Trial and error is the only way of really knowing but, as it sounds like you are doing, an educated guess as much as poss.
Looking through the catalogues of DSLA 145p injectors with a 2 stage spring doesn't leave that much choice to work through once orifice number and size are taken into consideration. I've done 200 tdis to death with several maps, I did try 300 tdi with custom brackets as per my build thread but that was with only a max fuel map as I hadn't learnt how to map at that point. I remember they were awesome low down but just drowned the engine with fuel once above 1500 rpm or so. Could be worth 're-visiting and playing with mapping to tone them down higher up the revs. Only problem is I'd have to buy more as I sold the nozzles on afterwards.
Obviously you are going to try the 6 hole ones and I'm doing my best to get some modified standard nozzles so I'm sure between us we can work out what works. Having tried 4 sets of injectors, 4 turbos, several wastegate configurations and 4 boost control methods along with countless maps I can empathise that these things cost money!
I'll keep you posted with the custom nozzles if I can get anywhere with it.

Agreed the DSLA types have only got limited choices - though there are loads of part numbers for 0.23's looking at the current list!

I haven't tried it myself, but I believe you can fit a DLLA nozzle too - not sure if it is something that can be mapped round, but I read it'd been done on a forum... so it is another potential avenue....

Time will tell whether I've made a good call or not - again my prime factor is a clean burn and ideally more than the 180bhp mark, but if we can't get a nozzle to suit then we're going to have to re-think!

So we've got a date due to the outside factors now being aligned and sorted....

27th I'll be dropping the car off for the turbo fitting and the other bits I want done at the same time.... no fixed timescale, as it'll take as long as it takes; but it won't be 2 years on holiday this time! :D

good luck.

This morning I was sent a short clip of the new turbo in place bolted on and the engine running....

Got pipework to sort out on the air side as the alignments are different, but the 'oily bits' are all done and hooked up.

The electronics and the boost pipework to sort, plus the "extras" I've asked for that are linked but not required in the strictest of senses...

So progress is being made :D

I am like you rather excited at what this could offer.

We don't tune many L-series these days, but when we do it's a cracker.

Lot's of stuff done, lot's of stuff to do, and lot's of things to look forward to that I can't talk about.

Won't be done tomorrow but going at a rate of knots

all good!

But of an update... I'd not realised that quite so much time had passed - my dad's cancer and eventual death has kinda warped perspective of time.

We had some issues with overboost - location of the turbo and actuator and oil drain caused issues and the vanes wouldn't properly and fully open.

Then the clutch hydraulics failed again. It was difficult to track down the part fitted by matt, my paperwork only had a handwritten note about a clutch slave and no part numbers on it. Seal rebuild kit didn't solve the leak either...

We've something on there that's been customised, I think ultimately we need to find a bigger/stronger slave as I've popped the seals at least 4 times now on the slave so the helix cover is probably a bit too strong for what we had fitted.

But now we've got some gears it's been on the dyno to test the overboost issue and without a connection to a vac tube to run it as nasp we've only got a tiny amount of boost right at the top end....

So controller can be plugged in, ecu can be mapped and we can test/define the combined responses....

Running nasp still hit 120bhp...so more than it came out the factory, but the torque curve is terrible lol.

Hoping to get things tweaked running with the sdi's then I think we'll throw the custom injectors in and see where we can go from there...

I'm not sure I will make PoL as still need an MOT too, but should finally get to make use of all those fancy mods I've bought and hopefully no more HG issues!

Hard to get motivated when other things take priority and time takes its toll. I’m the same with my ZS. Likely aiming for zed20 now.

So I'm looking to get hold of a diesel soon!


Drew