How reliable is your PG turbo / Should I pull the trigger?

[Dogmeat]

I have to decide if I am going to pull the trigger on the turbo kit here within the next couple of days.

I sent Code Red my deposit, but Justin hasn't cashed my check yet.

I bought this 09' M8 as a holdover in December ... I already have ~1100 miles on it

I _DO NOT_ want another basket case sled like my 900 RMK has been. I refuse to ride a sled that I have any fear will leave me stranded 30+ miles away from the truck up in the mountains.

So, here is the age old question:

If you maintain your sled, and the turbo installation is done by a competent mechanic .... is it reliable enough I should have no fear of riden tandem with one other person and having it break?

I mean I'm really looking at this from the perspective of "Will it leave me stranded or not?" ..

I wanna do a 2011 BD PG kit ... nothing fancy, just trying to get an honest 180 horsepower out of the sled @ alititude ...

I am not real big into huge climbing, I just think it'd be fun to have a turbo ..

So with that said, how reliable REALLY ARE they on the 09 M8's?

 

[backcountryislife]

Abby's sled has been pull & go from day one, she has jumped, dropped, crashed... everything, that thing. The only thing we've had to do on that sled is fix the diamond drive (pretty common when you're too dumb to service them...) and we run 12-15psi through that thing every day. I think she's at 1500 miles on that one now.

The cutler stage 2 can run 7.5 psi on the bottom end on pump gas if you want (or if you forget to buy race gas) or we can run it into the teens with only 2.5 gal of 112 which is how we run it.

I know we don't NEEEEED that kind of power, but I have to say it's REALLY cool to be able to turn it up. I think this setup is the best of both worlds. I wouldn't do a strictly PG setup, but I'm greedy about power!

 

[bgreen776]

Reliability seems to depend on your elevation and how much race gas you want to put in it. The guys running them at sea level have trouble running low enough boost to keep them running on Pump Gas.

 

[Dogmeat]

The sled will be ridden at 8,000+ feet .... The lowest elevation I could possibly see myself running it at would be ~7,000 feet, and that would be in the rare case where I'd make a trip to West Yellowstone or putting around on Casper Mountain with it ... ...

I don't mind mixing a %20 race gas mix with it, even on the PG kit.

That is one thing I do need to learn how to do here pretty quick ... service the diamond drive.

 

[b1dodge]

try this.http://www.youtube.com/user/b1dodge 4600 miles and last week put pistons in as a preventitive measure, the old pistons look perfect. with the old pistons i was running 11 pounds on straight 91 all over 8000 feet. with the new pistons 9 pounds straight 91. the sled now runs like the old piston on 11 pounds. change the reeds every year and i would recommend stacking them as i believe it helps there durability. service the drive a few times a year, keep an eye on the oil for the turbo, exhaust seals, all the usual maintainance and ride it like a stocker. but make know mistake these ARE NOT STOCKERS . contrary to what you may read here a correctly tuned pump gas m8 will wreck all but a very few N/A sleds on the hill above 8000 feet. fact.

 

[JHG]

I would install the kit yourself if you have any mechanical ability. If not, I'd find a friend that does and get him to help you. The more you know about the sled, turbo and how it all goes together, the better off you'll be. The install on that kit will take you a weekend if you work slowly and think everything through before you do it. Look at everything a wire is going to touch and wire loom all the wires and try to zip tie them away from everything. If you do those things it will be reliable.

Its seems the risk to reliability comes in the form of Diamond Drives and Tracks more than Motor issues. The 09+ Drive seems to be holding up after the 5203 Bearing upgrade. We did stab a track this year while on boost and it did a number on the rear skid. That could have been avoided with an Anti Stab kit.

 

[Woody67]

you have the perfect combination for a super reliable and fast pg sled.

The M8 is a great platform to turbo and your elevation will allow decent boost on on a PG set up.

With the correct install, preventative maintenance, and decent fuel it will be awesome and very reliable.

 

[Dano702]

Dont waste your cash on a pump gas set up , i would go right for a race gas kit . And i would get one with 4 injectors in the T Bodies .

I think 12 lbs is 400 times as much fun as 8 or 9. If you do end up on a pumper , never ride a race gas set up . It will ruin you for life . Once you ride it there is no going back .