I'm trying to figure out why more people don't use the T61 turbo....

If you have a dyno or other experience with the T61, I'd like to hear about it.

 

Hi, I have a turbonetics T61 with a 1.15a/r hot side. I have been running it since ~Nov 2002. I have not ever had the car running well when taken to the track and the 1 time I tried to dyno it was after an accidental overboost to 23+psi on pump gas due to a fractured wastegate line. The motor still held together and dynoed 362rwhp@15 psi and blew on the way home....it was making quite a bit more than that before I hurt the motor. Right now I am running pig rich on frankenstein ports from 3 different people.

FWIW, at 40mph I could get on it and rip through 2nd gear on a good tune at 10psi. Good spool characteristics even with the large hot side.

I am currently trying to get my hands on a good 1.00 housing and good tuning.

I know all that probably doesn't help, but figured I'd chime in anyways.....short, boring halloween night this year.

edit: all this on a HKS cast manifold

 

FastRX-7man has one, one of the fastest (126 mph) pump gas singles out there. Its a great turbo.

 

Ya, forgot about him. I think there are a couple of others running it as well.

Some #s from fastrx7man's signature:
11.1 @ 121.46 (10/6/04) T61, stock ports, 16 psi
406rwhp & 331tq (6-24-04) T61, stock ports, 15 psi

I'm not sure what he's running on the turbine side, what manifold, etc.

 

Looking at the compressor map (which I know isn't as important as the REAL world results)... the T61 looks like it has all the good things that the popular 60-1 has + the higher boost capabilities of the T66... but with less lag!

 

hmmm, that sounds like about the perfect turbo to me...

 

I came to similar conclusions ~2 yrs ago. What also broke the deal is that it is on a frame where you can easily change your mind and go with a larger wheel later on. IMO, it's worth the price gap over the 60-1.

 

When I bought my T66 a few years back I considered the T61 very seriously. Picked the T66 for the greater hp potential so I wouldn't need to upgrade again and again, there's about a 5lb/min or 45-50 hp difference in the hi-rpm end of efficiency islands, enough for me to go T66. I should have gone q-trim on the exhaust side knowing that I would just continue to turn up the boost, oh well.

I would suggest a T66 dual ball bearing q-trim with a 1.0A/R to rip on the street with a ported motor.

 

I sent a PM to fastrx7man - hopefully he'll be able to give some of his experiences with the turbo.

 

Thus my choice of the slightly smaller T66 .81 Q trim for road racing(untuned, so no numbers, sorry).