# Gauging Interest in Aftermarket Turbo Upgrade: Turbokits.com



## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

I think everyone would say they are interested, but of course price and power gains make the final decision on the checkbook!


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

Yes that is true. But because this car is already a turbo car then an upgraded kit shouldn't be all that expensive compared to a N/A car that requires an entirely new setup.


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## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

true, but fuel and tuning upgrades would still be needed along with just the turbo.

nonetheless, I vote yes!


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## boats4life (May 28, 2011)

Fuel and tuning would be a part of the Trifecta Tune. If you installed AFTER your Trifecta, you could get in touch with Vince and have it retuned, but it'd cost a bit. Might as well get the tune afterwards.


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## boats4life (May 28, 2011)

As far as hardware, you might be spending a little more... I'm sure and upgraded fuel rail, injectors, throttle body and all that would set you back a bit.


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

boats4life said:


> As far as hardware, you might be spending a little more... I'm sure and upgraded fuel rail, injectors, throttle body and all that would set you back a bit.


Compared to a full kit for a N/A not really. 

Also, not when bought in stages. 

Ex. Stage 1- could be a more efficient manifold, pulley.
Stage 2-more efficient turbo, injectors
Stage 3- intercooler, meth, piping.


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

Maybe a joint venture between Vince and Turbokits.com could provide a packaged deal for a tuning solution and a bolt on kit. A safe base map to get people to local tuners or even a conservative street tune from Vince.


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## Rotherd31 (Apr 5, 2011)

Knock yourselves out! Whatever floats your boat. Not for me. I will stay with my stock turbo. I didn't buy this car to go fast, if I wanted all out performance, I would have kept my 09 CTS-V with 556 HP. Another item you guys should be aware of. Several guys on the V site did some supercharger mods that resulted in blown motors. Then they had the gall to piss and moan that GM voided their warranty. A_nd of course the aftermarket company said they had thousands of test miles done before marketing their product......._


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

What kind of mods did they do? Just more boost? I figured if they were going that route they would have put in LS9 internals.


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## boats4life (May 28, 2011)

Memphis said:


> Compared to a full kit for a N/A not really.
> 
> Also, not when bought in stages.
> 
> ...



Touche. Now if only we could find the parts....


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

boats4life said:


> Touche. Now if only we could find the parts....


 Huh?


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## Quazar (Apr 28, 2011)

Memphis said:


> Compared to a full kit for a N/A not really.
> 
> Also, not when bought in stages.
> 
> ...


I thought the issue with this is the turbo and manifold are one piece, so it would require you to replace turbo, manifold and at least some exhaust in order to upgrade?

I'm sure some would be interested, but I wouldn't void pretty much the entire car warranty unless the gain was huge.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

JDM-USDM Love said:


> What kind of mods did they do? Just more boost? I figured if they were going that route they would have put in LS9 internals.


LS9 internals = LSA internals, guts are the same.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Quazar said:


> I thought the issue with this is the turbo and manifold are one piece, so it would require you to replace turbo, manifold and at least some exhaust in order to upgrade?
> 
> I'm sure some would be interested, but I wouldn't void pretty much the entire car warranty unless the gain was huge.


You will def need an different header, but pretty sure a turbo swap is gonna void the warranty regardless. I haven't looked at the turbo yet (and probably won't to be honest, not gonna change it) but for some more power you could drop the guys and Grimm Speed a line and see if they will port the manifold and turbo. Won't be huge gains but should at least net better spooling and some top end. They do phenomenal work.


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

Quazar said:


> I thought the issue with this is the turbo and manifold are one piece, so it would require you to replace turbo, manifold and at least some exhaust in order to upgrade?
> 
> I'm sure some would be interested, but I wouldn't void pretty much the entire car warranty unless the gain was huge.


I havent looked at the turbo on the Cruze. Dont know if it is or not. I am going to look at one today though. See whats up.


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## Quazar (Apr 28, 2011)

55565353

Thats the part number for the turbo, in the description it says exhaust manifold included and you cannot order the manifold seperate unless you have the 1.8.

No sure how this would impact turbo improvements.


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## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

Memphis said:


> I havent looked at the turbo on the Cruze. Dont know if it is or not. I am going to look at one today though. See whats up.


yes. manifold IS the exhaust housing of the turbo.


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

That does put a damper upon improving upon the stock setup. With that being said someone could design an independent manifold and sell different turbos to go with it.


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## STUDLEE (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm sure there would be interest as long as the results of testing are honest and upfront.


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## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

Memphis said:


> That does put a damper upon improving upon the stock setup. With that being said someone could design an independent manifold and sell different turbos to go with it.


exactly. Thats what the aftermarket has been doing for the SRTs since they came out


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## Memphis (Jun 4, 2011)

Ok I sent them an email and put the thread topic down for them to look at. Hopefully they will be on here soon.


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

I'd be interested for sure BUT only after supporting mods come first
suspension, intercooler, etc.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

I am also 100% sure with as many 1.4's as there are gonna be that it won't be long before they start making an appearance at junkyards and a manifold/turbo can be had on the cheap for experimentation...


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## Nightdrv (Apr 17, 2011)

Does anyone know at what psi the stock turbo runs?


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

think it is 16PSI, but keep in mind 16PSI on a tiny turbo is like, 8 PSI on a bigger one...


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

NBrehm said:


> LS9 internals = LSA internals, guts are the same.


LSA Pistons vs LS9 Piston facts: + Pics - LS1TECH


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## Nightdrv (Apr 17, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> think it is 16PSI, but keep in mind 16PSI on a tiny turbo is like, 8 PSI on a bigger one...



16?! Geezus! I know that in my '08 VW GTI (2.0T stock) it was running 6psi... I was assuming the Cruze was something measly, like 2. lol 


I guess if it really is running 16, then there's no smart way to crank up the boost.


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## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> think it is 16PSI, but keep in mind 16PSI on a tiny turbo is like, 8 PSI on a bigger one...


no.. psi is a measure of manifold pressure over atmospheric and has nothing to do on turbo size. 

1lb of sand is equal to 1lb of feathers.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

70x7 said:


> no.. psi is a measure of manifold pressure over atmospheric and has nothing to do on turbo size.
> 
> 1lb of sand is equal to 1lb of feathers.


what I meant is boost isn't necessarily proof of alot of airflow or HP, a tiny turbo working at 16PSI will push the same amount as a larger turbo at a lower PSI assuming it is of the same design. I understand PSI is PSI when considered through Physics. IE a 30MM turbo at 16PSI will not push as much air as a 100MM turbo at 16PSI. I think alot of people get blinded by the PSI number, kinda like peak HP on a dyno graph. Looks good on paper, real world it may mean nothing like what you think. So depending on the size of the turbo VS the volume of the intake/cylinders 16PSI may be nothing. Not sure of the specs on the Cruze so i really don't know 100% but I know alot have been targeting 20PSI


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## Quazar (Apr 28, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> what I meant is boost isn't necessarily proof of alot of airflow or HP, a tiny turbo working at 16PSI will push the same amount as a larger turbo at a lower PSI assuming it is of the same design. I understand PSI is PSI when considered through Physics. IE a 30MM turbo at 16PSI will not push as much air as a 100MM turbo at 16PSI. I think alot of people get blinded by the PSI number, kinda like peak HP on a dyno graph. Looks good on paper, real world it may mean nothing like what you think. So depending on the size of the turbo VS the volume of the intake/cylinders 16PSI may be nothing. Not sure of the specs on the Cruze so i really don't know 100% but I know alot have been targeting 20PSI


Volume of air is different, time to reach PSI would be different as well, PSI is not. So the amount of air being compressed is the same regardless of the size. Volume would be related to amount of air needed. In this case, if the stock turbo provide the correct volume of air, a bigger turbo with the same PSI would not do anything. Bigger turbo on a V8 vs this one would be different at the same PSI. Time also would depend on how soon the pressure is needed, if this turbo provides it in time, a bigger turbo at same PSI would do nothing. 

Everything is relative to what is needed. Sometimes small is better, more air at lower PSI would do nothing for this car, more air with same PSI may do nothing as well. Shifting the PSI to 20/21 may or may not provide enough air, I have a feeling it does though.


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## Sparkles (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm all for an upgrade, but it's gonna have to be something reasonably priced with moderate gains. Most people didn't buy this car to be a tire fryer like the SRT4 was. 

Keeping a warranty would be a benefit. Maybe they could work with GM on it. IDK.

The thing is, at the end of the day, it's still a 1.4 liter engine. That's pretty small compared to most other manufacturer's factory turbo setups. 

It'd be nice if there were stages offered like mentioned before. I talked to the guys at the GM booth at the Good Guys show here last week about it. They basically said GM had no interest in it at this time.


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## CruzeBC (Feb 10, 2012)

Hate to burst your bubble but it's already out there!EndTankUSA.com - Chevrolet Cruze Turbo Kit (Powered by CubeCart)


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## SlvrECObullet (Feb 21, 2012)

I would do that but I think I will keep the warrenty on my for for the 6 year or 72k miles that I have it before I do anything major like a turbo upgrade.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Just getting around to this post, but having had over a dozen forced induction cars, there are plenty of places out there that will mill the housings and stuff larger turbo wheels into the turbos. I'd be down for this before a complete turbo and manifold swap. Looks completely stock, may add 50 or more HP. 

There is a company in Texas that does turbos like no one else. I wouldn't trust another company to do a turbo for my car. They have an HTA68 they make for the DSM that's run in the 10s. I had the standard turbo of this size in my DSM and it ran low 14s. They stuffed some bigger wheels in the same housing and now the turbo is complete madness. Most of the good stuff has ceramic ball bearings. This would bring the turbo lag down to nothing on this turbo.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

an old man once told me if your gonna put one part in your motor you mind aswell put all the parts in one shoot,meaning if you gonna do a turbo you gonna wanna do internals too


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## Brischke (Apr 25, 2012)

They made the entire turbo upgrade at endtank and didn't record any dyno information?? I'd think if they took the time to make the entire system that would be the first thing they would post.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

I'm happy enough making my own BOV noise,


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

jakkaroo said:


> an old man once told me if your gonna put one part in your motor you mind aswell put all the parts in one shoot,meaning if you gonna do a turbo you gonna wanna do internals too


If this motor can already handle over 20 pounds of boost, the bottom end is probably pretty strong. I would imagine you could easily triple the stock horsepower on this bottom end. It already has forged internals. 




Brischke said:


> They made the entire turbo upgrade at endtank and didn't record any dyno information?? I'd think if they took the time to make the entire system that would be the first thing they would post.


I noticed this also. I then noticed all of that work they did, and not one mention of anything fuel related. The car won't even run with that turbo kit on the stock tune.


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## 20126spdRS (Dec 27, 2011)

the cruze spkies at about 15-16 on my mechanical boost guage... generally hanging around closer to 10 to 12 psi


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

Stock yes but with a tune it goes into the 20s.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Yeah, I was talking about with a tune. But if it's falling off to 10-12 anyway. The turbo is underpowered for the car. Boosting it to 20 and having it fall off is worthless.


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## limited360 (May 6, 2011)

I boost 23+ and fall off to 18-20 by top of the gear


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

limited360 said:


> I boost 23+ and fall off to 18-20 by top of the gear


Thats not really bad at all. Now with removing all of these cats and mufflers, if it spikes and drops off and slowly climbs again, that's boost creep. And then you're asking for a new turbo if you leave it like that for too long.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> Just getting around to this post, but having had over a dozen forced induction cars, there are plenty of places out there that will mill the housings and stuff larger turbo wheels into the turbos. I'd be down for this before a complete turbo and manifold swap. Looks completely stock, may add 50 or more HP.
> 
> There is a company in Texas that does turbos like no one else. I wouldn't trust another company to do a turbo for my car. They have an HTA68 they make for the DSM that's run in the 10s. I had the standard turbo of this size in my DSM and it ran low 14s. They stuffed some bigger wheels in the same housing and now the turbo is complete madness. Most of the good stuff has ceramic ball bearings. This would bring the turbo lag down to nothing on this turbo.


Whats the name and were is it located I'll drive there haha 

Sent from my Droid


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

H3LLON3ARTH said:


> Whats the name and were is it located I'll drive there haha
> 
> Sent from my Droid


Forced Performance Turbochargers, 671 New Hope Road West, McKinney, TX 75071 - Tel: (972) 984-1800


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## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

limited360 said:


> I boost 23+ and fall off to 18-20 by top of the gear


Same here, 20-25psi but mine holds there through all gears(I'm auto)


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

I wouldn't trust anything on pump gas over 20PSI. Especially if you don't have anyway to monitor knock. The engine could be detonating and you can't even tell. Good thing about these ECUs, and all turbo ECUs that I know of, will pull timing to compensate. But you should literally feel the car fall on its face. It will be fast at part throttle but if you floor it, it feels like you're putting the brakes on. 

Another reason I will sit back and watch others mod these cars if no one is watching the basics.


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## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> I wouldn't trust anything on pump gas over 20PSI. Especially if you don't have anyway to monitor knock. The engine could be detonating and you can't even tell. Good thing about these ECUs, and all turbo ECUs that I know of, will pull timing to compensate. But you should literally feel the car fall on its face. It will be fast at part throttle but if you floor it, it feels like you're putting the brakes on.
> 
> Another reason I will sit back and watch others mod these cars if no one is watching the basics.


Vince has monitored my WOT pulls...he adjusted my tune accordingly. I can floor it whenever I want and it never falls on its face. Only when I get heat soak does it slow down some WOT for obvious reasons. I really want to buy the FMIC but it's too much money.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

That's good at least. And depending on how efficient the intercooler is, hopefully that's all you need. a/F ratios can change a lot with just weather. It's almost something that you have to monitor all the time. But then again, these aren't heavily modded. Adding more fuel would help, but too rich is also bad for performance.


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## limited360 (May 6, 2011)

These cars run at a set AFR regardless of environmental conditions.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

The ecu should have a set of parameters it follows. I wouldn't expect the A/F ratio at sea level to be the same requirement at 5,500 feet. The air is much thinner. Turbo cars generally run like ass at elevation.


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## Jayspur (Aug 17, 2014)

I got my tune from V-Tuner, and he (Brian Blair) does a turbo upgrade at his shop. It runs about 1400$ (400$ is a core) but he basically rebuilds the turbo and tunes it to add 15% more boost, you'd eventually be able to reach almost 25 psi. The Ecotec engine is a brute of a engine too, so you can really add a lot to it and it will keep going. I bought my Cruze about 5 weeks ago, and talking to the mech at the dealer, he said the engine could easily handle 300hp. 


2014 Chevy Cruze LTZ/RS 
Mods:
V-Tuner stage 0
BNR Catless turbo downpipe (yes this does cause the CEL to come on, but the tuner device that Brian sends you can clear the code)
Magna-Flow catback exhaust (however with the catless down pipe the car is cat free)
K&N cold air intake
Eibach racing springs (lowered 1.2" not crazy noticeable but they're more for handling and they make a HUGE difference)

Future mods:
Ported intake manifold
Turbo upgrade from V-tuner
Water/Meth kit


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm not going to pretend I know alot about our computerized turbocharged Cruzes. Being 50yrs old my knowledge is more based in older larger cubic inch motors and HP. For me I think it would be nice if the turbo spooled up easier and had the lag reduced. I may very well be talking out my ass here but thats just what I think based on my limited knowledge of todays smaller cubic inch motors coupled to a computer.


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## SneakerFix (Jul 28, 2013)

I don't see a this working out. Look at hep they had a kit on the market for a few years and nobody that I know of picked it up during its run. But lately I've seen two members here buy the manifolds the hardest part is a picking a turbo that doesn't spool late on this engine. We need the spool of a GT20 but the out put of a GT28.


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## redrocket (Nov 26, 2013)

And that's what I ended up with a gt25 lol best option without dropping $1500 on a garrett gtx turbo


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## SneakerFix (Jul 28, 2013)

redrocket said:


> And that's what I ended up with a gt25 lol best option without dropping $1500 on a garrett gtx turbo


Word of advice use a external waste gate. Also the gt25 starts blowing hot at 250hp spool on the 1.4 should be around 3500 range the external gate will help lower that spool time.


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## redrocket (Nov 26, 2013)

Yea without a doubt. I was doing some research on the miata forums and found that people who used a 12-14psi actuator on the stock internal wastegate had similar result. Gt25 stock should make 250hp pretty easy at 15psi


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## redrocket (Nov 26, 2013)

Also I'll he adding. A dual nozzle to meth kit so I'll have a pre intercooler nozzle and a nozzle in my throttle body spacer


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