why are bolt on turbo kits $1600 for a honda civic and 5k + for a sled?
- Thread starter snowmobiler
- Start date
Supply and demand is why we have high prices for our turbo kits. 5 companies produce almost all turbo kits available, prices are high because you have no where else to get the product.
A simple system CAN be put together for under $2500. Mitsu EVO 3 16g turbo is $585, oil pump is $100-600 including return tank. Charge box/pipe "roughly" $100-200. No Fuel system mods other than a Boondocker box IF boost is kept under 6 lbs $350?. (Boondocker is not doing any fuel mods for their "pump gas kit" BOV is about $20. Clutch kit, Order a clutch kit for your sled from a turbo kit maker for $250 and fine tune to your application.
Misc parts $250
Going on the High side $2300
Low side, some used parts $1900?
Also, before everyone runs willy nilly to buy a turbo kit from a company so they don't have hassles, consider this. Most of the current kits utilize a Garrett GT series turbo which require 20-30 lbs of oil pressure and roughly 1/2 gal minute of 4 stroke oil flow to keep the center section alive per Garrett's Specs. All the current kits utilize drip oiling with little to no oil pressure and some recoomend the use of 2 stroke oil. Want to know what the second leading cause of turbo deaths after foriegn object damage is? Oil Coking, which is oil burning in the center section and contaminating the bearings. Wait a second, isn't 2-stroke oil designed to burn?
When questioned about this Boondockers said don't worry about it. Well I didn't like their answer as I have used Garrett Turbo's for a long time and have come to realize that when they develop a specification they MEAN it. I also have a good friend who worked for Garrett in the Turbo development section, he about came unglued with swear words when I asked him if it would be ok to run it as the kit makers suggest. He basically said he would fly from Detroit to kick me in the balls and then take the turbo away before it was damaged. He described their efforts as: in his words "a complete and total F***ing hack job of engineering" He also said that no way in hell Garrett would ever honor a warranty on a product that was misused.
So I don't think a DIY kit is all that bad of an idea when the shortcomings the kit makers have no problem sending out the door are taken into account. Ask about the warranty they provide on the turbo, I bet there isn't one.
A simple system CAN be put together for under $2500. Mitsu EVO 3 16g turbo is $585, oil pump is $100-600 including return tank. Charge box/pipe "roughly" $100-200. No Fuel system mods other than a Boondocker box IF boost is kept under 6 lbs $350?. (Boondocker is not doing any fuel mods for their "pump gas kit" BOV is about $20. Clutch kit, Order a clutch kit for your sled from a turbo kit maker for $250 and fine tune to your application.
Misc parts $250
Going on the High side $2300
Low side, some used parts $1900?
Also, before everyone runs willy nilly to buy a turbo kit from a company so they don't have hassles, consider this. Most of the current kits utilize a Garrett GT series turbo which require 20-30 lbs of oil pressure and roughly 1/2 gal minute of 4 stroke oil flow to keep the center section alive per Garrett's Specs. All the current kits utilize drip oiling with little to no oil pressure and some recoomend the use of 2 stroke oil. Want to know what the second leading cause of turbo deaths after foriegn object damage is? Oil Coking, which is oil burning in the center section and contaminating the bearings. Wait a second, isn't 2-stroke oil designed to burn?
When questioned about this Boondockers said don't worry about it. Well I didn't like their answer as I have used Garrett Turbo's for a long time and have come to realize that when they develop a specification they MEAN it. I also have a good friend who worked for Garrett in the Turbo development section, he about came unglued with swear words when I asked him if it would be ok to run it as the kit makers suggest. He basically said he would fly from Detroit to kick me in the balls and then take the turbo away before it was damaged. He described their efforts as: in his words "a complete and total F***ing hack job of engineering" He also said that no way in hell Garrett would ever honor a warranty on a product that was misused.
So I don't think a DIY kit is all that bad of an idea when the shortcomings the kit makers have no problem sending out the door are taken into account. Ask about the warranty they provide on the turbo, I bet there isn't one.
D
Dano702
Well-known member
I have been on the fence for quite some time ,on this one . I agree that the BD kit is far from perfect . I know of a salesman from a certin dealership who has a BD kit on a sled . Not that he rides it or anything , but i guess they sure look cool. Good way to sell sleds , looking cool and all.
I have been stocking parts to build my own kit for a few months . I think i will build my own as a side project. I am going to buy a kit from Product Tester for my primary sled , so i can ride hassle free the very first ride. I will fiddle with the secondary sled for somthing to do , because that is what i love to do.
I spend large amounts of cash just to get to the snow , i live 700 miles from where i ride. I need a primary sled that works every time. I dont want to spend my vacation dealing with a melt down , or tunning issues.
I guess it all comes down to what your time is worth. Do you want to ride ? Or just spend your time doing R&D work?
I have been stocking parts to build my own kit for a few months . I think i will build my own as a side project. I am going to buy a kit from Product Tester for my primary sled , so i can ride hassle free the very first ride. I will fiddle with the secondary sled for somthing to do , because that is what i love to do.
I spend large amounts of cash just to get to the snow , i live 700 miles from where i ride. I need a primary sled that works every time. I dont want to spend my vacation dealing with a melt down , or tunning issues.
I guess it all comes down to what your time is worth. Do you want to ride ? Or just spend your time doing R&D work?
I believe that as with any sort of early developement stages a product will initially be expensive. I do not however believe that yuu should continuously pay that premium. Take sleds for instance, should I still be able to get $9000 for my 03' 700 RMK, even though its 5 years old..... I dont think so. BD has had M series turbos for several years now so I'd think that the return on BDs investment has been fulfilled, as in R&D is costing 10% of what it did initially. So then you go to a Pump gas setup that is significantly less costly partswise, no intercooler/fuel system mods, etc. So correct me if I am wrong Boondockers garett turbo, say $20 in aluminum tubing and $20 in sheet aluminum for the airbox, a "$600" oiling system, and BDs own proprietary fuel control box doesnt add up to $4000 plus. $3000 and BDs would be expanding rapidly and selling them even cheaper in a few years due to atleast a few thousand more sold per year. As for the fuel control box why on earth is it so blody expensive, cost the same as a diesel truck tuner but has only about 10% of the interfacing dificulty.
Who's your dad TM8? We prolly know each other, I'm over in Salmon Arm almost weekly for product support lol...
G.
You are dead on amery 3.
I have built 3 turbo kits from scratch, and here is a list on the last one.
Turbo with weld on plates and accuator 1500 GT3071
BD box 650
Aux injectors 150
Fuel Pump 150
Fuel presure reg 125
Fuel presure gage 45
U bends 100
Aluminum 50
Silcon hoses 100
Fittings 125
Extra fuel and cooling hose 20
Clipper tubing 20
B/O valve 150
Oil Pump 65
Head Machining 45
Miss 100
Total 3395.00
Now if you have a tig welder and a sheet metal brake and sheer on your hands, start building your turbo kit.
I would say that even with the experiance that I have building 3 kits that it would take at least 40 hrs to complete.
I have sold and installed some of the turbo kits that have been meationed here and they are well worth the money.
There are probabley 30 plus combined years of experiance in the two stroke turbo design in all of the kits that are on the market, and they are all very good designs and perform well.
I like to build things and that is why I build my own kits, that is how I learn.
To each his own, for the avid snowmobiler BUY A KIT they are alot cheaper in the long run.
KMOD
the reason its more expensive is because it has the word " snowmobile " on it just like a " marine " battery is twice that of a normal battery a tune up ( consisting of carb work plugs wires and a coil ) is about 50 bucks for a truck and about 150 for a boat
N
Nate
Well-known member
Very true Kevin
but you yourself are not an average "tinker", you built your own rear suspension, and built your own turbo kits. Not alot of us have that experience. Even with the proper tooling, it goes soo much deeper than just a fuel box and a little pressure Hell Kevin, you make it sound easy just to have the capability with the equipment
Very true Kevin
Well my point to the whole thread is that there not making that much money on turbo kits considering all the R&D that goes into them.
These guys are making good quality kits and are a good value for what they charge.
Boost is like sex, once you have had it, its hard to go without!!!!
More boost.
KMOD
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