Well I was bored today so I went looking through Diesel Innovations stuff and started reading about the stuff about the van turbo. Is this a good swap. From what I understand, the van turbo is a lot better (no wastegate and a 1.15 exhaust housing). Is this the turbo out of the 99-03 E250 and E350 Powerstrokes only? Is this all I need to make this a good turbo?

-ATS Ported Shroud Compressor Housing
-Van Turbo Flange Adaptor
-Wicked Wheel

Where did you get your van turbo and for how much?

Thanks

 

Those mods will make for a stout turbo....one that can support 400 horsepower easily.

Here's the only drawback: the van turbo uses the exact same center section/journal bearings as your stock turbo, so despite it's ability to make much more boost, it's still limited by the factory's 25 psi max boost rating.

 

yes, i wouldnt go that route. the van turbo still has thrust bearings, that wont support more than 25 pounds of boost reliably. if you want more boost, a ball bearing is the only thing that would reliably support 35+ pounds of boost.

talk to mech2161, he has the silver truck with stacks in his avatar. he has the van turbo with the mods that you wanted for it.

 

I would go with the Garrett ball bearing or the Holset H2E (ball bearing) turbos. They are a little spendy, but are both awesome performers.

 

Haha the price of the Garrett BB and the H2e is what got me into looking at the van turbo. I just thought it would be a very cost effective upgrade. One guy on TDS said he got his van turbo for $125. I've yet to see the ball bearing for under $1000. I'll try to research more into how they hold up with 25+ psi.

Van Turbo - $125
Van Turbo Flange Adaptor - $99
ATS Ported Shroud Compressor Housing - $425
Wicked Wheel - $87
Total $736

Are there any other ways to upgrade the center section/journal bearings like cookie88 was talking about? And would I need to the wicked wheel with the larger, 1.15 turbine housing?

 

actually, no. the stock wheel is more efficient at moving air. but the stock housing is not good for preventing surge. the ATS housing completely eliminates this, and both modifications do not need to be done. youll see more boost with the stock wheel, but with less whistle.

 

Ok so that saves a few $$. I shot a PM over to mech2161 so hopefully he'll help us out. He must be in the 30 psi range with the mods he has. I'm curious to see how his is holding up and if it'll last very long.

 

The ball bearing turbo is like a beenie baby. All the hipe and advertising, everyone has to have one. The bb turbo is not rebuildable. No matter what you spend to buy it if something happens it is a big paper weight. If that is what you want make sure you change your oil and filter often. The bearing can not take any dirt. Yes it is capable of big hp, but at what expense. Any one serious about power is getting rid of them. I couldn't justify the money for the return.
I bought my van turbo from a salvage yard. The turbo was fitted with a wicked wheel, ATS shroud, DI exhaust adapter and balanced. For $1k it holds 39lbs of boost and makes 404 rw hp and can be rebuilt. I wanted a stock looking turbo to stay in the stock class in pulling. I've got over ten hooks and drive it every day.
I will tell you this. Stay away from the Ball Buster, or HTTP turbo. They are one in the same. This turbo design is new on the market. I have talked to several vendors and no one had anythig good to say. I was told five were tested on different trucks and of those four reinstalled the stock turbo.
These are just my opinions. You can do as you see fit. I'm very happy I went the way I did.

 

That was the kind of post I was looking for. Mech2161, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pick up your van turbo for?

 

It had a damaged compressor wheel. I got it for $350. It was off an 02 E350 with about 50k miles. This turbo is a different animal. With the large exhaust side it will be a little slower on the bottom but pulls like a horse mid and upper. Be prepared for a new clutch or auto upgrades. I may let mine go. I'm looking at an H2E or a fat shaft 66. I made an exhaust flange to use the EBPV also. I will only exchange info by pm. Mods, if this is inapropriate you can delete this.

 

H2E is not a ball bearing turbo.


IMO the best bang for the buck if your looking for the best all round turbo is the h2e. Its capable of supporting 500+ hp on #2 only, reliable, rebuildable, very common if you need parts. Its not too big (laggy) to be a good daily driver turbo. I drive my truck daily which has pretty good sized injectors and smoke is very controllable. Also it spools very well with stage 2 injectors and i also know of several people running an h2e with stage 1's. So its works good with mild to wild injectors.

I agree with mech2161 the ball bearing turbo is way over rated.
luke

 

have you run into problems, running 40 psi of boost, and not having a Ball bearing? does the center section take that abuse well? it seems like one run that high would be devastating for the life of the turbo.

 

Uneven pressures are the problem. The exhaust side on a stock turbo will build big pressures. That is why it is not a good idea to deactivate the waste gate. You could see 35 lbs of boost and 70 lbs of drive pressure. With stage III's I'm getting 39 lbs of boost and 50 lbs of drive pressure. That is why I need a bigger turbo. It will build equal pressures to 39 lbs. I have too much fuel for it. And no I have no problems with it. With less fuel it will last a long time.

 

so, necessairily running over 25 pounds isnt going to hurt the turbo, as long as the drive pressure is close to the pressure being produced?

edit- thanks for the clarification. so i assume you have a boost gauge in the collector, before the turbo charger inlet?

 

I edited the previous post.