[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Vulcan50

I went with rb stg1 CHRAs. Swap out the CHRAs and return them to rb to get your core deposit back. I believe he offered 2 options cheaper than the stg1. So 3 offerings way cheaper than stock.

The customer service is on par with the best. I don't remember having better service anywhere.

Oh yes I forgot about the CHRAs, that was actually what I was considering doing, getting them from RB or getting stock turbos.

Also never wanted to buy VTT BUT FCP Euro now carries VTT CHRAs. So now I'm really interested because of lifetime warranty on those.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Warranties are great but wouldn't you rather a product that didn't fail? I'd hate to be pulling out turbos all the time.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by Salzamani

Why go with slightly better RB’s when FCP doesn’t carry them. At least with the Mitsubishi’s that FCP carries you have to only pay once. I’m just curious. It seems like slightly better is not worth that risk no? I got 84k miles on my stock Turbos and only recently did I notice a wine/siren like sound when cold, mostly goes away after warm up. I see others running tunes and boosting 18psi+ and have heard the winning/siren for 3 years or so and their turbos are still pulling fine. Maybe my turbos are not on their last leg and I’m just being paranoid. Should I even be worried about replacing my turbos soon?

Because the cost of labor is more than the cost of the turbos themselves so even if you get a free pair you're out another 1600-2k to get them installed.

Even if you do it yourself you're out a full weekend of hard work so if you can get cheaper turbos that will last longer for the majority of people that is a better option than 'free' replacements for life.

[Smgs1992]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

Because the cost of labor is more than the cost of the turbos themselves so even if you get a free pair you're out another 1600-2k to get them installed.

Even if you do it yourself you're out a full weekend of hard work so if you can get cheaper turbos that will last longer for the majority of people that is a better option than 'free' replacements for life.

Of course you dont want to be out the cost of having to replace them. I had mine replaced for $1200 so you can get it done cheaper than your estimates fyi.

However i look at it like this. Even with companies that have a solid reputation youre taking a gamble that they will last. Lets say you have to replace them at 80k miles. Youre pretty much guaranteed theyre gonna last 60-80k miles on the next set of stock turbos. In 60k miles are you still going to have this car? At that point has the power bullet bitten you to where you want to go with a single turbo setup? You could warranty the stock turbos. Sell them as brand new and put that money towards a single setup

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by Smgs1992

Of course you dont want to be out the cost of having to replace them. I had mine replaced for $1200 so you can get it done cheaper than your estimates fyi.

However i look at it like this. Even with companies that have a solid reputation youre taking a gamble that they will last. Lets say you have to replace them at 80k miles. Youre pretty much guaranteed theyre gonna last 60-80k miles on the next set of stock turbos. In 60k miles are you still going to have this car? At that point has the power bullet bitten you to where you want to go with a single turbo setup? You could warranty the stock turbos. Sell them as brand new and put that money towards a single setup

That's a good point.

Well here's a follow up question: if I get a set from FCP and run them to the absolute max, 23-25psi, how long could I get out of them before I go single turbo?

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Warranties are great but wouldn't you rather a product that didn't fail? I'd hate to be pulling out turbos all the time.

Well yeah but you really think a turbo is never gonna fail? The price I'm paying for them they better not fail on me with a shitty 1 year warranty. Plus the CHRAs from RB aren't warrantied I think.

So again, VTT CHRA from FCP seem pretty tasty.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Salzamani

Why go with slightly better RB’s when FCP doesn’t carry them. At least with the Mitsubishi’s that FCP carries you have to only pay once. I’m just curious. It seems like slightly better is not worth that risk no? I got 84k miles on my stock Turbos and only recently did I notice a wine/siren like sound when cold, mostly goes away after warm up. I see others running tunes and boosting 18psi+ and have heard the winning/siren for 3 years or so and their turbos are still pulling fine. Maybe my turbos are not on their last leg and I’m just being paranoid. Should I even be worried about replacing my turbos soon?

I would say that the quality of the RB OEM or Billet option is significant vs Mitsubishi OEM. The wastegates are a special high heat SS. The billet is better. The internet bearings are way better.

Yes, the Mitsubishi has a lifetime warranty. That's very appealing. The "average" set of OEM turbos on a 335, that is strictly DD, probably last 125-150,000 miles. I'd bet RB's would go 200+ if strictly DD driven, on average. The RB turbos upgrade and correct the deficiencies and faults of the OEM Mitsubishi turbos.

Hopefully, my logic makes sense.

Replacing turbos is a lot of work just to get a lifetime warranty.

[Torgus]

My OEM turbos failed at 65k. Never boosted above 19psi. The OEM design is trash. I have seen others last to 120k. Most after that have 30FF issues etc. Very few get much farther on them. Other have failed before 65k. Ticking time bomb and even before they fail the wastegate rattle makes you car sound like a shitbox and people literally stare.

Lifetime warranty means nothing as said above because of the labor. It is pretty sad that of all the N54 turbo vendors over the years(10+) the only 2 with decent rep is RB and Pure and you can't find many horror stories online unlike the rest.


Off the top of my head:
ASR
Hexon
VTT
MMP
FT
DAW
Zage
Dinan
TurboLabs of America
Knock off Zage version 2 from China with the bad wheels that like to self destruct
China cast - various designs and names but they are all the same

RB
Pure

Probably more I am missing.

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

I would say that the quality of the RB OEM or Billet option is significant vs Mitsubishi OEM. The wastegates are a special high heat SS. The billet is better. The internet bearings are way better.

Yes, the Mitsubishi has a lifetime warranty. That's very appealing. The "average" set of OEM turbos on a 335, that is strictly DD, probably last 125-150,000 miles. I'd bet RB's would go 200+ if strictly DD driven, on average. The RB turbos upgrade and correct the deficiencies and faults of the OEM Mitsubishi turbos.

Hopefully, my logic makes sense.

Replacing turbos is a lot of work just to get a lifetime warranty.

I completely agree. Putting things on paper, yes you have free turbos for life, but you also have labor in that category however it is you deal with it.

What you don't have with that though is the fun of having the upgraded turbos alongside a more reliable design that will last longer. Getting RB or PURE have the advantages for us tuning the car and planning on keeping it at the end of the day. Could you really drive another 80k for example on OE turbos knowing you could have had so much more the whole time...

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by Torgus

My OEM turbos failed at 65k. Never boosted above 19psi. The OEM design is trash. I have seen others last to 120k. Most after that have 30FF issues etc. Very few get much farther on them. Other have failed before 65k. Ticking time bomb and even before they fail the wastegate rattle makes you car sound like a shitbox and people literally stare.

Lifetime warranty means nothing as said above because of the labor. It is pretty sad that of all the N54 turbo vendors over the years(10+) the only 2 with decent rep is RB and Pure and you can't find many horror stories online unlike the rest.


Off the top of my head:
ASR
Hexon
VTT
MMP
FT
DAW
Zage
Dinan
TurboLabs of America
Knock off Zage version 2 from China with the bad wheels that like to self destruct
China cast - various designs and names but they are all the same

RB
Pure

Probably more I am missing.

There was so much hope for Hexon early on too, wasn't there? Lol

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Torgus

My OEM turbos failed at 65k. Never boosted above 19psi. The OEM design is trash. I have seen others last to 120k. Most after that have 30FF issues etc. Very few get much farther on them. Other have failed before 65k. Ticking time bomb and even before they fail the wastegate rattle makes you car sound like a shitbox and people literally stare.

Lifetime warranty means nothing as said above because of the labor. It is pretty sad that of all the N54 turbo vendors over the years(10+) the only 2 with decent rep is RB and Pure and you can't find many horror stories online unlike the rest.


Off the top of my head:
ASR
Hexon
VTT
MMP
FT
DAW
Zage
Dinan
TurboLabs of America
Knock off Zage version 2 from China with the bad wheels that like to self destruct
China cast - various designs and names but they are all the same

RB
Pure

Probably more I am missing.

I'm down with labor and lifetime warranty, now of course if it's every 20k miles no but if we are talking 50k miles plus that's interesting.

If I'd be staying MHD Stage2+ I'd definitely get OE turbos but the thing is my goal if turbos go would like to hit 600whp.

Only thing I'm scared of RB is the 1 year warranty, IMO that's just not enough for a high quality product that you want to stand behind and for something as pricy as that.

[Salzamani]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

What tune or HP do you run on yours? I'm also same dilemma, if I can reach 600whp with stock turbos but they only last 50k miles fuck it I don't care, it's going to be a pretty cheap way for 600whp.

But I assume stock turbos maxed out is only like, 500whp right?

I’m completely stock. As of the last 6 months I’ve developed a turbo wine/siren sound that has progressively gotten louder. I find the noise rather annoying. The power still feels normal and I don’t have any smoke. I go through about a quart and half every oil change (6k miles). I think I may have to replace the turbos in the future but I’m not sure because as I have previously mentioned there are mixed opinions about the noise being the sign of turbos going out...

[Vulcan50]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Well yeah but you really think a turbo is never gonna fail? The price I'm paying for them they better not fail on me with a shitty 1 year warranty. Plus the CHRAs from RB aren't warrantied I think.

So again, VTT CHRA from FCP seem pretty tasty.

Unless it's changed, the CHRAs from RB carry a 1 year.

Unfortunately it's kinda a crap chute as far as warranty. The thing with upgraded turbos is that people push them and their setup. Rarely, do I hear a story along the lines of "I'm going stage 2 but only want to make 450-500hp" its either stock/stg 1 looking to make 550whp, or stg 2 looking to make 800whp. The point being that people are looking at maxing out the setup.

Even oem, the turbos themselves running full stock, often last 150k+ its not fair to say that stock is poor design. It's designed to run 8psi or so, not 20+.

With that said I think that the online reviews speak more to reliability than a industry standard warranty

Just my $.02

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

I'm down with labor and lifetime warranty, now of course if it's every 20k miles no but if we are talking 50k miles plus that's interesting.

If I'd be staying MHD Stage2+ I'd definitely get OE turbos but the thing is my goal if turbos go would like to hit 600whp.

Only thing I'm scared of RB is the 1 year warranty, IMO that's just not enough for a high quality product that you want to stand behind and for something as pricy as that.

RB turbos have just about a zero failure rate across the board no matter what turbo you buy from him

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

RB turbos have just about a zero failure rate across the board no matter what turbo you buy from him

Still, legally the warranty is only 1 year. I just need bad luck and I am SOL.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Still, legally the warranty is only 1 year. I just need bad luck and I am SOL.

If your worried about "Bad luck" then its likely to happen on stock turbos more then RB/Pure especially if you plan on tuning.

My OEM Turbo wastegates gave up before I even tuned the car, had to uprate them first. Wasted money on having the OEM ones stripped and fitted with new Incolnel Wastegates. Had I known about RB/Pure Turbos, I wouldn't have bothered with OEM ones. This was before I knew nothing about N54 tuning.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Still, legally the warranty is only 1 year. I just need bad luck and I am SOL.

Think about it, most people would probably agree that you can run the stock turbos up to 500hp, but that they won't last a really long time at that level of HP.

RB OEM Billets, which have better bearings, better wastegates & slightly better wheels are underrated at 425hp. You could slap on a set of inlets & outlets with a custom tune abs hit 475hp easily. You'd still get 100,000 miles or more on a set of RB's at that level. If you ran them at the suggested 425, they'd go that much longer.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Think about it, most people would probably agree that you can run the stock turbos up to 500hp, but that they won't last a really long time at that level of HP.

RB OEM Billets, which have better bearings, better wastegates & slightly better wheels are underrated at 425hp. You could slap on a set of inlets & outlets with a custom tune abs hit 475hp easily. You'd still get 100,000 miles or more on a set of RB's at that level. If you ran them at the suggested 425, they'd go that much longer.

If I'm getting non stock turbos I'm definitely aiming for 600whp. Do they have a reliable set up? I'm still not sure if I stay stage2+ MHD or go for more.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

If your worried about "Bad luck" then its likely to happen on stock turbos more then RB/Pure especially if you plan on tuning.

My OEM Turbo wastegates gave up before I even tuned the car, had to uprate them first. Wasted money on having the OEM ones stripped and fitted with new Incolnel Wastegates. Had I known about RB/Pure Turbos, I wouldn't have bothered with OEM ones. This was before I knew nothing about N54 tuning.

Yeah but with stock turbos I can get new one for free. That's the difference, I don't care about bad luck with stockers from FCP.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Think about it, most people would probably agree that you can run the stock turbos up to 500hp, but that they won't last a really long time at that level of HP.

RB OEM Billets, which have better bearings, better wastegates & slightly better wheels are underrated at 425hp. You could slap on a set of inlets & outlets with a custom tune abs hit 475hp easily. You'd still get 100,000 miles or more on a set of RB's at that level. If you ran them at the suggested 425, they'd go that much longer.

Have you fitted your RB's yet mate?

Itching to see some logs

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

Have you fitted your RB's yet mate?

Itching to see some logs

I haven't yet. I am a teacher who coaches. So, my time is limited right now. Probably during the holidays, I'll get a chance to take her all apart. I'm going to be redoing my the rod bearings, tie rods, spark plugs & adding the new, special fitment for the updated LPFP.

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Yeah but with stock turbos I can get new one for free. That's the difference, I don't care about bad luck with stockers from FCP.

Are you doing labor yourself or expecting to pay ~$1200? Can't remember who said they get installs for that price