Can You Turbo a Ford V10? (Ford V10 Turbo Kit Options)
Getting more power has been the goal of gearheads since muscle cars were first introduced. The owners of these cars looked high and low for those parts that would give them an extra 5 or 10 or more HP. That is they did until the turbocharger was introduced.
It has been done but it is not something you can get from the factory. You will have to be a gearhead and know what you are doing before the upgrade is successful. The addition of the turbo exposes some very vital weak spots that need to be dealt with.
To learn more about this upgrade to the Ford V-10, just continue to read our article. It explores the issue to get you the best available information possible. If this project is done on a wide scale, it is not advertised very well.
Can You Turbo a Ford V10?
It seems that it is possible for you to turbo a Triton Ford V10 engine. How you do it will vary depending on how much room you have under the hood. This is not a commercial venture nor an after-market operation.
Most of the examples we have been able to find were done privately with a collection of parts gathered from different sources. One owner was able to put the turbocharger under the hood next to the block.
Another owner placed his turbocharger underneath the truck on the passenger side of the vehicle. You can view his video at this link. Just be forewarned it is not a professional video. The guy is a mechanic, not a photographer.
If you want to see photos of the under the hood installation, then click here. Images and videos will provide a better explanation than our mere words at this point.
Notice the intercooler on both installations is placed in front of the radiator. If you have enough money, it is possible to complete this project. How well it will perform is another question to be answered in another article.
Suffice it to say, since many shops are not advertising installing these parts, it is not a very popular option for most experienced mechanics.
Ford 6.8 V10 Turbo Kit Options
We did see one kit for sale on one at a Ford Truck discussion forum. Without giving out the wrong details, here is what this kit had in it:
For Sale: Turbo kit for Ford v10 (Excursion or F250). I have a complete set of cold and hot piping for a turbo setup for a v10, along with 39 lb injectors, a blow-off valve, a waste gate, and an intercooler. Here is a break down of what all I have.
Hot Piping
Driver’s side Exhaust manifold
Crossover from Passenger Exhaust manifold (uses original) to Driver’s side
Exhaust pipe from the turbo exhaust pipe to the catalytic converter
Y pipe from Turbo exhaust and BOV to cat pipe.
Turbo stand inlet pipe. Ready for a .96 A/R Turbo
Cold Piping
Piping from the air filter to the turbo
Piping from turbo to intercooler
Piping from the intercooler to intake
Other Equipment Included
Intercooler
Blow off Valve (BOV)
Wastegate
39 lb fuel injectors (qty 10)
Brackets
Hose clamps
The only thing you will need is a Turbo and a MAF sensor.
The owner was selling it all for $1200 minus the turbo and a MAF sensor. This kit was sold 12 years ago giving you an idea of how rare these kits can be. So far, our research has turned up only 2 privately done turbo upgrades for this engine.
One reason more people do not pursue this option is that According to the company called Banks, the heads are the weak link. The extra heat may be too much for them and you would have problems adjusting those heads.
The Banks company does have a power pack for those RVs with the Ford Triton V10. You can read about it at this link. Other than that, there are not that many after-market companies listing a turbocharger kit for the Triton V-10 engine.
One would think that since Ford never stopped production of this motor, it is in the F450-F750 cab and chassis options, there would be more attempts to create a kit for this motor.
There may be some engine specialty shops that may offer kits but they may not be that popular and do not rank very high on the internet. Try a local search to see if any company is advertising in their cities only.
Ford V10 Motorhome Turbo Kit
So far we have found only one company that makes a series of Ford turbochargers and sells them in a kit. You can view their Ford product lineup at this link.
There are several pages of these kits and you may have to go through a few of them before you find one compatible with your RV. Most of the advertising we have seen during our research has been performance packs. You can get them directly from Banks or you can sort through many of them at Summit Racing.
These performance packs are made for Class A motorhomes but they are not going to be cheap. If you can’t find a turbo kit for your RV, you may want to talk to the people at 5-Star tuning. They also do performance work on motorhomes of all classes.
We mention these companies because we do not want to leave any possible options out for you to enhance your RV. The question is, will the extra performance and fuel savings pay for the upgrade?
That is a question you have to ask and answer yourself.
The Cost Of Turbo Or Performance Kits
The cheapest we saw was $1200 and it was bought from a guy who bought it from a guy and you know how that works. The private turbo installations did not list their costs as they part their parts one at a time and not in a kit.
If you are going to go the performance or tuning route, then you are looking at spending a minimum of $2000. Banks sold their parts individually for a wide range of prices.
You would have to shop around and see what can be bought and for how much. Before you get started, make sure to talk to someone who knows turbochargers as you will need to buy the right parts for this upgrade to work.
The turbocharger we found on Amazon sold for $179 and it was made for a diesel engine. However, it is only compatible with Dodge Ram 2500 & 3500 made between the years 1999 and 2002.
We did a second search of that marketplace and there were 3 turbochargers for sale that would fit a Ford engine. However, all three were not compatible with the Triton V10.
One was compatible with the Powerstroke 7.3L and it sold for $264. Another was for the Ford Excursion 2000-2003 and the Ford F-250 F350 F450 F550 Super Duty 1999-2003 but they had to have the 7.3L Powerboost engine as well. The price of this option was $279.
The final one we saw was for the Ford 3.5L Ecoboost Engine and it was a twin turbocharger costing $699. The options for the V10 are very limited and rare.
The Pros And Cons Of Turbocharging An Engine
Many car, truck, and RV owners love to get more power out of their engines. They spend a lot of money trying to give it the right boost. But turbocharging may not be as great as those owners claim it is. Here are some pros and cons so you can decide if it is worth it or not to turbocharge your motor.
Pros:
- more HP than natural aspiration or supercharging will provide
- more HP than natural aspiration or supercharging will provide
- a more powerful ride, you have the power there when you need it
- your vehicle will go a lot faster
- the turbocharger uses exhaust gases to work so you are not losing on fuel economy
- great for upgrading a smaller engine
- you may get a little boost in fuel economy
Cons:
- can be very expensive to install
- labor is going to be expensive due to all the extra work
- extra wiring and tubing is required
- may not provide that fuel economy boost everyone brags about
- parts may need to be moved to accommodate the turbocharger and its parts
Some Final Words
While many gearheads feel that extra speed and power are worth the expense, it may not be a great idea to turbocharge your Triton V10. There are weak spots in that motor that would have to be addressed before you installed the turbocharger.
Then you have to consider the expense as you may not get the fuel savings you were hoping for. But if it is only power and speed that you want, then the expense may be justified. That is if you can find a turbocharger and supporting parts for the Triton V10.
