A Closer Look At What’s Available

Every diesel owner knows turbochargers, most commonly referred to as turbos, are required to increase the performance of your truck. Turbos are able to increase horsepower through a forced induction system by compressing the airflow into the engine. The compressed air forces more air into the cylinder, which in turn means more fuel can be added. The combination of which allows greater power from each explosion in the cylinders. The result is an increased power-to-weight ratio of the engine resulting in increased horsepower. The typical boost provided by a turbo is 6 to 8psi, which increases the air in the engine by 50 percent on average, resulting in 30 to 40 percent increase in power.

Turbos operate by using the exhaust flow of the engine to spin a turbine. The turbine spins the air pump at speeds greater than 150,000 rpms. To prevent failure of the turbo, most use fluid or ball bearings to spin the turbines. Liquid bearings support the shaft of the turbine on a thin layer of oil constantly pumped around the shaft, both cooling the shaft and allowing the shaft to spin without generating too much friction. Ball bearings use a smaller, lighter shaft and are made of advanced materials to handle the speeds and temperatures present in turbos. In the case of twin turbos, two different-sized turbos are used. The smaller turbo cycles very quickly, reducing lag caused by the larger turbo cycling.

In the current diesel industry, numerous companies manufacture and produce turbos. Knowing which turbo to purchase can be difficult, and in this roundup we offer a round of the most brands and companies.

For more features, articles, and product information, subscribe to Diesel Tech magazine! 

aFe Power

aFe is one of the giants of the diesel industry, known for their high flow, high performance air filters and intake systems. They also manufacture and produce their own turbos, with their products being found everywhere diesel trucks are. (951-493-7100/www.afepower.com)

Alligator/Deviant

One of the largest automotive performance part distributors in the country, Alligator has a made a name for themselves through their enthusiasm and their knowledge of diesel and performance parts, especially turbos. (208-292-4401/www.alligatorperformance.com)

ATS Diesel

ATS invents, designs, manufactures and distributes diesel truck performance products worldwide as part of their vision to be the world’s finest and most innovative diesel truck performance company. (866-209-3695/www.atsdiesel.com)

Banks Power

Banks is known as a designer and manufacturer of power-enhancing products, and their products have broken ground and shattered records. (800-601-8072/www.bankspower.com)

BorgWarner

One of the largest names in the diesel industry, BorgWarner has worked over 50 years to innovate and push turbocharger technology to new heights. (284-754-9200/www.borgwarner.com) 

BD Diesel

BD Power is unique in that it designs, creates, manufactures, remanufactures and distributes a wide range of products engineered for performance diesel engines, and they do it all in-house. (800-887-5030/www.dieselperformance.com)

BT DieselWorks

Specializing in engineering custom electronics and performance-enhancing devices for Duramax trucks, BT DieselWorks is most known for their design and introduction of a viable torque-converter lockup controller. (307-200-9255/www.btdieselworks.com)

Bullseye Power

A performance parts leader in design and manufacturing, Bullseye Power produces turbochargers for off-road use, bearing housings, compressor covers, turbine housings, seal plates, billet compressor wheels, and wastegate parts. (231-788-5209/www.bullseyepower.com)

Cummins

Cummins is most known for being the manufacturer of Dodge diesel engines, but they also offer a line of turbochargers that include and incorporate their developed research into fixed, wastegate and variable geometry turbos, power turbines, two-state system and waste-heat recovery turbine expansion. (800-343-7357/www.cummins.com)

D-Tech

D-Tech is the DIPACO brand for remanufactured products, and has supplied diesel aftermarket parts for more than a half century, and continues to grow under the D-Tech brand. (800-648-4720/www.dtechproducts.com)

Danville Performance

Danville Performance specializes in performance parts and repairs, especially Duramax and LS1 performance. They offer custom tuning and in-house Dynojet 224LC. (317-745-8587/danvilleperformance.com)

Diesel Power Source

Diesel Power Source was the first company to introduce a quick-spooling compound turbo kit at a time when other kits were very laggy and expensive. By forcing competition into the market, Diesel Power Source made twin turbo kits common and accessible. (888-828-2325/www.dieselpowersource.com)

Diesel USA Group

The Diesel USA Group represents the largest distributor of turbochargers in North America, carrying a large inventory to service both commercial and consumer needs. (877-361-2531/www.dieselusa.com)

Dynomite Diesel

Known in the industry mostly for their shop that focuses on repair work for heavily modified and upgraded trucks that require extra attention to ensure that problems are rectified, Dynomite Diesel produces their own custom turbos. (360-794-7874/www.dynomitediesel.com)

Elite Diesel Engineering

Located in Colorado, Elite Diesel Engineering is a dedicated diesel performance parts manufacturer, installation and repair company. Devoting time and energy to all of their products, Elite is making a name for themselves in the industry at large. (866-631-8518/www.elitedieselengineering.com)

Fleece Performance

Fleece products include the line of Cheetah Turbochargers, TapShifter, and TurboBrake, along with custom tuning, engine builds, and transmission upgrades. Fleece continues to develop new products while advancing the industry. (317-286-3573/www.fleeceperformance.com)

Garrett

Turbo by Garret is one of the largest turbo manufacturers in the world, serving leading engine and vehicle manufacturers including Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, DDC, Fiat, Ford, International Truck Co, Peugeot, Renault, Saab and Volkswagen. (734-392-5525/www.turbobygarrett.com)

Gillett

Gillet Diesel Service, Inc. is a full-service diesel repair and performance shop that manufactures and produces their own turbos. (801-571-7780/www.gillettdiesel.com)

High Tech Turbo

High Tech Turbo, located outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, offers a range of Duramax, Cummins, and Power Stroke turbos, including an option to build customized turbos for the true enthusiast. (801-304-0700/www.htturbo.com)

Hypermax Engineering

Focusing on Ford Power Strokes, Hypermax produces diesel performance parts and accessories including diesel air induction systems, computer chips, injector mods, exhaust and more. (847-428-5655/www.gohypermax.com)

Industrial Injection

Industrial Injection started by manufacturing fuel injectors in 1985 and has since grown with the diesel industry market as the major manufacturer of diesel-related products. (800-955-0476/www.industrialinjection.com)

Irate Diesel Performance

Irate Diesel provides performance products for all makes and models of diesel trucks, including custom Power Stroke turbo kits for both the Ford 7.3L and 6.0L models. (503-435-9599/www.iratediesel.com)

Pacific Performance Engineering

Pacific Performance Engineering, or PPE, is a leading electronic high performance diesel company for Chevy, Ford and Dodge. Known for their Duramaximizer, PPE also produces a wide range of turbos. (714-985-4825/www.pacificp.com)

Precision Turbo

One of the foremost manufacturers of high-performance, aftermarket turbos, Precision is a worldwide supplier known for their quality and performance. Precision has designed, tested, and manufactured, and set records with their turbochargers. (219-996-7832/www.precisionturbo.net)

Rotomaster

Founded in 1978 as an aftermarket supplier of turbos, Rotomaster has grown to manufacture cartridges, service kits and components, and continues to be a quality brand in the industry. (604-888-3826/www.rotomaster.com)

Sinister Diesel

One of the largest names in the diesel industry aftermarket, Sinister Diesel offers a full line of turbos, turbo parts and accessories, including their own line of Power Stroke 6.0L turbos. (877-692-4110/www.sinisterdiesel.com)

Smeding Diesel

Located in Boerne, Texas, Smeding Diesel offers a variety of different parts, including exhaust stacks, exhaust tips, stack kits, TrueFlow intakes and turbochargers. For turbos, Smeding offers 200 to 600hp, 450 to 850hp, 600 to 1300hp, 750to 1250hp and custom turbos for any diesel engine. (210-446-0888/www.smedingdiesel.com)

Swamp’s Diesel Performance

Swamp’s Diesel opened as a professional ‘hard core’ diesel aftermarket performance provider and has since grown into a company that works to provide the best performing parts and service in the industry. (866-595-8724/www.swampsdiesel.com)

Turbonetics

Turbonetics manufactures customizable turbos supporting 100hp to over 2000hp with a single charger from the T3, T048, TO4E, 60 Series, T-Series, Super T, Mid frame, Y2K 80-88 and Thumper 91-115 lines. (805-581-0333/www.turboneticsinc.com)