Exhaust Brakes on turbo or in exhaust

[ROGER/DODGER]

Well this ought to stir it up. I was having a converstion with the people at Deisel Dynamics about exhaust brakes, and they tend to like the US Gear type of brake that mounts in the exhaust pipe way back of the turbo. The reason being that it dosen't back load the turbo with any device so close to the turbo head. It also looks like it would flow better than having something right at the begining of the exhaust pipe. I'm sure the Jacobs and all the rest are good but is this a better set up ? Has anyone had any experiance with this U S Gear brake set up ? I want to put one on but don't know if this is worth almost a $1000 ? Comments ?



Thanks Roger

 

[carhauler]

I opted for the Pac brake direct mount. The price was right ( $ 549. 00 I believe ) and the customer service is amazing. The kit bolts up in about 30 minutes with no mods whatsoever to exhaust. The retarding power is already set up for your truck so there is no need for adjustment. I love it and would'nt trade it for any other brand. Just my opinion

 

[MikeR]

I didn't see any power loss with a direct turbo mount Jacobs(proven by the dyno and my EGT gauge). I have heard from a fellow TDR member that the US Gear has a tendancy of getting out of adjustment and scraping the pipe causing it to jam. One advantage a direct mount has over a down stream mount is the exhaust pressure builds up instantly. With a down stream,you have to wait for it to build up 4 feet worth of pressure in the exhaust pipe before anything happens.



-Mike

 

[RustyJC]

Cummins and Dodge have no problem with mounting the Jacobs brake directly after the turbo - it doesn't affect the engine warranty, and by getting it installed when we bought the truck, the Jacobs brake is even covered by the DC truck warranty.



Not that the warranty coverage is such a big deal, but it does make a statement about the manufacturers' (Cummins & Dodge) confidence in the Jacobs e-brake product and its application immediately downstream of the turbo.



Rusty

 

[CUMINNTSTRKN]

the only resaon i went with the remote mounted brake "in the exhaust pipe" is becuase i have an hx-40 turbo and a brake won't mount to it. but bd "the best brake imo" does make a remote brake that's what i have and it works great. peirs had them onsale for $650.



jim

 

[Ron Bissett]

Down stream or direct mount ?

As for not putting it near the turbo thats BS as the gas has to be pushed back into the eng to hold back the pistons . Down stream for 4or 5 in pipe ok . Cost more ,in the splash of the wheels and snow or mud ect . Also mounted on the thin exhaust pipe . I know that the pipes last longer on diesel trucks but cut and weld could cause rust and short life of the pipe. Cost about 2x more a big thing with some of us (me) Your choise check all then get the one you will be happy with . Ron in Louisville KY

 

[LBTRS]

PacBrake

I have a PacBrake and wouldn't trade it for any other but I did notice I lost a lot of turbo whine and it doesn't seem to spool up quite as quickly after I installed the E brake. Seems to me that this has to have some affect on performance. Like I said, I use it all the time and wouldn't be without it.

 

[dewdo]

I had a U. S. Gear exhaust brake on a 94 I once had and was very unhappy with it as well as the people that installed it. (Camping World) I went through either two or three of their expensive control modules at a hefty price. I was descending a rather steep grade west of Laughlin, NV one sunny afternoon when I blew everything from the front of the brake back completely off. (Now that was some sound)



Roared into Bullhead City, Az to a muffler shop where the things were stuck back on. Didn't have use of the brake.



Limped back home to Camping World to take advantage of their so called "Lifetime Installation Warranty. " only to discover from their service desk manager that having another facility do the warranty repair voided my "Lifetime Installation Warrenty. "



Not having any better sense I told them to repair it anyway. The U. S. Gear rep. was there and he said they would absorb the cost of the control module that was destroyed when all the wires dropped on the ground, but Camping World would charge me labor and would not reimburse me for the emergency repairs done in Bullhead City.



Needless to say I was out about $600. 00 on a Lifetime Installation Warrenty. I fought with Camping Worlds customer service people in their main office for nearly a year and managed to recover $300. 00 of my "Lifetime Installation Warrenty. "cost.



I have a BD brake on my current truck and reasonably satisfied with it and the service of their customer service department.



Dewdo in the other Washington



P. S.

The nearest Camping World facility at the time of the failure was Phoenix which was about 200 miles away.

 

[Bigsaint]

I'm with CUMINNTSTRKN. I also went with the 4" BD brake as I have the HX40. So far, zero complaints. I use the brake every day and love it, great stopping power and as a bonus it sounds great too.



Scott W.

 

[CLGreer]

I just installed a BD turbo mount exhaust brake on my truck. I took advantage of the excellent price offered by Piers. When I ordered I talked directly to the man himself and he patiently answered my questions about turbos and e-brakes. I would definitely recommend buying products from PDR. I decided on the turbo mount because it simplifies things and keeps it out of the mud. I have noticed an advertisement that does not seem to accurately represent layout of the turbo mount BD exhaust brake (it may be referring to other turbo mount brakes though). I bring this up because I wouldn’t want anyone to make a decision based on the drawings in the ad. It shows the valve placed directly in the path of flow through the wastegate. After examining the BD brake I found that the valve is set back away from the turbo side opening such that the situation depicted in the ad does not seem to be physically possible.

 

[ROGER/DODGER]

Thanks for all your help.

just wanted to thank aal of you for you help and experiance.

 

[Turbo Thom]

Well, here comes the Lone Ranger.



. . I have the US Gear brake and would not have one of the other ones. I like it under the truck and have them on two 12V trucks I have. The one thing I would change is to the 60 lb springs in my 96 so it would let me adj. the pressure to 50-60 lbs at the brake. l



That is what caused the brake to blow off on the one from Camping World. With the 30 lb valve spring you can't adj. to more than 30 lbs. You also have to get the two butterflies adjusted to pressure. The waste gate one and the main line. I was told the brake would work without the 60 lb springs and it will, just not as well.



As far as CW doing the work, I've had folks tell me about mechanics that was the diesel gods answer to humans. Maybe so but I won't go back. I trust me more. Don't judge the brake on some incompetent installation moron.



My thoughts.



. . Preston. .



. . Preston. .