[philtr]

Hi all,
I recently dove into some big maintenance items on my '07 335xi like water pump, serpentine belt and also adding fbo parts I've been collecting. When I first got the car it had some wastegate rattle which I've mostly corrected by adjusting the rear actuator and shimming the front one. Anyway, so I'm lying under the car last night feeling the sloppy wastegates with 95k miles and it suddenly hit me... why don't I replace them while everything is apart??

So, I'd like suggestions on what to go with. My goals are:
1. Reliability, I don't want to do this job again
2. Slightly more power than stock, 550ish at the wheels
3. Close to stock spool up

So far I'm leaning towards RB One's or Two's but honestly a little worried about reliability and almost wondering if going with stock replacement Mitsubishi's for $1400 would be best. I'd like to stay on the cheaper side but could go up to ~$2k if the reasons are compelling enough. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks.

[Milan]

I don't think anyone has ever asked this question before!

[Jeef]

550 wheel is a lot more than stock.

If you want those goals then you will definitely need the RB next gens or pure DD's. You can also look in to VTT products.

[philtr]

Originally Posted by Milan

I don't think anyone has ever asked this question before!

Sarcasm noted

I've done a lot of searching and there is a lot of info... But most of it is already a few years old or more. From what I'm seeing a lot has changed recently with new offerings from the older suppliers RB and VTT and new players like Tomioka. Also, I'll stumble on things like "go with Pure if you want reliability" but no background info as to why.

[philtr]

Originally Posted by Jeef

550 wheel is a lot more than stock.

If you want those goals then you will definitely need the RB next gens or pure DD's. You can also look in to VTT products.

Thanks, that's helpful. The power goal is somewhat flexible with turbo longevity reliability being top priority.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by philtr

Hi all,
I recently dove into some big maintenance items on my '07 335xi like water pump, serpentine belt and also adding fbo parts I've been collecting. When I first got the car it had some wastegate rattle which I've mostly corrected by adjusting the rear actuator and shimming the front one. Anyway, so I'm lying under the car last night feeling the sloppy wastegates with 95k miles and it suddenly hit me... why don't I replace them while everything is apart??

So, I'd like suggestions on what to go with. My goals are:
1. Reliability, I don't want to do this job again
2. Slightly more power than stock, 550ish at the wheels
3. Close to stock spool up

So far I'm leaning towards RB One's or Two's but honestly a little worried about reliability and almost wondering if going with stock replacement Mitsubishi's for $1400 would be best. I'd like to stay on the cheaper side but could go up to ~$2k if the reasons are compelling enough. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks.

When you say, $2000.00 are you including the seal kit for around $200-50 in that cost in addition to coolant, oil & filter?

RB 1's or 2's are a great choice. If you are trying to hit 550, you might want to lean toward RB 2's. I also think if you are looking to get 550, you will absolutely need inlets & outlets as well as better, sealed cold air intake like an AFE. Downpipes might be a consideration as well.

Rob Beck can provide you with longevity info on his turbos. I don't think you will have a problem with reliability if you go with RB. He has been making turbos for the N54 for a long time.

[philtr]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

When you say, $2000.00 are you including the seal kit for around $200-50 in that cost in addition to coolant, oil & filter?

RB 1's or 2's are a great choice. If you are trying to hit 550, you might want to lean toward RB 2's. I also think if you are looking to get 550, you will absolutely need inlets & outlets as well as better, sealed cold air intake like an AFE. Downpipes might be a consideration as well.

Rob Beck can provide you with longevity info on his turbos. I don't think you will have a problem with reliability if you go with RB. He has been making turbos for the N54 for a long time.

I'd hope to cap it at $2000 or less but figure a seal kit for another $200 is in the wash. I already have everything apart for other work so coolant and oil type items are already on hand. Budget wise it's either 1's or 2's or Pure stage 1's unless I want to gamble on the new Tomioka's.

I will be running inlets, downpipes, etc, basically fbo along with an MHD tune. Yes, the 550hp might be hard to get to on RB 2's. It's not a strict requirement, reliability is more important as I don't want to replace the turbo's again, lol. Thanks for the input!

[TemjinX2]

just go single and put a smaller turbo on there. Then when you want more power, you can just spending 30mins to swap in a bigger turbo. Problem with hybrids, is yes they come with warranty but its also a $1-3k labor into uninstall and reinstall you have to pay for, so your taking that hit twice if the turbo breaks. with the singles your paying for in the install labor once and yes i know the single kits are more expensive but i think its worth it if your going past stock turbo power levels. Your getting a lot more flexiability, you can swap the turbo out yourself if it breaks and your can service the turbo with little trouble.

[addictedtoboost]

I would suggest going single turbo route, I myself will be going bottom mount single turbo setup with a GTX3582R along with a SpaTurbo bottom mount manifold with a 44mm TiAl wastegate. I am aiming for around 600ish whp for my daily driver. It will be bad-ass once all said and done. I am also going to be putting a Motiv flex fuel kit on as well to run a E40-E50 map with the Motiv BoostBox so I can turn up the boost a bit. The reason for why I'm doing single turbo is because a small amount of oil is passing through one of the turbos and is making smoke time to time. I know sooner or later the stock twin turbos will take a crap. I would rather remove them now and go single turbo for peace of mind. I'll be taking pictures of the progress made and will upload them to dropbox or google drive. I have noticed not too many people on the form has gone bottom mount single turbo setup since most people like to pop their hood and show their bling.

[cortez08]

Originally Posted by addictedtoboost

I would suggest going single turbo route, I myself will be going bottom mount single turbo setup with a GTX3582R along with a SpaTurbo bottom mount manifold with a 44mm TiAl wastegate. I am aiming for around 600ish whp for my daily driver. It will be bad-ass once all said and done. I am also going to be putting a Motiv flex fuel kit on as well to run a E40-E50 map with the Motiv BoostBox so I can turn up the boost a bit. The reason for why I'm doing single turbo is because a small amount of oil is passing through one of the turbos and is making smoke time to time. I know sooner or later the stock twin turbos will take a crap. I would rather remove them now and go single turbo for peace of mind. I'll be taking pictures of the progress made and will upload them to dropbox or google drive. I have noticed not too many people on the form has gone bottom mount single turbo setup since most people like to pop their hood and show their bling.

This is good advice. You are XI so plan on spending even more for a turbo swap if you upgrade with twins. You can accomplish your 550 goal on 93 octane on a single turbo. I don't see that happening with twins. Not using ethanol has benefits. The only downside of the single is the initial cost is considerably higher compared to twins but one unexpected twin replacement and the single has immediately paid for itself. Don't cheap out on a fly by night single kit builder.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by philtr

I'd hope to cap it at $2000 or less but figure a seal kit for another $200 is in the wash. I already have everything apart for other work so coolant and oil type items are already on hand. Budget wise it's either 1's or 2's or Pure stage 1's unless I want to gamble on the new Tomioka's.

I will be running inlets, downpipes, etc, basically fbo along with an MHD tune. Yes, the 550hp might be hard to get to on RB 2's. It's not a strict requirement, reliability is more important as I don't want to replace the turbo's again, lol. Thanks for the input!

If reliability is a priority, don't take the gamble on the new guy on the block.

[Maniac0908]

From all my research over the past couple of years. If you never want to do this again you have to go single. If a turbo goes bad on twins your doing the job again. If the turbo goes bad on a single it's an easy swap.

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

550 is "easy" in that the formula to get there is well understood, but there are a lot of ways to go wrong in your pursuit of power... btw, 550 with upgraded turbos is MUCH more area under the curve than wound out stockers; it's a huge power increase. If you'd like to see what VTT has to offer, shoot me a PM (or better yet, an email) and I'll be happy to start a dialog with you to help you pick the best option for your goals, mods, fuel, and driving style.