If you're tired of dealing with the headaches of a failing factory turbo, switching to a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit might be the smartest move you can make for your truck. Most guys who drive these Ford Super Duties love the torque, but they absolutely hate the complexity of the Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) that comes from the factory. While the stock setup is designed to give you quick spool-up and acting as an exhaust brake, it's also prone to carbon buildup, sticking vanes, and eventual mechanical failure that can cost a small fortune to fix.
Moving to a non-VGT setup—often called a fixed-geometry turbo—simplifies everything under the hood. You're basically trading a complex piece of equipment with moving internal parts for a robust, reliable hunk of iron and aluminum that just wants to move air. It's a popular path for anyone looking to build a reliable workhorse or a high-horsepower street machine.
Why the Stock VGT Often Lets You Down
The stock turbo on a 6.7 Powerstroke is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's snappy. On the other hand, it's full of tiny moving vanes that adjust their position to simulate different turbo sizes. Over time, soot and carbon from the EGR system get into those moving parts. Eventually, the vanes get stuck. When that happens, your truck might feel like a dog off the line, or it might over-boost and put your engine at risk.
When you install a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit, you're removing that failure point entirely. There are no vanes to get stuck and no actuator to fry. It's a much more "set it and forget it" style of performance. If you've ever seen a "reduced engine power" light on your dash because of a turbo position sensor, you know exactly why people make the switch.
The Performance Advantage of Fixed Geometry
Aside from just not breaking as often, there's a massive performance upside here. Stock VGTs are great for low-end grunt, but they tend to choke out on the top end. They create a lot of backpressure because the exhaust housing is physically quite small to help with that quick spooling.
With a non-VGT kit, you can choose a turbo size—like an S300 or S400 frame BorgWarner—that actually lets the engine breathe. When you drop the backpressure, your engine doesn't have to work as hard to push exhaust gases out. This usually results in lower Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGTs), which is a huge win if you're towing heavy loads or pushing the truck hard on the highway. You'll notice that once the turbo starts singing, the power delivery is much more linear and stays strong all the way to the redline.
Dealing with the Myth of Turbo Lag
One thing people always worry about when looking at a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit is the lag. I'm not going to lie to you—a fixed-vane turbo isn't going to be quite as "instant" as the stock VGT. Since the turbo doesn't change its internal geometry to help it spool at low RPMs, there's a slight delay before the boost kicks in.
However, modern turbo technology has come a long way. If you pick the right size turbo for your driving style, the lag is honestly negligible. For most guys, the trade-off of having a truck that pulls like a freight train once it hits 1,800 RPM is well worth a tiny bit of softness off the line. Plus, with a good tune, you can manipulate the fueling to help that turbo get up to speed much faster than you'd think.
What's Actually Inside the Kit?
When you buy a full conversion kit, you aren't just getting a turbocharger. The 6.7 Powerstroke has a pretty unique top-mounted turbo setup, so you can't just bolt a standard turbo onto the stock manifold. A quality 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit usually includes:
- A new pedestal: This is the mount that holds the turbo in the valley of the engine.
- Custom manifolds or up-pipes: To direct the exhaust flow into the new turbo footprint (usually a T4 mount).
- Downpipe: Since the exhaust exit on a BorgWarner or Precision turbo is different from stock, you'll need a new pipe to connect to the rest of your exhaust system.
- Intercooler piping: Specifically the "cold side" and "hot side" pipes to match the new turbo's outlets.
- Oil feed and drain lines: To keep the new bearings lubricated.
It's a comprehensive overhaul of the air system on your truck. It looks a lot cleaner in the engine bay, too, once all that stock clutter is gone.
The Sound Difference
We can't talk about a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit without mentioning the sound. If you like that classic diesel whistle, you're going to love this. Stock VGT turbos have a bit of a muffled, variable hiss. A fixed-geometry S300 or S400 has a very distinct, sharp whistle that sounds like a jet engine winding up.
When you let off the throttle, you also get that classic "blow-off" sound (technically turbo flutter or bark if you're not careful, but you get the idea). It makes the truck sound like a real mechanical beast rather than a computer-controlled appliance. For many owners, the sound alone is worth half the price of the kit.
You're Going to Need a Tune
This is the "catch" if you want to call it that. You cannot simply bolt on a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit and drive away on the stock Ford software. The truck's computer (the PCM) is constantly looking for the VGT actuator. If it doesn't find it, it's going to throw a fit, put the truck in limp mode, and light up your dashboard like a Christmas tree.
You'll need custom tuning to tell the computer that the VGT is gone. A good tuner will also recalibrate the fueling maps to account for the different boost curve of the new turbo. This is where the magic happens—proper tuning makes the truck feel factory-smooth while taking full advantage of the extra airflow.
Is It Good for Towing?
There's a common misconception that non-VGT turbos are only for race trucks. That's just not true. If you choose a conservative turbo size (something in the 63mm to 64mm range), a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit is actually fantastic for towing.
The biggest benefit for towers is the reduction in EGTs. When you're pulling a 15,000-pound trailer up a grade, the stock turbo can get really hot because it's struggling to flow enough volume. The non-VGT setup flows more air with less restriction, keeping your engine cooler and safer. You just have to be mindful that you might need to drop a gear to get the RPMs up and "light" the turbo before you start the climb.
Long-Term Reliability and Maintenance
The beautiful thing about these kits is how they simplify maintenance. If a non-VGT turbo ever does fail (which is rare if you change your oil), they are significantly cheaper to replace or rebuild than the factory VGT unit. You can often buy a brand-new replacement S300 turbo for less than half the cost of a remanufactured stock Ford turbo.
Because the design is so much simpler, there are fewer gaskets to leak and no electronic actuators to fail due to heat soak. For someone planning to keep their truck for another 200,000 miles, it's a very logical investment.
Final Thoughts
Making the switch to a 6.7 powerstroke non vgt turbo kit isn't just about chasing big horsepower numbers—though it certainly helps with that. It's really about taking control of your truck's reliability. You're removing a "smart" component that often outsmarts itself and replacing it with a "dumb" component that just does its job exceptionally well.
Whether you're looking for that iconic whistle, lower EGTs while hauling, or just the peace of mind that your turbo won't seize up on a long road trip, this conversion is one of the best upgrades available for the 6.7 platform. Just make sure you pair it with a solid tune and the right supporting mods, and you'll probably wonder why Ford didn't just build them this way from the factory.