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Weapon_R
11-22-2002, 12:12 AM
OKay so i've heard that people can make their own manual boost controllers but do they actually work? Apart from the inconvenience of jumping outta your car to turn up the boost before every race, do they actually hold their own? Any experiences? Will they work with an internal wastegate?

Here's a pic of what im talking about:

Looks sorta like something you'd see in a home depot plumbing department....

Scott
11-22-2002, 02:26 AM
I use a grainger valve as a boost controller on my daytona, its set to 14 psi and always holds, never spikes. It took a bit to adjust but once you set them they work great.

Toma
11-22-2002, 02:58 AM
Thats exactly what it is is a ... home depot special. Works ok though.

I was gonna make these, but it seemed like a hundred other people were as well. Do people still want them?

Toma

Dirty_SOHC
11-22-2002, 08:15 AM
Hey Toma I be definatley interested if you made me one.

James
11-22-2002, 08:31 AM
This MX-6 i was looking at buying a while back had a Manual Boost Controller under the hood that was made by HKS, It didnt look like much, and seemed VERY awkward to keep it accurate( im sure there was something i was missing that i didnt understand:tongue: )....the homemade version above looks alot better :dunno:...unless this is a VERY cheap alternative wouldnt it be worth it to get the in car style boost controller??........Im just talking outta my ass here, dont mind me.:tongue:

Weapon_R
11-22-2002, 02:01 PM
Ok what is the difference between a wastegate and boost controller?

Dirty_SOHC
11-22-2002, 02:18 PM
Boost controller controls the wastegate

soloracer
11-22-2002, 03:57 PM
Weapon R: The wastegate is what effectively controls boost on a turbocharged car. There is a valve, or gate, that opens up to divert exhaust gas around the turbo to prevent it from boosting higher than a preset limit. This valve (wastegate) senses boost pressure via a vacuum line. There is a spring inside the wastegate that resists movement of the valve (gate). When the pressure inside the vacuum line gets beyond the stiffness of the spring the gate starts to open. You have probably seen springs with various ratings (5 psi, 10 psi, etc.) This spring rating determines at what pressure it will start to open. The downside to this system is that you are locked into whatever boost pressure the spring is set at. If you want to change the boost pressure that the gate opens at you will have to remove the wastegate and install a different spring. Not a very convenient method of boost control.

So in comes the manual and electronic boost controllers. The manual boost controller places a valve on the vacuum line that goes to the wastegate. This means that the wastegate does not see any boost pressure in the vacuum line until the valve in the manual boost controller opens. Thus the spring in the wastegate has no resistance and will not open until the manual boost controller valve is open.

As you probably know, when you compress a spring it gets harder to push it back. When you want to dial up the boost on your car you turn the manual boost controller such that it compresses the spring inside the boost controller more and thus makes it harder for the pressure in the vacuum line to open. This is what allows you to control the maximum boost that you will get. One important thing to remember is that the minimum boost you will get is limited by the spring in the wastegate. If you are seeing boost spikes you cannot reduce boost by adding a manual boost controller. The only fix is to either change the spring in the wastegate or get a larger wastegate.

Do you understand the difference now?

soloracer
11-22-2002, 04:29 PM
One other thing to note is that if you going to start playing with boost pressures it would be a good idea to get an aftermarket boost gauge. Stock gauges are notoriously inaccurate and it would be wise to get something that accurately tells you what boost levels you are getting. Just my $0.02

Scott
11-22-2002, 05:03 PM
In addition to a boost gauge, an air fuel meter is almost a must:thumbsup:

finboy
11-22-2002, 05:09 PM
Originally posted by soloracer
One other thing to note is that if you going to start playing with boost pressures it would be a good idea to get an aftermarket boost gauge. Stock gauges are notoriously inaccurate and it would be wise to get something that accurately tells you what boost levels you are getting. Just my $0.02

yup, mine reads about 1-2 psi when the car is off.

soloracer
11-22-2002, 05:30 PM
Originally posted by Scott
In addition to a boost gauge, an air fuel meter is almost a must:thumbsup:

Unless you are getting a good gauge with a lambda wide band O2 sensor (approx. $1000) that also does data logging I'm not convinced this is a neccesity. The fancy Red, Yellow, Green LED's on the Autometer type gauges are pretty much useless. Ask RAGE and he will tell you the same thing. That is why he got his FJO wideband sensor set-up.

90_Shelby
11-22-2002, 08:57 PM
An even better and cheap alternative to the common bleed type manual boost controller is the grainger valve, you have faster spool up and better control IMO. Ask Boost Infested if he is still selling them. All the guys I know use this style and they work great.:thumbsup:

rx7_turbo2
11-22-2002, 11:33 PM
Originally posted by 90_Shelby
An even better and cheap alternative to the common bleed type manual boost controller is the grainger valve, you have faster spool up and better control IMO. Ask Boost Infested if he is still selling them. All the guys I know use this style and they work great.:thumbsup:

There are a couple of us RX-7 guys using them and they work just fine.

LUDELVR
11-23-2002, 11:33 AM
Originally posted by 90_Shelby
An even better and cheap alternative to the common bleed type manual boost controller is the grainger valve, you have faster spool up and better control IMO. Ask Boost Infested if he is still selling them. All the guys I know use this style and they work great.:thumbsup:

yah man, I'm more in favor of these because it works off of a spring instead of a fixed bleed amount like a regular valve. I've been trying to find where I can find a grainger valve and I see them all over daytona web pages but I can't find any in calgary. Do you know who sells them?

Scott
11-23-2002, 06:02 PM
I got mine through acklands/grainger

LUDELVR
11-23-2002, 06:18 PM
Originally posted by Scott
I got mine through acklands/grainger

how much was it? Did you also drill the small hole in one of the sides for a relief hole? And where is acklands? How is it working for you? Does it spike a lot?

theken
11-23-2002, 06:23 PM
Originally posted by James
This MX-6 i was looking at buying a while back had a Manual Boost Controller under the hood that was made by HKS, It didnt look like much, and seemed VERY awkward to keep it accurate( im sure there was something i was missing that i didnt understand:tongue: )....the homemade version above looks alot better :dunno:...unless this is a VERY cheap alternative wouldnt it be worth it to get the in car style boost controller??........Im just talking outta my ass here, dont mind me.:tongue: james you are always talkin outta your ass you should get a set of 245 35 zr17 blizzaks for the fiero

ninspeed
11-26-2002, 03:43 PM
Originally posted by LUDELVR


how much was it? Did you also drill the small hole in one of the sides for a relief hole? And where is acklands? How is it working for you? Does it spike a lot?
its on manhattan road just of 42nd street se... a block north of alpine

legendboy
11-26-2002, 03:48 PM
Originally posted by LUDELVR


how much was it? Did you also drill the small hole in one of the sides for a relief hole? And where is acklands? How is it working for you? Does it spike a lot?

1st! Lets get that Deltagate working! Then you will have enough boost control!

LaughingTiger
11-28-2002, 10:27 PM
.........Interesting.........:nut:

Toma
11-30-2002, 08:30 PM
Instead of drilling the relief hole, try bypasing the valve with a hose that has a one way check valve in it. Work better IMHO

Toma