Kc diy stage 2 vs. powermax stage 2

Downey · Jun 6, 2016

I have been thinking about up grading my stock turbo for a while now. I need a little more power when pulling my 32ft fifth wheel threw the mountains here in PA. One of buddy's has a small shop he runs out of his house and I have been talking to him about the diy kits from kc. He told me tonight that he can get my stock turbo modified to a powermax stage 2 and would be a little cheaper then a kc stage 2 kit.

So how do they compare? I'm hoping. Charlie will chime in on this he will know more technical info.

Future plan is to run a 175/30 and a stage 2 turbo with custom tunes. But not from who yet. But for now it will be a stage 2 with stock injectors. And if stock fuel pressure won't hold. I will up grade the pump at that time as well.

Thanks

kwelch08 · Jun 6, 2016

I pull a 33ft fifth wheel with a stage 2 and 190/30s. My Egts are pretty good with a good tow tune. Sometime I do have to kick it out of overdrive to keep the rpms above 2k so it doesn't get to hot. I ran out of fuel up top on full fuel tune and stock fuel system, so I added a fass and regulated return, and never had another problem with fuel.
If I was you I would just go for the kc stage 2 and never look back.

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powerstrokecrzy · Jun 6, 2016

Charlie's turbo is gonna out perform a powermax everytime. And his customer service is second to none. You'll be glad you went kc

sootie · Jun 6, 2016

Don't forget James Barder....he makes some badas$ turbos as well...

His model power man's are hard to beat.

Downey · Jun 6, 2016

Does barder have a diy kit or anything

sootie · Jun 7, 2016

sootie said:
Don't forget James Barder....he makes some badas$ turbos as well...

His model power man's are hard to beat.

autocorrect fail... "modded powermax's"

Downey said:
Does barder have a diy kit or anything

barderturboservice.com

KCTurbos · Jun 7, 2016

There are lots of great options out there. Let me see if I can help without sounding biased.

First off where are you looking for more power? While locked in OD at 1800rpms under part throttle? Or at WOT pulling a hill at 2500+ rpms?

Ask your friend what he considers a "stage 2 powermax". What size comp wheel is he going to use? Billet? How does he plan to cut the compressor cover? I have seen LOTS of turbos that are just thrown on a lathe and cut by hand that turn out horrible. That will really hurt performance. Also ask him what turbine wheel he plans on running and why?

The stage 2 DIY kits are great options... but they are not meant for someone just to save money. We released them so people who liked building their own stuff could have the opportunity to put their own turbo together. It is not meant as a "cost savings" option.

Also it is important to realize that a DIY kit is not the "exact" same thing an actual full built turbo. The DIY kits are made to be an easy install with no modifications needed and fit ANY YEAR turbo. Most builders have a specific way to build their turbos so it is impossible to make a DIY kit the exact same thing... but it will get it close depending on the year turbo that you start with. I hope that makes sense.

Downey · Jun 7, 2016

Looking for the that 2500 wot hill pulling power. Where if I need to pass someone I want to have some on tap. But. I also don't pull my fifth wheel every weekend. I'm not going diy to save money am going diy so I can learn more about these turbos.

KCTurbos · Jun 8, 2016

Downey said:
Looking for the that 2500 wot hill pulling power. Where if I need to pass someone I want to have some on tap. But. I also don't pull my fifth wheel every weekend. I'm not going diy to save money am going diy so I can learn more about these turbos.

Then sounds like a stage 2 turbo is the way to go.

DIY kits are perfect for those who want to learn more about turbos and do their own work.

Downey · Jun 8, 2016

Thanks Charlie will be getting a hold of you soon

ncollins64 · Jun 8, 2016

Charlie with KC is a stand up guy with great service. I think I've sold every turbo that Charlie offers and guys come back for more every time. The reviews I get are all positive and his turbos flat out perform with stock injectors and with any of our injectors.

powerlifter405 · Jun 13, 2016

powerstrokecrzy said:
And his customer service is second to none. You'll be glad you went kc

:whs:

I've never had a powermax but @KCTurbos has awesome service. I will say I had a few issues w/ seals initially but each time Charles answered his phone and emails right away, even one time late Friday night. I did talk w/ a friend of mine who was saying that he knew of a few aftermarket turbos that had seal issues so we were thinking it was possibly a bad run of seals that had hit the market.

But at any rate if I ever need another turbo for another application I have absolutely no hesitation calling KCturbos for a build. I have had a chance to pull w/ the 1.5 and it performed flawlessly. Even running the truck with stock programing it ran strong and pulled effortlessly.

F350R · Jun 16, 2016

I have Charlies stage II turbo stock injectors running it here in Colorado. With the high altitude it doesn't spool up as fast as I would really like it to. I had all of my tunes modified to drop the trans back to drive with the tow / haul button, that's a life saver being able to get your RPM's back up a little. As soon as I start topping 1200 EGT I tap the button and the EGT drops back to 1100 easily, that's both daily driving and towing. I also have a stage II cam which makes a world of difference spooling up the turbo but its still tough especially above 9K feet from a dead stop. I have a dually with 410 gears and 265x19.5 35" tires, I should have stayed with my previous 245x19.5 34" tires that would help with slightly low gear ratio problems.