What is the biggest turbo you can run on the street

[lyonsd]

And not have any less turbo lag than the stock turbo? 51? 54? I know these require 2800 stall converters or more. What effect does a higher stall have on street driving? And will there be more lag?

 

[BLACK6PACK]

I have a pte 54 and 3500 AC N/L converter. You would never know that there is a 3500 converter in my car driving it normally. Load up the converter and its another story. I think my highway rpms went up 200 rpm. The bigger the turbo, the higher the stall you need. I think once you get past 3500-3800 you will start to sacrifice streetability.

 

[PSI]

TE-45

Can a TE-45 be driven on the street. If can could it be a daily driver. thanks

 

[TType85]

I'm running a 54 with a .85 housing on the street and a 3500 art carr 9" n/l. With stock heads it has ran as fast as 111mph in the 1/4 at 17psi with a very mild street chip.

Ran it at vegas, at 15psi street trim it went 108mph. 23psi race trim went 117.3mph and that was at 3000+ft elevation...

 

[RUQWKNF]

Re: TE-45

Originally posted by PSI
Can a TE-45 be driven on the street. If can could it be a daily driver. thanks

A resounding yes it can.
I did it with my old 87 Limited (RARE T) for over a full year. Daily driven, 350+ miles a week. I averaged 22-23mpg with a TE-45, Art Carr 9" (P/N 16930) 3200-3500 stall. It was an awesome street car, and like BLACK6PACK said, you could never tell it was that high a stall. Talk about spool up, it was mean. It averaged 11.90-11.80's at the track in street trim, and ran a best of 11.07 @ 120 in race trim. You've got to remember, one person's definition of Streetability, might not be the same as the next guy, so it's kind of a trick question. I too saw about a 200rpm increase at cruising speeds, but it didn't bother me at all. Even drove the car to the Nats and back in 98.
Anywho, sorry to ramble on.

Pat

 

[John Wilde]

Opinions

I agree with patrick. It is a person choice as to what streetablility is. I drove a couple months with a PTE Stealth 70 and a 4200 RPM
16930 Art Carr set up for a stage 2 motor. A friend of mine has been driving his car with the same combo for about 2 years. It is not his only car, but it could be.

 

[ULYCYC]

I'm running a PT54 with a Vigilante 9.5" 3200stall and a V2 front mount intercooler. I drive it daily and the only problem I have is keeping the rubber on my rear tires

 

[Fuelie600]

I'm using a TE45A with an Art Carr 9". On the street (20 mpg) / on the strip 125.1 mph. See sig. Brian

 

[1QuickV6]

I'm on a GT-70 and my friend a T-72. Easy as cake on the street. Both running DFI and 3000+ stall 9" AC convertors, so that helps.

 

[turboman38]

I'm running a TE60 with a stock converter and it spools way too slow. Hopefully getting a 3400 stall this winter.

 

[Roger]

I don't see the 200 rpm change on the hiway w/ a lockup converter?? I run 3000 rpm & a lockup w/ no adverse effects on a daily driver.

 

[Turbo6Racing]

I run a TE45 and a Vigilante 9.5" 3200 stall . I don't drive it daily but could. It has wonderful street manners. Love the turbo on the track as well.

 

[PsychoBuickBoy]

I have a TE62 and a ArtCarr 3500 non-lockup. I have been daily driving for the past 2 years and have no complaints!

 

[lyonsd]

I'll probably get a -54 or something similar. So what kind of stall would I need - 2800? 3000?

And will a -54 bolt right in? Or will I need a different set of headers? A different downpipe? A different wastegate? Or a different turbo shield?

 

[Wolfj359]

My GN is my daily driver and I run a TE45. This turbo is amazing, it pulls like mad over 20 psi, definately runs good with alky. It will bolt right up as well. Contact John Craig at Limit Engineering, he makes beautiful turbos and has excellent customer service/warranty.

 

[UNGN]

What's the purpose for the big turbo?

Do you want a big turbo so you can tell people you loose races to that you have a big turbo?

On the street, at street boost levels, a bigger turbo will be slower than a smaller turbo.

A big turbo needs a 9.5" converter and big injectors and at minimum a large wastegate puck in the elbow. Heads, a good intercooler a and 3" downpipe are good to.

Big turbos are great for turning up the boost to 24 psi. Piddling around on the street with a stock motor and 12" converter at 16 - 18 psi, you're better off with a stock or TA49/TE44 turbo

 

[1QuickV6]

Re: What's the purpose for the big turbo?

Originally posted by UNGN
Big turbos are great for turning up the boost to 24 psi. Piddling around on the street with a stock motor and 12" converter at 16 - 18 psi, you're better off with a stock or TA49/TE44 turbo

Up to 24psi? You mean starting at 24psi... Methinks it's a lot more fun at around 30psi!
Take care,
Erik

 

[lyonsd]

Re: What's the purpose for the big turbo?

Originally posted by UNGN
Do you want a big turbo so you can tell people you loose races to that you have a big turbo?

Of course. Doesn't everybody?

On the street, at street boost levels, a bigger turbo will be slower than a smaller turbo.

Slower spooling? Or slower because it's not as "efficient" as a small turbo and thus making less power than a smaller one at the same boost level?

A big turbo needs a 9.5" converter and big injectors and at minimum a large wastegate puck in the elbow. Heads, a good intercooler a and 3" downpipe are good to.

I'm planning on all that. I've already got a THDP. My next "major" purchase will be injectors or a CAS V2 stock-location intercooler.

Big turbos are great for turning up the boost to 24 psi. Piddling around on the street with a stock motor and 12" converter at 16 - 18 psi, you're better off with a stock or TA49/TE44 turbo

Yes. I am aware of that. But I also thought about upgrading the TA49/TE44 for when I want to go faster. Another $700 for a turbo? No thanks. I'll just buy the big one (-51, -54, whatever) once and not waste money upgrading from the "small" (-44, -49) one.

I know I'll need a higher stall converter and bigger injectors.

Here are my goals:

To go as fast as possible with as little deviation from the stock feel as possible when "piddling around on the street". I know a TA49/TE44 can put me into the 11s. But what if I want to go faster?

I'm still learning and considering my options, so don't get mad at me if I say anything stupid.

 

[turbolimited]

Originally posted by lyonsd

Here are my goals:

To go as fast as possible with as little deviation from the stock feel as possible when "piddling around on the street". I know a TA49/TE44 can put me into the 11s. But what if I want to go faster?

Therein lies the problem. I think if you had more "concrete" goals, you'd get a lot better responses. (I want to run 10.90 at 124 mph, what do I need?) IMO, a turbo buick has better street manners than any V-8 car with equal hp and torque levels. If you drive a 750 hp turbo regal, its gonna have much better street manners than a 750 hp sbc.

All that aside, big turbo is gonna need a big stall - period. You're kidding yourself if you think a 2800 12 inch converter is gonna be enough stall for a 54! Its all a trade off. Since when is high stall un-streetable, or even undesireable for that matter? I think an under-stalled over-turboed car is much worse! Believe me, I've driven both. Besides, I've heard great things about the 9-11 converters. Best of both worlds, good stall for minimal lag, and lock up for the strip and highway. The technology in the aftermarket for these cars is good enough to build a 10 second strip car in which you can drive granny around on the street, and she'll never know the difference between your Regal and hers!

 

[kevans]

If you go with the PTE-54 you will need a lot of converter. I have a 3000 stall 12" and it does ok but I could definetly use more. I run a lot of boost on the street so I don't notice a slow spool up like you would if you had to turn the boost down to 15 or so. I'm planning on getting a 3500 if I don't sell the car too soon.

Also, bigger turbo's tend to be MORE effecient than smaller turbos...they are just harder to get spooled. Like turning a small little kitchen fan compared to a huge boat propellor. That is why you need a lot more stall with a bigger turbo.

Good luck,
Kev