How To Upgrade Your Turbo

Bolting on a bigger turbo sounds easy on the internet but becomes a lot harder when it’s time to start turning wrenches. Will your stock oil lines connect to the new turbo? Is there even room for it, or will you have to sacrifice your AC or power steering to make it fit? And will you even see any improvement if it’s still attached to the stock intercooler and exhaust? While a turbo upgrade can be a huge job, it doesn’t have to be with our line of direct-fit replacements.

While we do carry the entire line of BorgWarner EFR, Garrett GTX or even our own T3/T4 turbos for those looking for the kinds of serious gains that require custom fabrication, we also have plenty of drop-in upgrades that will give you a nice boost while still retaining OEM fitment and daily-driver reliability. Most of them will be slightly larger than stock, but not so big that lag and fitment become an issue. They may also have improvements like a billet aluminum compressor wheel, wastegate actuator or VNT vanes for faster response and better durability. If your original turbo is due for replacement just due to age and normal wear, this is a great opportunity for a mild upgrade for those who occasionally like to hit a favorite back road in their sporty commuter car, or tow with their diesel truck. Many of these upgrades borrow OEM parts from higher-trim models, like the 16G turbo from an early Evo onto a Mitsubishi Eclipse, or our kit that includes everything required to retrofit the larger K04 turbochargers from the Europe-only Audi RS4 onto the US-spec, K03-equipped B5 S4.

With any of these options, you will notice a slight improvement on an otherwise stock vehicle, especially if your original turbo was particularly worn out. Pairing them up with other common bolt-on modifications like a cold air intake, larger intercooler and freer-flowing exhaust will allow the upgraded turbo to work to its full potential. At a certain point, you may also want larger fuel injectors to keep a safe air/fuel ratio, and a good tune to make all these parts work reliably together.

As the leading source of turbochargers, our catalog is always expanding, but some of our most popular turbocharger upgrades include:

For more knowledgeable assistance in getting the highest-quality stock replacement or performance upgrade parts at the best prices, contact BuyAutoParts and we’ll see what we have available for your car! We have the largest turbo catalog in the business, with either brand new or remanufactured options from top brands like Garrett, BorgWarner, Stigan, Holset and more. Come check out what makes us the industry leader!