IS38 Hybrid Turbocharger
A common question asked is what is a hybrid turbo? Simply put a hybrid turbo is an OEM turbocharger that has been modified. The most common hybrid turbo that Metric Autosport deals with is an IS38 hybrid turbocharger. There are many hybrid turbo made for the MQB platform ranging from OEM turbo size to turbos that can put out 500+ whp. One turbo company in particular that we have had great success with is RX Turbo. They make duel ball bearing turbos from OEM size and larger. There are many benefits to hybrid turbos. They look and fit like a stock turbo making the install very straight forward. No need for different oil or coolant lines. The stock downpipe and intake will bolt right up. This makes it very appealing for most people.
Picking a Hybrid for your setup
There are many things to consider when purchasing a hybrid turbo. First, what is the end goal for your vehicle? Are you looking at making your car a fun daily driver with around 350-450 wheel horse power? or are you trying to make this the highest horse power monster out there? If you are trying to not break the bank and still make a lot of power the RX 500 turbo is a great option. It is a duel ball bearing turbo that spools as fast as an IS38 turbo but with a bigger compressor and turbine wheel is able to make more power. The larger the turbine and compressor wheel the more potential the turbo has for making power. This type of set up is great if you don’t want to build an engine but still make a lot of power.
If your looking to make your car into a HP monster a large turbo with lots of supporting mods are needed. Some cases an engine build with stronger internals are needed. The down side of a large turbo is turbo lag. Too big of a turbo will cause the turbo to take a long time to spool. Which can make the car very difficult to drive on the street. It can take over 4000RPMs before the vehicle starts to make power. So finding the right size turbo is key to getting the best results out of your car. Too big of a turbo will cause it to have turbo lag and too small of a turbo will run out of air at the top end.