Originally posted by Agades
Rod,
what kind of horsepower is the KSB1B recommended for ?
We don't have a peak recommendation right now, but we are running it on a 500 HP+ truck, and EGTs with a Scotty II are well in hand. We're quite happy with the combo, and quite frankly, I don't believe there is a better turbo available for the single turbo crowd, especially if you're running a tight converter.
Now, some pics as I promised...
This first shot is a bearing comparison between the HX40, K. 45, and the B1. The HX40 is on the left, K. 45 in the middle, and B1 on the right.
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And the shafts. As you can see, the HX40 and K. 45 are nearly identical, however the B1 is significantly larger. Again the HX40 is on the left.
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The K. 45 and HX40 shafts look to be nearly identical, however the hubs are significantly different (HX40 on the left, K. 45 on the right):
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Note the larger hub area where the wheel is friction welded to the shaft and the extra groove in the K. 45 hub. The extra groove slings oil and helps keep the heat from the turbine wheel from getting to the bearing. This reduces the issue of coking which also causes turbo failure.
Also look at the turbine blades and the support they have at the root area. (This is one of the secrets of the B-1's durability). In our opinion, the biggest reason HX40's fail is not from twisting of the shafts, but throwing blades. The moment a small piece of blade comes off then the wheel destroys the shaft instantly.
Last thing to note is the overall quality of machining/engineering. While the 40 should have been cleaned up better, you can still see some differences in manfacture.
Each turbo is available with a variety of turbine wheels and housings, we are able to custom tailor the turbo to individual and his truck. This flexbility and manufacturing quality, combined with the larger bearings (the outside of a bearing tends to absorb more vibration than the inside) are the primary reasons why I feel that K and B series of turbos are far and away the best ones for single turbo systems.