keebs Posted September 12, 2014 Report Share Posted September 12, 2014 Little bit of tech on billet wheels. Billet wheels are produced for better durability at sustained speeds (metallurgical grain structure), they don't offer any performance benefit over a cast wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3AWDgst Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 ^^^^hahaha^^^^ so Untrue. They offer faster spool up time and flow more air do to design in the wheel it self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metako Posted September 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Good to know about the Kamak kits being good quality Bean and I would def make sure the new wheel was compatible with the old housings and exhaust wheel. The main reason I would consider a billet wheel is to get the new Garrett GTX design comp wheel as they do flow better and have faster spool up than the old GT design. And Garrett don't sell just the wheel so I'd have to go for a copy. Not sure about the billet wheels being lighter - I emailed a few companies and only one got back to me and said they didn't know the weight of the wheel! Pretty lousy product knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keebs Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 You just stepped on your on foot there. Yes of course a wheel with a better design will spool and flow differently, but when you take two wheels of the same design one cast and one billet you only gain structural integrity. Structural integrity is why Garrett and BW started making billet wheels. Smaller companies use billet because mold making is cost prohibitive when making only a few hundred units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Keebs - I agree with your points but only because of your caveat of the cast and billet wheels being the same design. Good billet wheels should employ a much more complex design not even possible in cast, and because the wheel is so much stronger structurally they can also make the cross sections and the blades much thinner. Proper billet compressor wheels are different, and they do flow more, and spool faster due to their lower mass. If the billet wheel is just a copy of the cast wheel, then you're likely better off staying with the cast... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V-M Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Some billet wheels are looking strange cause rough surface which is not good for air flow. Have no real data about it, just a feeling. I agree on copying. I have not seen any failure caused by casted wheel. Billet has good value if have made for make better spooling or flow or more air mass. V-M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keebs Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Thanks Rabin, that's all I was trying to get across. Unless specifically noted as being an improved/lighter wheel it is most likely no different than standard. Just trying to help, don't want people buying things based on misinformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 The billet aftermarket wheel I got from ARD Tuning for my TD04HL-19T does have thinner blades, thinner cross sections, and the blades have different profiles and shapes that have seen marked improvements in real world dyno testing. Initially I wanted to do a K24 swap from the newer V70R, but with the billet wheel the TD04 closes the gap so much it was cheaper and easier to just upgrade to billet wheel and rebuild. The fact the seller had no idea what the weight was is definitely a bad sign - but more often than not they're just a reseller with no specific knowledge. If you're buying direct and they don't know that's a big red flag. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metako Posted September 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I didn't know you had bought a billet wheel Rabin-what's your driving impression of the new wheel? The one that got back to me was a reseller-the manufactuers I emailed didn't even bother getting back to me. I still have to decide if I want to fork out the extra for a billet wheel as the comp housing will probably need to be machined to suit the wheel. And then the whole turbo will need to be rebalanced. Whereas if I reassemble the T28 carefully I could probably get away with not rebalancing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I haven't rebuilt my turbo yet, but if the comments mean anything one review said the billet 19T wheel took 1 second off his quarter mile time... The billet wheel I got is a drop in replacement with no changes to the compressor housing, and while the wheel is balanced, it's not a balanced assembly and it will need to get sent out and done. I got the wheel that is supposed to spool even faster, and pairing it with the ARD TCV boost controller valve as it responds much faster than stock. Also doing the newer style exhaust manifold at the same time with a custom 3" down pipe... With those supporting mods it should support 330+ HP and 18 psi, but I dont want to strain the auto transmission too much so I'll likely get an "eco" tune with torque/boost limiting in 1st (12psi), and 16psi peak in the rest of the gears. I should really just leave my family cars alone... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Btw - only the rotating assembly needs to be balanced - so just the wheels and the shaft have to be sent out. And yes - if you reassemble in the exactly the same orientation it doesn't need to be rebalanced. Years ago I rebuilt the T3 in my 505 and it was very easy. I even ported the exhaust housing for better flow while I was at it. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3AWDgst Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 On data logs we have seen spool up time decreases,HP and faster times at the track. This is the reason why T3 cars on Precision turbos are in 8's and some in high 7's. http://forcedperformance.net/merchant2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I'm guessing you meant decreased spool time correct? I've also noticed Precision turbos being on some of the fastest cars, and found it interesting that most (all?) aren't water cooled. I contacted them a while back to see if they could use the stock 505 housing with one of their turbos but there were just a few housings that would work. I'd seriously consider a Percision turbo for my build as well - but last I checked they didn't have any suited for super fast response and my modest 300 RWHP goal. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3AWDgst Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I'm guessing you meant decreased spool time correct? I've also noticed Precision turbos being on some of the fastest cars, and found it interesting that most (all?) aren't water cooled. I contacted them a while back to see if they could use the stock 505 housing with one of their turbos but there were just a few housings that would work. I'd seriously consider a Percision turbo for my build as well - but last I checked they didn't have any suited for super fast response and my modest 300 RWHP goal. Rabin Yes decreses thank you Rabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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