Quick question

I have .216 fuel injectors in my car and I want to do more! I think my turbo may be blown so I think that's where I will start. I obviously want to go big, so I'm thinking the 17/22 Hybrid Turbo. Other than the turbo itself, what other parts would need to be replaced? I'm guessing I would need to get a chip, bigger exhaust, and a better clutch. Anything else?

Thanks,
Jeremy

EDIT: Maybe this wont be a quick question after all. I also want to put in a 6 speed transmition so I can cruise at higher speeds while running lower RPM's and have a bit more flexibility in speed when I'm sitting in traffic. Is this at all feasable, and will it actually do me any good or is it a waste of money if I'm not racing.

You may want to go to bigger injectors if you're planning on going to a bigger turbo. Otherwise, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is a set of gauges (boost and EGT for sure, anything else is gravy) and maybe a boostvalve.

As for the 6-speed swap, this is a very costly swap but a cool one none the less. Another alternative is to swap a taller 5th gear in for lower rpms at highway speeds. This gives you the best of both worlds with stock in-town gearing and taller highway cruising gear, plus it's way cheaper than a full tanny swap.

How hard and time consuming is it to change the 5th gear? I'm not really a car person, but since I did my timming belt with my uncle I'm thinking it's time!

Also, I've been looking around and I can't seem to find what the whole thing would cost to do the turbo. Anybody have a ballpark figure?

I have been looking for a long time to see the hp/torque improvements with the 17 and the 17/22 turbos but all I see is boost PSI. What does this translate into for horse power?

Before I make a specific turbo recommendation, I always ask a potential customer which injectors they plan to run. The injector choice will be determined by their ultimate power goal, because the power you can make is limited in the end by your injectors.

This is because you've got to consider the whole package. A diesel is a fuel throttle, as opposed to a gasser with an air throttle, so any gains follow your ability to inject (and burn) more fuel. The real gains will come from the ECU tuning and injectors, ultimately limited by the injectors. Everything else, including the turbo, has a supporting role. Therefore a new turbo will generally not provide any gains by itself without re-tuning and injectors to take advantage of the additional fuel burning capability afforded by the additional airflow capability.

You may, however, see some efficiency improvements if the hot side flows better than stock, because the hot side of the turbo is the "choke point" in the whole intake/exhaust air flow. The hot side of the turbo ultimately limits what it can do.

Regarding "mo' boost" -- Another way to think of pressure is resistance to flow. Mass air flow is what you want, not pressure for pressure's sake. Pressure without flow breaks things. Mass air flow supports power.

You need to ultimately think in terms of what your turbo can support. Your stock turbo can support up to about 150 hp with the right injectors. Your stock clutch will give way long before that. So, before you consider a turbo upgrade, do the clutch.

If you want my specific recommendations for your setup and goals, feel free to call or e-mail.

5th gear swap is pretty easy, 2-3 hours and ~$375 by the time you change tranny oil, maybe buy a tool or two that you may not have, etc. This is doing the work yourself.

I think a 6 speed swap is around 10x that by the time you get the transmission over here from europe, different clutch & flywheel, I think you need different axles or at least flanges as well as starter. This again assumes you're doing the work yourself.

Turbo/Injectors/Clutch/Tuning/Exhaust/Gauges etc will totally transform your car, you won't be disapointed (but your checkbook might be ).

Hybrid Turbo ~$1500
Injectors ~$350
Clutch ~$850 - that will hold up (a VR6 won't)
Tuning ~$400-$800 depending on tuner and method
Exhaust ~$250-$750 depending on just downpipe + mufflerectomy or all the way up to what's in my signature
Gauges ~$400 (do this first, before anything else)

So you're looking at $4k +/- and that's doing all the work yourself. None of the work is terribly complex, if you're familiar with wrenching on cars, everything (except the big custom exhaust) is bolt in pretty much.

Kerma's got it right - it's all about mass airflow, pressure is just a measurement of resistance to mass airflow. I know it seems counter intuitive, but you want the most mass airflow at the lowest pressure. I've seen cases where boost pressure went down and power increased.

From what I've read, a setup like above described will net you anywhere from 160-200 HP and 300-400 ft-lbf (at the wheels) depending on supporting mods (turbo intake, intercooler, injection pump, intake manifold, airbox, aggressiveness of tune, smoke tolerance, etc)

There's plenty of TDI's running around the Toronto area I'd guess. See if you can find a club member with similar mods that you're considering and meet up with them and go for a drive.

hmm, sounds like a good project to space out over a few years! I don't think changing the 5th gear is really worth it. To only drop the engine about 300 rpm's, seems kind of pointless. The 6 speed I saw was actually bigger, so yet again useless.

After reading the FAQ on this site I'm a little worried since it stated if you go up 2 injector sizes, which I did, I should be replacing my differential, final drive, clutch and something about relieving head pressure and reducing piston heat....HUH?!!!

an odd question maybe. When I did my timming belt, I forgot to put the plastic hose at the bottom of the turbo back on. I also did my injectors at this time. I went for a road test and this car flew!!! then I put the hose back on and it seemed to have more torque but less hp. The engine also reved like it was snorting crack. I'm assuming that the back pressure accumulated after the turbo is needed for proper function and having it off would not be good for the car. Am I correct in assuming this?

Thats because with out the hose hooked up you were running well over 20psi at wot. Basically with the hose unhooked there is no control off the turbo, so it keeps boosting up and up until you let of the gas. Your stock turbo will not last long over 18psi.

Good thing I put it back on right away then LoL