We've seen several revolutionary trends in automobiles over the past ten years. Generally, cars have become larger, heavier, more luxurious and, of course, more powerful. Volkswagen elevated its line-up with turbocharged motors when the 1.8T was introduced in the late '90s. During this time VW has proven that turbos are a reliable and effective way to boost power for enthusiasts.
Not everybody can afford a turbocharged VW, but there are many who may wish to upgrade their beloved Mk3 2.0 or Mk4 VR6 12v to gain more grunt. So Kinetic Motorsport of Surrey, BC in Canada has developed two simple and affordable solutions with its new stage 1 turbocharger kits.
Turbo basicsIn the simplest terms, a turbocharger is a pump that compresses air into a small space. Turbochargers are highly efficient because they use wasted energy in the form of spent exhaust gases to power the pump.
In a naturally aspirated motor, exhaust gases exit out the tailpipe after combustion. Yet the gases represent two strong forms of kinetic energy: heat and pressure. The pressure from the gases is routed from the exhaust manifold to the turbocharger.
A turbo has three main parts: turbine, compressor and shaft/bearings. The turbine section is the receiving side of the turbo from the exhaust manifold. The gases are caught in the turbine causing the turbine wheel to spin. This then rotates the shaft connecting the turbine and compressor. The compressor begins to spin and compresses air in the intake path, pushing it into the combustion chamber when the valves open. Extra fuel is needed to match the incoming air to create a bigger explosion in the cylinders. This bigger explosion equals more power to the wheels.
When implementing a turbo conversion there are many complex factors to evaluate. These include fuel mixture, timing, sizing, fitment, manifold design, exhaust fabrication, wastegate, intercoolers, diverter valve, software and much more.
Kinetic Motorsport solutionA turbocharger is an ingenious system but not everybody has the tools or knowledge to build their own. Fortunately, Shawn van Neer of Kinetic Motorsport has done the job for you. So we sat down to learn about his goals for his new turbo kits for the Mk3 2.0 and Mk4 VR6 12v. "It's quite simple," Shawn started, "turbocharging is the most cost-effective and efficient way to add pressure to an engine. For the VR6, we wanted a way to make 300hp with 10 lb of boost for around $3000."
With this goal in mind, Shawn set out to find two cars with similar mileage to emulate the market. The cars were disassembled and Kinetic embarked on designing the kits in-house, including the exhaust manifold, downpipe, engine management and turbocharger itself.
The engine, transmission and drivetrain were also tested to determine their limits. Shawn wanted to achieve maximum power without damaging other components in the car. As a result, he's able to run these cars with stock clutches and hasn't experienced any adverse effects.
We were surprised to learn Shawn and his team developed their own custom turbocharger in collaboration with Rotomaster. "The turbo can't be too large because it'll give mostly upper-end power but sacrifice low-end torque," Shawn explained. "It also can't be too small because the power will drop off at the top of the rev range. A good powerband throughout the range was important, with no big boost hits and minimal turbo lag."
After testing several turbine and compressor sizes, Kinetic concluded a T3/T4-style turbo would do the job. The turbine is a 48R with a GT30R cartridge. On the compression side it's a Mitsubishi housing with a 3" inlet and 2" outlet. These specifications offer the best power across the rev range but keep the car reliable for daily driving.
The kits are sold with all the necessary components and hardware. With both running at 6psi, the 2.0 turbo kit was dyno-tested at 151whp utilizing 94 octane and a stock exhaust. The VR6 turbo kit put out 242whp on a factory motor with 2.5" cat-back exhaust and 94 octane fuel. This is shy of his original goal but he assures us there's more to come.
The VR6 and 2.0 kits costs $2950. So we're within Shawn's original budget.
Turbo kit componentsTo break down the individual components, the kits include the aforementioned Rotomaster/Kinetic T3/T4 oil-cooled turbocharger. It's mounted on a cast?? Kinetic manifold and is regulated by a 38mm Tial wastegate. Then there's a 2.5" stainless steel downpipe that's designed to hook up to either an aftermarket or stock exhaust. The 2.0 engine gets a 2.5" cold-air intake, while the VR6 has a 3" pipe and both use an aFe filter.
To lubricate the turbo, Kinetic includes braided oil lines that run from the turbo to a new oil pan and are supplied with all the fittings. You also receive silicone hoses and stainless steel clamps to finish the job.
With all the extra air being pumped into the head, Kinetic provides bigger 30# injectors for the 2.0, or 36# for the VR6. These are controlled by new software - in the case of the VR6 you have to send them your ECU and they return it reprogrammed.
ImpressionsOn the way to the photo location I had the opportunity to ride shotgun in the turboed Mk4 Golf VR6. As the car started up, it sounded almost factory with a slightly beefier rumble from the aftermarket exhaust.
We headed to an abandoned factory and the car drove fluidly. After hitting a few stop lights we finally encountered a straight and open piece of road. Our driver floored the throttle and I could feel the tires slip as the car raced from first to second gear. Once we were in third, the car accelerated quickly - noticeably faster than a 1.8T. We continued to accelerate well over 100mph and the Golf appeared to want more. We had to slow due to the limitations of arterial streets, but the taste of the turbo was enough for me to give Kinetic two thumbs up.
The power came on smoothly, with no surging and minimal lag. It proved to be a night and day improvement over the factory setup. For the $3000 price tag, we recommend this kit as an option for daily-driving enthusiasts looking for reliable power.