Turbo Clinic UK Ltd

The journal bearing has long been the brawn of the turbocharger, however ball bearing turbos or a ball bearing cartridge is now an affordable replacement which provides significant performance improvements to the turbocharger. The Garrett ball bearing turbos / Garrett ball bearing cartridge have been designed and produced to what is arguably the ultimate in bullet proof turbochargers.

B B turbo ( ball bearing) innovation began as a result to work with Garrett motor sport groups where it received the term. "Cartridge Ball Bearing" The cartridge is a small sleeve system that contains a set of angular contact ball bearings on either end of the main shaft, where as the traditional turbo contains a set of journal bearings and a thrust bearing.

The advantages of having a ball bearing turbo are as follows:

• Turbo Response: When driving a vehicle with the ball bearing turbo, you will notice exceptional crisp and strong throttle response. The Garrett ball bearing turbo spools up 15% faster than the traditional journal bearing turbo. This produces an improved response which gives better 0-60 mph.
• Reduced oil flow: The ball bearing design reduces the amount of oil required to provide adequate lubrication. This lower oil volume reduces the risk of seal leakage. Also, the ball bearing is more tolerant to marginal lube conditions therefore diminishing the possibility of turbo failure on engine shut down.
• Improved Rotor Dynamics and Durability: The ball bearing cartridge gives better damping and control over shaft motion, allowing enhanced reliability of both everyday and extreme conditions. In addition, the opposed angular contact bearing cartridge eliminates the need for the thrust bearing, commonly known as a weak link in the turbocharger bearing system.

All ball bearing turbos which are supplied by Turbo Clinic UK Ltd are a direct replacement of the original journal bearing turbo, meaning bolt off and bolt on. A lot of turbo reconditioning companies offer similar products to ours but with the need to replace pipe work, exhausts and exhaust manifolds etc. We have at our disposal full machining facilities to overcome these obstacles allowing us to machine out compressor and turbine housings to accommodate the sometimes larger ball bearing cartridge.

There are various options available for most vehicles in the GT Series ball bearing turbos, whether you want blistering performance away from the traffic lights, or 160mph down the drag strip, or just a better driving experience from day to day then contact us to speak to one of our experts to discuss your exact requirements.