single turbo thread for an A Body

mvh said

The basic reason V8 setups use twin turbos is because they have two separate exhaust manifolds on opposite sides of the engine. You can't run a turbo off the exhaust of just one bank of cylinders, and let the other flow free. And the plumbing to bring both exhaust streams together and then route it to a turbo and route it back to the intake would be so long that it would generate enormous turbo lag. It just doesn't make any sense. On the other hand there are plenty of single turbo setups for slant six engines, where the exhaust and intake are on the same side of the engine, making it simple.

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I have a remote mount turbo on my 3500 quad cab 8.1 Chevy dually. The turbo is under the bed of the truck. The piping is as long as you’d imagine it would be and there is almost no turbo lag. Sizing of the hot side and turbine are FAR more important than length of tubing. Back in the 70s I think it was Gale Banks that had a motorhome 440 kit that ran a turbo off of only one bank. You’re correct that it doesn’t work well, but people did it. That’s how they (we) learn. On a v8, If you run a single turbo the merge is on the hot side, if you run twins the merge is on the cold side. Each have their own intricacies with positives and negatives. Usually people choose what they like better and build from there. It’s not rocket science.