US/Euro Turbo's Vs. Garrett - Your view?

[dan_emaps]

Guys,

After finally sorting a manifold i'm turning my attentions to the turbo.

Up until now i'd decided on using a Garrett T3 with a cossie compressor wheel, 360 degree bearings and a 48 exhaust housing (ideally) but after looking at some of these turbo's available on ebay its got me thinking.

How do these turbo's from the likes of XS Power differ to the trusty Garrett? are they as much use as a chocolate fireguard and simply false economy as you'll go through one every 6 months, or are Garrett's overpriced? as most of us stay around a bar max on our conversions do we need to shell out £400+ for a good T3 or would these cheaper units be a more sensible choice?

Has anyone that knows what to look out for on a quality turbo had a chance to look at one of these?

I'm tempted as the second hand turbo market is a minefield, and there seems to be no such thing as *new* a recon'd unit is all well and good but unless its been done by a recognised company who knows if the jobs been done properly. It seems quite possible to spend £400 plus on a poor unit, as these cheaper turbos come in at about half the price and claim to be new are they a safer bet?

Normally i'd have gone for the Garrett without question, but on my last car when it came to buying a manifold instead of going for a Supersprint as before i went for a much cheaper euro mani after seeing good reviews on a owners club forum, and i have to say i was mighty impressed in every way with the purchase, and knowing that i'd saved my self £150 odd notes made it all the more satisfying.. could this be the case here? or, are we best going back to sticking with what we know?

XS Power
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/T3-T4-60-Trim-RB2 ... dZViewItem

Garrett
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-new-T3-Cosw ... dZViewItem

Opinions?

[gcorky]

quality counts here.....buy cheap dont expect garrett/holset longevity.

[e30cossie]

Iv just brought a cheap turbo from america.I am going to take the risk because a friend of mine has fitted about 30 and had no problems.These have been on verious jap cars.I always buy from ssautochrome .not all the stuff fits direct on like the descriptions says but a few easy mods for quater the price is well worth it to me.Iv seen top brand names break just the same

[gcorky]

you wont see a holset break under same conditions as a xspower ... bearings/wheels/balancing are inferior for starters-albeit some people use ss/xs/etc with no complaints.

[oldroydsr4]

I wouldn't trust a cheap turbo. They spin at + 100000rpm they need to be top quality item( perfectly balanced etc), do you really want your valves and pistons munching on parts of turbo internals, if they fail ?

Stick with garrett

[fuzzy]

i have used only garret turbos but ive had as little as 3 months out of a £900 stage 3 t34.although that could be down to the reconditioners shoddyness.i spend the best part of £1000 for a brand new t34 and other bits and bobs and have had no problems at all so far for the last 6 months.i have spoken to people who have had new garrets blow after a couple of weeks.i did also consider buying a cheap turbo from the US but didnt get much positive feedback to take the risk

[WillG]

the only thing i heard happen to a XS turbo was someone fitted one and the housing was only glued together and not welded and the housing fell appart. screaminge30 on the US forum used one for about 2 years running 1 bar and toby hasnt had any problems with his yet. It depends on what the rest of your setup is. I wouldnt put one on an expensive engine but a m20 with just a new set off head bolts no problem as they arent worth anywhere near the extra money you could spend on a turbo. I would get a HX35 if you want a strong turbo, heard from honda tuners they can take antilag all day and they are cheap

[dan_emaps]

interesting views chaps! Will i was thinking along these lines as it is only a stock m20 i'm using bar de-comp plate and head bolts, and its only a 2.0 at that, so can be picked up for pennies. meaning worries of turbo internals going into the engine isn't too much of a concern, as i want to run a bar and do expect the engine to let go anyway at some point, i think it would make sense for me to go for a cheaper unit at this point, and then maybe something better if i have to get a decent engine rebuild.

It seems theres as much negative feedback on garrett's as there is the cheaper units, have to say that i'm swayed to the more cost effective option at the mo! I'll do a search for these HX35s..

Thanks for the input so far guys.