Turbo upgrade guide for VW TDI
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Introduction

A turbo upgrade is considered an advanced performance upgrade due to cost, installation time, and because you need supporting mods to take full advantage of it.  Please see 1000q: basic performance upgrades for a list of easy and cheap performance upgrades to an modified car.  If you are looking at upgrades because you think your turbo is bad, please see 1000q: limp mode because power loss is often misdiagnosed as turbo failure.  This list does not contain every possible turbo that will fit, 4 cylinder gasser VW turbos may fit but they will not work correctly.  Even though gassers may use a "k03" housing, there were many different turbos that used a k03 housing.  You may read k03, k04, etc, but there are actually a variety of turbos are called that, many of which are not appropriate for the TDI.

This guide is organized 3rd gen/4th gen/5th generation and then by approximate maximum power that it can support.  These figures are provided by the vendors and myturbodiesel does not endorse any specific turbo as your car's setup should be tailored to your needs.  This is also not an endorsement of any specific vendor, this page is just a summary of what's available.  Also note that although these tables have an "estimated maximum power" column, the power a turbo will actually make is limited by ambient atmospheric conditions, engine build variation, tuning, fuel quality, and supporting mods such as intake, larger fuel pump, injectors/nozzles, intercooler, and exhaust.  In other words, simply buying X turbo will not give you +50 hp.  You must have a chip to take advantage of the extra potential and supporting mods to allow an upgrade synergy.  Supporting mods by themselves give less power separately than when they are put together.  For example, x mod that adds 10 hp by itself and y mod that adds 10 hp by itself may give 25 hp when put on the same car.  Make sure to talk to your vendor about what supporting mods you need to reach the estimated maximum power that is advertised.

Some have est max supported psi instead of max power, psi is highly dependant on other factors so please note this figure is provided to only give a very rough idea of it's performance.  Remember that psi does not directly equal power!  Please see 1000q: turbocharging, common myths for more details.  You want to know the CFM, see the compressor maps, or talk to your vendor to confirm what turbo you want.  Lastly, estimated supported psi is sustained psi, and does not include spikes.  Large boost spikes for a gasoline car can cause severe damage, boost spikes on a diesel are normal.  A picture showing inducer/exducer and compressor (intake side) and turbine (exhaust side) is below.

For your sake, please buy a turbo from a reputable seller.  Buying cheap piping can work because it's a simple part but I don't suggest buying suspiciously low priced turbos because turbo failure can cause engine failure.  Piping is easy to make and fabricate but  turbos are precisely machined parts.  There are vendors (not linked from here) who sell copycat and mismatched turbos.  One known seller of mismatched and bad turbos is This seller advertises bolt on turbos that are not direct bolt on and "k04 diesel turbos".  There was no k04 turbo used on a TDI and you can only use a k04 housing with a modified hybrid turbo.  Most of the parts this bad vendor sells appear to be copycat parts and are sold below the wholesale price of brand name parts, so buyer beware.  This seller also sells other poorly made copycat parts like TDI nozzles.

Building a flying TDI

A final note about turbo upgrades - it's fun to dream of building a car with all the highest power upgrades on it.  But it might not be the best car for you.  Consider your budget and your goal.  What other supporting mods will be needed to justify the larger turbo?  TDIs at higher power levels also need custom chip tuning, larger fuel pumps, other fueling mods, etc., and this all costs money.  Do you have the mechanical ability to do the work yourself or are you paying a mechanic?  Is there a TDI specialist near you who knows how to work on a TDI and not just a VW?  Do you want a daily driver that can go to the autocross track on weekends?  Then you don't want large turbos.  You want lower end power and sticky tires with suspension mods.  You might not use the additional power every day but you do turn the wheel every trip.  Maybe it would be better to spend money on suspension upgrades instead of power for your style of driving?  It's easy to look at this chart and get stars in your eyes but remember to keep realistic goals that suit your style of driving.  Don't put so much money into your car that you could have built a flying TDI instead!

Lastly, make sure the car is up to date with maintenance before doing any power mods.  There's no point in spending money on performance when the car might be damaged from lack of maintenance or won't see the full benefit of those mods.


Some of the turbos may be slightly different, include a install kit, performance package, or a core charge, so contact the vendor directly to see the differences.  If you have more questions about the turbo specifics, please contact the vendor directly.  If you are a vendor who would like to be included in this list, please make a request in the myturbodiesel forums

3rd gen mk3 TDI (1996-1997 Passat, 1997-1999 Jetta)

  est. supported power turbo spec notes notes direct link to part
stock 1Z engine passat turbo about 12 psi stock, 15 psi maximum Garrett GT15 (1Z engine) . wastegate kermatdi stock
tdiparts stock
stock AHU engine jetta turbo about 13 psi stock, 18 psi maximum KKK K03-006 (AHU engine) VW# 028 145 701J (slightly better than Garrett GT15) wastegate kermatdi stock
tdiparts stock
k03/k04 hybrid  supports about 20 psi k03/k04 hybrid modified by kerma . wastegate  
Super 17 175 S/T Super 17 direct bolt on, compressor exducer: 49mm, inducer: 38mm wastegate kermatdi
street toys super 17
stage 3 180 . direct bolt on package wastegate, comes with downpipe, chip, and 3 bar map sensor, may not work with 96 passat kermatdi stage 3

 

4th gen 1998-2003 New Beetle/Golf, 1999.5-2003 Jetta ALH engine

Note - some are direct bolt on, some are bolt on with adapters, and some use a separate manifold and installation kit.  You may also want to consider adding a cast exhaust manifold (fits all GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange, uses 4-2-1 design) (from JSperformance from Kermatdi from street toys) for some turbos which do not use an integrated exhaust manifold.  A welded exhaust manifold (fits fits GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange) from Kermatdi is also an option.

  est. supported power turbo spec notes notes direct link to part
stock 90 hp 1998-2003 ALH engine about 13psi stock

supports up to 130 hp and about 18 psi sustained

VNT 15, aka: Garrett GT1749V compressor exducer: 44mm, inducer: 32mm, max flow: 18 lb/min
compressor AR: .33

Turbine exducer: 43mm, inducer: 36mm
turbine AR: .65

stock VNT turbo  kermatdi stock
from tdiparts
from JSperformance

stock rebuild by streettoys

stealth 17
stage 1/+1 upgrade
150 VNT17/15 hybrid VNT 15 compressor housing direct bolt on street toys
Hammer 1849
stage2/+2 level turbo
170 Super Stealth (SS)1849V-Super 18

proprietary VNT 18 exhaust wheel and shaft

compressor exducer:52mm 

compressor inducer: 38mm

VNT

Package deal includes-qloader, PP520 nozzles, and sachs vr6 clutch.

kermatdi hammer
streettoys hammer

kermatdi hammer packace deal

17/22 hybrid or 1752 supports 26 psi vnt-17 exhaust side, vnt-22 compressor side 52mm compressor VNT, 1700250038, bolt on, may need adapter from tdiparts
from kermatdi
VNT 17/VNT VB

aka GT1749VB

160, supports 21-22 psi GT1749VB, from PD150 euro TDI  52mm compressor, turbo is from Euro PD 150 

kit, each vendor and setup slightly different

VNT, bolt on, comes w/adapter for compressor

JSperformance kit doesn't need adapter

kermatdi stealth 17
tdiparts vnt 17
JSperformance vnt 17

Street toys hybrid
GT1752(22) . GT1749VB modified w/vnt22 compressor housing and 52mm wheel 52mm compressor Vendor rec: not great for street use  Street toys hybrid
Hammerhead 1852 200 Super Stealth (SS)1852V - super 18/22 hybrid 52mm compressor VNT kermatdi hammerhead
Hammerhead SV steroid version
+4 level turbo/ stage 4
200+ 1856V- 18/25 hybrid compressor exducer:56mm 

comp inducer: 40mm

VNT, direct bolt on kermatdi hammerhead SV
street toys hammerhead SV
VNT 20  . VNT 20 modified to fit ALH  package deal VNT modified to fit ALH, comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware, and qloader chip, also fits BEW engine kermatdi vnt20
VNT 20 ST2B 240 hp , 350 lb ft  modified Garrett GT-2356V w/larger compressor and housing turbo only, larger 56mm compressor VNT modified to fit ALH street toys turbo only
VNT 20 ST2 kit 220 modified VNT20 w/larger compressor and housing package deal, larger compressor and housing VNT modified to fit ALH, comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware, and qloader chip, also fits BEW engine kermatdi vnt20 ST2 package
VNT 20 ST3 250 VNT 20 modified w/larger compressor and housing package deal VNT comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware kermatdi vnt20 ST3
VNT 20 S/T 3B 230 VNT 20 modified w/larger compressor and housing compressor exducer: 56mm, inducer: 38mm street toys VNT20 3B
VNT 20 S/T 3D 250 VNT 20 modified w/larger compressor and housing compressor exducer: 60mm, inducer: 40mm street toys VNT20 3D
VNT20 (unmodified, needs custom fit.) 200 unmodified VNT 20 from 180 hp V6 TDI . VNT will need custom fabrication to fit from kermatdi VNT20

 

4th gen 2004-2006 New Beetle/Golf, 2004-2005 Jetta TDI BEW engine

Note - some are direct bolt on, some are bolt on with adapters, and some use a separate manifold and installation kit.  You may also want to consider adding a cast exhaust manifold ( fits all GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange, uses 4-2-1 design) from JSperformance from Kermatdi for some turbos which do not use an integrated exhaust manifold.  A welded exhaust manifold ( fits fits GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange) from Kermatdi is also an option.

  est. supported power turbo spec notes notes direct link to part
stock 100hp 2004-2006 BEW engine . Borg Warner KP39 KKK

VW #038 253 019 S & 038 253 014 E

. VNT, stock psi about 15 kermatdi stock

stock rebuild by streettoys

stealth 17
stage 1/+1 upgrade
150 VNT17/15 hybrid VNT 15 compressor housing . street toys
VNT 17 175hp /250 lb ft Garrett GT1749V

Garrett installation instructions --- Garrett info flyer

VNT, bolt on, Garrett Part Number: 778445-0001, direct link to garrett's GT1749v faq sheet kermatdi VNT 17
Hammer 1849 170 Super Stealth (SS)1849V-Super 18

proprietary VNT 18 exhaust wheel and shaft

52mm compressor w/inducer size of 38mm VNT, needs modification to bolt on.  Package deal includes-qloader, PP520 nozzles, and sachs vr6 clutch. kermatdi hammer
streettoys hammer

kermatdi hammer package deal
17/22 hybrid supports 26 psi . BEW engine VNT 1700250049, bolt on w/adapter from tdiparts
Hammerhead SV (steroid version) 200+ 1856V- 18/25 hybrid compressor exducer:56mm 

comp inducer: 40mm

VNT, bolt on w/adapter kermatdi hammerhead SV
street toys hammerhead SV
VNT 20  . VNT 20 modified to fit ALH ALH or BEW,  package deal VNT modified to fit ALH, comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware, and qloader chip kermatdi vnt20 package
VNT 20 ST2B 240 hp , 350 lb ft  modified Garrett GT-2356V w/larger compressor and housing turbo only, larger 56mm compressor VNT modified to fit ALH street toys turbo only
VNT 20 ST2 220 VNT 20 modified w/larger compressor and housing ALH or BEW,  package deal VNT modified to fit ALH, comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware, and qloader chip kermatdi vnt20 ST2
VNT20 (unmodified) 200 unmodified VNT 20 from 180 hp V6 TDI . VNT will need custom fabrication to fit from kermatdi VNT20

 

4th gen Passat TDI 2004-2005, BHW engine

  est. supported power turbo spec notes notes direct link to part
stock 134hp/247 lb ft
8valve BHW engine
stock about 20 psi   BHW compression is about 18.5 instead of 19.5 with earlier 1.9L engines VNT, does not come with integrated manifold kermatdi stock
Hammer 1849 170 Super Stealth (SS)1849V-Super 18 . VNT kermatdi hammer
Hammerhead 1852 200 Super Stealth (SS)1852V - super 18/22 hybrid 52mm compressor VNT kermatdi hammerhead
Hammerhead SV (steroid version) 200+ 1856V- 18/25 hybrid compressor exducer:56mm 

comp inducer: 40mm

VNT, bolt on kermatdi hammerhead SV
street toys hammerhead SV

 

4th gen Touareg V10 TDI, BKW engine

There are no known turbo upgrades.  A turbo upgrade would require an engine pull and custom fabrication and tuning.  If you're not happy with the stock 310hp/553 lb ft of torque with a tow rating of over 7,700 lbs, want to trade?  Seriously though, any major turbo upgrade would probably damage the transmission.  

 

5th gen Jetta TDI, BRM engine

Note - some are direct bolt on, some are bolt on with adapters, and some use a separate manifold and installation kit.  You may also want to consider adding a cast exhaust manifold ( fits all GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange, uses 4-2-1 design) from JSperformance from Kermatdi for some turbos which do not use an integrated exhaust manifold.  A welded exhaust manifold ( fits fits GT or T series VNT-20, 4 bolt flange) from Kermatdi is also an option.

  est. supported power turbo spec  notes notes direct link to part
stock turbo BRM engine . BV39 Borg Warner (KKK) . VNT, 15 psi stock
S/T 1952 195 modified S/T 1952 52mm compressor VNT, direct bolt on street toys turbo only
S/T 1952 hybrid kit 195 modified S/T 1952, may be modified by kerma 52mm compressor VNT, direct bolt on, kit kermatdi kit
S/T 1952 SV 200+ S/T 1952 Steroid Version SV compressor exducer: 56mm, inducer: 40mm  VNT, direct bolt on street toys turbo only
S/T 1952 SV 200+ S/T 1952 Steroid Version SV, may be modified by kerma compressor exducer: 56mm, inducer: 40mm  VNT, direct bolt on kermatdi big hybrid
super 19 175, supports 20 psi . compressor exducer: 49mm, inducer: 38mm VNT street toys super 19
VNT 20  . VNt 20 modified to fit BRM package deal VNT comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware kermatdi vnt20
VNT20 (unmodified) 200 unmodified VNT 20 from 180 hp V6 TDI  . VNT will need custom fabrication to fit, from 180hp V6 TDI from kermatdi VNT20
VNT 20 ST2 220 VNT 20 modified w/larger compressor and housing package deal VNT comes with manifold, downpipe, hardware kermatdi vnt20 ST2

 

Other misc turbos and turbos for Euro engines

  est. supported power turbo spec  notes notes direct link to part
Stock BKD turbo 170 stock turbo is GT1749VA (Garrett) from 2.0L BKD engine, 140hp, 16 valve, pumpe duse  Also used on 130hp PD engine. N/A in US/Canada, from mk5 Golf, Jetta, Touran, 2003+ Audi A3, Skoda Octavia .
BKD upgrade 185 S/T 1852 BKD compressor exducer:52mm inducer: 38mm direct bolt in street toys upgrade for BKD