hi folks. Whats difference between the two and i thought the tt t38 used ball bearings.

2nd question- im sure wet bearing turbo's take longer to spool up so why does the tt t38 use the 360 degree but the water bearing?? Surely they contradict each other!? If anyone could clear this up it would be much appreciated

 

The difference is the so called "wet" bearings are sleeve bearings, where oil is between the sleeve in the casing and the shaft, the shaft floats on this on, the other sort the ball bearing is a traditional bearing race with a inner and outer race, with ball bearings between the two.
The wet floating sleeve bearings are slower to spool as they are not as "free" as the ball bearing type, ie there is more friction, there's massively less friction with the ball bearing type.
A few big name companies are now working on AIR suspended shafts so even less friction.
Of course the term 360 degree bearing is what the ball bearing type is, ie all the way around, but is also used to describe, turbos that were originally the std 270 degree converted to a full circle bearing surface.
tabetha

 

Cheers for your info, helpfull as ever. Should i stay clear of the wet bearing on the tt t38 then or will it still be a good turbo?

 

There's nothing wrong with the traditional "wet" bearings, that float on oil, personal choice, if you want to cut down lag to a minimum etc then go roller bearing, esp as there is not such a drastic price difference now.
Personally I think the roller(ball) bearing ones spoil the character of the cossie but others like them better.
I have the std wet floating bearing on my T3-34, with 360 degree thrust, and step gap seal.
tabetha

 

i like lag!thats why im getting a t38 lol! Apart from fitting a gay dump valve is there anythings else to speed up spool time without changing turbo?

 

the choices are in no particular order
1anti lag
2 nitrous oxide
3 bigger capacity engine
4roller bearing conversion on your turbo
5smaller exhaust housing
hope this helps

 

Dont u need a maram shaft for anti lag which is a turbo upgrade isnt it?

 

as long as the anti lag is mild it should not be a problem

 

Just done a quick search, dont i need a l8 ecu though. I.ve only got 2wd standard electrics

 

If you're serious about your car ditch the L6, and go after market, best thing I ever did by a mile.
I like a bit of lag, but not that much, mine starts boosting at 1400rpm, and full boost by 2500rpm, it has to be nice as I tow a caravan/trailer sometimes a horsebox even!!
tabetha

 

So u reckon i should go for the wet bearing tt t38 but get an l8 ecu and anti lagg. The tt t38 is a recon turbo for 700 quid. Looks pretty clean, or should i just spend more money on a new tt t38 and get maram shaft on it?

 

with normal bearing turbo?

 

Personally I wouldn't bother with AL, the likely result of spitting flames/noise is likely going to cost you big time from the bill at some point, it's certainly NOT something you want on all the time.
There will be an amazing difference over a car mapped on rollers as opposed to a off the shelf chip, where the FULL benefit of your engine can be gained, a chip by it's nature going on all manner of engines in different states of health has to have limits, if your engine is healthy you could almost definitely get more, if that were not the case there would be no point/gain in live mapping!!
If you want to swap ecu's I would stay away from the "bind" of the L1/6/8 ecu's, and go fully aftermarket, the G4 from the likes of danny at EP are well worth a look.
Try pricing up all the cost of WS/AL/LC/L8 then look around and the cost will hit you of the L8 stuff.
tabetha