I agree with Wes and Christian. I have used both the K16/24 low clearance hybrids and the K24/18G's. There is a big difference in performance with the advantage to the K24/18G's. IMO, there is no perceptable difference in lag, in fact, if you read my initial impression after the install (2 years ago), I actually thought the 24/18's spooled quicker the the 16/24's I had just removed. So, it's that close. Do not let perceived "additional lag" deter you from these turbos. There are turbos where lag is an issue, but the 24/18's are not them.

 

There no noticible lag between the 2 IMO, they both spooled quickly. The difference is the 16/24's just run out of "pull" at higher speeds/rpms, the 24g's pull to you let off the gas

Christian

 

Anyone have k16/16g with injectors or other mods?

What if eliminating lag and have a super responsive engine is my first priority, but I'd still like to be able to make 600, possibly 650+ hp? How hard would that be?

 

you will not make 650 on 16gs... at least not safely...
you need a k24/18g at a minimum plus other bolt ons...

 

depends on your personality. Youll be maxd at 600bhp. Chances are like most people on this board and myself included, after a while youll be used to power. Sooo do it once and do it right with the larger turbos

 

to the OP ,Go with 18g's . If you still want the 16G's for budget reasons i will sell mine for a decent price. I have only about 1000 miles on mine. It runs great.

Pm me.

I just want more power...even though the 16g's are super fast!

 

I think this is a common reaction to a k16 hybrid turbo (Christian and myself as examples). At first they are very exciting, but soon after you experience and witness the additional power a larger turbo can provide, you get used to it and want more - at least I did. Finally, when upgraded to the K24/18G package, it was a very satisfying level. I would still like a little more power, but at the same time, I am extremely satisfied with the power and when doing WOT pulls, often make a mental note to myself like "wow, this is really fast" or "this is fast enough". After more than 2 years with the 24/18G's, there is not any heavy desire or motivation to upgrade. This is a great level and each time I drive it, the power is thrilling.

Speaking from experience of doing stage 1, stage 2, stage 4 and finally 24/18G, I can not stress enough to do it once and try to get it right the first time. For most on this board, I think the 18G would be the way to get it right the first time. Don't worry about "lag" with them, they are very responsive. I would be really surprised if anybody wanted to remove them after getting their car back from a K24/18G upgrade...

The only thing you give up going straight to the 24/18G's is the experience of moving up the ladder, which is fun, too. But it's a lot less expensive to do it once.

 

John,

I couldnt agree more on all the points except the cost of re install. You could basically get the turbos installed for about $500. So one could use the 16gs and when bored can swap them out for not much.

With the 18g an injector and clutch is a must in my opinion, that alone is 3k, then it all adds up to about 6 K with turbos. So an 18g is significantly more $$$ than a 16g. For the price cant beat the 16g, i can definitely tell that.

 

Yea, the clutch is an automatic upgrade with the 24/18G's. The stock clutch absolutely can not handle them, even the upgraded "999" pressure plate will not last long without the clutchmasters upgrade.

And you're right, it's pretty inexpensive to swap kits and upgrade. The K16/16G is a great deal. I sold all my kits, as I moved up and the delta was not bad each time, but I did have to buy a new tune, pay the hardware delta and the installation labor. In the end, I paid for the upgrade twice, but the experience was probably worth it.

It costs a lot less to upgrade these days, too. I started in '02 when all tunes were about 2.5-3K, the exhaust of choice was Ruf at $5,500 and turbos were not a cheap as today, either.

 

In my case I have EPL and plan to stay with Tony. So the delta is not too bad...

 

a tiptronic tranny should be able to handle the power ?

 

I think 500-550 hp is what a stock tip & converter can handle

 

OK, really dumb question time coming from a 996TT newbie. How do K16/16g's compare to stock K24s? I currently have reflashed K16s but see good deals out there for K24s and wonder how they would compare overall?

In my mind it is probably like this...but I don't know this stuff yet.

K16
K24
K16 - reflashed
K24 - reflashed
K16/16g
K24/18g
GTxx

Someone please help clarify this stuff for me.

 

I would say a 16 g will make more hp and run faster 60-130 than a flashed k24. Atleast that's what i have been hearing from some tuners and the data here supports it. so basically your list is about right. One benefit of a 16g would be the faster spool than a flashed k24.

K24 flashed is a great way to go if you want to save the 18 g upgrade for later and save your clutch.

 

Is there any need to upgrade the clutch with K16/16g?