my friend gave me his turbosmart manual controller...with nothing else....and he then he suddenly moved back to japan, and completely lost contact with him...
i dont got any instructions....much help would be great....ill figure out mounting later, i just want to hook it up
thanx

-brendon

 

Manual boost controllers alone are definitely not recomended.

From my understanding the added pressure can sometimes cauase the motor to run lean and thats simply very bad. If you plan to use it you better do it right and get a ecu tuning device so the engine map will work with the boost.

Or better yet forget it and just use the ecu's tuning.

 

Ugh... cut it with the crappy advice already, geez.

manual boost controllers are fine, but you cannot treat them like a well made electronic solenoid boost controller. I'd maybe use them (on a WRX) for 0.5 to 1.0 PSI more boost otherwise you run into troubles very early on like full boost at partial throttle (search on "PTFB" for more dicussions than you can read in a lifetime).

Also a manual boost controller is like a bomb in your engine when used by the wrong hands. Learn how a wastegate works and why a manual boost controller does what it does. Without too much detail, you have a tube coming from the intake side of your turbo to the exhaust side. From this tube the exhaust side senses the pressure (boost) from the intake side. When the intake side pressure gets too high, the exhaust side will let some exhaust bypass the turbo and keep boost down. What you are doing is sticking this boost controller inline with that tube and altering how the exhaust side of the turbo perceives boost on the intake side. You're essentially causing the intake side to lie about the actual boost. The exhaust sees less boost and allows you to keep raising boost. Some manual boost controllers "lie" by bleeding off a little boost that the exhaust would sense. Some do it by blocking the boost. The more you lie, the more boost gets added. If you lie to much, *kaboom*. Boost keeps rising until something blows up.

Manuals are more problematic than electronic ones mostly because they are less accurate in multiple ways. The do no all hold peak boost equally as well, usually the creep to more boost than you want. They do not all hold boost equally as well at different interim boost levels. They do not contribute to fuel regulation or have a sense for the Air/Fuel Ratio and so can create lean conditions (more kaboom).

Personally, I'd say, sure play with it as a novelty. But if you want to really do a beneficial upgrade, invest a few hundred $ in a decent boost controller that can safely limit boost electronically and controls boost efficiently.

jason

 

Sorry buddy about the advice thing

I was just trying to do the safe than sorry method

 

naw thanx for your opinions...helps in decision making...but ya i guess ill jus keep tha lil piece of crap around, and save the $$$ for electronic controller, i just want 2-4lbs more for track...
thanx for the .02 much appreciated

 

Even with an EBC you most likely wont see 4 more PSI. Your ECU has a boost limiter (via fuel cut) and it comes on for most people around 17PSI, give or take a few tenths. Stock boost is around 14PSI, give or take a few tenths. If you want to more than a pound or two extra, you shold consider investing in a UTEC or reflash. Those two-ish options will actually give you better performance all around and nix the problems that come with just raising boost. It by "track" you mean "road course" the computer upgrade would be optimal. But if you just mean "drag strip" a stand-alone boost controller isn't that bad of a choice issue since you're pretty much at 100% TPS the whole time.

jason