ROOM FOR GROWTH

PART ONE: INSTALLING AN S366 SX-E ON AN LBZ DURAMAX

Although the factory Garrett GT3788VA found on ’04.5-10 Duramax mills has proven to be one of the most reliable variable-geometry turbochargers in the diesel truck segment, nothing lasts forever— especially a VGT. When these turbos fail, a lot of GM owners begin to take stock of what the market around them offers for replacements, and many of them opt for an upgrade. Sure, you can clean the turbo or start over with a fresh unit, but what if you want to make more power one day? In most Duramax applications the stock turbo runs out of gas somewhere around the 530rwhp mark, and although that’s a decent number for a daily driver, the turbo is doing little more than moving hot air at that point, causing EGT to climb to alarming levels. After noticing a noise indicative of bearing failure, Garrett Oxley, an experienced diesel technician, used the occasion as an opportunity to upgrade his 197,000-mile ’07 Silverado 2500 HD. For ultimate reliability, he decided to scrap the VGT in favor of a fixed-geometry charger. And for a turbo that would drive well with stock injectors in the mix yet not be outmatched with a future nozzle upgrade, he opted for a Borgwarner S366 SX-E. To get the new turbo on the truck, Garrett reached out to HSP Diesel for one of the company’s S300 single-turbo installation kits. The comprehensive system would come with everything needed to perform the conversion, and the fit and finish of the HSP kit was second-to-none. Follow along for a full recap of the 8-hour install.