I have been running my current set up for about 40k miles, and I love it. I have been wanting an exhaust brake for awhile now but have been holding off because I go back and forth on wanting a bigger turbo. So I don't want to buy a brake that won't work if I change turbos.

I read alot on here about people asking what turbo to run and most seem to say "I don't tow much". Well I dont tow everyday but when I do, I tow a fair amount, say 15k+ (boats). My setup right now pulls strong as hell. I have no complaints but I still feel that based on the black smoke I can roll out on demand, and that I upshift when towing based on the egt gauge rather than the tach that I could do better.

So what are your opinions, can I do better with a different turbo? Which means I wait on my brake, or am I about at the best setup now for my needs and I just go a head and get my brake and not worry about ever changing turbos?

 

you can get more power, you can get better cooling, but I can tell you from experience that you will have to drive a bit more gingerly in general. for me it is a matter of rolling into the throttle instead of flooring it. a bigger turbo is great, especially hauling a good load up a hill. I never got out of 5th gear at 60mph towing 20k gross over the 5000'-8000' summits in the Sierras (and that is 3.54s and 37" tires... 2000rpm = 60mph).
as far as the exhaust brake, get a 4" inline unit and you don't have to worry.