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I need a little advice. I'm thinking about a turbo upgrade, and I have read about every post on here dealing with the topic. In the end, I still feel like I have no idea what turbo I should be looking at. .



All I have is a TST pmcr, an AFE intake, and a soon to be upgraded transmission. I don't pull heavy, and I don't go to the drag strip. . I do "get on it" from time to time, but overall I'm just looking for reliability. . In the future, I might add some better injectors as well...



Can you guys at least narrow it down to a couple of choices for me... I've been reading a lot about the SPS 66, but I'm thinking that might be overkill.



Thanks

Ryan
 
I want a Super Phat Shaft 66. The problem is that they say it may have some surging between 1800 and 2000 at light loads.



Just so happens with my 3. 73's and 35's that puts me between 65 and 75mph, where I do most of my cruising on the highway. I don't want to spend $1600+ to find out that I can't cruise on the freeway unloaded.



The other option is the SPS 62, which spools faster in town, is better for towing, and will not surge. But you can't be king of singles on dyno days either with that turbo...



So, what's more important? I think I'll go for the 62. Surely I can sell it to someone if I need more air. I'd rather err on the side of caution instead of being frustrated with a surging turbo.



That being said, your truck may not surge. I guess it's common with the 12v auto trucks, but not the 3rd gens. This is just what I've heard.
 
Stay away from the HTBG, it's no better than a 35/40 hybrid. The HTB2's are nice units, if you don't tow much I suggest the "Killer B2" which will tow nicely and is very drivable or the Sledpuller 66 which will be a little laggier but still drivable. The SPS 66 would be a very similar turbo.



I suggest going no smaller than a 62mm compressor. And I'd go 64-66 if you're not at high altitude



-Scott
 
surging - definition?

What exactly happens when a turbo surges? What does one look for on the gauges or how the truck runs?



I towed my '45 jeep on a car trailer along with a bunch of jeep parts and tools this past weekend from between 5,000 and 6,900 feet and 65-80 mph and everything seemed fine boost, EGT, and smoke wise. I had the Juice on "2" with 100 HP injectors and the SPS 66. I estimate about 15,000 lbs combined - i. e. , not heavy at all compared to what SRadke tows for example.



I know before I bought the SPS 66 that Industrial Injection was pretty upfront about using this turbo on a manual versus automatic truck meaning that the manual would have better mannerisms.
 
I've felt my 64 "surge" a couple times. I would describe it as a combination of a hiccup and a turbo bark. It's tough to describe but I might even correlate it to cavitation as in a water pump. Every time it happened to me it was in that 1700-2000 rpm window and always climing grades at over 4000 feet elevation.



-Scott
 
I could be totally wrong here, but what is scaring me off from the sps66 is how fast it spools and the amount of boost people are seeing. . From what I gather, the HTB2 is a little less abrupt and is a little cheaper too, which is always a good thing. .



I have yet to check out the super B, but I have read some good stuff about them. . The ATS Aurora's scare me a little for some reason, being so new. .
 
MRosinski said:
What about the ATS Aurora MST. Havent head anything about this one.
Are they even selling it yet? The variable gate has my interest, pretty spendy but if it works it should be awesome.



Other than the MST the Phat Shaft 62 sounds good.
 
Coolslice said:
I could be totally wrong here, but what is scaring me off from the sps66 is how fast it spools and the amount of boost people are seeing. . From what I gather, the HTB2 is a little less abrupt and is a little cheaper too, which is always a good thing. .

The smaller turbo will spool faster than the SPS 66. As for max boost, that depends on what your wastegate is set at. Both are capable of making equally high boost pressures, the diffrence is the amount of air they'll deliver.
 
SRadke said:
The smaller turbo will spool faster than the SPS 66. As for max boost, that depends on what your wastegate is set at. Both are capable of making equally high boost pressures, the diffrence is the amount of air they'll deliver.



Ok, I'm still a little confused on the spooling, but thats ok. I have been reading where the sps66 can go from approx 7lbs to 50+ in a split second. I have not read anything like that about other turbos. .



Money is a factor, and the sps's are up there in price. . I guess what it all boils down to is that I want a tough turbo that will give some benefits over the stock one, but I don't want to have to make other modifications just to make sure I'm not going to damage something. . Basically, I want to plug and play. . All the waste gate stuff and housing sizes are like Chinese to me. . :-laf



I think just from what I have read, I'm leaning towards the HTB2 or the Super B. .
 
The HTB2 is a helluva turbo. I like mine more and more every day. I can't comment on how it would perform on a 3rd gen with your mods. But I'm defnitely impressed on how it's doing on mine.



From what I can tell, a 66mm wheel is way overkill for your application. This size turbo is usually reserved for 550+ hp.



Give HTT a call and ask for Everett. He'll set you up with exactly what you need. If you care about how it performed on my 2nd gen, you can read the thread below:



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139911
 
Spoolup speed is determined by how much fuel you hit them with. Most of the guys with 66's push a lot of fuel. The smaller turbos with lighter compressors and turbines will spool faster when hit with the same amout of fuel, less rotational mass. There are small exceptions to this in design and ball bearing tubo's are diffrent altogether but we'll try to keep this on point.



If you're running a TST with the stock turbo you'll have safe temps (less than 1250°) through about setting 3:3... . maybe into setting 4:4. If you go with a 62mm compressor like the HTB2 you'll gain up to 5:5. Step up to the 66's and you can have 6:6. The advanteages to any of the aftermarket models mentioned here is that they're tough. The'll take a good shot of abuse and keep on spinning.



All of these units will have a wastegate built in and come factory set for something around 40 psi. If you're looking for a good reliable driver leave it there.



As for the "Super B" throw it in the class with the other 62mm turbo's.



-Scott
 
JStieger said:
What exactly happens when a turbo surges? What does one look for on the gauges or how the truck runs?



I towed my '45 jeep on a car trailer along with a bunch of jeep parts and tools this past weekend from between 5,000 and 6,900 feet and 65-80 mph and everything seemed fine boost, EGT, and smoke wise. I had the Juice on "2" with 100 HP injectors and the SPS 66. I estimate about 15,000 lbs combined - i. e. , not heavy at all compared to what SRadke tows for example.



I know before I bought the SPS 66 that Industrial Injection was pretty upfront about using this turbo on a manual versus automatic truck meaning that the manual would have better mannerisms.



It's been explained to me that a turbo will surge when the exhaust gas pressure to the turbine is not high enough to sustain the boost the compressor is making, and air will flow back out through the compressor inlet. I don't think that the compressor stalls, but it does experience reverse flow. This creates a fluttering sound. Supposedly it's bad for the turbo, not to mention annoying. This usually occurs in light-load situations.



Of course, the way to cure it is to add fuel. But I don't want to have to accellerate all the time to drive through surging.



Perhaps someone with more knowledge on the subject will chime in on the surging?
 
I wonder what PS62 pressure is set for, anyone?? Not what it is capable of but how much it can do while still delivering cool air and low drive pressure.
 
JCleary said:
It's been explained to me that a turbo will surge when the exhaust gas pressure to the turbine is not high enough to sustain the boost the compressor is making, and air will flow back out through the compressor inlet. I don't think that the compressor stalls, but it does experience reverse flow. This creates a fluttering sound. Supposedly it's bad for the turbo, not to mention annoying. This usually occurs in light-load situations.



Of course, the way to cure it is to add fuel. But I don't want to have to accellerate all the time to drive through surging.



Perhaps someone with more knowledge on the subject will chime in on the surging?





I'm with you J. I think I'd rather go on the smaller side then risk going too big. . I am thinking a 66 is a little too much for what I need and the HTBG is a little too small... The HTB2 and the Super B sound about right. I like the fact that you can "upgrade" the HTT's. . I think I might give HTT a call tomorrow and talk to them after I get off the phone w/ DTT. . :-laf
 
I dont know about any other turbos other than stock and II SPS66. When I turn everything off and run basically stock the SPS66 acts pretty much like stock. It may be slower to spool than the stock turbo, but it drives fine with my boxes off completely. I do not have any surging at any speed. I dont tow, but I have had it on the highway a number of times. Normally cruise at 75mph and feels pretty much like stock turbo, not much boost needed cruising anyway. Max boost I see with boxes off is no more than stock turbo. If I turn the boxes up then it will bump up against the wastegate if I really lay into it. Kinda seems like a great all around single turbo upgrade and I am very happy with it.
 
SRadke said:
Spoolup speed is determined by how much fuel you hit them with. Most of the guys with 66's push a lot of fuel. The smaller turbos with lighter compressors and turbines will spool faster when hit with the same amout of fuel, less rotational mass. There are small exceptions to this in design and ball bearing tubo's are diffrent altogether but we'll try to keep this on point.



If you're running a TST with the stock turbo you'll have safe temps (less than 1250°) through about setting 3:3... . maybe into setting 4:4. If you go with a 62mm compressor like the HTB2 you'll gain up to 5:5. Step up to the 66's and you can have 6:6. The advanteages to any of the aftermarket models mentioned here is that they're tough. The'll take a good shot of abuse and keep on spinning.



All of these units will have a wastegate built in and come factory set for something around 40 psi. If you're looking for a good reliable driver leave it there.



As for the "Super B" throw it in the class with the other 62mm turbo's.



-Scott



Listen to Scott - lots of info in the above quote! Before I got my SPS66 I ran first an HTB2 w/62 mm compressor and 12 cm2 exhaust. This spooled super quick when I ran a TST, but I was majorly limited on the upper end in terms of EGT and drive pressure. With the TST it would just blow right by the 40 psi wastegate setting to about 45 psi in a blink of an eye. I was constantly watching gauges and wondering WHEN not IF the turbo would pop. Fortunately, it never did, which is a testament to its tough design, but it was a nerve wracking way to drive always having to watch gauges. Maximum TST levels where I felt my comfort level start severely dropping off were as Scott indicated above for a 62 mm compressor.



I then got rid of the TST due to my truck having unresolved driveability "issues" with it and exchanged the exhaust housing for a 14 cm2 to handle 100 HP injectors plus simple pressure box. This turbo had reasonable cooling ability until I got to the mid-to-upper box settings. Boost rise rate was a noticeably slower and lower too, which gave peace of mind when driving. Only when the pressure box was turned to 100% did the down low fueling come even close to a TST on any mid-range Te setting.



Then last month I had an opportunity to drive a buddies truck with a SP66 with a pressure box stacked with TST and 35" tires. With just the pressure box on 50% and TST on low settings or off his truck responded and drove great - even with 3. 73 gears and 35" tires! I was impressed and sold on the SP66 and then eventually got the SPS66 due to circumstances falling into place at the right time and place when I had injector problems and had the Industrial Injection guys diagnose them :D . My buddy uses his truck to tow regularily when not sled pulling or racing ricers and has had 0/zip/nada towing issues. Before he got the SP66, he blew up 2-3 stock turbos, an early ATS turbo in minutes after the 300-mile break-in, had a Killer B2 (HTB2 64/14) with major surging, and then eventually upgraded it to his present SP66 after HTT worked with him quite a bit to test different designs between the Killer B2 and SP66.



I'm not saying there isn't any surging with my 66. Heck I still don't know what to look for! So if I have experienced it, I probably unknowingly programmed myself to drive through it!



The only thing I have noticed with mine when towing is SOMETIMES at 2100 rpms or so in 5th or 6th at steady pedal pressure the rpms and boost and then speed will drop and then pick up again to the initial speed. I am kind of wondering though if this is the Juice since the 305/555 version adds fuel pressure until 2100 rpm and maybe it switched to a different map at this point. It NEVER does this when the cruise is on, though - probably because the APPS is not used during cruise. Without cruise on I can make this happen at will pretty much, but at the same time I can power through it to avoid it altogether. So is this surging?? Enquiring minds need to know!



Anyhow, realistically my intended truck usage sounds just like yours. Did I NEED an SPS66? Probably not since the HTB2 62/14 was more than enough for my needs 90% of the time since I don't sled pull or drag race. However, in my case, I just WANTED something for the remaining 10% of the time just in case! :D
 
JStieger said:
So is this surging?? Enquiring minds need to know!

In short, no. If it was surging you'd know it. It's like a turbo bark without lifting the pedal.



You description is intrigueing though, it got me thinking. My boss has an 02 taht is having APPS issues. Sometimes around 13-1500 rpm it just won't fuel, like 2psi boost max. Then all o a sudden it'll go to stock fueling levels and take off. Really wierd.



One more thing I should mention... . When I first got my Killer B2 I beleived it spooled nearly as fast as stock. I truely thought it was the same. After driving it for some time and getting used to it I drove another truck of the same model... . like identical except it was all stock and I was surprised how much quicker it built boost. Not that the gauge climbed any faster but it started at 1400 rpm rather than 1700. Sometimes it's amazing what you can make yourself beleive beause you want to ;)



-Scott
 
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