Fact: You don’t have to be making big horsepower to be a Stainless customer. We have countless truck owners with our turbochargers under the hood. From daily drivers and work rigs to hot street setups and top-rank drag racers, our turbocharger line runs the gamut, covering everything from stock-appearing, factory replacement upgrades to GT55-based units prepped to handle 3,000 hp. Shay Kesterson’s tuned fourth-gen benefits from the former: one of our 5-blade stock replacement HE351VE VGT’s, a direct drop-in charger equipped with our high-flow billet compressor wheel.

With the factory HE351VE ‘s actuator on its way out at 102,000 miles, Shay’s “forced upgrade” just made too much sense. “At the time, I was looking for a turbo that wouldn’t require me to retune the truck, as it was 100-percent stock,” he said. “Plus, it’s only a couple hundred bucks more than a factory turbo.”

During the install, Shay learned firsthand that our charger is in fact a true OE replacement. “The installation was super easy, the turbo came with the required install gaskets, and I didn’t need to pull the exhaust manifold.”


Even with no increase in compressor wheel diameter, the lightweight design and the science behind the 5-blade wheel makes a huge difference on the Holset HE351VE platform. Shay reports that boost builds quicker with the 5-blade HE351VE, and that transient response improved as well, which comes in handy when his single rear wheel Ram 3500 is hooked to the camper, boat, or the occasional car trailer.

Of course, the signature whistle that 5-blade turbochargers are known for provides that little something extra. “You can actually hear the turbo now—and you can tell it’s not stock.”