how driveable is your 1756 turbo incl for tow?

midnightoil

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Location
Minnesota
TDI
researching for a TDI highway driver and occasional tow pig
Posted a similar thread in 101 section but maybe it's more relevant to where people have already modded things...

I'm considering a build based on a 1756 turbo upgrade (with power undecided but 'as high as 220hp') but was wondering if it's too big/too much. I want good driveability and MPG and manners not just power, I plan to tow also pretty darn heavy so if this would be a bad towing turbo please let me know.
 

Nevada_TDI

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Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
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2001 Jetta TDI
I guess the most important question is which generation 1756 turbo are you planning on running in your build; the answer to your question can vary based on turbo generation. Your tune will limit boost, so boost will not be an option but spooling very likely will be.
 

sltlytwkd

Active member
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Aug 4, 2015
Location
Luxemburg, WI
TDI
03 jetta
I was at 210hp with my 1756 and it tows very nice but loses steam in the high rpms. I now have a 2260, it has wayyyy more pull on the top end but still tows nice all the way around. I hope you have a good clutch because the 1756 comes on quick and my stage 2 daily couldn't hang on when I was towing if my foot got heavy.
 

midnightoil

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Feb 18, 2013
Location
Minnesota
TDI
researching for a TDI highway driver and occasional tow pig
I guess the most important question is which generation 1756 turbo are you planning on running in your build; the answer to your question can vary based on turbo generation. Your tune will limit boost, so boost will not be an option but spooling very likely will be.
Well the build is still on paper for now, so i'm curious what are the generational differences?

The 1756 sounds big enough for even if I get greedy (in my mind) for power, but I wanted to be sure I could still tugboat around heavy things because practicality comes first, sporty driving fun (and reserve tow power) comes second. Was also suggested as stronger/more able to handle sustained power output abuse of towing against wind resistance.

If anyone else tows with a 1756 turbo i'd love to hear them chime in, including if there's ever a case where it seems either too big or too small.
 

Votblindub

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Dec 22, 2010
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NY
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MK4 Jetta Wagon
Subscribing to this, since i've got a gtb1756vk with a built motor
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
My biggest concern would be EGTs when towing. When I towed with my 17/22 and RC6 EGTs would skyrocket if you tried to use the power.
 

turbobrick240

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Nov 18, 2014
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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yeah, it would be cool if you could select from different tunes like in the diesel trucks. My truck has 6 tunes to choose from just by turning a switch. One of the tunes is specifically for towing w/ a modest power increase. I actually use that setting most of the time.
 

FRtdilover

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Location
europe
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2001 4motion ARL 150
It's possible with EDC15 ! Search "multimap" on YouTube search bar
Tuners can do it then you'll be able to choose between 3 different maps by pressing clucth lever + cruse control button ;)
 

ducesrwld

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Location
WI
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none
just got done with some pulling with my 2056vk like ibw said have to worry more about egts than the drivability factor these gtbs are great all around turbos I wouldn't hesitate to go bigger with mine and dump the 2260 in there and still tow with it.
 

3L3M3NT

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Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
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04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Instead of settling for a 10 year old turbo, maybe you should look into getting a GTD1752VRK or a GTD1756VRK that will spool faster and have just as much power, if not more.

Here are a few options.
Here's the factory GTD1752VRK which is good for 210hp.
http://www.turbo-upgrade.com/produse/gtd1752vrk-with-manifold-for-19tdi-2wd/2136/

Or you can get the upgraded GTD1756VRK, which is good for 230hp.
https://gottuned.com/product/gtd1756vrk-billet-wheel-gen-ii-hybrid-turbo-vacuum-converted-and-welded-onto-stock-1-9-2-0tdi/

Then if you want more power yet, you could look into a GTD2060VZK that's good for 270hp. That would require some customization to get that turbo to work.

If you do decide to go with a GTB series turbo, look into the turbos that Pioneering Performance is offering.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=493912

Good luck with figuring out what turbo to go with. I'm going to be upgrading my turbo sometime in the future and will be following along to see which turbo you go with.
 

sltlytwkd

Active member
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Location
Luxemburg, WI
TDI
03 jetta
And another thing, I've driven my car hard its entire life. The 1756 didnt take long before it started pushing oil. (Like a year or less if I remember correctly) I have a couple buddies with the same problem using the 1756. The 2260 gets driven harder along with lots of water/meth at times, and is still perfect after a year. The 2260 seems much more robust over the 1756. Go big right away, you wont regret it.
 

TDIMeister

Phd of TDIClub Enthusiast, Moderator at Large
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Canada
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TDI
Whatever frame size you choose - 17/20/22 - it mostly boils down to an exercise of the compromise between low-end torque and transient response.

Regardless, go with the latest possible generation turbo you can get at your chosen frame size. There are stepwise improvements to be had GTD > GTC > GTB > GTA > GT.

And avoid "Frankenstein" or DIY/vendor-cobbled hybrids and go with a full OEM solution if you want the turbo to last.
 
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midnightoil

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Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Location
Minnesota
TDI
researching for a TDI highway driver and occasional tow pig
Instead of settling for a 10 year old turbo, maybe you should look into getting a GTD1752VRK or a GTD1756VRK that will spool faster and have just as much power, if not more.

Good luck with figuring out what turbo to go with. I'm going to be upgrading my turbo sometime in the future and will be following along to see which turbo you go with.
Newer is fine, this is all early paper research for a future build anyway. I budget out future upgrades for a vehicle on paper and plan before I even buy the car it's for. :p I'm aware that turbo upgrades (according to the FAQ) are not considered a good 'value' for just the raw power but part of the economics is meant to be improved towing durability at the same time.

My turbo buying is at least a year off though assuming I try to get the car next summer.


And another thing, I've driven my car hard its entire life. The 1756 didnt take long before it started pushing oil.
I don't mind going bigger IF it's actually stronger, i'm just afraid of going too big and losing low end torque. What made me say 1756 to begin with was several people advising that as a good compromise size based on what I was saying about towing.

If I can go to a bigger turbo, push more air, have cooler EGT, and it still tows heavy weights fine getting it started and all that, then that's an option too. It just sounds like I shouldn't go smaller. But at some point too big is too big. Like i'm wondering if I tuned for 125-145hp of fuel at the beginning would a 1756 be too much turbo? If so I better plan to do it all as a package at the same time instead of an early upgrade.

Plus I might buy used from someone else's upgrade project so I was trying to figure out a range of possible turbo options to contemplate.


Whatever frame size you choose - 17/20/22 - it mostly boils down to an exercise of the compromise between low-end torque and transient response.

Regardless, go with the latest possible generation turbo you can get at your chosen frame size. There are stepwise improvements to be had GTD > GTC > GTB > GTA > GT.

And avoid "Frankenstein" or DIY/vendor-cobbled hybrids and go with a full OEM solution if you want the turbo to last.
Thanks for the suggestion. Mostly I was trying to figure out for instance what is the minimum horsepower that a 1756 turbo still works at without falling off a cliff, ie how early in a power upgrade should I add it. If I can do it all at once (injectors, turbo, etc) that's easier, if I cant I was wondering if I can progressively upgrade starting with the turbo to get cooler EGT's.
 
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