[Power Hungry]

I'm personally a fan of leaving the VGT on, but just going with one that's a little bigger (depending on what model turbo you have now). I like the added boost a VGT achieves at low RPM, and it really doesn't affect the mid to upper RPMs if the vanes are properly controlled.

Lot of folks swap to a non-VGT setup with reasonable success, but many of those applications are for competition situations where spool time isn't a major consideration. On dedicated tow rigs where highway travelling is where most of the vehicle spends its time, swapping to a non-VGT may have some benefit. I'm just not sure it's worth the expense and aggravation.

This leads into your second question. We've done setups that use the VGT as an exhaust brake and it works quite well. Obviously, this would require you keeping the VGT setup versus swapping to a non-VGT.

I hope this helps.