175/75, 68mm KC stage 3 turbo, TSD SPD tune
- Thread starter peixinho
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AKHILF
Member
Mines the same way. Anytime at 110 or over and it goes back to zero if you hold it
OBS F350
New member
I believe all fords with that dash reset when you go over 100 or 110 mph. My buddies 03 does it also.
Rob D
Member
So what's the daily driving mannerisms of this setup? Bigger turbos are fun at WOT fully lit... But what's it like just driving around? Is it laggy anywhere? If you are going lets say 65 on the highway and want to pass a car without hammering the throttle and down shifting, does it respond at all being that low in rpm or just billow out smoke til the tc locks up? Thanks man.
Cold Roller
Member
If you are geared correctly for oversized tires, it does not usually need to downshift or unlock to pass cars when pulling a trailer, depending on what you want for acceleration and what power you are capable of putting down. I am always impressed at how well it pulls with a trailer and how easy it is to pass slower traffic while towing, especially with the larger turbo and injectors.
So back to your question, if you just jumped in and had no knowledge of any upgrades, you would think it was a stock truck with a good tune. The when you pushed down the skinny pedal further, you would realize it had more power than you expect. Due to the larger turbine section, the lag is similar to stock, but you are flowing more air with the larger compressor and making better power. Just as with stock components, if you are under the turbo it will respond in kind. If the tune is set to un-lock correctly, or not be locked when under the turbo and the pedal is pushed, it will respond very well including re-locking once the RPM and turbo are in the operating sweet-spot.
So back to your question, if you just jumped in and had no knowledge of any upgrades, you would think it was a stock truck with a good tune. The when you pushed down the skinny pedal further, you would realize it had more power than you expect. Due to the larger turbine section, the lag is similar to stock, but you are flowing more air with the larger compressor and making better power. Just as with stock components, if you are under the turbo it will respond in kind. If the tune is set to un-lock correctly, or not be locked when under the turbo and the pedal is pushed, it will respond very well including re-locking once the RPM and turbo are in the operating sweet-spot.
^^^^ I agree with Frank
With proper fueling and tuning it has GREAT drive ability. Actually maybe a little too much for some. I have taken more than one person for a ride and let them drive. Putting slow around town they kept commenting on how much the truck drives like stock... then once they rolled past 1/2 throttle and the tires start spinning... Well... they usually never go full throttle.
But you are very correct. This is not a cummins and is not meant to operate at 1200-1500 rpms. We have a longer rpm band and it should be taken advantage of. Too many people IMO strive to have a truck that operates well under 1600-1800 rpms. Even the stock turbo does not do very well in OD with the tc locked and cruising under 1600rpms. This turbo and injector combo is no different. As long as you keep up the rpms in OD with the tc locked then I can easily say this has great daily driving abilites.
I know you said 65mph and I spoke in rpms... but 65 mph with 3.73 and 38" tires is way different than 65 mph with 4.10 and 31" tires... basically mph does not affect the turbo very much. RPMs are what is going to affect it the most.
In studying compressor maps I can say that it is easier to get under the turbo with this KC 68mm turbo than it would with a stock 06-07 turbo. But according to my research and studying the compressor maps, it will do better than a pmax. Hope that gives a little perspective.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
With proper fueling and tuning it has GREAT drive ability. Actually maybe a little too much for some. I have taken more than one person for a ride and let them drive. Putting slow around town they kept commenting on how much the truck drives like stock... then once they rolled past 1/2 throttle and the tires start spinning... Well... they usually never go full throttle.
But you are very correct. This is not a cummins and is not meant to operate at 1200-1500 rpms. We have a longer rpm band and it should be taken advantage of. Too many people IMO strive to have a truck that operates well under 1600-1800 rpms. Even the stock turbo does not do very well in OD with the tc locked and cruising under 1600rpms. This turbo and injector combo is no different. As long as you keep up the rpms in OD with the tc locked then I can easily say this has great daily driving abilites.
I know you said 65mph and I spoke in rpms... but 65 mph with 3.73 and 38" tires is way different than 65 mph with 4.10 and 31" tires... basically mph does not affect the turbo very much. RPMs are what is going to affect it the most.
In studying compressor maps I can say that it is easier to get under the turbo with this KC 68mm turbo than it would with a stock 06-07 turbo. But according to my research and studying the compressor maps, it will do better than a pmax. Hope that gives a little perspective.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
You guys need to stop all this.
I told myself I have a RCLB DRW RWD (with mods in sig that makes many mustangs look bad on their breast day) the way it is.
Just stop it... My bank acct hates me as it is.
Keep telling myself I only need one play truck.
Somebody back me up here... lol
I have 3.73s and just with regular Gearhead tuning (non studded, don't laugh) first gear to 35-40 in the dually is completely useless under full throttle.
I told myself I have a RCLB DRW RWD (with mods in sig that makes many mustangs look bad on their breast day) the way it is.
Just stop it... My bank acct hates me as it is.
Keep telling myself I only need one play truck.
Somebody back me up here... lol
I have 3.73s and just with regular Gearhead tuning (non studded, don't laugh) first gear to 35-40 in the dually is completely useless under full throttle.
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strokin6L
Active member
I don't have a lift kit or even big tires on my truck( only 33's)...and with this MTW 68 and 190/75's I can't break my tires loose like you guys said you're doing. I'd really like to send my MTW 68 to someone who is running a KC 68 and have them compare the two. Maybe its just the tuning idk. But hearing some you guys say how you break the tires loose with little effort makes me jealous cause my truck just won't do that haha!
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Rob D
Member
Sorry I should have been speaking in RPMs as well - I was just thinking stock configuration - 3:73s with close to a 33" tire. I know you are posting exaggerated setups with the ratios you put above but most guys are running 3:73s and a 33-35" tire. I would not want to be behind the wheel of a truck on 38s with 3:73s or 4:10s and 31s lol. I also couldn't remember exactly what RPM my truck shifted at as its been a couple years :shrug:but I do remember dreading the OD shift in my powermax if I was on a 45 mph speed limit road. I would have to tap the brake constantly to lock the TC and keep RPMs / boost up.
I had my tunes adjusted to delay OD to what for me was closer to 55 mph to avoid the laggy dead spot (guessing that was the 1600-1800 rpm range once in OD) and it was great if you were accelerating past the 55-60 mph to 70 and up on the highway, but if you were stuck on a road with a 50 mph limit it sucked bc the high RPMs held.
Anyway if this setup is running just as good as stock you guys must be so thrilled. My buddy is having a stage 2 MTW with 175/75s installed as we speak. Excited to see how it drives...but based on strokin6Ls post maybe his turbo isn't as quick to spool? Or maybe just need to run Chris's tune?
I had my tunes adjusted to delay OD to what for me was closer to 55 mph to avoid the laggy dead spot (guessing that was the 1600-1800 rpm range once in OD) and it was great if you were accelerating past the 55-60 mph to 70 and up on the highway, but if you were stuck on a road with a 50 mph limit it sucked bc the high RPMs held.
Anyway if this setup is running just as good as stock you guys must be so thrilled. My buddy is having a stage 2 MTW with 175/75s installed as we speak. Excited to see how it drives...but based on strokin6Ls post maybe his turbo isn't as quick to spool? Or maybe just need to run Chris's tune?
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Cold Roller
Member
If I were a betting man, both of these turbos are probably comparable, but it would be nice to do a same-truck same-tune, same-day comparison. It might be due to how quick the boost builds as it is crazy fast to get 40+ psi once it's reasonably spooled. As you probably know, I live where it is cold and breaking traction is a way of life, even in a 100 hp beater in the winter. However, even on summer days the truck can get loose, especially if you run a harder compound tire.
A good tune would not put you locked at 50 mph in OD without a good exit strategy, especially pulling a trailer. Early lock-up may be nice to have on a lighter truck, but as the truck gets heavier, you want the lock-up higher or selectable. FWIW, I drive a lot of roads that are 50mph and I have tunes that stay locked in 5th. Many times I would rather it shift to OD and then when I wanted it to, push the Tow/haul for the acceleration and spool. When not towing, it pulls very nicely from the lower RPM. If I was in a big hurry, the pedal position would force the down-shift.
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the chad
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Honestly I hated driving the early lockup files on my stage 3, but I agree the exit strategy is what matters in my opinion. I'm def going to get towhaul modified on all my dd tunes just so I can control it if I want to.
strokin6L
Active member
From the sounds of it....my 68 doesn't build boost no where near as fast as yours then. It takes a lot of the peddle to even hit 30
strokin6L
Active member
I plan on taking the truck to Warren Diesel in a couple months to have a bunch of stuff done. I think I'll let him check everything over before I do anything. It could either be the tuning or something going on with the truck. Seems like the majority of the guys with a 68mm vgt that make boost fast and break the tires loose with very little effort are running the TSD SPD tune. Makes me think it could be the tuning that's keeping it from building boost that quick like the others are doing.
Chris,
I know we have talked through a couple of pm's but I wanted to post this here also in case anyone is having similar issues. Every truck and every turbo will react different,. My main goal when making this turbo was to get a VERY QUICK spooling stage 3 turbo that was affordable... BUT>>> I don't think any of the other stage 3 options out there are "junk" or "lower quality" or "spool super slow". The differences will be more than likely very small when comparing many of the 68mm vgt turbos out there until someone proves otherwise. Some might spool faster and some might flow a little more air.
Basically what I am saying is that if someone is already running a stage 3 turbo, unless there is something wrong with the turbo, then switching to another brand 68mm is probably not gonna be worth the extra $$$. I am not trying to lose any sales but I also don't want to mislead anybody.
I would try some other tunes for sure.
I know we have talked through a couple of pm's but I wanted to post this here also in case anyone is having similar issues. Every truck and every turbo will react different,. My main goal when making this turbo was to get a VERY QUICK spooling stage 3 turbo that was affordable... BUT>>> I don't think any of the other stage 3 options out there are "junk" or "lower quality" or "spool super slow". The differences will be more than likely very small when comparing many of the 68mm vgt turbos out there until someone proves otherwise. Some might spool faster and some might flow a little more air.
Basically what I am saying is that if someone is already running a stage 3 turbo, unless there is something wrong with the turbo, then switching to another brand 68mm is probably not gonna be worth the extra $$$. I am not trying to lose any sales but I also don't want to mislead anybody.
I would try some other tunes for sure.
strokin6L
Active member
Thanks Charlie.... that what I'm gonna do once I get the truck out and the snow is gone!
Rob D
Member
Respectable post Charlie. Thanks.
Thanks Man. I try to be super honest and would never want to mislead anyone or sell them on a bad deal. There is plenty of business to go around. Friends sharing business is way better than enemies fighting all the time.
FaSSt9602
New member
Damn Chris!
My old school modded 65mm VGT I am running right now with stock sticks can break my 35's loose from a dig! I can't get them to do it at 30 like Charlie, but I was impressed this weekend when I was playing around yesterday on a closed road. I have run this thing on my truck on two separate occasions, once a few years ago, and tried it again a month ago since tuning has come a long way, but I still can't tune out all the surge. This is mainly due to the stock 13 blade wheel. Mine is going bye-bye in favor of some sticks and a KC turbo.
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