Didn't ChicagoTDP run a Holset HX?....been running that way for quite some time iirc....
Thank you - been waiting for another old-timer (bet you don't get called THAT too often, Chris!) to remember...
Yes, other people have experimented with different turbos on our beloved 6.5 before. The following 2 either had HX or HY holsets - can't remember, but they were the same turbo...
-- ChicagoTDP ran a Penninsular 18:1 with a Holset HX and custom built all the flanging for it. He also built a hanging ATA because of the very high IATs.
--CanadianRigger also ran a similar setup, but with a stock compression engine, custom tuning and IP by Lyndon at Westers (advantage to being an Alberta boy). He and Chicago used to post videos of their escapades, and both trucks were VERY hot!!! CR's truck went boom, though, and never quite got all rebuilt... Russell was busy designing and trying to find ways to make the 6.5 strong enough to handle that much boost and fuel, but circumstances put a hold on things.
So ... Can a Holset work on a 6.5? Obviously. Needs Intercooler or WMI, higher boost cries out for lowered compression, drive pressures are a factor as yet unquantified, but suggest a need for increased fueling. Other issues include lack of bolt-on-ability, need for thoughts of controlling boost limits, etc. Moving to experimenting with a VVT is a seriously cool idea, but thoughts need to go to control mechanisms... are there benefits to doing so? Also Obviously.
We have a whole pile of people putting ATTs on their trucks, and so far, I haven't heard anything negative back. The envelope is just STARTING to get explored (with what else can be done - reference Buddy and his additions of alt. fuels, custom timing, etc ... KOJO is working with members to see about custom fueling curves, and Bill Heath is thinking this all through with an eye on creating custom chips; maybe a GL-ATT is in the future.)
So ... Does the ATT work on a 6.5? Obviously. Benefits include better airflow, lower IATs/EGTs (elimination of need for Intercooling or WMI), works as a bolt-on with stock compression in most 'normal' circumstances - towing, daily driving. Lowered drive pressure = greater efficiency = MPG increase; savings can pay for the purchase. Most of us can put on our own ATT - no special tools or expertise needed; it's basically a bolt-on kit ... are there benefits to going with an ATT? Also Obviously.
Which one is best?
THAT depends on what you want. If you're looking to lay down a block's worth of tire-tread, build one like RonnieJoe did, aimed at doing that (he uses another DIFFERENT turbo, BTW), or go Penninsular (like ChicagoTDP) or build your own 18:1, as Darrin or Slim have done. Add Nitrous, Propane, custom fueling tables (like Buddy is working on), ... there are lots of things that can work. Not all of those variables have been explored with the ATT yet, either. Bill Heath went to true duals and twins, something CIL6 is working on, also. Maybe THEY have the right way to do this... I dunno.
For Joe Average guy, (like Leo, or OHT, or Al, or a host of others on here), bolting on an ATT is all the change they need or want, they can do it with no special stuff, and they get everything they need from it. Tomorrow. They don't need to know about Turbine maps, about flow dynamics, about the complex interplays of pressure/temperature/volume... they bolt it on and it works. If there was such a kit available for the Holset, they'd look at it, too, and then it would come down to more specific characteristics, and be influenced by advertising, truths/lies bought and sold, reputations and rumours, and he-said / she-said campaigns, like everything else in the marketplace. I offer our colective experience with the 'Chip Wars' as a graphic example...
For now, that isn't the case, as there is no other bolt-on upgrade to the GM-X, but that certainly doesn't make this topic any less valid... the point is, THERE WILL BE, eventually.
This topic is worth discussing. This is worth experimenting with. This is the fringe edge of innovation, and everybody brings something to the table to help make it all work... sometimes, the theory gets pushed aside by the practical (ie: things really CAN go faster than the sound barrier without disintegrating), and sometimes, the theory provides clear guidance about why something is just a bad idea in practice.
The expertise, knowledge, and experience that different people bring to the table helps to make this community grow and makes ideas flourish...
As the Apple commercial in the early 80's said,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE857DJWX2w