On3 Performance .. Not Impressed.

[FastDriver]

Jozsefsz, I'm basing it on at least a dozen, probably more like 30, negative reviews from On3's customers I've read over the years. I've been involved with the turbo community since back in '04 when I had an incon kit. I frequented theturboforms back when they were still turbomustangs.com. I remember how poor the kits were back then. Even if they've improved over the years, it's clear that they still sell really shoddy stuff. Reputation is important, and On3's reputation is some pleased customers and a ton of guys who regret having done business with them. The kits have the worst reputation of any turbo kits I've ever heard of. I'd love to save the money, but I'd rather pay $2k more and be happy the first time with parts that will last for a long time. Plus, I'd be kind of embarrassed to tell someone that I did business with such a questionable company.

 

[MY 85 GT]

You hear a lot of the bad but there is a lot of guys running the kit with great results..like I said I had my kit for 3 years not one problem with it drove the car as a daily the 1st year...again maybe I was lucky but I do know a few guys that have the kit and are more then happy with it...as far as ON3 business wise I agree there not the best to deal with at all.....

 

[Boosted92LX]

You hear a lot of the bad but there is a lot of guys running the kit with great results..like I said I had my kit for 3 years not one problem with it drove the car as a daily the 1st year...again maybe I was lucky but I do know a few guys that have the kit and are more then happy with it...as far as ON3 business wise I agree there not the best to deal with at all.....

And I've had sex without protection and never got an std. I think everyone should do it. Often...

 

[FastDriver]

MY 85 GT, in a recent post, you mentioned that the reason you traded your last fox was because it wasn't becoming the project you had hoped for. So 2 questions:

1. Did you drive it enough that I should take that 3-year kit thing seriously?
2. What do you think the difference is between the guys that enjoyed the kit and those who didn't?

I'm definitely not opposed to saving a couple grand, but I really, really don't want to deal with a bunch of headaches, and least of all would I like to deal with a blown motor because of crap parts. I'm really weighing the options between letting my guy do his thing with the On3, and looking for a better quality used kit in the classifieds.

 

[jozsefsz]

Jozsefsz, I'm basing it on at least a dozen, probably more like 30, negative reviews from On3's customers I've read over the years. I've been involved with the turbo community since back in '04 when I had an incon kit. I frequented theturboforms back when they were still turbomustangs.com. I remember how poor the kits were back then. Even if they've improved over the years, it's clear that they still sell really shoddy stuff. Reputation is important, and On3's reputation is some pleased customers and a ton of guys who regret having done business with them. The kits have the worst reputation of any turbo kits I've ever heard of. I'd love to save the money, but I'd rather pay $2k more and be happy the first time with parts that will last for a long time. Plus, I'd be kind of embarrassed to tell someone that I did business with such a questionable company.

This is very fair. I honestly have no idea how many kits on3 sells vs. the others, I imagine they do a pretty high volume at their price-point (and I'm also guessing to a somewhat young and inexperienced user base that wants 'boost'). And being experienced with turbos and the turbo community, you probably know there's a lot of ways to screw up a turbo installation. And of course more people post about negative experiences than happy positives.

This particular thread rubbed me the wrong way because it originated with an out-of-warranty claim, and there sounded to me that the failure mode could have been caused by user error (tuning issues mostly). My feedback wasn't well-received, which is ok too. A few years back when I got my budget kit (Boost Brothers), I read a ton of negative reviews as well -- so many that they were driven out of business. I, on the other hand, had a great experience and the kit's been perfect for 6 seasons.

So I more than respect your decision-making process, as well as your decision to pay a premium for premium service. Personally I expect some short-cuts when going 'budget,' which I think is also ok, I like having options. Either way, whether budget or premium, a lot of what matters is knowing your stuff, and doing a quality install without shortcuts. Slapping it on a worn engine and going for 15psi without a tune, well, you're going to be unhappy, and we can't always blame it on the kit.

 

[MY 85 GT]

Yes I drove it a lot the 1st 2 years I put the car together the last year I didn't it I bought another car to play around with so that one sat...THE WHOLE reason I lost interest was not the TURBO or the way it fit but the car itself....it needed paint a new top....needed a good suspension....and when all was said and done I was looking at least another 6 to 7k maybe more, just didn't want to invest that into it...BUT let me make this clear I NEVER had a problem with the turbo...fitment issues like I hear...and I had the on3 turbo...waste gate...and blowoff AGAIN never gave me an issue was I lucky maybe ....car made 14 psi all day everyday until the second it left my hands......

 

[FastDriver]

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback. I'd like to get in touch with someone who owns an On3 car that my guy put together. I'll see if he can get me in contact with on of them. He said he put two of them together.

 

[MY 85 GT]

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback. I'd like to get in touch with someone who owns an On3 car that my guy put together. I'll see if he can get me in contact with on of them. He said he put two of them together.

There are a few guys that own shops on facebook that have been running there kit for years now he actually sells the kits too....

 

[Noobz347]

There's no planet that I'm aware of that I would buy some "budget" kit to put on just so that I can say that I have a turbo.

I've toyed with a couple of these budget kits. In the two instances, it was after the fact. These kits had been installed, up, and running for a varied periods of time.

Both kits were shoddy. Both required replacement of hardware and modification of tubing in order to fit properly. They looked very cobbled together. I can really only compare this to the tubing on an inter/aftercooled SC. I say that because the only Hellion kit that I've ever had hands on, I didn't get to wrench on. I watched and drank beer as a friend of mine removed and reinstalled the turbo for other maintenance. It looked plug-n-play for the most part and included v-band clamps that self aligned. Very much like a well built SC kit.

Not all super charger kits fit perfect either though. I've put on an ATI kit that was a PITA after having installed one that went like clock-work. At the time I was thinking maybe they have parts made from more than one location?

Anywho... I know that internet gripes get a lot more attention than internet kudos. My brief encounters with budget Mustang kits? I will pass thank you. SC is less pain in the ass, better built, more reliable, and less expensive. If I ever commit to a turbo, it will be a quality kit. You get what you pay for IMHO. Just do the homework on any kit SC or turbo, before rushing into it.


Someone else on this forum said that it is wise to buy a really nice set of jack stands when you get a turbo. You know... Jack stands that you really like the look of (cuz uR goNna sEe thEm AllOt).
I think that budget turbo kits lend a lot to that reputation.

 

[MY 85 GT]

My car was never ever never ever on jack stands the 3 years i owned it.... it was a daily for the 1st year i had the turbo on it...like i said maybe i got lucky but i know a few guys with the same kit on there foxbody they also dont have any isuues...just like some cars are good some are lemons...i guess...

 

[TOOLOW91]

My buddy had one on his old coupe for 2 years. Got rid of the on 3 turbo for a master power 76. Tial waste gate and bov.They had some fitment issues but nothing major . On the car it was good until it cracked the weld at the waste gate flange. We fixed it then we sold the car. The kid who got it pulled the wrap off the headers and all the welds were cracked.

 

[MY 85 GT]

What kit was it they revised the kits and they mostly changed the material which stopped the cracks some guys where having...My headers were NOT wrapped so that might have helped them not to crack i heard there is good and bad to wrap stuff on turbo cars better to get them ceramic coated....

 

[TOOLOW91]

What kit was it they revised the kits and they mostly changed the material which stopped the cracks some guys where having...My headers were NOT wrapped so that might have helped them not to crack i heard there is good and bad to wrap stuff on turbo cars better to get them ceramic coated....

It was a revised kit.

 

[hoopty5.0]

I've heard that wrapping ANY header can cause it to crack. But take that fwiw because I have never run wrapped headers. Could just be interweb-lore.

 

[squeak93]

I read it on the internet, It must be true.

 

[TOOLOW91]

I've heard that wrapping ANY header can cause it to crack. But take that fwiw because I have never run wrapped headers. Could just be interweb-lore.

I could see where it could be true but again the kit had other weld fail on him that weren't wrapped . As I have learned through my whole build just buy the good stuff once .


Sent from my iPhone using my fingers while my auto correct makes me seem illiterate

 

[Boosted92LX]

How many bad reviews does it really take for people to believe a company is run by criminals?

An even better question is why the **** would someone who's never owned the stuff or dealt with the company beat someone over the head for trying to warn others?

I don't get it.. oh well, carry on.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

bewbs?

 

[Boosted92LX]

@FastDriver

if you decide to go with on3, just save time and buy the piping, v band clamps (although the precision clamps I got with my new wastegate are light years better) and intercooler. Send the hot side out for coating. Be forewarned the coldside piping on the on3 is not aluminum, it's ss and isn't light. My kit weighed in at 140 lbs shipping weight. I'd recommend picking up the bov, turbo, and wg from someone that makes quality parts. Oh, don't bother with the 0n3 y pipe, I had to get my cat back hacked up to make up to it and with MM sfcs the dump will not fit, so an exhaust shop is probably a better route. My .02.

 

[FastDriver]

Wow... So basically everything sucks.