I am probably going to get a 94 to 96 Dodge Cummins truck. My question is since they don't have really that much hp, could adding an aftermarket turbo increase my horse power and torque by a lot? Is that bad to put one on? Is it worth it? I was looking at turbos, and found a turbo that makes 550whp instead of 180hp. Should I do it? what else would I need? Thanks

 

IT, by intself doesn't make 550 HP............it can SUPPORT up to 550 hp.

Don't be too concerned with the HP numbers. HP is not the one that makes a diesel what it is. HP is more a measure of an engines top speed than anything else.............HP = (RPM x TQ) / 5252.........it's really a ficticious number that is a factor of the engine operating range. You could have 10 million lb/ft of TQ, move mountains and pull down buildings, but if you only have 100 usable RPM's you'd never have high HP.

You don't need a bigger turbo, unless you are adding more fuel. The purpose of the turbo is to, 1 - obviously provide boost to support more fuel and 2 - the air it provides cools the temps and aids in keeping the EGT's down.

Unless you've upgraded to bigger injectors, higher pressure, dual fuelers, etc., then adding more air won't net you that much of a gain. If you are getting tons of smoke once the turbo is spooled, then that is an indicator that you need more air.

Now, if you drop bigger injectors, a FASS pump, a hotter fuel plate, then YES you need a bigger turbo to cool that stuff down.

 

I knew that I would need other things along with it, I just wasn't sure of what I needed since I have never owned a diesel nor a turbo. So, in other words, I would get a big improvement but for a loss of mpg, and maybe a shortage of the life of the engine. What's a FASS?

 

I'm no expert but, I have a 95'. The 94 - 98.4 are 12 valve engines, with Bosch P7100 injector pumps. A most desired setup by diesel enthusiasts on this site....LOL.

Adding a bigger turbo is worthless without addressing a few other items. Bigger turbos needs bigger pulses, to make "bigger" boost. Now you will have to increase the amount of fuel that is delivered to the cylinders. That means bigger injectors. Bigger injectors need bigger delivery valves.

More fuel means more heat...........oh, so much more heat. Personally, I can peg my pyro gauge to 1600 degrees. So make sure you have a larger exhaust system. I would go no lower than 4 inch. TRUE 4 inch.


A performance intake air system is a must.

And if you buy an automatic tranny..............be prepared to install a billet, multi disc torque converter. There's no options with the converter. A factory tc will fail quickly with big hp/tq in front of it.

Last thing I would consider is how much hp you're looking for. The generation Ram you are interested in, has a 100% mechanical fuel delivery system. A lift pump, driven by a cam shaft on the engine pulls fuel from the tank, and pushes it thru a preheater, a fuel filter, and then on to the injector pump. The injector pump has a fuel plate that you would change out.

That lift pump has it limits. About 417 hp and 1157 ftlbs of tq ...LOL. If you want more horse, you would want an electric fuel pump in the tank. The lift pump would be bypassed.


Anyway, that's a little as to what you would need with a bigger turbo....LOL.

But make no mistake.......it's worth every penny.


Good luck with your ride.