TA49 or CEA TA58?

newkid87GN

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Looking for some advice on which route to take> My TA49 needs to be replaced. Should I replace it with another TA49 Garrett 63 exhaust housing or upgrade to the CEA TA58 from Precision. My current combo is
2800 12" converter,Dutt neck i/c ,E-85,60's,DW301 fuel pump,3" DP.Any advice would be very helpful. I called precision and they recommended a 3000 stall with the JB TA58.And 2800 with th BB version.
 
E-85 helps spool so I would not do a 3000 stall and a 5858.
You could get away with something at 2600 but 2800 will still roast the tires across the intersection.
The loose 3000 will make the car fall on its face in the midrange.
 
Yeah you are right about the stall speed.I was wondering if the 5858 has similar spool characteristics as the TA49..Does the 5858 have the same turbine wheel as the 49?I want to keep the stock appearing compressor cover so the TA58 will probably be my choice.
 
how fast is the car now and are you happy?price of rebuilt 49 vs a billet 58 is it worth it?low 11's on a 49 full weight and hooking is doable and it doesn't require a converter upgrade.are you going to push the turbo vs cruising around at 20psi?these are the questions you should ask yourself as turbos are usually picked based on response and overall power a person would like to make.
 
I have the TA49 and I love it spools up quick almost sounds like a supercharger. looking to run low 12's high 11's in the spring with it.
 
According to my conversation with Precision the TA5858 is the closest to a TA 49 in comparison,it is considered an upgrade turbo. My thinking is the TA 5858 is the newest technology in stock appearing turbos so it should surpass the performance of the 20 year old TA49 design. If the TA 49 was such a great turbo and Im not saying its not because it worked well then why arent they still being produced new? Why keep improving on something that doesnt need to be improved upon?
 
Sounds like your mind is already made up so go for it, its your car. Having said that, there is a reason the TA49 remains popular after all these years. They perform very well and are cheaper to fix compared to some of the "new technology" turbos being sold today. Some people need to have the latest and greatest. Nothing wrong with that. The more important thing to focus on is to correctly match your converter and turbo along with having the right supporting mods. With the mods you currently have, I don't think you're close to running out a 49 much less a 5858. Unless you were balls out with your 49 maybe a 5858 wouldn't feel much different? It's been said on here many times "it takes more than a turbo to run a number".

I'm no turbo expert so take that with a grain of salt. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever choice you make :)
 
Here is my advice. PM Bison, tell him your goal, and buy the turbo from him. He is not in it for just the sale, and I bet he knows more about our platform and turbo for YOUR goal than the sales guy your talked to. Trust me.
 
Here is my advice. PM Bison, tell him your goal, and buy the turbo from him. He is not in it for just the sale, and I bet he knows more about our platform and turbo for YOUR goal than the sales guy your talked to. Trust me.
^^^That's good advise. I was going to say as well, do not hang your hat on everything a salesman says...
 
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Thank you for all of the suggestions. Its very hard to make a choice when there is so much to choose from.there are dozens of turbos on the market for these cars and it is a major expense so it would be nice to buy once and be done.I dont have any future upgrades in mind only gonna fix what breaks so whatever turbo I choose will probably be the last one I buy.I dont have any et or mph goals I just want a nice street turbo that spools fairly quick and still pulls hard up top. The ta49 spooled great but didnt pull as hard as the TE 60 i used to run with the same combo and tune.
 
Contact Bison! He hooked me up with a custom build Turbo to fit my cars combo and my expectations!
 
how fast is the car now and are you happy?price of rebuilt 49 vs a billet 58 is it worth it?low 11's on a 49 full weight and hooking is doable and it doesn't require a converter upgrade.are you going to push the turbo vs cruising around at 20psi?these are the questions you should ask yourself as turbos are usually picked based on response and overall power a person would like to make.
Mr.Spool I was happy with how fast the 49 spooled but it didnt pull nearly as hard up top as my old te60, it was a Turbonetics CPT60 I got from Jack Cottons.the one you see pictured
 
if the tune is aggressive on the 49 it will pull real good up top.a while back I had a 10 sec ta49 trap over 120 in the 1/4 at 3800lbs and pickup 25mph on the backhalf.I don't now your combo/tune or goal,but if the motor is stock a 49 is real hard to beat.i am a fan of the billet wheel comp but on a stock motor with a tight converter the gain may not be there.
 
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