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Remotely mounted turbos?

Fubeca

Fubeca

1/2 ton status
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Any thoughts on mounting a turbo under the truck?

Seeing the sts turbos on LS1s got me thinking about it. It seems like a person could do it pretty cheaply and easily.

Any reason it wouldn't work?
 
Fubeca said:
Any thoughts on mounting a turbo under the truck?

Seeing the sts turbos on LS1s got me thinking about it. It seems like a person could do it pretty cheaply and easily.

Any reason it wouldn't work?
Click to expand...

You do know that the Turbo runs off of the exhaust and pushed air into the intake, the longer the tube, the more pressure you might lose, that is why they put it right between the intake and the exhaust.
Plus the tubing going back and forth is also cumbersome and you'll have a maze of tubes.
I wouldn't say it's not possible but maybe not as effective.
:D
 
Check it out www.ststurbo.com - just got me thinking, and yes I understand how it works :)

I wouldn't take a maze of tubes - last I checked most of us have the exhaust already there ;) so it would just be piping the charge air back to the intake and figuring a good way to get air to the turbo.
 
Fubeca said:
Check it out www.ststurbo.com - just got me thinking, and yes I understand how it works :)

I wouldn't take a maze of tubes - last I checked most of us have the exhaust already there ;) so it would just be piping the charge air back to the intake and figuring a good way to get air to the turbo.
Click to expand...

Smart :rolleyes:
Well you got what I was getting at.:D
 
Well here's the deal. The way I see it there are basically two mainstream options to turbo a 6.2. Banks or 6.5 parts (or ATS). I don't have the desire to sink $2,000 into a beat up old truck for the banks. Nor am I willing to give up airconditioning for a 6.5 right now (and around here they are pretty expensive too).

So, I'm not looking for ultimate power - I'd just like a little more and some more fuel economy.

If I sized the turbo right, I imagine I could get 8-12 psi of boost with very little lag from a remote turbo. I don't know how much air the 6.2 needs - but I can't imagine it being more than about 400 CFM. So a smaller turbo with a wastegate - just might be able to provide the boost I want and still have enough airflow to feed the motor.

Since I can fab all of the exhaust and intake parts, I could probably get into the whole system for not much more than $600.

So - I wonder if anyone has ever tried it? Or I'm looking for some concrete reasons why it wouldn't work. It really wouldn't be that hard to protect from mud and water - besides this is for a 2wd - not my K5.

It gives me something to think about at work these days :D
 
I've seen a guy on here piece together a turbo setup using 6.5L manifolds for under the $600 figure you are talking about including new exhaust... Just a matter of timing and shopping around for the best deal on used parts in good shape.
 
one for sale!

I posted a few weeks ago here about a complete 6.5 Turbo setup on "craigslist" in MA for 250 bucks..recently rebuilt too!..I think its still for sale,but I haven't looked lately..look under the "Boston" section of Craigslist,type in "6.5 Turbo" in the "For sale" search colum..I'd buy it if I had the money and ambition to install it..:crazy:
 
Buy Corky Bell's turbo book and you will change your mind about the remote mount turbos.......youve got the laws of thermodynamics and gravity against you if you remote mount. As had been said it can be done, but why bother when it will always be a substandard solution.
 
DEMON44 said:
I gave you 2 already. If you don't buy it, thats fine.




The distance from the exahust manifold and the intake is where you get the lag from. Not the size of the turbo in this case. A BOV would help, but thats still alot of pipe to fill.

How do you plan to get your oil back to the sump?

Remote mount is a gimmick, bottom line. But do it, if you got the time and energy giver'. Sure, you can mount a turbo anywhere, on a trailer behind your truck if you want. Doesn't mean its a good idea.
Click to expand...

Easy tiger :rolleyes: .

It may be a gimmick - but it seems to be working for STS. :p:

Getting oil back to the sump is the least of my worries. They use an electric pump, and have a warning system to indicate low supply pressure.

I'd like to hear more about lag caused by the distance. Everything I've read relates lag to turbo size. I would think a large intercooler would have the same volume as the tubing required to get back to the intake.

I've been keeping my eyes open for deals - I'm in no hurry. Who knows what I'll find. I'm all for using existing engineering - easy is usually better.

I've read Arveetek's stuff many times! I think that's an impressive build. Anyone know why he rebuild that motor after the turbo?
 
From the website

Increased gas mileage. Unlike a belt driven supercharger, the turbo utilizes "wasted" energy leaving your tailpipe. Most of our customers get 1-3 mpg increase in gas mileage.
Click to expand...
ROTFLMAO :haha:

You should be very, very, very, sceptical of any claims like these by this company regarding turbo installations...... claiming increased milage from a turbo installation is absolute horseshyte.....more power always and without exception means more fuel input.
 
Marketing guys are sneaky f***ers, what below came of the site you referenced and is correct ONLY if you are actually on boost. Its a word play, especially the first sentance. Legally correct but lies by omission.

Banks Power systems release engine power potential by reducing pumping losses, so the engine produces power more efficiently, without working so hard. Translation: you'll use less fuel if you travel at the same speeds you did before installing your Banks Power system. The more you press the throttle (it's pretty irresistible, but stay safe-!), the more fuel you use—but Banks "smileage" will still be better at the same speed than stock.
Click to expand...

But who spends ALL there time driving down the highway making boost, you just dont. If you did, it would be a pig of an engine to put up with.

When running higher than atmospheric, volumetric efficiency CAN go up, marginally. That is when you have the skinny pedal buried. At cruise however your off boost and the turbo just becomes a CONSTRICTION in the induction/exhaust system, mileage will increase over a stock set up.

Companies never point that fact out, otherwise you might not buy it. Turbos only help with mileage in some very narrow circumstances....if all you ever do is tow loads up mountains and right now your engine lugs all the way to the top, then maybe you might see a small saving in fuel, but all things considered (ie cost of installation, extra fuel use off-boost etc ) I doubt it.

Dont get me wrong I love turbos and would not use any other form of forced induction....just dont believe the clever marketing blurb about saving fuel.
 
I really try not to believe too much marketing hype for obvious reasons. I am interested in learning more about turbos. It seems a lot of turboed vehicles cruise with some level of boost. I know a cummins turbo in a dodge will be making a bit of boost at cruising rpm.

Since the 6.2 can't take too much (I'm guessing I wouldn't want much more than 12psi at max throttle?) boost to begin with, why couldn't a turbo run say 2-5 psi at a cruising rpm? Wouldn't that allow for some increase in cruising fuel economy?
 
Theres so much behind engine theory let alone adding turbos that forums such as these really dont work that well to get a good grip on the subject. Order Corkys book, its easy to read but still has enough maths to keep you happy if you want to get right into the subject. Better still I'm sure that someone out there has written a good diesel specific turbo book, it would pay for itself very quickly if your going to build a non-typical system.
 
Fubeca said:
Easy tiger :rolleyes: .

It may be a gimmick - but it seems to be working for STS. :p:

Getting oil back to the sump is the least of my worries. They use an electric pump, and have a warning system to indicate low supply pressure.

I'd like to hear more about lag caused by the distance. Everything I've read relates lag to turbo size. I would think a large intercooler would have the same volume as the tubing required to get back to the intake.

I've been keeping my eyes open for deals - I'm in no hurry. Who knows what I'll find. I'm all for using existing engineering - easy is usually better.

I've read Arveetek's stuff many times! I think that's an impressive build. Anyone know why he rebuild that motor after the turbo?
Click to expand...

Well the reason the smaller Turbo's have less lag is the volume of air you are compressing, so when you add more tubing you are adding more volume in a different location still affecting the compression speed.
Now with the intercooler, cooling the air is compensating for lack of pressure by taking denser air to begin with.
Every detail makes a difference.
I agree a good book is a must if you are thinking outside the box, I am still looking for a good book on turbos.
 
Fubeca said:
I've read Arveetek's stuff many times! I think that's an impressive build. Anyone know why he rebuild that motor after the turbo?
Click to expand...

I rebuilt the engine about a year after installing the turbo. I wasn't planning on a rebuild at the time. The turbo had nothing to do with needing a rebuild, though.

I initially pulled the engine to replace the lifters, install a stud girdle kit, and replace the timing chain with a gear drive. Upon further inspection, I found worn cylinder walls and a broken piston ring...damage done from too many miles, not boost pressure.

I conisdered a remote mount turbo, but decided against it. It complicates things on a very critical engine component that shouldn't be complicated if necessary.

The oil return is the biggest drawback, in my mind. If the electric pump should fail, the oil drain will clog, causing oil to spray into the intake system. Not a good thing.

Turbo lag will be greater, too, due to the fact that you'll have to fill a larger space with exhaust pressure before the turbine blades will spin forcing the boost pressure to rise, as well as the boost pressure will have to fill up the larger intake pipes before the engine sees boost. You're correct, an intercooler will cause a bit of turbo lag and will drop boost, but you also gain cooler intake temperatures...a big plus. A remote mount turbo will cause big turbo lag with no gains.

I wouldn't want my turbo under the truck, either, where road grime, snow, and rain will get at it.

A remote mount turbo might work fine on a smaller vehicle, with a smaller engine and smaller pipes, but I don't think it's feasible on a V8 equipped truck.

I built my turbo system for around $500, so there's no need to lay down two grand for the system from BANK$. ;)

Casey
 
Thank you for typing all that - that's the kind of response I'm looking for.
 
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