Hello!
Before starting this thread, I've had a good hard search of forums and the internet in general for any information I can find on Nixspeed racing in the states and can't find very much at all. 
 
https://www.nixspeedracing.com/shop-mkii-mr2/custom-ctx28-bolt-on-turbo
 
They seem to offer a "CTX28" 'bolt-on turbo', with a Garrett core inside. 
 
This is basically exactly what I want, as I am seeking to get my motor rebuilt and then put a Garrett on it and aim for about 250rwkw with upgraded fueling, ECU, and tuning. 
 
Does anyone here have any experience with Nixspeed and/or these turbos?
I'd be interested in anyone's opinions too. I am kind of keen to avoid going with a CT27, maxing out at about 180-200rwkw and being a bit disappointed frankly, so I'm willing to spend the extra dollars to get there. But does anyone think it would be more cost efficient to get this CTX28 series turbo (say just the disco potato GT2860 version) instead of getting a garrett locally but then having to pay someone to do a bunch of custom work to make it work with the Gen2 3SGTE i have. (Note: I'm aware of ATS Racing's adaptor plate but someone told me that it's actually not a good option cause it fouls on the gearbox, and also  their "stealth Kit" would potentially work but it might actually be more expensive in the long run than just this bolt on CTX28 version. Plus i'm keen on a stock looking engine bay and using a much of the stock setup as possible so a bolt on garrett seems amazing). 
 
Thanks in advance for any feedback anyone can give me.

Thanks Mr T. I really appreciate your response. 
 
I've been researching this on and off for about two years now, and all i can find is forums and web results full of praise for ATS Racing and their stealth kit, adapter plate, and also their CT27. But I am just hesitant to go the CT27. It's very attractive that it's bolt on and reliable, but i am really keen to make about 250rwkw and not max out at say 200rwkw. From what i've seen, the majority of CT27 results are something like 180-200rwkw max, so I am keen to just bite the bullet and go the Garrett. But then a few big issues plague me:
1. I had heard the adaptor plate fouls - if that's not true, great news. I think it's seriously back on the table then. Thanks very much for that info. 
2. The GT3071R that ATS always praise on their website and in forums just feels like it's going to be too big and too laggy. I would probably be more interested in either a GTX2867R or a new G25-550 (expensive oof) over a 250rwkw 3071 lag monster - i think either of those two turbos might make the power goal AND spool better. If a disco potato can do 250rwkw i'll be surprised, but i'd be willing to sacrifice a little bit up top if it can do it and be super responsive (e.g. if it could make say 235, i'd be happy with that). But that being said, they are the experts and i get the feeling it's all about the exhaust housing A/R - with a 0.63 A/R the GT3071 might actually be fairly responsive...
 
Anyway, all of that is why i was so interested in nixspeed racing. He seemed to have a bolt-on housing that would hold a GT2860RS or GTX2867R, and these were very attractive to me. 
But i totally take your points above, and look if the adaptor plate will work i think i'll probably just do that. 
 
I did speak to the guy at Nixspeed via facebook, and he was also plugging the CTXona turbo, which I was a bit less interested in cause it seems to be a higher power turbo that would be too laggy and inefficient for my goals, plus i know nothing about Xona turbos whereas I'm comfortable with Garrett's reputation. 
 
I suppose the other thing I haven't considered is flex fuel tune with E85 and a CT27. I assume maybe on E85 a CT27 would make the 250rwkw mark. Maybe that would actually be more cost efficient than a Garrett?

If you wanted a reliable, streetable, spooly 250rwkw 3SGTE, what would you do?
 
Thanks for your input btw, i really appreciate it. 
 

ok, so far my plan is something like this:
 
Overall Goal: Responsive, reliable, 250rwkw (~335rwhp) 3SGTE that is built to make more so that it'll be reliable for a long time. 
 
1. Full engine rebuild by professional (I have a particular shop lined up for this job) ~$10k
- CP Pistons
- Manley rods
- ARP Head studs
- Cometic head gasket
- upgraded oil pump. 
- Upgraded cams while we're at it if that's required for my goal (perhaps 264? I've read that's a reasonable middle road of cams for this sort of power)
 
2. Haltech ECU installed by the same professional ~$2k
 
Bits I can source and install myself/ with help of mates (and hoist):
3. Fuel pump ~$150 (Walbro 260lph? Bosch 040? Supra pump? I dont know yet, whatever is most reliable)
4. Fuel injectors x4 $600 (My XR6 Turbo has ID1000s - they're brilliant, so I'd be inclined to stick with brands i trust. Plus I've done the injector calcs - at ~20psi from the turbo, 1000cc injectors support 450rwhp on E85 max, and more on RON98. I plan to keep the car running on 98 at least in the foreseeable future, but with these injectors there's room to go to E85 and make heaps of power in far future if i wanted to)
5. Top feed Fuel rail ~$300 (ATS seem to make one that'll take ID injectors)
Actually I just noticed ATS have a full top feed fuel kit for like $1200 AUD.
 
6. Turbo Options
- GT2860RS: ~$1800
Pros- well tested, reliable, spools fast. 
Cons- might struggle to make more than about 200rwkw with my planned setup.
- GTX2867 Gen II ~$2500
Pros- new design, make more up top but maintain fast spool. 
Cons- still runs the 28 sized exhaust housing, so will also be restricted around the 200rwkw mark? also, not much info on the internet of 3SGTE results with this turbo. Also, quite expensive.
- GT3071 ~$1800
Pros- the most well-documented aftermarket turbo for a 3sgte that will make my power goal. 
Cons- might be too big, spool slow and make a big peak number at the high rev range that i never use. 
- G25-550 ~$3000
Pros- seems to possibly be God's second best gift to planet Earth. can make one million horsepower and spools faster than the Millennium Falcon. 
Cons- expensive. no MR2 results I can find on the internet. Would it need a bunch of custom pipework? 
 
Things my car already has:
- Aftermarket side mount intercooler (i've read this really will still be fine up to my goals. I'll consider running water injection if cooling becomes a problem. Melbourne has cool-ish nights 75% of the year)
- Aftermarket exhaust. I think it's 3". I assume the dump pipe will have to change with the new turbo, but if i keep it internal gate i dont have to do external gates and everything is a bit more simple no?
- Apexi intake (not sure if this is even worth mentioning lol. Probably will need a bigger pod filter anyway)
- GFB electronic boost controller (- currently on 10psi but with a faster ramp up it makes 149rwkw)
- The engine is tired. leak down and compression test show that it needs a rebuild anyway if i'm going to make any more kws. 
 
7. Dyno Tune - same shop who did the rebuild and the Haltech will be the #1 choice tuner for the car. 
 
8. Things i'll need after it's tuned and I realise how many things i've forgotten to do lol:
- Heavy duty clutch 
- wider wheels, bigger tires (currently only on Work Rezax 17x8s and 225 rubber on the back)
 
 
Other important things I've read and assumptions i'm making (which may be wrong):
- The stock ignition system will be fine
- The stock AFM will be ok with this new setup, albeit a bit restrictive? (Or do I need to go to a MAP sensor?)
- Stock 
 
 
Probably going to cost close to $20k for all this.
Am I dreaming? 
What am I missing? Where are my assumptions wrong?
 
Should I just settle for say 200rwkw and save A LOT of money? (e.g. a CT27 or CT21, upgraded fueling and a Haltech, and a mild rebuild just with head studs and metal head gasket, and i'd probably cut the bill literally in half?) 
Is that extra 50rwkw worth it? 
Or would some sort of halfway shopping list between these two extremes meet my goals using a CT21?
 
All opinions and comments welcome. Thank you for reading.
 
 
 
 

I can't comment on the end results as I haven't driven it with the new turbo, but I got a CT27 new from ATS that had an issue with either the compressor or turbine hitting the housing when cold. Fault was never determined, but after GCG repaired it and did whatever mods it added, it lost the CT27's ability to rev vs a CT26. After deciding to address hot inlet air temps at the source I went with a GTX2860R Gen 2. ATS didn't have any adaptor plates in stock, so recommended me to Nixspeed, saying they'd heard good things, but never tested it. Garrett claims the Gen 2 will support much more power than I'm after, so the size is sufficient for what I'm after.

The Nixspeed wastegate flap will hit an ATS downpipe before reaching its limit of motion, my mechanic got the downpipe modified.

I noted that the investment in turbo development is much greater on the compressor side, so I noted that when getting a 'backyard' turbine housing.

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Sivocci
After deciding to address hot inlet air temps at the source I went with a GTX2860R Gen 2. ATS didn't have any adaptor plates in stock, so recommended me to Nixspeed, saying they'd heard good things, but never tested it. Garrett claims the Gen 2 will support much more power than I'm after, so the size is sufficient for what I'm after.

What sort of power are you after?
Have you had your motor rebuilt and if so forged internals? 
I'd be interested to hear your specs. 
 
MrtT MR2 (replied above) has been giving me some really good options to think through re: if forging internals, why not go 2.2 stroker, and if so, why not consider 5S block etc. I am still just researching and saving my bickies. But the Nixspeed option still is on the table for me, and it might be a good bang for buck setup for me to make my ~250rwkw goal if I get the supporting mods right. 
 
Also, when you said "I noted that the investment in turbo development is much greater on the compressor side, so I noted that when getting a 'backyard' turbine housing." do you mean that you think Nixspeed's turbine housing is a bit of a backyard design and might not flow well? I've kind of gotten the impression from talking to Nick (from Nixspeed) that the Garrett GT28 sized turbines themselves are actually the restriction, that's why his CTXona option might be better. 
 
 

The backyard comment was a little throwaway, but I have no idea what flow testing Nick has done, or what tolerances he has with the turbine housing. The Xona turbine rotor, with its long and short blades may be an improvement. The few reviews I've seen are positive, but I don't know if they are truly unbiased, and what the experience base is.

After reading about cracked stainless steel manifolds, plus the need to do additional exhaust work to join the different turbo location, I decided the ATS stealth style suited, but the plates were unavailable. Plus the Nixspeed housing saves a gasket join, and buying a supercore can save you money.

I'm not going for big power - I don't have a number, more looking for a feeling, plus enough of a gain to justify some of the $ I've put in. The only internal thing I've changed is fitting 3SGE Gen 2 cams, which have 244 vs 236 duration and 0.3 mm more lift.

Going to 2.2 gives you 10% gas to spool the turbo, so it helps you run a bigger turbo. My block is the original, from a March 1991, so I'm well before the weak block issues. And I've only got 98k km on the car, mostly in stock condition.

I've got the Adaptronic ECU, which has been on since 2017, and will be going coil on plug. I've got a Walbro 255 l/h pump, Wolfkatz side feed fuel rail, 660cc Aisin injectors (a Supra upgrade). I'm not looking to run E85.

I am looking to run a mild water injection system, which started mostly as an additional intercooling measure. The rest of the intake consists of the RacerX airbox, to the Garrett, then the MR2 carbon fibre pipes, side mount intercooler with 9" fan, ATS throttle body, stock TVIS intake (to be controlled by a separate RPM switch to the Adaptronic).

I'm giving my mechanic further work by giving him a Turbosmart Gen V wastegate. (Looking at 1.2 bar max boost.) These are only made for Borg Warner EFR turbos at the moment. I just thought better boost control would be available. Additionally, I'm looking to get an engineering certificate once it is done, so passing an IM240 is part of the plan.

My exhaust is a mix of ATS, KO Racing (who included an HJS cat) and generic one in two out muffler in the stock location.

All up, probably a set up never to be repeated.

Cheers,
Martin







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Hey guys, just thought I would come on here and clear up a few things.
I'm not sure who mrt is but he obviously has zero experience with me. I have never marketed or sold turbos prior to the CTX series. I used to upgrade the ct26 years ago but never made any crazy claims. You may be confusing me with Kent Barnes who has done that alot.
 
I have a lot of testing on my turbos and didn't make any solid claims until the testing was done. The ctx28 consistently makes 350whp but is the flow limits of all the Garrett 28 series since they all share the same turbine wheel. I recommend just the gt2860 chra to go with my housing if that's a good enough power goal. This works great for stock engine and ecu. Very fast spool, much faster than the ct27 or any other stock turbo.
 
The ctxona is good for over 500whp and I should be maxing it out later this year. I'm building a 98 5s block just to be able to push it reliably. I never designed it to make over 450whp but have been pleased it can. recently made 470wtq on a stock 3rd gen which was unsafe and I stopped the pull before damaging the engine.
 
I do have a few dyno graphs I will add here in a bit. Please feel free to ask any questions but I would appreciate not spreading lies about me or my shop. I have several customers in Australia and you can ask anyone about my character. I do not lie or make false claims. I have perfect ratings in every place that has ratings. So far I have around 30 of these CTX turbos out in the world and have had zero complaints. Every customer is impressed by the spool, power, and most importantly the reliability over any stock/upgrade turbo.

Nic calling me out for false claims. False claims is like saying something to be true that has never occured, like a ctxona making over 500rwhp in a MR2 3sgte. No testing, no dynos, no representation at the USA MR2 nationals demonstrating over 500rwhp, just dyno results at 350rwhp.

Definately ctxona is an upgrade to stock and great option for USA with ability to exercise warrenty, definately impress anyone running a 80s design stock turbo, reliability of ball-bearing should be outstanding in comparison to stock - good marketing against stock.

Let's leave the past in the past because you obviously not acknowledging, focus on the now. This is not about who I am but the product marketing vs research/testing vs real world outcomes.

Aussies can buy genuine g series turbo or others with hardware to bolt on, exercise warrenty locally, similar total costs (ctxona plus shipping plus GST plus duty), and would again say nic false claims that the ctxona is more reliable than an upgrade to Garrett or others we have locally.

I truly hope the ctxona can make more hp (efficiently), take my hat off to you for your investment and risk. Don't make false claims nic, they are proven a great 350rwhp option, probably one of the most expensive option for an Aussie without local warrenty.

Tapping out, not worth the arguments. Nic just post the landed price, warrenty policy (who pays return and return back), the dyno at 500+rwhp ctxona MR2 (Inc intake temp whilst at ambient 32+ degrees celsius), data or evidence from Garrett or like saying OMG xona is so much more reliable than anything they can design.

Again you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Everything you say is wrong and ignorant.
 
The Xona turbo I use is 57lb/min turbo. That's 600whp capable so the only restriction will be the turbine side which was never intended to flow that much but it's performing better than expected. I have made 500whp on a couple but by accident and had to turn them down to save the engine. Since it wasn't a full pull I haven't posted them. I am in the process of building a car just to max out this turbo and post results. There are plenty of dyno sheets out there above 400whp. Not just from me.
 
Also I would never offer any kind of guarantee of power based on only selling a turbo. One small piece of the puzzle does not guarantee a complete picture.
 
I never said Xona was more reliable than Garrett if you learn how to read. It says more reliable than any stock/upgrade implying ct26/27/20/21/15/16/etc. Stock ct housing with any upgrade inside. Garrett makes great turbos. Their G series turbine wheels are a direct knockoff of the Xona UHF which came out about 6months prior. Xona used Garrett centers and housings for a long time before building their own Billet stainless chra. Also TiAl is no small company and having them as part owners/designers of Xona means it's quality stuff. Xona is not a cheap knockoff company. 

@MrT MR2 - enough with the mud slinging.
Unless you have dealt with Nixspeed Racing directly and have had a bad experience, stop talking.
I don't know what you are trying to achieve, though it isn't helping anyone.