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Turbo to max out stock engine capabilities (K04, F23T, GT Series, others...)

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FriggenT1

Banned
I think by "leaving safe power on the table" he was referring to the motor strength, not the capabilities of the K04 itself, which yes are definitely maxed out well under the magic 400HP point.

Also keep in mind that if you go BT, you'd be maxed out on fuel, so that's more money to spend
 

thatspsychotic

Ready to race!
So I was wondering hey why not a GTX28.

That is probably the exact logic APR used when choosing a GTX2867 for their Stage 3 kit. Which, lo and behold, lands you right in that 400 HP ballpark (on 91).
 

vwgti2.0t

Go Kart Champion
This thread hurts my brain.

It's like:
"Hey guys, what should I do?"
Everyone- "Buy a K04 kit"
"Ok, I'll get a GTX28, same thing/price"
Everyone- "You should really go K04"
"OK, but I want the most reliability and I like bolt on stuff, how about a GTX28?"
 

GreyGti1990

Ready to race!
That is probably the exact logic APR used when choosing a GTX2867 for their Stage 3 kit. Which, lo and behold, lands you right in that 400 HP ballpark (on 91).



Yeah except the GTX28 kit from them is like $4,500... can get new K04 kits for less than $2k if bought on sale. Just can't justify the price difference.
 

thatspsychotic

Ready to race!
Yeah except the GTX28 kit from them is like $4,500... can get new K04 kits for less than $2k if bought on sale. Just can't justify the price difference.

I agree, that is where we get into diminishing returns. I'm in the "stock turbo for life" camp anyways for the same reason. If I need more power than that, it's probably better for me to choose a different platform to begin with. Not everyone will agree, but that's where I'm at.

This thread is turning into "hey guys it should be possible to build a GTX28 kit for the price of a K04 setup, right?" If it was possible, someone would have done it already.

IMO there is nothing mind-blowing or revelatory about this thread.
 

FriggenT1

Banned
That is probably the exact logic APR used when choosing a GTX2867 for their Stage 3 kit. Which, lo and behold, lands you right in that 400 HP ballpark (on 91).

I think people are lacking the thought process.

1. What is your goal and why?
2. What is your budget?
3. What is your mechanical skill level?

400 hp is a LOT, a lot more than people realize. A stage 2 GTI with FBO is going to outrun, or at least keep up with many cars on the road. A k04 will put you ahead of those you can't pass with stage 2.

Go to high and now that 4500.00 BT kit has cost you 8 or 10k with fueling, motor mounts and motor work to hold the power. Clutch if your manual, dsg tune if you're not. Suspension work to be able to handle the car, BBK or at least better pads to stop the faster car, tires. Etc, etc. Also keeping in mind that the going rate at most shops is about 100.00 an hour...yeah, no thanks.
 

thatspsychotic

Ready to race!
I think people are lacking the thought process.

1. What is your goal and why?
2. What is your budget?
3. What is your mechanical skill level?

400 hp is a LOT, a lot more than people realize. A stage 2 GTI with FBO is going to outrun, or at least keep up with many cars on the road. A k04 will put you ahead of those you can't pass with stage 2.

Go to high and now that 4500.00 BT kit has cost you 8 or 10k with fueling, motor mounts and motor work to hold the power. Clutch if your manual, dsg tune if you're not. Suspension work to be able to handle the car, BBK or at least better pads to stop the faster car, tires. Etc, etc. Also keeping in mind that the going rate at most shops is about 100.00 an hour...yeah, no thanks.

Exactly. If you keep going down that path, soon enough you've put $20k into a $25k car, which will be probably about as fast as a FBO 235i/335i, but won't hook up as well because FWD and you can't run 275 section tires like the BMW can, and the 335i will take less money to get to that point.

Have to be realistic given the starting point, which is a Golf.
 

Cadubya

Autocross Newbie
Exactly. If you keep going down that path, soon enough you've put $20k into a $25k car, which will be probably about as fast as a FBO 235i/335i, but won't hook up as well because FWD and you can't run 275 section tires like the BMW can, and the 335i will take less money to get to that point.

Have to be realistic given the starting point, which is a Golf.



Yeah but then you have a BMW. It's more fun to outrun people with a FWD turbo minivan, still carry 4 adults, and load a ton of shit in the hatch. It's the perfect all around car. It does everything well. It's not all about setting lap times and 1/4 mile for all of us BT owners. If I wanted that I'd have gotten a 911 turbo or corvette.
 

nickp1

Ready to race!
This thread hurts my brain.

It's like:
"Hey guys, what should I do?"
Everyone- "Buy a K04 kit"
"Ok, I'll get a GTX28, same thing/price"
Everyone- "You should really go K04"
"OK, but I want the most reliability and I like bolt on stuff, how about a GTX28?"

LOL just get a CTS K04 kit for 1600$ on sale now
 

mikejsmith1985

Go Kart Champion
Yeah but then you have a BMW. It's more fun to outrun people with a FWD turbo minivan, still carry 4 adults, and load a ton of shit in the hatch. It's the perfect all around car. It does everything well. It's not all about setting lap times and 1/4 mile for all of us BT owners. If I wanted that I'd have gotten a 911 turbo or corvette.



I agree whole heartedly with this! I want more power I know FWD is a limiting factor but let's be honest we're not all professional drivers and aside from the fact that you can't kick the rear end out even on a track we aren't really missing out on much if anything. I'd bet most people's times are limited by personal abilities 1st, appropriate suspension and tires for said track this includes brakes, and power output before they're ever limited by FWD.

I'm guilty I won't lie I think of what's the highest level of performance I can buy all the time, I should be asking what's the highest level of performance I can produce with my skills and the answer is very different.

I'm going to go big turbo because I want to feel the BT pull at 60+ mph and probably let off by 75mph 99% of the time, and stop fighting the traction issues of instant torque. And aside from 10 miles a year at most that will be on a race track I'll be commuting to the office, picking up food that will clog my arteries, and take random items and family members from point a to point b. I'll be able to put my wife in the driver seat with no fear. You can't do that with a purpose built sports car. I have no need for the power I have now nor the future power of the car it's a hobby for me and the fact that the car remains liveable for daily driving if I need it to do it is what makes it all worth while for me.

Of course this is different for every owner but in general if you're on an enthusiast forum you can bet most people here are going to be about modifying the platform to any extent the aftermarket supports. And anyone who thinks outside that box to take the platform further will be persecuted for it.

No you can't go BT for $2k, yes spending $10k on top of the $10k you've already spent will yield you a Golf that is worth $10k or less but if you enjoyed it and you're happy nothing else matters [emoji106]

And I do love seeing v8 sports cars in my rear view mirror all the way up to 5mph over the legal speed limit where I remember I'm a Dad and should behave accordingly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

thatspsychotic

Ready to race!
Yeah but then you have a BMW. It's more fun to outrun people with a FWD turbo minivan, still carry 4 adults, and load a ton of shit in the hatch. It's the perfect all around car. It does everything well. It's not all about setting lap times and 1/4 mile for all of us BT owners. If I wanted that I'd have gotten a 911 turbo or corvette.

No you can't go BT for $2k, yes spending $10k on top of the $10k you've already spent will yield you a Golf that is worth $10k or less but if you enjoyed it and you're happy nothing else matters [emoji106]

I also agree, that's why I bought the GTI as well. It's all about expectations, and how each person assigns value and utility. The story is different for everyone.



Also I like arguing both sides of the coin and sometimes I find myself doing it without even realizing :)
 
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GreyGti1990

Ready to race!
Yup, every story is different. I personally love my gti and while there are plenty of other cars that go faster in the straight line... that's not what matters most to me (although it is a lot of fun). I want to get involved in the twisties (autocross) and you definitely don't need sheer power for that.

I also don't want a new car loan for 5 years and plan to keep this car till 200k miles.

To each their own. Couple years and it's k04 for me. I just want a DD that can run 12's and that can withstand autocross events. After that... it's weekender that's even faster
 

lilonespaz

Drag Race Newbie
This thread hurts my brain.

It's like:
"Hey guys, what should I do?"
Everyone- "Buy a K04 kit"
"Ok, I'll get a GTX28, same thing/price"
Everyone- "You should really go K04"
"OK, but I want the most reliability and I like bolt on stuff, how about a GTX28?"

I Love you.
 

thatspsychotic

Ready to race!
Yup, every story is different. I personally love my gti and while there are plenty of other cars that go faster in the straight line... that's not what matters most to me (although it is a lot of fun). I want to get involved in the twisties (autocross) and you definitely don't need sheer power for that.

I also don't want a new car loan for 5 years and plan to keep this car till 200k miles.

To each their own. Couple years and it's k04 for me. I just want a DD that can run 12's and that can withstand autocross events. After that... it's weekender that's even faster

Heading off-topic, but where do you (or are you looking to) AutoX? This past summer I did about 6 events up at Devens in MA, it was fantastic. Highly recommend. If you make it up there, I'll see you in DSP class :p
 

GreyGti1990

Ready to race!
Heading off-topic, but where do you (or are you looking to) AutoX? This past summer I did about 6 events up at Devens in MA, it was fantastic. Highly recommend. If you make it up there, I'll see you in DSP class :p



Devens as in Fort Devens? Next summer will be my first time but I was planning on going to a lot in Hartford that's hosted by C.A.R.T CT. Wouldn't be against other places either
 
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