Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) I've got 3 different turbo recommendations, all different.

What boost are you running? Does your box do boost fooling. Bob Wagner will sell you a boost elbow, if do not have one. SNOKING

 

The VA box does boost fooling and I have a boost elbow already on it. I can get about 30psi max loaded and towing and about 34psi empty. Average boost while towing at 65mph 12-18psi, depends on how windy it is. The thing is I only get about 10MPG towing and I've read on here where others have claimed 12-14MPH while towing.

 

I get 11. 5 to 12. 5 towing a high profile 5er and weighs 12K fully loaded for a long trip. That is at 63 MPH and 2K RPMs, which is the sweet spot for the 24V SO engine. I also have 4:10 and automatic transmission with full DTT. My 5th does have areo front and rear caps and I have Michelin XPS RIB all steel tires that roll easy.



Tow down wind, but then you have to come back!!!!



Do you still have the original VP44, my mileage improved with my new VP44.

I sent you a PM.



Your setup without a cap on the truck and just the rollup cover could be letting the wind really hit into the front of the bumper pull. Do you have a friend that would let you borrow a cap to see it that helps.



SNOKING

 

The VP44 was replaced early last year, and I did see a mileage improvement when that got replaced. We didn't have the TT at that time so is based on empty weight. Good point on the rollup cover, driving home Sunday form the CG I noticed there was a lot of pressure pushing down on the cover.

 

Bingo, not to mention the new NEEDS for billet shafts, o-ringed heads, water injection, and on and onnnn. :-laf

 

the htbg is a 57/12 ...



smaller than the 62/12 you listed under option #3 in your original post

 

I run the HTBG 57/12 as well and its a real nice midrange turbo, and HTT will up/down grade later( if need be) for cheap.

 

LOL Join the club.....



For my part I found there is not really a perfect choice. Each choice is a compromise of sorts and there are just allot of good choices.



I say just do twins using your stocker and be done worrying about EGT's.



Good Luck!

Jim

 

I am running a PDR 35/12 on my setup. It works pretty good. However I would love to find a quicker spooling turbo if there is one out there, I think my main problem is the altitude and my 354 gears. It works fine and does a reasonable job on the egts. Normally I run with the smarty on 4 and juice on 1x1 usually. Problem starts when towing in the mountains and doing 35, 40, 45mph then need to go a bit faster. Smoke can pour out. I routinely run up there out of OD even at 60mph to keep the rpms up. In fact last week I was heading up to a high altitude lake to go fishing on a mining road(no trailer). Speed was 2 or 3 miles an hour if that and at approx 12500 elev the truck simply would not go. Smoke just pouring out I mean black out the sun smoke, go pedal in any position would just not light the turbo enough to get going. I had the fun of backing down a shelf road for several hundred yards to the next switchback where there was enough room to turn around. That is not something I enjoyed in the least(scared the bejesus out of me). Thought something was wrong blew a boot or something but once back down I checked everything and it all looked good. Truck ran fine rest of the trip another 1000 miles. Even with the trailer at over 11k elev all was fine. It just did not like the combo of low speed, low rpm and thin air. Never had that happen before but then could not remember the last time I was that high going that slow. Made me miss the HY for the first time in long time.

 

Scratch the 62/12 off the list then. It tows well once it hits 2000 rpm (@ sea level-ish).



I've run a couple of different combos, and I still like the stocker best for towing (egt/smoke control and bottom-mid range power, and not counting twins).



How are your egts now? If they're controllable (and they should be with those injectors and box), leave it alone. Larger turbos/housings will always come with more lag and a higher powerband.



If you're ready to spend the money on a 62/12, then how about a cam? That'll drop egts 100-200* ish and most likely gain you some bottom end, instead of giving it up with a larger turbo.

 

Currently EGT's run in the 900-950 range towing on the flats. It will climb to as much 1200 on some of the hills on I-80 going through Iowa (running 65mph in 6th gear). We are planning a 2-3 week trip next year and heading west over the rockies. That's my big concern. I've had the truck up there before, just not towing the TT.

 

My advice is to only upgrade the turbo if egts dictate to do so, and it doesn't seem like that's your case yet. I'd bet that your temps are right where they would be for a stock ETH (the timing and extra boost cools things down a bunch - the stock ETHs ran a bit warm).



Higher altitudes amplify the ill-effects of larger turbos. As you climb, the efficient rpm range of the turbo does as well. I really liked the stock turbo in the mountains. There's no way my DZ/14 or HTB2/12 could cool anywhere near as well @ 1800 rpm. A downshift is mandatory with those turbos in the hills (at which point they cool just fine), but the stocker would just settle in at 33 psi and pull all day.



If you really want to cool things off without a tradeoff, put your money towards a cam (although your temps really don't dictate that yet). Or if you want to put your money towards something that will really pay off in the hills, buy an exhaust brake.

 

Barry, just curious, would going to 4 low have helped rev it up more or was there just not enough air period?

 

with your power level and EGT's, I'd stick with what you've got

 

Stock turbo is just fine under 80HP. If you are flooring it all day long, you might want to go bigger.



I have ran an hx35/40 14 and only noticed a small change from stock hx35/12 ( had a comp box only)



I currently have 110HP injectors and edge juice. I had an hx35/40 14 and it was a bit small for the over 120HP mark, I now have the equivalent of a HTBG/BD super B/ jr adkins Baby B Works great at 110 HP injectors and box on or off.





Save the money you would spend on a turbo. If it needs rebuilt then get it upgraded by HTT. I would get an EZ (used =less than $300) and keep the stock turbo as is. Better gas mileage and more power, not too hot.

 

Then how long is it safe to pull a grade running an EGT of 1200°?

 

as long as there's fuel in the tank

 

AllNew:

4 low would have been nice and I think would have helped by getting the rpms up at that low speed. However two things- first it wasnt that steep and bad however and more importantly my 4 low was on the fritz. Earlier in the trip was backing up the trailer in 2 low and it popped out of low into neutral. I put it back in 2 wheel and then into 4 low and while the lever went all the way into 4 low there was no low gearing. I was rather bummed when this happened especially since I had the case rebuilt about 20k ago (at 186k) and was 400 miles from home. Fortunately 2 year warranty and is in the shop getting redone as I type this. I know I have had it up that high before in similar conditions without a problem but it would have been in low range so maybe that is why I never noticed how poorly it performed at that altitude and speed.

 

The maximum continuous pre-turbo egt is 1250*.

 

Somebody at one of the vendor's in my OP told me anything over 1100° for more than 30 seconds was bad news.