null
Considering converting your C15 Acert To a Single Turbo?

Considering converting your C15 Acert To a Single Turbo?

Before diving into the rational behind converting, let's take a second to explore what exactly is on the truck from the factory. The Acert engine does NOT have twin turbos. Twin turbos implies that both turbos are the same, which is not the case on the Acert. The C15 Acert utilizes a compound turbo setup, which features a high pressure turbo and low pressure turbo.

The high pressure turbo is smaller in size and it the first one to get exhaust gas from the manifold. The smaller size and position allow this turbo to spool up right away, thus giving the engine power shortly after acceleration begins.

The low pressure turbo is larger in size and is the second turbo inline to get exhaust gas. Once the exhaust goes through the high pressure turbo's exhaust housing (aka Turbine Housing or hot side) the exhaust gas goes through the low pressure's exhaust housing before go out the exhaust system of the truck. The larger size of the turbo and the position in line prevents this turbo from spooling right away. This turbo more comes alive in the middle of the power band and provides the truck the additional power required to accelerate faster.

While the factory compound system is great when it's functioning correctly, the system can be a very costly headache after they have see a few miles and years on the road.

If you're reading this article, you may already have your own reasons for wanting to convert to a single turbo setup, below you will find some of the reasons we recommend converting your Acert to a single turbo.

1) Simplicity. The Acert comes with 2 turbos, a high pressure and a low pressure turbo, and also incorporates a pre-cooler. The purpose of the pre-cooler is to cool the compressed air generated by the turbos, post turbo but Pre charge air cooler. These parts are each connected with a series of metal bellows that are known to fail and be problematic.

If you have ever raised the hood of your truck and looked at the passenger side of the engine, you know exactly what this mess looks like.

2) Cost. Replacing both turbos is obviously more expensive then replacing 1. While a single turbo conversion also requires and manifold, oil lines, and assorted hardware - there is a good chance that the total cost will be less then replacing the factory compound turbos with a new set. Not only is there a cost savings on the initial exchange, if you need to replace another turbo down the road - single turbos are much easier to obtain and come at a much lower cost. You also have many options, brands, and sizes of turbos that will work on your truck.

3) Performance. The C15 is a powerful engine from the factory, but when you start talking about high power levels, the factory compound setup will begin to become a restriction. There isn't a whole lot of resizing available unless you seek out a custom built set, therefore you're only option to tune the engine to the level of power that stock compounds are capable of supporting. With a single turbo, the sky is the limit - multiple turbo choices, exhaust housings, and compressor wheel sizes can be utilized to support the power level that your engine is capable of achieving.

If a single turbo conversion is something that you're interested in - give a call, shoot us a text, or send us an email. We would be happy to discuss the options and walk you through any questions you may have. 

28th Sep 2019 Joe Neill

Recent Posts