a local idiot decided to drive into the back of it and total it,so im now getting another one which will be stripped and rebuilt.the rebuild will be including a turbo being added not after huge power so i was wondering if the turbo kits on ebay were worth a shot and also if anyone knows of where i would be able to acquire some instructions to help me on my way as im not to bad with the old spanners.the engine will be the 12v .any info on this would be much appreciated.....please excuse any miss spelling fingers are to big for these buttons.

[paceo 22]

brilliant, i did pm you for advice but didnt get a reply buddy?

[FRANK VR6 2]

Hi all,silly quistion,but when you turbo a vr and you get a chip with injectors and so on do you have to get the car mapped or do you just set the boost to what you like and the see how you go?thank you

[callan96 0]

what advice would anybody give me in the direction of a gearbox. plan to be running 2.9vr6 at 350/400 bhp off a turbo what would i need to handle that level of power ?

[michael5556 247]

Standard one should be ok depending on turbo and it's delivery etc. and how much you put your foot down in 3rd lol

[Patdubz 2]

Hey guys just on with turboing my vr, any one know where to pick the oil feed up from and also were do you mount your oil cooler?? Any info much appreciated thanks.

[michael5556 247]

Every mounts oil cooler in different places. Depends on where you have space. Have a look at jawharehouse on eBay. It's in japan but delivery is usually 3 days

[CALICO 130]

Oil pickup from top of oil filter housing

[Patdubz 2]

Thanks guys I'll check it out!!

[DRAGUN 0]

Ok so I have an opportunity to get my hands on garrett gt1752 from SAAB 9-3, but I like to know will it be compatible with my 2.8 VR6 Passat (B4)?

[nas 0]

So which is the best engine to turbo 12v or 24v ?

 

 

Nas

[craggsy 91]

12v cheaper than 24v to turbo.

As for turbo from the Saab then no to small

[Mattyd 0]

Hi guys
I'm beginning to build up a vrt 12v
Looking for around 500hp
Thinking of going forged bottoms as I have a bore lip on the block so am going to need new pistons anyways
Dose anyone have any advice on compression ratios?

[Kola 1]

Hi, I know this is an old thread but it is still helping newbies like myself today.  So thank you

[Bigjimknickers 0]

A very interesting read, I’d be interested in a complete kit, plug n play as to speak but I don’t imagine there is much demand for that?

[Hans 24v 0]

I am interested too. But than i need a manual gearbox, autobox already struggle with 204

[Lockcityvrt 0]

Much appreciation to the original poster just picked up a Futura yellow 12v car and can't wait to get it torn down