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I've been looking around for a few days, but I haven't been able to nail down a solid answer to which specific turbo will spool fast and recover quickly on my 5.3. The car is a street/drift car, so it will go from WOT to No/very little throttle quickly which is why I'm looking for something that will be very responsive. This is my first V8 turbo build, so I'm a bit new to correct turbo size for these motors.
Motor:
5.3 LM7, LS6 Cam, LS6 Valve Springs(Which will be upgraded before Turbo), LS1 Intake, New timing chain and gears when the motor went in a few years ago, Koyo NFlow S13 V8 Radiator, t56 Trans, Revving to 6k ish, I'd be happy with anything from 500-600whp
Is a Borg Warner S300SX3 too small? Will a SX400 have any lag issues? Any specific turbo sizes would be gladly appreciated.
I would contact the folks over at VS Racing and see what they suggest. Most folks here are into drag racing so not much information exists for drifting. As you noted, I would upgrade the valve train to a setup that can take the abuse for prolonged periods of higher revving.
I got in contact with theboostlab and was recommended the BW 369SX-E with a T4 .96 A/R Turbine Housing. Originally I was looking at the 366, but saw a lot of people saying it was too small for the 5.3, but the 369 shares the same turbine wheel as the S366 SX-E but has a larger compressor wheel.
Sounds like the 369 should be a perfect option for my goals. Hope this may help anyone building a 5.3 turbo drift car in the future. 👍🏼
Pick the smallest turbo that will fit your power goals. Billet wheel will help.
Even though its fairly large for 500-600 HP, the Billet S369sxe is a nice turbo for what you want to do.
Pick the smallest turbo that will fit your power goals. Billet wheel will help.
Even though its fairly large for 500-600 HP, the Billet S369sxe is a nice turbo for what you want to do.
Yeah, I went ahead and ordered the 369sxe from boostlab today. Thanks!
I have an S364 on a stock 5.3 and it still feels pretty "big" compared to the GT series garret ball bearing turbo that flows the same. If you want a turbo to come one quick for drifting transients wouldn't you want the ball bearing variety of turbocharger?
S364 flows around 700hp but I dont think it can hit that on the 5.3 after looking at the map, but I don't see 600 being an issue.
I hope you get a dynojet graph eventually so we can compare.
11-27-2017, 10:44 PM
5.3 S13 Drift Car Turbo Suggestions 
Yeah, I went ahead and ordered the 369sxe from boostlab today. Thanks! 