Generic turbo vs Garrett, HKS turbonetics etc.

[xh2boost]

Some may think this is a stupid topic, but I'm going to ask it anyway. If there is a qualified turbo techi on here, can you explain what the differences are between brand name turbo's and generic? we have all bought a generic part for our car at one stage or another. Isn't a turbo just a glorified air compressor? I'm not wanting vague comments like "better quality or performance" with out the proof to back it up. I'm not talking about ball bearing vs journal. what is the difference between a garrett journal bearing turbo vs a generic journal bearing turbo that is exactly the same size and cast the same way. there aren't that many pieces to a turbo. i also hear of alot of people blowing expensive turbo's. car manufacturers aren't making high performance cars so their only interest is longevity and most standard engines are very very safely tuned. so looking at it as though you are going to push a car to the extremes what will make a brand name turbo outlast a generic?

[NUT347]

The main one is most generic turbos don't have a 360 degree thrust and aren't balanced as well as the more popular brands.

[EFFalcon]

I'd imagine quality control and casting tolerances would be the biggest thing.
with parts spinning at such high RPM's, it doesn't take much for things to go wrong, bad casts, too bigger tolerances, inconsistant steel.

[TUFED6]

Some of the cheaper ones are decent, eg. Masterpower.

Most of the "big name" alternatives are just Garrett copies anyway.

I'd steer clear of the generic china pumps you see on eBay tho. Have heard of many of those packing up.

[AaronEF8]

The housings aren't the big deal, it's more to do with the CHRA. I know at least some don't come with an individual balance sheet, some are just photocopies.
Inconsistencies in the metals when they're cast is where many of the problems stem from. Then you get bits of the wheels separating or being too hard to balance, bearings breaking up or leaking oil.

You'll hear of people blowing expensive turbos because 99% of turbos are Garrett, and no-one makes much of a fuss when they blow a China spec turbo. Also, most China turbos are on modified cars, whose owners generally take a bit more care of their equipment, regular oil/filter changes, turbo timers etc.

[Revengelane]

Just stick to the known brands.

How about we start a list.

Garrett
HKS
Borg Warner
Turbonetics
Precision

Cheap brands, but good.

Masterpower (what TUFED6 said)
Kinugawa (not great results, but reliability doesn't seem to be an issue)