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Thread: Journal or dual ball bearing turbo?

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    cschepp's Avatar
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    Journal or dual ball bearing turbo?

    So I am replacing my turbo setup and am looking for the best options. I watched a couple videos and it looks like the dual ball bearing would spool really easy. Can someone shed some light on what they with to with and provide some explaination. If for whatever reason it makes a difference I want to make 500rwhp and this is the last component to my build
    Miss driving sooooo bad! Need to get a car on the road ASAP!

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    GTRCer
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    google will be your best resource on this topic
    oh hai!

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    GTRCer Snow's Avatar
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    DISCLAIMER: If any of the above comments in this post hurt your feelings you are likely taking me too seriously; I'm probably just busting your balls. If you're unsure, feel free to PM me and we can discuss the matter privately, as to not pull the thread OT.

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    GTRCer BrianV8's Avatar
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    depends on the technology of the turbo. I can't say one is WAY better than the other but there are many pros and cons to both

    Some facts about ball bearing turbo:
    - very little bearing resistance = fast spool
    - high priced
    - not serviceable, turbo goes bad you throw it away and buy a new center section from garrett

    Some facts about journal bearing turbos:
    - slightly slower spool time
    - more affordable
    - can be rebuilt by any turbo shop for a reasonable price.


    As far as spool rates go, ball bearing as been proven in the past to be one of the best technologies. Now i quote "in the past" because ball bearing is old technology. There have been many technological advances in journal bearing turbo technology that have improved spool time to be equal to the garrett ball bearings. The key has been in new turbine designs that increase flow and response in a smaller package. So you still get the same spool time and a serviceable turbo at the fraction of the cost.

    When i picked my turbo for my car with same power goals in mind i went new generation journal bearing turbo. Hopefully last turbo i ever have to buy for that car.

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    GTRCer DreadedFist's Avatar
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    Trust stated that journal bearing turbos are more responsive than ballbearing in some applications. This might be because Trust sells ancient tech journal bearing turbos for astronomical prices. HKS states that ball bearing turbos are always superior. HKS sells ball bearing turbos.

    What I'm saying is that everyone is wrong and I am also wrong.

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    GTRCer Dakota_gsx's Avatar
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    500rwhp? Garrett 707160-5. Buy two of them.

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    GTRCer
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    Smaller displacement motors like 4/6 cyls need transient response between shifts. We dont have a V8 with large displacement to be able to spool a turbo back up quickly. The ball bearing units help with that A LOT. Even bottom end gains are netted where trq can come in faster because of less friction in the chra. Power/power they will make similar but its the area under the curve where the ball bearing units shine.

    The Comp turbos are rebuildable and pretty cheap also from the guys I got mine from. I wont post here because I dont want to violate any forum rules. Thats why I went with one of theirs and there were lots of pte unit failures reported online which I did not want to have to deal with.

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    cschepp's Avatar
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    Thank you spoolinturbo!

    The entire reason I have made this thread is because I am about to gather all the accessories for the turbo kit to finish my car. Would you want to pay 4000$ for something your not satisfied with? I was asking for an opinion not for what they are. Now seeing the options (pros and cons) of the turboes I want to head toward a journal turbo just for the simple fact that turboes low and it would suck not to be able to rebuild it.
    Miss driving sooooo bad! Need to get a car on the road ASAP!

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    GTRCer louis110's Avatar
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    In addition to what Brian said, the biggest thing to consider between the two turbos is HEAT. Ball bearing turbos spool faster, but the heat it creates is much higher than a journal bearing turbo. Depending on the technology in the turbo, newer journal bearing turbos should have smaller frictional losses than in older generations.

  10. #10
    Supraclean's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by louis110 View Post
    In addition to what Brian said, the biggest thing to consider between the two turbos is HEAT. Ball bearing turbos spool faster, but the heat it creates is much higher than a journal bearing turbo. Depending on the technology in the turbo, newer journal bearing turbos should have smaller frictional losses than in older generations.
    Good Call Louis, just another reason why a guy should get a good turbo blanket like DEI or housings coated.
    Also fit an aftermarket Oil Cooler with thermostat to help combat.

    I noticed once I fitted my Garret GT2871r on my 20 that even with turbo blanket/protected Oil lines that my Oil temps were higher. Obvously other factors could have come into play like/tune more Hp and an unwrapped/coated manifold as I was and still am worried that my manifold wont hold up.
    Traction is optional, so are zipties

    92 Gtst/Silver bullet

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