thats right. that thing is whistling pretty loud right about now and i know its gotta be replaced. i am just kinda brainstorming on what to replace it with. you might think, well get another k03! but i do have the car chipped with speedtuning so im wondering if there is maybe a revised k03 out there that i havent heard about or maybe get a custom one to gain a little more performance. the options i see are 1. put in a new/used k03, 2. put in a k04 but i think the performance gains would be minimum, 3. maybe there is a hybrid k03 out there that im not familiar with. any ideas? it will be a couple weeks till i can yank it out and put in a new one so until then ill keep off the boost as much i can. i know somebody will say go elim but i want to get rid of this car next summer and am not willing to put any supporting mods in.

 

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either get the rebuild kit if yours is rebuildable, or send yours in for a rebuild, or get the hybrid k03/k04 turbo

You can go for a big turbo but it's going to cost a lot because you will need to upgrade the intercooler, injectors, possibly fuel pump, possibly exhaust manifold, get a new tune, etc.

 

the k03 from a 2001+ car (k03s) would give a few extra hp. a k04 would a little more. unfortunately i dont think speedtuning offers any upgraded software, so using a k04 on the speedtuning k03 software wouldnt really give you much more power, just let you hold boost a bit better.

if you are getting rid of the car within a year just spend $150 on a used K03 and call it a day.

 

im pretty much set on getting a used k03 but i just wanted to know if there is a hybrid version available to compliment the aftermarket tuning. ill keep my eyes open for both a used k03 and k04 but i really cant justify the k04 tuning costs. the weird thing is even though its whistling like a gypsy, the boost numbers are still strong, especially in fifth. still boosting to 21 psi peak. something i have been wondering though is even with the speedtuning software, it only peaks to 10 psi in first, and 15 psi in second. im pretty sure its the software cause it still gets good boost in higher gears and it holds pretty well too.

 

some people do not tune the k04 just run it stock and u can change the software later but ur fine with the k04