Bigger Turbo Options for the Kia Stinger

[Brian Keenan]

Hey hive. Has anyone put thought into bigger turbos? What might our options be? I'd like to gather some information and figure which brands and models would be best and also review those options.

 

[philsting]

Hi Brian.

I have been asking the same questions everywhere. From what I know the stinger scroll turbos are mirror image so work in reverse to each other. If I knew the inlet and outlet size, T flange type and facing, would have upgraded mine already lol.

The stinger original turbos are Honeywell Garrett. I asked Honeywell for information on the turbos but they wont tell me.

Kindly

Phil

 

[twig2121]

There's a thread on the forum where a shop has already pulled the engine and was nice enough to take up close pictures of the name plate on the turbos - I'll post later with the details when I dig it up

I tried looking up on the manufacturer's website without luck. Perhaps they are too new? Or I wasn't using the right syntax entering the #s

 

[AV8R]

I thought bigger turbos took more time to spool up that’s why the response on current ones is so good with minimal lag. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[Kamauxx]

There's a thread on the forum where a shop has already pulled the engine and was nice enough to take up close pictures of the name plate on the turbos - I'll post later with the details when I dig it up

I tried looking up on the manufacturer's website without luck. Perhaps they are too new? Or I wasn't using the right syntax entering the #s

 

[AV8R]

Ah, those turbo blades look a bit bad!

 

[Kamauxx]

Ah, those turbo blades look a bit bad!

The dealership noticed the damage when they received the car from Kia. They pulled the engine to repair it. One of the techs posted photos here.

 

[Bear]

I thought bigger turbos took more time to spool up that’s why the response on current ones is so good with minimal lag. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Correct, the bigger the more lag, however if you stick with twin scroll turbos, it will help with lag. As long as you aren’t trying to go single T88 twin scroll you’ll be fine and probably upto 50mm will have minor lag. Of course, if you’re going anywhere near 50mm or higher, that motor needs to be beefed up.

I’d love to go with bigger turbos, but I’m sure we’ll need to wait for ECU options as the current will throw codes all day long and stay in limp mode.

 

[KLR STINGER]

OEM turbos are not twin scroll. Due to the integration of the exhaust manifold into the head, and the fact there are 3 cyl aside, you can't use equal length pulse physics required by twin scroll design. These turbos are OEM Garret GT 1752 or there abouts. Stock frame Hybrid turbos are an option, but real fun will be had with new bridge pipe from head to v band or standard exhaust flange turbos. Lots of fun times to come with this platform

 

[AV8R]

OEM turbos are not twin scroll. Due to the integration of the exhaust manifold into the head, and the fact there are 3 cyl aside, you can't use equal length pulse physics required by twin scroll design. These turbos are OEM Garret GT 1752 or there abouts. Stock frame Hybrid turbos are an option, but real fun will be had with new bridge pipe from head to v band or standard exhaust flange turbos. Lots of fun times to come with this platform

In English please lol you lost me at pulse physics!

 

[Kazz]

I understood that only two cylinders on each bank fed the turbos...

 

[KLR STINGER]

In English please lol you lost me at pulse physics!

Twin scroll turbochargers use a split exhaust housing in order to leverage the firing order of the engine and the exhaust gas pulses created to improve low speed turbine efficiency and high speed exhaust gas scavenging. The idea is to use pairs of cylinders in the firing order which do not interfere with each other to sequential pulses of exhaust into one half of the twin scrolls on the turbo exhaust housing. The benefits are quicker spool, lower EGTs, and stress on turbine. Basically its a better more orderly way of managing exhaust gas flow through the turbo. However, This requires pairs of cylinders, and equal length manifolds/headers into the turbo. Basically you can only do this on 4 cylinders, or hot V turbo V8s. Then manifold designs tend to be more complex and affect packaging considerations.

While a great engineering idea, not possible on the 3.3T Lambda for reasons I have previously stated. There is no traditional manifold on these motors due to it being integrated into the head with one combined exhaust port, and there is no way to pair cylinders of the right firing order in a traditional V motor.

 

[xot1]

Someone did it in Korea.

 

[KLR STINGER]

Someone did what in Korea?

 

[xot1]

Someone did what in Korea?

Put a bigger turbo,
but no posted feedback yet.

 

[KLR STINGER]

That turbo is not is not a stock frame design, meaning full custom setup needing new exhaust and intake eesign, and is not using electronic wastegate like OEM, so boost control must be done via traditional vacuum source, but not sure the OEM ecu could control that. If that's the what they are using, they went about it the hard way.

 

[twig2121]

I'd be very interested to know how much more power vs lag if they went with a different setup that allows all 6 cylinders to spin the turbo. There are different options of course:
- use small traditional turbos (in same position as existing)
- maybe one larger twin scroll (like BMW uses); perhaps in a hot V placement or longer exhaust routing for a large twin scroll or sequential turbos (I realize there'd be lag with longer routing)
- use something more fancy like variable vane tech from porsche or diesels to keep same setup, but use all 3 cylinder exhaust

Other manufacturers have v6 (GM/Cadillac & Ford) or flat6 (porsche) turbos so they solved this riddle already. Porsche uses variable vane. Not sure what ford does with their twin turbo 2.7 v6, would like to know. Just bothers me that only 4 cylinders on the 3.3T are pushing the turbos - might be leaving energy on the table.

Also curious if it generates some sort of strange imbalance in the engine where two cylinders per bank have turbo backpressure and one does not

 

[xot1]

That turbo is not is not a stock frame design, meaning full custom setup needing new exhaust and intake eesign, and is not using electronic wastegate like OEM, so boost control must be done via traditional vacuum source, but not sure the OEM ecu could control that. If that's the what they are using, they went about it the hard way.

This is not impossible. The guy was already at 460whp through other upgrades before touching at the turbos.

 

[KLR STINGER]

Not saying impossible, I'm saying much more difficult way to go about it.

 

[xot1]

Not saying impossible, I'm saying much more difficult way to go about it.

I was saying "not impossible", meaning "maybe, i am not sure". It sure looks to me as a hard way of tuning the car too.
If I ever get any news on his mod, I'll let you know.