My $900 shipped Billet “S476” arrived.
06-03-2014, 08:39 AM
#1
My $900 shipped Billet “S476” arrived. Anyone bought a turbo from Apex Performance Turbos Inc (APT) out of California? Opinions? Company seems to have been around for awhile. Very popular over on the supra forums and import crowd in general. I was cruising E-BAY and threw out an $899 offer on $999 asking price and they accepted. It arrived last night. Couple things looked different compared to the usual S47X units I’ve seen. Figured I’d run the LS turbo crowd.
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebay AD it started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebay AD it started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
06-03-2014, 11:00 AM
#3
I had some poor dealings with them back many years ago. Getting an order wrong and doing nothing about it. The turbos the construct seem decent. I used a couple of their s256 turbos on import motors with no issue back when they were much cheaper. No complaints with their product, just their customer no-service.
06-03-2014, 11:50 AM
#4
I had some poor dealings with them back many years ago. Getting an order wrong and doing nothing about it. The turbos the construct seem decent. I used a couple of their s256 turbos on import motors with no issue back when they were much cheaper. No complaints with their product, just their customer no-service.
APT went through all the S400 options they had with me. Then changed my order at no charge with no questions asked.
They offer a billet "race" narrow hub 6 blade 75mm, An 11 blade 75mm, 7 blade 76mm, and a 7 blade 80mm. All for the same price.
Also you can choose .90, 1.00, 1.10, or a.1.25 AR T4 housings at no additional charge. Race comp. cover was a $250 up charge.
I probably would have been better with the 6 blade 75mm. But it felt weird not upping the compressor a little.
06-04-2014, 05:54 AM
#6
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Anyone bought a turbo from Apex Performance Turbos Inc (APT) out of California? Opinions? Company seems to have been around for awhile. Very popular over on the supra forums and import crowd in general. I was cruising E-BAY and threw out an $899 offer on $999 asking price and they accepted. It arrived last night. Couple things looked different compared to the usual S47X units I’ve seen. Figured I’d run the LS turbo crowd.
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebtold started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebtold started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
06-04-2014, 06:53 AM
#7
TECH Fanatic
Anyone bought a turbo from Apex Performance Turbos Inc (APT) out of California? Opinions? Company seems to have been around for awhile. Very popular over on the supra forums and import crowd in general. I was cruising E-BAY and threw out an $899 offer on $999 asking price and they accepted. It arrived last night. Couple things looked different compared to the usual S47X units I’ve seen. Figured I’d run the LS turbo crowd.
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebay AD it started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
1.) Uses smaller Schwitzer S410 discharge housing with 2.5” outlet. This will work better in my tiny engine bay, but how much do you think this will limit overall power? (they also have the “race cover” with the 6” inlet and larger discharge for added cost)
2.) Center section looks much longer/larger than current Cast S475. Knockoff center section perhaps? Or maybe just an old style cartridge?
According to the Ebay AD it started as an authentic BW cartridge. Then they add severe duty bearings, 360 thrust, 76mm billet extended tip high flow comp wheel and balanced the wheel assy. Uses the 77.5mm/87mm turbine wheel and 1.25AR T4 housing. The numbers cast into the exh. housing appear to be valid BW numbers. It also appears new.
This was an impulse buy. I was looking for a larger turbine housing/wheel mainly. Currently seeing a 2.8:1 back pressure ratio with my Cast S475.(t4 1.10AR 83/74 turbine) I make enough power with the current turbo, back pressure numbers made me nervous though. So I wanted to go larger on the exhaust side. Since I wanted to stick with a T4, by the time I paid for the T4 housing and 87mm exh wheel, it was cheaper to buy this billet unit. Not sure if it was a trade up or down at this point. Should have a direct comparison soon.
It may not make any power or it may fall apart... but it sure is pretty!
Glad someone else jumped on that grenade!
Their 80mm billet is good for the price. I assume there is some China in these to keep the price this low. Trending Topics
06-04-2014, 08:33 AM
#8
How familiar are you with BW/Schwitzer/AirWerks products?
I’m not familiar enough with them to say it doesn’t look “genuine”. If APT tells me it is a genuine BW part, I’d tend to believe them. This isn’t a fly by night overseas company. They have been around for awhile and the supra/import crowd seems pretty happy with them.
I’m not saying you’re wrong either. I’ve got some emails going back and forth with them now. Anything I find out I’ll let you all know. I’m totally neutral at this point.
I liked the idea of a smaller cover personally. The typical S400 stuff is huge! A 3” comp. outlet and 3” charge pipe isn’t necessary for a typical JY build. It just makes packaging difficult. A 2.5” cover and 2.5” charge piping will support 800+ HP easily. That’s more than I plan to make.
These turbos were only offered with the 87mm wheel. The 92mm wheel was not an option. The 92mm billet 76 turbo is $1800+ with a T4 1.25 housing. That’s over double what I paid and overkill for my setup. I mainly wanted to drop back pressure a bit. The cast S475 I run now isn’t maxed out power wise.
06-04-2014, 09:52 AM
#10
UPS box said 34lbs. About the same weight I’d guess. I’ll weigh them both when I swap. The only thing smaller is the comp. housing which is alum and won’t knock off a ton of weight. The center section, exh housing, and wheels assy are all larger. I’d guess it’s slightly heavier than the small S475 I run now.
So I’m told by APT the center section is a genuine BW part. “Its longer because it utilizes a special size turbine wheel exclusively to S410 model”. I’d guess it’s probably the cheapest BW cartridge out there with the 87mm exh wheel. Then APT fits the 360 thrust, compressor, and housing of your choice. Good enough for my junker!
So I’m told by APT the center section is a genuine BW part. “Its longer because it utilizes a special size turbine wheel exclusively to S410 model”. I’d guess it’s probably the cheapest BW cartridge out there with the 87mm exh wheel. Then APT fits the 360 thrust, compressor, and housing of your choice. Good enough for my junker!
06-05-2014, 09:32 PM
#12
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Appreciate the input!
How familiar are you with BW/Schwitzer/AirWerks products?
I’m not familiar enough with them to say it doesn’t look “genuine”. If APT tells me it is a genuine BW part, I’d tend to believe them. This isn’t a fly by night overseas company. They have been around for awhile and the supra/import crowd seems pretty happy with them.
I’m not saying you’re wrong either. I’ve got some emails going back and forth with them now. Anything I find out I’ll let you all know. I’m totally neutral at this point.
I liked the idea of a smaller cover personally. The typical S400 stuff is huge! A 3” comp. outlet and 3” charge pipe isn’t necessary for a typical JY build. It just makes packaging difficult. A 2.5” cover and 2.5” charge piping will support 800+ HP easily. That’s more than I plan to make.
These turbos were only offered with the 87mm wheel. The 92mm wheel was not an option. The 92mm billet 76 turbo is $1800+ with a T4 1.25 housing. That’s over double what I paid and overkill for my setup. I mainly wanted to drop back pressure a bit. The cast S475 I run now isn’t maxed out power wise.
How familiar are you with BW/Schwitzer/AirWerks products?
I’m not familiar enough with them to say it doesn’t look “genuine”. If APT tells me it is a genuine BW part, I’d tend to believe them. This isn’t a fly by night overseas company. They have been around for awhile and the supra/import crowd seems pretty happy with them.
I’m not saying you’re wrong either. I’ve got some emails going back and forth with them now. Anything I find out I’ll let you all know. I’m totally neutral at this point.
I liked the idea of a smaller cover personally. The typical S400 stuff is huge! A 3” comp. outlet and 3” charge pipe isn’t necessary for a typical JY build. It just makes packaging difficult. A 2.5” cover and 2.5” charge piping will support 800+ HP easily. That’s more than I plan to make.
These turbos were only offered with the 87mm wheel. The 92mm wheel was not an option. The 92mm billet 76 turbo is $1800+ with a T4 1.25 housing. That’s over double what I paid and overkill for my setup. I mainly wanted to drop back pressure a bit. The cast S475 I run now isn’t maxed out power wise.
07-12-2014, 12:19 AM
#14
So even with the little 2.5" outlet, the new turbo makes quite a bit more power than the small S475. Little harder to get it to light off. Need to play with my 2 -step and adjust it for this turbo.
At 24lbs I managed an 8.94@157.6 with a crappo 1.47 60'. Also trapped 159 @ 25lbs creeping to 26 the last 100rpm or so.
Last outing with the cast S475 it was maxed out at 25lbs and trapped 155. (Going from 22.5lbs at 15.6* of timing to 25lbs and 17* I only picked up about 1 mph) So basically this turbo was worth an additional 4 mph on my setup. Also a solid 124 in the 1/8th, picked up about 1mph there. Still on the cheap china 32x12x3 IC. A treadstone is on the way. We'll see how much power that thing is eating up.
Need this sucker to 60' and I could be mid 8's!
At 24lbs I managed an 8.94@157.6 with a crappo 1.47 60'. Also trapped 159 @ 25lbs creeping to 26 the last 100rpm or so.
Last outing with the cast S475 it was maxed out at 25lbs and trapped 155. (Going from 22.5lbs at 15.6* of timing to 25lbs and 17* I only picked up about 1 mph) So basically this turbo was worth an additional 4 mph on my setup. Also a solid 124 in the 1/8th, picked up about 1mph there. Still on the cheap china 32x12x3 IC. A treadstone is on the way. We'll see how much power that thing is eating up.
Need this sucker to 60' and I could be mid 8's!
Last edited by Forcefed86; 07-12-2014 at 01:07 AM.
07-12-2014, 12:42 AM
#16
Entire build thread link in sig. It's a 5.3/glide.
For basically $50 more than the small T4 S475 I'd say it performs well. Friend just bought the 11 blade S475 from them. Same hot side specs as mine, but it has the larger standard S400 cover.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Borg-Warner-...-/221487905746
For basically $50 more than the small T4 S475 I'd say it performs well. Friend just bought the 11 blade S475 from them. Same hot side specs as mine, but it has the larger standard S400 cover.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Borg-Warner-...-/221487905746
07-12-2014, 07:55 AM
#18
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Definitely a badass setup man. I've been out at the track trying to dial in my car a little and watched you skate down the track. I'll have to stop by and check it out sometime. Very impressive!
