PTE vs. turbonetics exhaust housings

[Grant B]

I've heard a number of people claim the PTE housings are better in some way. Does anyone have any real info to back this up? Better spool, less backpressure? Both?

Thanks for any help,

 

[Brooks]

I've asked that question before and the standard answer seems to be "The PTE housing is better than the Turbonetics housing." But usually the reasons cited are anecdotal.

Charles Brooks

 

[Nick Micale]

For spool-up and low end response, the Garrett housing is best.

 

[Grant B]

Originally posted by Nick Micale
For spool-up and low end response, the Garrett housing is best.

...and you base this on ?? I'm just curious if anyone has any real data. Like you switched from one to the other on the same turbo and gained 100 rpms of spool in the same weather in 3rd gear or something.

 

[Nick Micale]

Not a large sampling, only 4-5 cars I had to replace the PTE housing with a Garrett as the owners did NOT like the slow response and spool up. Or you could call it "turbo lag".

I do not post opinions unless I state them as such. On the average, I have worked on a turbo car every day for the past 5 years, and sometimes as many as 5 or 6 a day. There may others that have had different results, but mine are as posted. This info is based upon street driven cars and not ones primarily for racing

 

[TRBON8R]

Nick,

Just curious here. I've got a TA49 with the Precision housing. I don't think my TA49 spools quite as quick as the stock turbo with the Garrett housing did. The difference is slight, but it is there. To help the problem I ordered a converter with a bit more stall than the stock D5. All this leads me to ask if you feel that the slower spool on the Precision housing can be improved with a higher stall converter to the point where it is as good or better than the Garrett, or is it your opinion that regardless of the converter used the Garrett housing is still a better choice?

 

[Nick Micale]

Short answer, regardless of converter, Garrett is the better choice for quicker spooling.

Qualifying that statement, yours is just the typical build that response is affected. Bigger turbos need a higher stall converter and you lose the "quickness" of the smaller turbo. So, with a larger turbo, higher stall converter, less lag is apparent. The stock turbo spools quicker than a 49, and works great with no lag using a stock converter.

We tried a PTE housing on a TE-45A and it hurt response and power at his then current build. Overall, power output should average out about the same with a PTE or Garrett, difference is how the power curve is shaped.

My original answer was about better spool up and a street application was "assumed"? Remembering how important the correct combination of parts is to response, power and drivability, in the case stated, Garrett is the best choice in my experience.

 

[Grant B]

Thanks for the info Nick. I'm sure you understand that one must be wary of "seat of the pants" measurements, especially over the internet.

I actually do not own a GN, I was just asking here because I know a lot of GN people use PTE turbos. I've got a Toyota Supra. Do GNs have divided exhaust manifolds? If so, could the increase in spool from a Garrett be caused by the fact that PTE doesn't make divided housings (at least they don't for 4-bolt P and Q wheels)?

BTW, my car primarly sees the street and road course.

 

[TurboDave]

I can add this: While doing the turbine housing shuffle on my TE44 a few years back. It was pretty easy for me to document the improvements each housing made, since my car is pretty consistent, as is the air at the track I was trying them out on.

When switching from the Garrett housing to the PTE .63, it was a full .10 off the ET and a full 1 mph gain on the top end.
That stayed consistent for the next couple trips out to the track except some minor gains when some later tuning was done.

I then switched to the PTE .85 housing and again gained no less than a full .10 and a full 1 mph, with no other changes. Tuning tweeks came a few days later when I was satisfied the gains were therer to stay.

All of this while on my stock reman'd D5 converter.

I must be a little luckier than most. I never saw the lag problems others have eluded to. BUT there's a easy explanation for that. Some lag is "built into" the stock and after market chips, and unless the chip maker knows these little secrets, they're in there to stay. The lag can easilly be removed/reduced with some chip tricks, or other devices.
Example: Boost Command (BstC) will reduce/eliminate any lag you might be experiencing on a turbo this size even with a larger PTE housing.
Example: The quick spool code is also built into the Extender chips.

Not sure how many others if any know how to do this trick, but it sure can make a difference.

 

[V6 Beast]

From what I understand the PTE housing is actually a little bigger than a Garrett. I think they are from smallest to largest Garrett .63, PTE .63, Garrett .85, PTE .85. I was told the the PTE .63 was more like a .75 so it will spool a bit slower but pull harder on the top end.

I have used both but I went from a TE-60 with a Garrett to a TE-45A with PTE so hard for me to tell.


Sully