How Much Do Twin Turbos Cost For A Car?
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A typical car enthusiast would do anything possible to increase the number of horses delivered by a vehicle’s engines, and one of the ways to achieve that is by getting a twin-turbocharged engine.
Some cars come standard with twin-turbo engines - if you don’t own one, you can make one for yourself. But how much are twin turbos?
Getting a twin-turbo kit to upgrade your car’s engine will cost you anywhere around $1,500 to $10,000 for both labor and parts costs. Of course, the type of kit you’re buying is what largely affects the price you’d pay.
Also, your type of vehicle and where you’re getting the installation done would further affect the final cost.
Table of Contents
What Is a Twin Turbo?
A twin-turbo is the short way to say “Twin Turbocharged Engines.” This refers to automobile engines with dual turbochargers to improve performance and efficiency. A twin-turbocharged engine forces air into the intake valves and cylinders, which makes the engine unlock more hidden horsepower and makes the car drive faster than ever.
Apparently, twin-turbo engines are much faster than single-turbo engines – it’s clear why they should be. If you want more speed from your truck or SUV engine, you might just want to add another turbocharger to double the existing one or add a twin-turbo if the standard engine had none.
While the advantages of twin turbos include faster speed, more horsepower, and improved engine performance, the major disadvantage is reliability. Twin turbos break down quite more quickly than regular or single turbo engines. Also, if the installation is not done properly, the twin-turbo won’t deliver as much as you thought.
How Much Are Twin Turbos?
The price depends on many factors, like the brand you’re buying, the shop you’re buying from, the number of parts included in the kit, and your location. These factors, put together, will set you back roughly $1,500 to $10,000. Some twin-turbo kits cost up to $3,500 or even $5,000, while some kits even cost less than $1,000.
Labor costs for twin-turbo installations can get up to $150 or $200 per hour, and it can take up to three hours for the installation to be done perfectly by a professional. Hereunder is a chart of the average cost of installing a twin turbo on different car brands.
| Car | Average Installation Cost |
| BMW | |
| Honda Civic | |
| Mazda Miata | |
| Ford Mustang | |
| Corvette |
Your car’s make, model year, version, and engine layout can all affect the cost of installing twin turbochargers. Thus, when buying these things, you can specify your vehicle to view the most suitable kits you can buy. If you’re having a dealership buy and install it for you, the price would be very much up the hills.
How To Install Twin Turbos
It’d take a professional mechanic about three hours to completely install a twin-turbo kit on your car’s engine. Nevertheless, the installation could take up to five hours or even more, depending on the complexity of the engine and other possible factors that may hinder the installation’s progress.
Well, the installation starts with getting the kit first. It is the type of kit you bought that would determine the installation procedure. But generally, you must know about automobile engine structures to perform the installation successfully. If you have no prior knowledge, having a professional do it for you is better.
Steps:
- Remove the battery’s negative terminal.
- Use a jack to lift the car to a reasonable height, allowing easy access under the hood.
- Start with changing the downpipe and installing the one that comes with your twin-turbo kit.
- When you’re done changing that one, you can change other parts of the engine that need to be optimized.
- Disconnect the coolant or oil lines connected to the existing turbo and keep them in a position they won’t be leaking fluids and creating a mess.
- Adjust the exhaust manifold and install the new gasket in between, depending on the type of vehicle.
- Finish up the installation and bring down the vehicle.
Note: This method works for vehicles with turbo engines already. If your car doesn’t come with a standard turbo engine, you need to call on a professional.
How Much Horsepower Does a Twin-Turbo Add?
Adding a twin-turbo won’t increase your car engine’s horsepower amount; every engine is designed to output a capped amount of horsepower. However, when driving with a standard engine, you’d notice that it does not output all the horsepower embedded into it. Still, when a turbo is added, the turbo will unlock more horsepower.
So, let’s say your car’s engine has a peak HP rating of 250hp, but you have only managed to use up to 200hp; adding a twin-turbo will make you get up to 244hp from that same engine. This implies that the turbo does not bring in additional horsepower; it simply makes the engine unlock more horses for all kinds of driving.
Do Twin Turbos Last Long?
Well, depending on how you drive the car, the turbos may last long or may not. It is best to install turbos on V6 or V8 engines because they have two-cylinder banks. On average, twin turbos are estimated to last up to 150,000 miles before showing signs of failure.
Of course, you could drive a twin-turbo engine down to 200k miles or even more; it all depends on how you keep up with the maintenance and servicing. When you install a twin-turbo, you have to keep up with oil changes and ensure that the engine never runs short of any fluid.
What More?
So, how much are twin turbos? You’d be spending an average of $4,000 to install twin turbos on a car with a single turbo engine. If the car is non-turbo, it’d cost you more. Therefore, the estimated cost is between $1,500 and $10,000; now, depending on your car and other factors, you may have some good change left or probably add some more bucks. Twin turbo engines offer more power and efficiency.
