Super 60 Turbo

[inno]

One of my many projects is to upgrade my turbo. I would love to buy John Welch's turbo but it is a bit pricey for my budget. By the way, John is a great guy, very helpful.
I spoke with Forced Performance and they can build me a super 60 ($570). Anyone have one of these on the Esprit? How do you like it?
Shopping for a turbo upgrade is very difficult. Some first-hand knowledge would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Pete
90 SE

[rjjuge]

any other info than "super 60"? I think the biggest myth with esprit "people" is that all parts for their cars have to be mythical and unobtainable through the outside world.

I'm selling my car, so I haven't been able to get to the turbo upgrade level yet, but with previos experience with other (many other) cars, I would assume that you'd be able to get a lot of performance out of a turbo designed for another vehicle. I, too, love the turbo packges offered to esprit owners... but they all seem to represent a "well, he owns a lotus, so let's overchage him because he has the money to waste" idealogy. Personally, I don't. I'll be comissioned a US Army 2LT in December, and I DON'T have the money to spend to represent those requisite to own a "supercar". Im thrifty. Fine, make fun of me.

Back from my rant about the elitist and almost eugenics (!!!) view of some esprit owners, what are the specs of the turbo and Ill give you somewhere cheaper, and more reliable to go. (with 28 cars under your belt at 22 years of age, all built by myself... I've been busy and must have learned something..) Whether you'll consider me an idiot or not, I've made friends with distributors, and that's all that seems to matter in the end....

my two esprits have been a love/hate relationship.... mostly love, but when a damn GM part breaks on a $**,***k "supercar"... $&*(*$&@($!!!

[inno]

Congrats on your commission. The Army is a ball. I was a warrant officer in the Army, flew helicopters.

I don't know what the specs are for the turbo I want. I'd like to get ~350 HP, be able to sustain boost at 1.0 - 1.2, have minimal lag, and an efficiency rating near 70%. I was hoping some experts that have already been there could enlighten me. I think I may have found a winner with TEC but I won't know until they give me the price quote.

[njgsx96]

Specs from Forced Performance are basically a full out rebuild and addition of machining to compressor housing to accept the Super 60 wheel, which is basically a better 60 trim wheel. No magic, no mojo, no Lotus pricing. $570 for a full rebuild and modify? If you can find a better shop that Forced Performance, I would go for them as they are one of the best. If you can find a better price than $570 (barring no other broken parts when it is disassembled) from said better shop, you are doing OK.

Forced Performance, TEC, Innovative... all good turbo shops.

The Super 60 compressor wheel is a pretty efficient wheel rated at 36lb/min at 65% efficiency. That is slightly more than the S4s wheel and will support the 350HP you desire at ~1.2bar. If you wanted to go bigger, I have heard from a few shops that there are better and more efficient wheels than the super 60, although I have not been given and specs, just heresay. If you go bigger, you will need to do something about the stock turbine housing as the .48ar turbine housing becomes a choke point and a restriction past what this wheel will flow. As it stands, if you get this turbo or a similar turbo, expect little to no difference in lag but more mid-range and top end as well as sustained boost to redline.

I have a core on the way whihc I plan to send out to Forced Performance to have them modify. I fyou are in mo rush to get a turbo, I should have mine done and installed by the spring, barring anything else breaking in my house, causing me to redirect my turbo money to the house fund.