Boosting Performance Expert Tips on How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck
Written by Joe Pettitt Photos by Joe Pettit & Courtesy of the Manufacturers
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A: The turbo would be one of the last things to mess with. If anyone is looking for a really good setup without spending a whole lot of time and money, you should just look at engine electronics, an air intake, an exhaust, with a little bit of transmission modifications that seems to be what most people are looking for. - Justin McCarthy, Bully Dog Technologies
A: The variable geometry turbocharger on the 6.0-liter is tough to match. You get the best of both worlds: you get a tight housing for good bottom end throttle response; but when you're making lots of horsepower, the vanes open up reducing back pressure. Some guys don't like them because they say they stick. But my experience is that if you don't run them real hot for a long time, they don't stick.
Where I find I can offer my customers a performance gain is with work on the compressor side. We have a custom wheel and housing we're developing that provides the airflow rates to handle upgraded fuel delivery rates above 500 hp. - Max Lagod, HyperMax Technologies
A: When performing more than a mild upgrade, the turbo does become ineffective. When the turbo was originally matched to the factory trim truck, airflow and map ranges were determined based on stock fuel and power output. With increased power it becomes important to complement the extra fuel with more air. - Matt Bozarth, ATS Diesel
A: Above a 100-120 hp increase, we always recommend transmission modifications. In most instances, we have found that the torque converter clutches will begin to slip, resulting in torque converter "shudder." We recommend a BD-modified valve body and a BD heavy-duty torque converter minimum. If you plan further mods later on (and most people do), we recommend a complete transmission assembly, along with our torque converter. In Dodge applications, the stock flex plate should be replaced with our billet steel Black FleX-Plate, which can handle up to 1,500 lb-ft of torque. A lot of enthusiasts don't realize that even a mildly modified Cummins can crack or disintegrate the stock flex plate.
Only after reinforcing the driveline do we recommend turbo upgrades. BD offers single and twin turbo systems for the Dodge Cummins, our SuperMax single turbo upgrade for the Duramax, and our PowerFull single turbo upgrade for the 6.0 Power Stroke are our most popular systems.
We feel it is very important for enthusiasts to understand that an upgraded turbo is probably the best thing you can do for your engine. Adding more fuel to a diesel engine (with a module, injectors or both) has the opposite effect compared with a gasoline engine; adding fuel alone causes it to run hotter with higher exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs).
The stock turbo is at or near its performance threshold from the factory, so it simply can't move enough air to compensate for the added fuel. By adding a larger turbo, airflow can keep pace with the added fuel; EGTs go down, and power levels go way up! Not only that, but exhaust smoke on acceleration is dramatically reduced (because the added fuel can actually be burned now) and fuel economy typically increases as well.
And contrary to popular belief, a larger turbo won't affect low-speed drivability, if it is engineered for diesel applications like BD/BorgWarner turbos are. These units use BorgWarner's extended tip technology that helps the turbo spool up quickly at low rpm, and deliver strong mid and top-end power as well. A turbo diesel can perform as well on the track as it does towing a trailer when set up properly with the correct combination of parts.
When boost levels reach a certain point, an aftermarket intercooler is a good idea; we offer our Cool-It intercooler for the Dodge Cummins, which can take up to 100 psi boost and flow 1,500 cfm of air, with a 200º reduction in intake temps, typically. For applications we do not offer intercoolers for (or for extreme performance applications) we also offer our Boost Cooler, which is a water/methanol injection system that reduces intake temperatures dramatically during times of high demand (drag racing, pulling a long hill, etc.). -Brian Roth, BD Power
What upgrades to the turbocharger can you recommend? Change or modify the wastegate, housing, compressor wheels, or turbine Wheels?
A: Each engine configuration may have different needs and therefore different upgrades may be effective. For instance, the 1989-1993 Dodge Cummins utilized a non-wastegated turbine housing with a relatively large turbine housing. The Banks Quick-Turbo provides dramatic improvements in acceleration by using a smaller, wastegated turbine housing. The 2000-2003 Ford Power Stroke has a compressor wheel that goes into a surge condition with relatively minor power modifications, a condition that is remedied by using the Banks High-Boost compressor wheel. Each turbo is unique to its application, and therefore there is not one specific "fix" that works for all cases. - Peter Treydte, Gale Banks Engineering
A: The whole turbo. - Justin McCarthy, Bully Dog Technologies
A: I'm recommending the compressor side upgrades we talked about earlier. - Max Lagod, HyperMax Technologies
A: The recommended upgrades depend on what truck is being modified. On 1995.5-2002 7.3L Power Strokes an upgraded compressor housing can make an amazing difference. With most other trucks the difference in performance is negligible until the complete turbo is upgraded to one such as the Aurora Series chargers. Going this route provides better performance in all areas such as: airflow volume, reduction in exhaust gas temperatures, stronger bearings, better flowing housings, improved compression ratios. - Matt Bozarth, ATS Diesel
A: Modifications to stock turbos are available, but the improvements are very small. Turbochargers are a matched set of components, and when you change one part of the puzzle to gain in one area of the curve, you can lose it elsewhere. Not to mention the fact that turbochargers use very small tolerances and are very sensitive to dirt-so if someone "modifies" your turbo with a different housing, etc., you could be opening yourself up for big-time trouble. It's much better, and safer, to go with an engineered turbo system.-Brain Roth, BD Power.
GALE BANKS 546 Duggan Ave. Azusa, CA 91702 (800) 601-8072 www.bankspower.com
HYPERMAX ENGINEERING, INC 255 East Route 72 Gilberts, IL 60136 (847) 428-5655 www.gohypermax.com
BD Power has an extensive line of performance transmissions from complete exchange units to valve bodies and programmable electronic controls. Their Dodge transmission features full roller bearing design. In addition, it eliminates clutch slippage, reduces operating temperatures and increases the transmission life by adding 25 percent more clutch surface than the stock design. The BD valve body is built with second gear lock up and can be activated with a BD TorqLoc or AutoLoc.
The Allison valve body from BD Power is a must for Duramax trucks towing moderate loads or racers who have increases of 90 rwhp to 120 rwhp. For heavy haulers or extreme power, we suggest further transmission modifications or exchange out with one of our heavy duty transmissions and convertors. BD also makes performance valve bodies for Dodge Cummins as well.
BD performance provides an auxiliary lift pump. They note that the stock lift pump is barely adequate for the stock engine so when you start adding performance electronics and bolt-ons, it can soon be overwhelmed by fuel demand, placing additional strain on the injection pump. BDs auxiliary lift pump kit you can add a proven second lift pump to ensure that your 1998.5-2002 VP or 2003-present CP3 pump has ample fuel to support over 600 hp! The BD unit has a pressure switch that reduces pressure during start up to avoid hard start problems associated with auxiliary lift pumps.
When your lift pump begins to fail it can cause performance problems, but it can also lead to premature failure of your injection pump. BD has a warning system to alert you to a failing lift pump.
The Cummins P-7100 12-Valve Inline Injector Pump can be purchased from ATS in two different power levels. Both pumps come with 3000 RPM Govenor Springs installed and fully rebuilt for 100 percent reliability. The Stage 1 Pump is for towing, with a moderate power increase of approximately 85 hp over stock. The Stage 2 Pump is designed more for race applications, offering power levels to 600 hp over stock. This pump is recommended for use with a minimum of the Aurora 5000 Turbo or compound (twin) turbo chargers.
BD Power's P-7100 inline injector pump comes with high-rpm governor and delivery valves, for power to 3000 rpm and depending on your engine nearly to 4000 rpm. For '94-98 Dodge Cummins.
When you're looking for the last word in fuel system upgrades, look no further than BD's Fuel Stop Plate (FSP). Designed with input from over 20 engineers, the FSP controls the rack travel which effects the fuel quantity the Bosch P7100 fuel pump delivers-the heart of 5.9 liter 12 Valve Dodge-Cummins engine performance. Six different ramp designs enable power gains from 30-150 hp and 70-300 lb-ft of torque, and a calibrated boost tube orifice improves turbo performance.
ATS Aurora Turbos Systems give reliable, EGT lowering performance. The Aurora 3000 turbo is a quick response, high-pressure ratio turbo intended for every day driving and heavy towing. When towing extreme loads with the stock turbo charger, there are issues when the turbo can't keep up, causing extreme exhaust temperatures. The Aurora 3000 provides constant airflow to the engine to ensure reliability while still maintaining low Exhaust Gas Temperatures.
The E-power Electronic tuner for Ford offers a power increase of up to 170 hp and 400 lb-ft. You can perform speedometer corrections, speed limiter removal, in addition to performance gains. The E-Power also retains the stock programming in memory
BD's X Flex Plate is SFI approved. The Dodge 5.9 Cummins flex plate is designed to handle extreme torque loads.
