To start let me say that I have read ALL the T4 SXE threads and I plan to go that route when I have time/$$.

This weekend I drove to Wabash Indiana to pick up my new Keystone Bullet 308 BHS. It is about 7k dry. On the way up there I got about 13.5 MPG @ 75 mph. My tires are about 35" tall. On the way back I got somewhere between 7.5-8 mpg depending on if it was flat or rolling hills. The power was there. There was no need for more power, but the EGTs were constantly at 1100-1200. We tried different speeds. 60 mph the boost was too low to keep it cool. The truck really loved being at 75 for boost and RPM, but that is pretty quick for pulling and bad on MPG. I looked at Torque Pro on the way up. Map and Boost looked to match each other pretty well. I forgot to look on the way home when we were towing.

I have known it for a while, but the Van turbo just blows. Pun intended. As I said above, I will be getting an SXE, but I don't have time before my next trip, and I need to recoup after buying the camper.

My question is, do you think I would be better off putting the stock turbo back on since it will spool up a little faster? If I do that I have 3 wheels to choose from. Stock, WW and Riff Raff WW2. The WW2 in the stock turbo screams (my wife hates it) so I don't think I will go that route.

Last night I read the "Down on Power High on EGT thread". I am running the AFE filter as well and wonder if that is a problem. I don't clean or replace it often enough. I wonder if there is a paper filter that will fit on that intake?

So what say you? @Sous @danv For some reason I can't tag Marcus Lucco

 

It's not listed in your sig, so assuming an auto trans?

 

Yes Auto trans. I was in OD most of the way except when EGTs just kept climbing then I turned off OD.

 

If you step down from the 1.15 ex housing you will make more EGT. You've a couple things that are getting you. 3.73, tall tire and @ 60mph you are under the turbo. The OEM GPT-38 turbo will be closer to lighting at that rpm, but the .84 housing is gonna create some trouble.....but it might be better. Probably not much better.

 

So are you saying to baby it until I get the SXE?

 

That is a solid choice on a proven platform. I am a huge fan of the 364.5 SXE as you know, but very interested to see/hear the thoughts on the 363 that @Ridedan2 will be installing soon-ish... I will not be swapping to a 363 unless I come into a large sum of cash, but I am always willing to learn and hear the options and opinions of others.


That was pretty funny to me



Which intake were you running with the RR WW2 that was a screamer?

The one by @Markus Luukko ? If so, he has something going on that has changed recently. More than likely it is something that is failing and the timing is coincidence to his maintenance, or something went wrong during his maintenance tasks. He will get it sorted and post up his thoughts once he gets it nailed down.

You spelled it wrong, but I tagged him for you!

How far are you going with the trailer before you plan to upgrade to the T4/SXE?

I guess you need to figure out the distance you might be traveling with the trailer and the stock or van turbo. Also factor in the time frame of when you realistically think you would be upgrading to the T4/SXE. If you can deal with the BS performance from the van turbo for the next 6 months, then maybe that is the right call for you because your wife can tolerate the sound, even though the driving is more taxing on you getting to your destination.

You need to figure in the *** pain of removing and installing the stock turbo as well. That is a lot of work and if it were only to be in there a short period, or only used to tow the camper on a couple of trips, your time and effort might be worth more than the trouble of installing the turbo.

Also consider that things go wrong when installing turbos or swapping wheels out. Look at @Wesley Green for example. He recently bought and installed a 7+7 wheel in his turbo replacing the RiffRaff 4+4. Well, he thinks he pinched or tore an o-ring somewhere and is now leaking a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) amount of oil down the valley drain and under his truck.

I have said it time and time again, only you (and your wife) can know what is good for your truck and your situation. We can give you advice and tell stories about our situations all day long, but that may not make a hills of beans difference to anyone that is in a completely different situation.

Everyone knows I am a big fan of the T4/SXE setup and do not regret my choice for one second. Although, it appears KC might be getting his **** straight... finally... @Colorado350 has had some good results with his new KC drop in turbo. More testing and some fine tuning on his tuning (see what I did there) needs to be done, but he might have a winner for his situation. I fully support his endeavor and hope he attains the goals for his truck like I did. It is a great feeling to sit back and know I only have to fix what breaks or wears out from now on instead of trying to figure out how to get my truck healthy and running the way I want it to run.

If I were faced with your situation and knowing only what you have said here, I would probably just fight the van turbo until I could get the T4/SXE in there. I tried to tweak, modify, upgrade and drive my OEM turbo for quite a while before making the decision to go T4/SXE. I used to drive at 2800 RPM in 4th gear just to keep EGT's decent and maintain speed up a rolling hill. Now, I am rolling right along next to the 6.7 Cummins and PSD with cruise control set in 5th gear. I could not be happier! But, I had to fight through the BS of the modified stock turbo until I made my decision and chose a clear path forward that worked for me, my budget and my family.

So, in the end after my rambling, you need to make a pros and cons list and weigh your options. We can help you sort through your list if you like and maybe point things out that you may have missed, but the decision is yours alone because you will have to face the consequences alone.

 

AFE II, but I am running the same wheel in the Van turbo and it is fine.

We will be taking 2 short in state trips and 1 longer one. The long one is in September and we are going to Gatlinburg, TN from OKC. I think it is 11 hours. How for is Gatlinburg from you?

I am leaning towards just dealing with the Van Turbo until I do the SXE. After these 3 trips we won't have any until probably spring of next year. We are having our second baby in January. I will probably look at doing the SXE within the next 6-8 months.

 

I got ana uto and zf6. Both are stock with ww1 wheels. Thinking, it was something else going on with the zf6 for high egts towing, i had to drive by the gauge vecause i couldnt find a reason...fastforward to last Summer towing with the auto..same damn thing. High egts.
Like you mentioned, the auto loves 75mpg(285/16s) but, cant do that in Ca. nor did i feel comfirtable towing at the speed.
Conclusion i cane up with is the common denominator....both have ww1. Yes, it cuts out the turbo suge but it has to be contributing to the high egts.
Im goin the kc turbine and now either 4x4 or whatever else is out there. Because of Wesley, the 7x7 is out the window
Btw...l99 has dorman uppies and auto has no leak stocks.(have dirmans on shelf).
As Sous touched on, maybe the intake is creating more then normal noise with the ww2 but, id install that over anything you have in the arsenal

 

I guess I could do a Mishimoto intercooler for now to get it down a little, then do the SXE in 6-8 months. Maybe that with a clean air filter would drop it 100-150 degrees.

 

When i modified the stock turbo turbo I went with SPTURBO 5x5 wheel, it did make a big difference but just not enough at this elevation. Just do NOT use his o rings! You could go back to your truck turbo, change out the wheel until you’re ready for the T4.

 

What tune are you towing in and what are your boost numbers. I can tow 6K with my stock turbo and riffraff billet wheel without any egt problems.

 

I am towing on Cody's Heavy Tow. New 160/80 sticks from FF.

 

Not to be a kill joy, but you do realize that's half the cost of a T4 setup right? I'd actually recommend the KC turbine long before going that route cost wise since you already have a 4". But that's just my experience.

Congrats on the 2nd kiddo! If you don't do the T4 b4 they get here don't be surprised if it takes you an extra year to do it. Going from 1-2 kids was more involved time wise for us. 2-3 was a bigger jump, and 3-4 was an insane jump, almost never had any free time

 

Yeah I know its half the cost of the T4. It was a thought that I will have to ponder. It can only help even with he T4 right? I know what you mean about the extra year, but the T4 will happen by next spring even with the new kid.

 

Gatlinburg is 141 miles from where I am sitting and ~3.5 hours because we drive through the mountains to get there. My brother was married there many years ago. The last time I was there I was **** faced beyond recognition.

I would more than likely be leaning the same direction and deal with it until you could get it done right.

Nope, don't do that unless you need to replace the intercooler and if you do, there are much better bang for the buck options available regarding an intercooler. In the 7.3 charging system, there just isn't enough bang for the buck on a high dollar I/C. I have a thread from a few years back going into great detail on this. Besides, with the T4/SXE the OEM I/C does a great job.

When you get the turbo system setup, you will remove all tunes except for the hot tunes. I have 3 tunes on my Hydra now, 60HP Performance PHP, 1100 RPM Idle and No Start... That is it... Because the turbo charging system is so efficient, THERE IS NO NEED FOR A TOW TUNE. The heavy tow tunes are OLD, ANTIQUATED, OUTDATED methods of towing. I know some people just cannot get past this and resort back to the "your EGT's are high because you are not using a heavy tow tune". Rubbish I tell you, complete and utter rubbish... Look at SRBF150 for a closer comparison to your setup. He just towed like 2000 miles heavy on the 1023 Street Shredder tune...

Heavy tow tunes are an old way of thinking, just like GTP38R is...

Now, since you have a 4R100, you may need to tweak your shift points a bit, but the fuel can stay at as much as you can sustain to throw at the injectors. This has been proven time and time again...

You know what, I had no problems with EGT's running a heavy tow tune on my modified stock turbo. I was also downshifting to get up hills and driving at 2800 RPM... That is stupid in my opinion, no other word for it, stupid...

Now I set the cruise control at 65 MPH, 2000 RPM and let the truck do it's thing in 5th gear, even up grades towing 12,000 lbs... Stock injectors with 255,000 miles on them to top it off...

Yes, I pad about $1500 to achieve this, but who the hell cares if I attained performance from a 20 year old truck that rivals a brand new $75,000 truck... People CANNOT compare 20 year old turbos and EGT's to newer, more advanced turbos and EGT's... It does not work... Each have their advantages and disadvantages...

If someone is happy with their modified stock turbo, I wish them the best of luck. I was happy with my modified stock turbo until I installed the T4/SXE and now I am done modifying the truck, watching the EGT gauge, downshifting to maintain speed, etc...

Some people are happy masturbating in the darkness of their home, others prefer sex with another person... That is about the only real comparison I can make between a modified stock turbo on heavy tow tunes and the more advanced and newer turbos on a hot street tune. You don't have to believe me because I might be perceived as being a SXE fan-boy, ask @Colorado350 what he thinks of his new turbo.

Keep it a thought and do not let it turn into an action UNTIL you have a new turbo charging system installed. Then you can re-evaluate.