The concept of twin charging — that is running a supercharger and turbocharger together — has been around for some time but it’s not always practical for many applications. For a big diesel, it makes a lot of sense.
Gale Banks Engineering is helping veteran Pikes Peak big-rig racer Mike Ryan attack the record books with a unique Super Turbo system for his Freightliner Cascadia. Ryan has been running Pikes Peak in an 18-wheeler since 1997, but this year’s truck will have likely have the most powerful and innovative Detroit Diesel ever built for a race truck.
The 14.7-liter Series 60 will have a Whipple twin screw supercharger forcing air into a massive Borg Warner S510 turbocharger. The system is good for up to 3,000 cfm and potentially 180 pounds of boost, although it will likely run around 70 pounds in race tune.
Other goodies from Gale Banks include an intercooler, water-methanol injection, custom air intake, big-tube headers, Speedbrake, custom fuel injection and fuel map programming.
No estimate on horsepower just yet, but the factory rating is around 600 horsepower and 2,000 lb-ft peak torque.
In his day job, Ryan is a stunt driver with credits like “Terminator 2” and “Fast & Furious 6.” The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is set for June 30 and winds up a 12.4-mile course. For more information on the project, follow the blog on the Gale Banks website.