The following are my initial impressions and thoughts regarding my recent purchase of a KC Turbos Stage 2 turbo. I have only had the turbo for a week, which is why I say this is an initial review as my opinions may change over time.
Please keep in mind my mods when reading. Highlights are: Warren 175/Stock injectors, heads o-ringed by UCF, FASS Titanium 125gph, 4” downpipe, no cat, no muffler, 5” stacks, S&B CAI, BD intake elbow. Tune is my PHP 200X which Jay has told me will work well with a Stage 2.
Obviously a turbo upgrade is a big deal and can affect a lot about how the truck behaves. I’ve read a lot and asked questions, but in the end I decided to go with the Stage 2. I wanted a turbo that would give me more power and room to grow should I need/want it in the future. I also need to be able to tow in the 14k – 15k range.
I knew I would either go with Barder, who is local to me, or KC. I chose KC because of the unique turbo features and Charlie’s presence on the forums. I’ve been bugging Charlie asking him diesel truck questions since 2013 and he is extremely knowledgeable. I really didn’t think I would be able to purchase a turbo this soon, but my wife has supported my diesel addiction and made it happen.
The Turbo: 64x88mm single plane billet wheel with extended tips, .72ar race compressor cover, 72.5x66 10 blade turbine wheel, new high flowing billet vanes, and upgraded 360 thrust bearing. 6.0 Powerstroke Stage 2 Turbo - Complete Turbos - 6.0L Powerstroke - Products
Unboxing: I placed my order on 09MAR and Charlie had the turbo shipped on 10MAR via UPS. It was delivered 17MAR (Arizona to Pennsylvania). The turbo was double boxed, surrounded with Sealed Air Instapak foam packaging, and in plastic with some anti-corrosion paper on the turbine side. The exhaust inlet, outlet, and oil feed inlet were capped. The turbo itself is beautiful. It is obvious the quality and attention to detail Charlie puts into his products. Also included was an accessory pack with new bolts, oil feed gasket, oil feed and drain o-rings, instructions, and of course a KC Turbos sticker.
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Install: Nothing special, straight forward turbo replacement. No modifications, drops right in. Everything needed was included. I did loosen up my up pipe to exhaust manifold bolts for the install. Had the stock turbo out and the new one installed in a couple hours. No exhaust leaks that I could detect but I will check a few more times over the next couple weeks.
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The Whistle: With the 10 blade turbine comes the whistle. It’s loud. I mean really, really loud! I never expected it to be so loud. Accelerating from a stop it sounds pretty cool. At about 15% throttle the whistle is mostly gone. However, when you let off the throttle, coasting, or coming to a stop, the whistle is back with a vengeance. This “deceleration” whistle sounds a bit different to me than the “accelerating” whistle, a little more of a screech sound to it. In my day to day driving, I’ve discovered there is quite a bit of time off the throttle and this is when the whistle can become annoying and obnoxious.
EGTs: EGTs have increased a good bit. Highway cruising, they are up about 50 to 100 (in the 650 - 700 range), which isn’t too bad. On the two small hills during my commute I would see 800 previously. I now hit 1100 – 1200 easily. This is in 6th gear, torque converter locked. A simple tap of the brake pedal will unlock the converter, bring rpms up, and EGT back down to 800. I have concerns that my EGT will be high while towing (I haven’t towed yet) but Charlie has clearly stated that you need to keep the rpms up and watch temps when towing.
Fuel mileage: Obviously not much time driving with it yet but I’ve seen a decrease of about .4 mpg on the display. I hand calculate my mileage but I’m expecting the switch to “summer” fuel soon which will make fuel mileage comparison difficult.
Performance: Here’s the big one. Is there turbo lag? Yes. Does it spool slower? Yes. When the skinny pedal is put down, does it haul azz? Oh hell yes. I’ve been a bit scared to put the hammer down, not wanting to damage my truck, specifically the transmission. Last night I went for it, 6th gear, converter locked, rolled into WOT. 38psi of boost and she just keeps pulling. I let off at 90mph. Starting from slower speeds, say 10mph, I haven’t put it to the floor but maybe 40 – 50% throttle, 3300rpm and she’s a rocket.
Thoughts: The turbo is a great piece, no doubt about it. For a daily driver, even with minimal stop and go driving, the slower spool and less boost at lower rpms can kind of give the perception that the truck is slower. It takes a little bit more throttle to “go”. The turbo definitely shines above 2200 rpms. But with my daily driving I usually don’t go much higher than 2400 rpm. With that said, it is still very streetable and daily driver friendly, I’ve just had to adjust my driving style and continue to adjust to find the right balance. The whistle is a bit much, especially with stacks. I will probably be adding a resonator or muffler. Again, most of this is not really a surprise from my research, you just don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve tried it. I’m interested and a bit nervous to see how things go when towing. With a tow tune and tow/haul it’ll run higher rpms which should put it in the sweet spot for power. I just hope it will still reasonably get moving from a stop and EGTs stay in check. Honestly, I think currently I would have been better served by a Stage 1.5. Hate to say that. With that also said though, I have no plans to downgrade. Because when it is time to play, this is the turbo to have for a street friendly, daily driver, powerhouse.
Expected future mods: PHP FICM tuner, 30% nozzles, built trans
Please keep in mind my mods when reading. Highlights are: Warren 175/Stock injectors, heads o-ringed by UCF, FASS Titanium 125gph, 4” downpipe, no cat, no muffler, 5” stacks, S&B CAI, BD intake elbow. Tune is my PHP 200X which Jay has told me will work well with a Stage 2.
Obviously a turbo upgrade is a big deal and can affect a lot about how the truck behaves. I’ve read a lot and asked questions, but in the end I decided to go with the Stage 2. I wanted a turbo that would give me more power and room to grow should I need/want it in the future. I also need to be able to tow in the 14k – 15k range.
I knew I would either go with Barder, who is local to me, or KC. I chose KC because of the unique turbo features and Charlie’s presence on the forums. I’ve been bugging Charlie asking him diesel truck questions since 2013 and he is extremely knowledgeable. I really didn’t think I would be able to purchase a turbo this soon, but my wife has supported my diesel addiction and made it happen.
The Turbo: 64x88mm single plane billet wheel with extended tips, .72ar race compressor cover, 72.5x66 10 blade turbine wheel, new high flowing billet vanes, and upgraded 360 thrust bearing. 6.0 Powerstroke Stage 2 Turbo - Complete Turbos - 6.0L Powerstroke - Products
Unboxing: I placed my order on 09MAR and Charlie had the turbo shipped on 10MAR via UPS. It was delivered 17MAR (Arizona to Pennsylvania). The turbo was double boxed, surrounded with Sealed Air Instapak foam packaging, and in plastic with some anti-corrosion paper on the turbine side. The exhaust inlet, outlet, and oil feed inlet were capped. The turbo itself is beautiful. It is obvious the quality and attention to detail Charlie puts into his products. Also included was an accessory pack with new bolts, oil feed gasket, oil feed and drain o-rings, instructions, and of course a KC Turbos sticker.
Install: Nothing special, straight forward turbo replacement. No modifications, drops right in. Everything needed was included. I did loosen up my up pipe to exhaust manifold bolts for the install. Had the stock turbo out and the new one installed in a couple hours. No exhaust leaks that I could detect but I will check a few more times over the next couple weeks.
The Whistle: With the 10 blade turbine comes the whistle. It’s loud. I mean really, really loud! I never expected it to be so loud. Accelerating from a stop it sounds pretty cool. At about 15% throttle the whistle is mostly gone. However, when you let off the throttle, coasting, or coming to a stop, the whistle is back with a vengeance. This “deceleration” whistle sounds a bit different to me than the “accelerating” whistle, a little more of a screech sound to it. In my day to day driving, I’ve discovered there is quite a bit of time off the throttle and this is when the whistle can become annoying and obnoxious.
EGTs: EGTs have increased a good bit. Highway cruising, they are up about 50 to 100 (in the 650 - 700 range), which isn’t too bad. On the two small hills during my commute I would see 800 previously. I now hit 1100 – 1200 easily. This is in 6th gear, torque converter locked. A simple tap of the brake pedal will unlock the converter, bring rpms up, and EGT back down to 800. I have concerns that my EGT will be high while towing (I haven’t towed yet) but Charlie has clearly stated that you need to keep the rpms up and watch temps when towing.
Fuel mileage: Obviously not much time driving with it yet but I’ve seen a decrease of about .4 mpg on the display. I hand calculate my mileage but I’m expecting the switch to “summer” fuel soon which will make fuel mileage comparison difficult.
Performance: Here’s the big one. Is there turbo lag? Yes. Does it spool slower? Yes. When the skinny pedal is put down, does it haul azz? Oh hell yes. I’ve been a bit scared to put the hammer down, not wanting to damage my truck, specifically the transmission. Last night I went for it, 6th gear, converter locked, rolled into WOT. 38psi of boost and she just keeps pulling. I let off at 90mph. Starting from slower speeds, say 10mph, I haven’t put it to the floor but maybe 40 – 50% throttle, 3300rpm and she’s a rocket.
Thoughts: The turbo is a great piece, no doubt about it. For a daily driver, even with minimal stop and go driving, the slower spool and less boost at lower rpms can kind of give the perception that the truck is slower. It takes a little bit more throttle to “go”. The turbo definitely shines above 2200 rpms. But with my daily driving I usually don’t go much higher than 2400 rpm. With that said, it is still very streetable and daily driver friendly, I’ve just had to adjust my driving style and continue to adjust to find the right balance. The whistle is a bit much, especially with stacks. I will probably be adding a resonator or muffler. Again, most of this is not really a surprise from my research, you just don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve tried it. I’m interested and a bit nervous to see how things go when towing. With a tow tune and tow/haul it’ll run higher rpms which should put it in the sweet spot for power. I just hope it will still reasonably get moving from a stop and EGTs stay in check. Honestly, I think currently I would have been better served by a Stage 1.5. Hate to say that. With that also said though, I have no plans to downgrade. Because when it is time to play, this is the turbo to have for a street friendly, daily driver, powerhouse.
Expected future mods: PHP FICM tuner, 30% nozzles, built trans
