Bomber Light Question

[sfr1047]

I am thinking of getting a Bomber Light turbo. I want it to lower EGT`s when towing. I am looking for feedback from those who have been using one. Any problems I should know about?

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

The main thing about the Bomber lite is it's a fairly inexpensive upgrade for basically stock trucks or if you have a mild box and are looking for a bit of EGT relief, mainly for those with '03 & '04 models. But bear in mind the turbo is the same on the exhaust side as stock, so if you're putting a lot of power to it you'll have a lot of drive pressure (drive pressure is fine as long as boost is not pushed much beyond stock levels).



The improvement on the Bomber Lite is the compressor side being larger & more efficient, resulting in lower discharge temperatures which in turn helps EGTs. But you'll lose this gain by the time you're reached boost in the low 30s. . . discharge temps skyrocket.



Hope this helps. Vaughn

 

[Buffalo]

Hi Vaughn,



I talked to PDR, a few months ago, & they told me that the Bomber-Light will not take much over about 65 HP increases. I was interested in a box (Quad Standard-30-60& 100HP). They said the 100HP level could compromise the BL & cause it to blow up.



Have you seen anything like this happening?



They said that the milling process, inside the housing reduces the strength of the turbo & that it is not as strong as the stock turbo's on '03, HO's.



I know you had some of the initial experience with the bomber light's & certainly have much more experience than I do. Your opinions would be appreciated.



Thank You.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Buffalo I had Bomber Lite #1 but I hadn't heard those comments before. But I'm sure PDR know what they're talking about, a 100hp box is too much. I had the first Bullydog timing/pressure box for the 3rd Gen and I ran it in level 1 quite a bit and a couple times in Level 2 with no harm to the turbo. Level 2 was 110hp but I was real careful with that setting. It did open up breathing a bit, made a noticeable improvement in power on the highway.



Vaughn

 

[Bob4x4]

I have trucks out there for a couple of years with that turbo,with 100hp box and injectors,water/meth. Talk about instant response!The turbos have taken a lot of abuse and over 75k miles so far. Some heavy goose neck towing with the box in the 65 hp mode. Don't underestimate what can be done with that little guy. Not the best combo but... ... ... .....



Bob

 

[sfr1047]

I heard there were some reports of turbo bark when towing and during hard shifts. Is that still a problem or did Piers make changes to fix it? Thanks for all the info.

 

[jray]

I did some reasearch on the bomber lite before purchasing back in June of this year. I had added an EZ Edge and wanted to reduce some of the EGT's that it had created. After the install one of the first things that I noticed was that it barked under heavy acceleration when shifting. At the time I was unfamiliar with the term "Barking" and at first I thought my transmission was shuttering or possibly going out.



I soon learned what "barking" meant and my particular turbo barked alot. Especially when towing my 29' travel trailer and contents at about 9000 - 10,000 lbs. While towing on flat ground I found that I could not tow in overdrive without the turbo barking like crazy. Also this was at a low 2000' elevation. Upon discovery of this, I got on the cell phone and called Piers and told them what was happening. They asked if I had taken the silencer ring out yet. ( I hadn't ). I ended up towing in 3rd gear for most of the trip except for some down hill areas.



I eventually took out the silencer ring and it helped a little bit but the turbo still barks and I still can't tow in overdrive. Honestly at this point I wish I had stayed stock until I could afford a B-1. When I later spoke to Piers they said they had talked to others that had the same problem that I have with the bomber lite. They recommended that I buy the B-1 which is suppose to be a pretty tough turbo. Unfortunately I'm looking at about another 1650. 00 for the B-1. I must add that the Piers people are great to deal with.



I appreciate Vaughn and others who made the bomber lite possible and for those who laid the footwork for testing. My truck just didn't respond well to this modification.







2003 SLT 3500 SWB/CC 305/555 48RE Limited slip

 

[AK RAM]

Have you seen anything like this happening?

I popped two of them, in rather short order. Although, it took a lot more than a 65hp increase to do it. Bent the shafts on both of them. I would follow their recommendations. They know what they are doing. I ran one of their experimentals for a while that did a pretty good job. Same as the bomber lite, but the exhaust housing was milled also with a bigger wheel, fatter shaft, and extreme bearings. They named it the G1 turbo. We couldn't blow that one up and I sold it to a guy on the forum here when I was done with it. He is still running it as far as I know. I don't know why Piers didn't take that one to market, but I suspect with all the machining and new parts involved, the gain wasn't enough for the cash invested. It was still an awfully small turbo in the end. Tuff though.

 

[sfr1047]

I sure do not like that barking problem when towing. Towing is the main reason I want a little more power. I guess I will have to make sure I void my warrenty and put in a turbo that even the ding dong mechanics will recognize as not stock. Thanks for the info.