Wicked wheel will not give you more power... technically, you'll lose 1-2 PSI of boost, but you'll not really notice it. Slower & deeper probably comes from you having a stock airbox, and not pushing as much boost. I'd confidently say you've got surge, so here's what I'd do if I were you:

1) put on a 4" turbo back exhaust with muffler
2) put on the KWIK/6637 filter
3) change out the stock turbo wheel for the Wicked Wheel
4) put a BTS valve body in your transmission
4) get a tuner AFTER talking to the people that sell them so they can recommend specific tunes. PHP, Tony Wildman, or DP Tuner are the 3 best.

You're looking at $1500-ish in parts, but the good news is that ALL of these can be installed by you. The exhaust will be the toughest because of the downpipe, but the rest aren't too bad.

You'll get better drivability, more (safe) power (WATCH YOUR GAUGES), and a more responsive truck that is just more fun to drive.

 

You'll kill the turbo... if you're VERY lucky, you can rebuild it.. but you may need to replace it to the tune of $700+. A little now, or a LOT later... pick your poison.

 

A hundred dollar wheel and a couple of dollars in o-rings is better than trying to find a tow truck when you have a loaded trailer on back. Not to mention it's a lot cheaper than rebuilding or replacing the turbo. You could also change to a ported shroud compressor housing so you don't have to fool with removing the turbo, but it will run you about 3 times the price. The other option is just to baby it so you don't hit the point where the surge kicks in, but that kind of goes against the whole point of a chip.

 

CLASSIC turbo surge description. You need a Wicked Wheel or ATS housing...

 

Although he didn't give many details as to what brands and sizes he has, he's got almost everything on your list. Outside of the valve body (which is a good idea) and the WW, he's setup already. Although he DIDN'T ask before getting his chip, he's still got a good one for now. Plus Tony, Cale, Bill, and I think David at DI are all fully capable of using his existing chip to do some custom tunes. And even though those 3 listed above are really good tuners and well respected, to say that they are the BEST one's out there is purely a personal preference and strictly opinion.

Thus far over the years on 3 different trucks, I've ran Bill's chip (still being used today by my dad), a generic TS chip (still in that truck that was sold a couple of years ago), an Edge juice/attitude w/ evo (sold), a DP Tuner (recently removed), and currently a chip by Cale @ BTS. The only one I wouldn't run again is the Edge. The DP was a good chip but I didn't have time to have it reburned for the new trans and injectors, plus I didn't want to have to go through what some have had in that the reburn still didn't perform right. Bill's TS chip still works great in my dad's 95. The generic TS chip worked just fine in the other 95 I sold. Cale's tunes work awesome as well.

I'd say "pick your poison" and go with what you like. We've all got our opinions on what's the best or the only one to go with. But in reality it's your decision. With that TS chip you've got now, you'll be just fine. If you want to upgrade to some custome tunes down the road, then you can still use that exact same chip and have Bill, TW, Cale, and/or anyone else that tunes with them set you up. Hell, try them all!!!

As for the VB, either a John Woods or a BTS. If you're more of do-it-yourselfer, then get the transgo tugger kit and modify it yourself. Also it's an excellent idea to get a 6.0 tranny cooler. Either option will help with the longevity/efficiency of the trans. Especially if a built trans isn't in the cards right away.

Get the WW to help with the surge. Another thing to help with it as well as EGT's is getting a 1.0 exhaust housing on the turbo. Easy upgrade and will help reduce egt's by letting the exhaust flow better. To better the etg's, look to install a 6.0 or larger aftermarket intercooler.

Good luck and happy modding cause it'll never end

 

Umm fellas, I don't think a valve body will really help him that much unless he just needs a paper weight. I don't have one in my hand shaker either.

 

There is a similar mod for the 6-speed, Chris. It's called the "6 Million Dollar Mod". It goes in your two legs and right arm so you can shift better, stronger, faster....

 

Does it come with the cool sound effects like on the TV show?

 

Just to add to this, Swamps is another company that can tune TS chips. I'm sure there are plenty others as well.

 

Good call on the 6-speed!! WHOOPS!!!

I didn't know Cale @ BTS was making tunes for the TS chip... options, options... gotta love 'em!! Thanks for the (new to me!) info!

One other thing that may or may not be an issue will be the up-pipes. Classic problem for them to be leaking. *IF* they are leaking, then I'd say do the Wicked Wheel (WW) & up-pipes right away. You'll save your turbo, and if your up-pipes are indeed leaking, you're losing power, and therefore efficiency & mileage. The rest will be upgrades, but those two are what I'd say are necessary maintenance items.

 

Yes, but it's hard to hear them over the screaming turbo and open exhaust.

 

Holy Crap!! I even quoted him saying it was a hand shaker and still didn't catch it!!

Thanks Jeff. I knew there was another company that uses them but I couldn't remember.

Great point on the up-pipes. If they are leaky, you'll be loosing boost pressure and egt's will go up. Also a good idea to remove, clean, and/or replace your intercooler boots if needed. If nothing else, make sure the clamps are tight around them.