As a seasoned pricing professional and someone who frequently works with private equity companies (double whammy), I think APR's DTR6054 is a brilliant offering for those upgrading from IS12 or IS20 (someone said this already). Even more so if you are trying to stay emissions compliant (obviously). Purchasing the base unit from FCP Euro with WG actuator is going to cost around $1800 before tax and shipping and it comes with a tune and lifetime hardware warranty through FCP Euro. APR has already laid out a clear upgrade pathway using various fueling options, and they will have many of their customers locked up in its ecosystem until other tuners jump in with their own OTS tunes. Believe me, APR will also offer (or at least attempt to offer) an OTS tune for this specific turbo with APR's own downpipe and APR's fueling upgrades over time. It's going to be so much easier to come up with an OTS tune for a hybrid turbo if all other factors are controlled. I am not trying to present APR as the big bad corporate wolf. Instead, for those who are ready for a turbo upgrade now but want more headroom in the future, I think this turbo is a solid option as long as you are not looking for reliable 450-500 whp.
Is this the right turbo (not the overall package) for you? I haven't seen enough documented results and feedback so we should probably rely on known numbers and physics for now.
Golf R IS38 stage 1 93 octane tune high torque (more fair comparison vs DTR6054; APR's numbers estimated from graph)
@ 2000 rpm -> 205 wtq
@ 2500 rpm -> 295 wtq
@ 3000 rpm -> 345 wtq
@ 3500 rpm -> 355 wtq
Golf R DTR6054 93 octane tune (APR's numbers estimated from graph)
@ 2000 rpm -> not provided
@ 2500 rpm -> 220 wtq
@ 3000 rpm -> 300 wtq
@ 3500 rpm -> 360 wtq (looks to be when it hits peak boost)
Obviously with larger compressor and mostly larger turbine, DTR6054 is going to maintain boost better at higher rpm range than IS38 (or IS38+)
Golf R GT2260S Stratified tune (estimated from Stratified's youtube video; looks like CTS Turbo open intake, downpipe, fuel quality unknown, etc; obviously difficult to compare dyno vs dyno and OTS tune vs custom tune)
@ 2800 rpm -> 360 wtq (looks to be when it hits peak boost) and pretty linear after that
This turbo is easily my favorite on paper for my needs and presents so much value. The only thing that prevented me from buying this has been consistent feedback from multiple tuners regarding boost control difficulties. The majority of tuners I spoke to do not sell their own turbos.
Golf R Vortex Standard (estimated from a EQT's website; 91 octane, HPFP, downpipe, etc; again difficult to compare dyno vs dyno and OTS tune vs custom tune)
@ 2000 rpm -> 150 wtq
@ 2500 rpm -> 200 wtq
@ 3000 rpm -> 250 wtq
@ 3500 rpm -> 370 wtq
@ 3800 rpm -> 430 wtq (looks to be when it hits peak boost)
I think the choice between IS38 (or IS38+) vs DTR6054 comes down to your driving style and preference. If you do mostly city driving, then IS38 is probably going to be easier and better to live with. But if you do a lot of driving on highways or B-roads and you frequently let the horses run wild, then DTR6054 is likely a better choice over IS38 (or IS38+). Then you might think that Vortex Standard appears to cross over with DTR6054 around 3500 rpm. However, this is comparing no downpipe vs downpipe and more conservative OTS tune vs more aggressive custom tune. I would guess DTR6054 with downpipe and HPFP on 91 octane would make close to 400 wtq @ 3500 rpm and the two curves would cross over closer to 3700 rpm. So maybe when it comes to DTR6054 vs Vortex Standard, it looks like yet another step change in trade off between responsiveness and power. Does anyone have data to display transient response of these turbos for comparison?
I know I am not the only one who is looking for a turbo with IS38 responsiveness but with slightly more power potential and ability to maintain boost past 5000 rpm. If such a turbo exists, then please let me know. What is the closest in your opinion?
J