The MadPowerstroke 4088 turbo reveiw

Mwilbur516 · Apr 21, 2012

Well we slapped Mad's modified 4088 on my truck at Hunter's Performance Dyno event today. All I can say is, HOLY SH*T! This turbo is unbelievably smooth and pulls like somebody shoved a freight train under the hood. No surging at all. My EGT's have dropped by a minimum 250-300* at WOT and this thing builds boost instantly. The truck feels several thousand pounds lighter. Overall the turbo runs perfectly and I don't think anyone could ask for more with a completely drop-in ready turbo.

The best part is that NOTHING was changed in my tuning. No dead spots, no lag, spools as quickly if not a bit quicker than stock and completely cleans up the smoke even with the Atlas 80 FICM tune and a modified version of the Super Panty Dropper from Chris at TSD.

When you apply throttle, the boost comes on extremely fast and smooth. At WOT the truck holds 30psi (stock boost gauge) whereas the stock turbo would fall off to around 24 psi. I know the stock boost sensor only reads up to 30 psi so I believe I'm making more than 30psi.

So far I'm extremely impressed with this turbo. The truck feels much lighter, it runs and responds much smoother. The acceleration is amazing. I'll be taking my truck to Bill at PHP for some dyno pulls soon and I'll keep everyone updated on how this beast continues to perform.

Lubbockguy1979 · Apr 21, 2012

Are you on stock sticks? What are the specs on this turbo?

windrunner408 · Apr 21, 2012

64.7mm x 88mm compressor wheel and a 72.5mm x 66.5mm, 13 blade turbine wheel.

Mwilbur516 · Apr 21, 2012

Lubbockguy1979 said:
Are you on stock sticks? What are the specs on this turbo?

Nate beat me to the specs, but yes I'm on stock sticks. I think that 175/100's would be perfect for this turbo.

05wh250 · Apr 21, 2012

Is this one of the modified duramax turbos?

windrunner408 · Apr 21, 2012

Yes it kind of is. It has the compressor off of a duramax stage 1 upgraded turbo with the turbine wheel of the stock turbo.

Bustedknuckles · Apr 21, 2012

Do they modify like a lbz vgt turbo? What all is changed to bolt into the stock location???

Lubbockguy1979 · Apr 21, 2012

How does this compare to a powermax?

Mwilbur516 · Apr 21, 2012

Lubbockguy1979 said:
How does this compare to a powermax?

There is no comparison IMO. I've driven several trucks with PMaxes, that had to have tunes written specifically to lessen the dead spot, and this turbo just flat out runs smoother and pulls harder all the way thru the powerband. It just doesn't let up.

With stock sticks, the PMaxes don't make a huge difference in power, but they will lower EGT's and provide a loud whistle. This turbo does not have any more whistle than stock on the exhaust note, but does have slightly more intake whistle. My EGT's dropped between 250-300* after the install and there was NO TUNING NEED TO MAKE THIS TURBO PERFORM! We didn't reset to stock, we didn't change a tune, we simply dropped the turbo in and drove.

The truck feels lighter and is remarkable smooth and driveable with no smoke. The only time we got a puff of black from my exhaust was when I would put the skinny peddle on the floor mat from a dead stop and even then it was completely cleaned up as soon as the turbo lit. No more lag than stock and possibly a hair less. the added power is outstanding. It feels like a totally different truck, much lighter and more responsive. It's like someone shaved 2K lbs off this pig. The truck also cruises effortlessly at any speed. I'm gonna tow with this setup next week and will post results on that as well.

These are great products, from a great guy, at extremely reasonable prices. Let also say that no one is paying any of the guys writing these reviews. We have all bought turbo's and believe them to be of a very high quality.

windrunner408 · Apr 22, 2012

Bustedknuckles said:
Do they modify like a lbz vgt turbo? What all is changed to bolt into the stock location???

Yes either a LBZ or LLY dmax turbo can be modded to fit the powerstroke. The only things required are either a LBZ or LLY turbo and a stock powerstroke turbo. As far as I know, the back halves of the dmax will interchange or can be swaped out for the powerstroke housing, but it's the front halves that dont just bolt on and need modding. I believe it requires something to be done to the backing plate to get the correct orientation of the compressor outlet.

So before the question gets asked, I'll answer it. The LBZ and LLY turbos use the same turbine end with a different configuration of connecting the up-pipes. The A/R size is the same and everything.

05wh250 · Apr 22, 2012

Interested to see how backpressure will be with these?

kingranchstroker · Apr 22, 2012

Prices...

smokedout250 · Apr 22, 2012

kingranchstroker said:
Prices...

^^^ what he said

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lubbockguy1979 · Apr 22, 2012

What would be the largest injector they would support? And price. I'm guessing it is still a vgt turbo right?

Mwilbur516 · Apr 22, 2012

Alright guys, I think I have the answers to most of these questions, but I want to confirm with Adrian (MadPowerstroke), the builder, before I post prices and other info. I'll get with Adrian and have you guys some answers soon.

faster6.0 · Apr 22, 2012

Adrian (Madpowerstroke) is also running our regulated return system with 175cc injectors. We will also
be testing a few of his turbos with Hybrids once Project King Kong is ready....

Bustedknuckles · Apr 22, 2012

I have a core lbz turbo sitting on my toolbox, think he would be interested in buying it?

MorganY · Apr 22, 2012

glad to hear you like that turbo, I like the 4088...:evil

windrunner408 · Apr 22, 2012

If interested, PM me for pricing.

MorganY · Apr 22, 2012

so what exactly is the 4088 part of this turbo? the 4088 is a 63.5 x 88 compressor side, and a 77 x 68 turbine side...

EDIT: I was looking at the 4088R which has a different compressor side than the 4088, my apologies