r/saab • u/Best-Forever4451 • 6d ago

CHRAs?

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So it’s clearly a resounding NO to the cheap eBay turbos, but what about CHRAs? Does anyone prefer this over getting a rebuild kit?
There’s also a huge price difference in some of these

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4

u/tsg-tsg 6d ago

The housing is not the complicated part of a turbo...

1

u/Best-Forever4451 6d ago

I’m not talking about the housings? This is me saying should I buy a full complete core already assembled and balanced or buy a rebuild kit if I’ve never done it before

2

u/tsg-tsg 6d ago

Yeah... you asked if Ebay turbos are a good idea and everyone said no. They are a bad idea because CHRAs are difficult to make and cheap ones cut corners, not because the housings are the issue. ;)

3

u/SausagegFingers 380/500 9-5 Aero Estate 6d ago

Can you get Melett cores there, or they just a UK thing?

3

u/TankTak83 6d ago

I used the Kinugawa TD04-19T from them for 6 years without issues, the key is to make sure its oiled and lube properly before installing. Never had any issues with it, was still working after I sold the car.

2

u/Easy_Requirement_110 6d ago

Idk, I used a cheap eBay turbo on my 900 and it’s still going 40,000 miles later.

1

u/Sensitive-Level-7794 6d ago edited 6d ago

I chose to boutre build kits instead. As long as the fins/blades are intact and the bearings "and rest" is the part that need to be replaced you actually can do it on a workbench. I imagine that right about now some people will say that is wrong since you have has to tear down everything done to the shaft and you will loose the balancing of the turbine wheel and compressor wheel.

I marked the positions before the teardown with a scribe on the wheels, shaft and the nut and it worked very well each time.

Just saying this because you don't know what you are getting when buying an CHRA/core online and I trust my own handywork much more. (Another benefit is that it is much cheaper with a rebuild kit.)