26-08-2014, 06:04 AM
Tuning anything will reduce reliability and longevity, that's part of the gig. Hence why i keep banging on about needing to look after them better. 
Yes, you need to spend money compared to a stage 1, but then we're lucky in that we can get so much extra power out of a stage 1 where these engines were so detuned from the factory. You're better off comparing it to what the vag boys pay for a similar set-up, that'll give you a more realistic idea of what tuning costs.
Until recently people haven't bothered with a larger turbo until they're planning on passing the fmic stage, but as i said above, using the stock turbo on a stage 2 is what's been causing people all the issues with back-pressure and blown heads. That's what tuning is all about - find the next restriction and work from there. It should make a significant difference to how well the motor lasts and for the sake of another £200 tops (half the price of a decent clutch, remember), you'd be mad not to imo.
Which turbo you go for depends on how you want the car to drive - do you want a tow car or a track car? A renault van gt1749 would give it a touch more flow but keep the quick spool, saab petrol 1752 would be slower to spool but very revvy, landrover 2052 would be somewhere in the middle but flow more than both.
Yes, you need to spend money compared to a stage 1, but then we're lucky in that we can get so much extra power out of a stage 1 where these engines were so detuned from the factory. You're better off comparing it to what the vag boys pay for a similar set-up, that'll give you a more realistic idea of what tuning costs.
Until recently people haven't bothered with a larger turbo until they're planning on passing the fmic stage, but as i said above, using the stock turbo on a stage 2 is what's been causing people all the issues with back-pressure and blown heads. That's what tuning is all about - find the next restriction and work from there. It should make a significant difference to how well the motor lasts and for the sake of another £200 tops (half the price of a decent clutch, remember), you'd be mad not to imo.
Which turbo you go for depends on how you want the car to drive - do you want a tow car or a track car? A renault van gt1749 would give it a touch more flow but keep the quick spool, saab petrol 1752 would be slower to spool but very revvy, landrover 2052 would be somewhere in the middle but flow more than both.