TurboTech Boost Controller.

[Glort]

About a month back I fitted one of these little boost compensators to the Mighty 4.2 with Schwitzer Turblow. 

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Turbotech-manual-turbo-boost-controller-ORIGINAL-/220798194994?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3368991532

 

I searched the net and read good reports on the things so I ordered one. 

Postage was a bit slow but I fitted it up when it arrived  and lifted the boost from the 7 psi I was getting to 10.
It actually runs to 11 if you give  it some stick, but for the most part with reasonable driving 10 is the effective pressure I'm seeing. 
Fitting was a 30 second exercise as on my truck I just selectively cut the existing hose to the actuator and spliced the thing in. Couple of small clamps and all done. 

Tuning was no problem, Initial feel of the pressure on the screw had the boost at 13 so a couple of adjustments and it was all good. I did read somewhere to do the boost readings in 3rd gear or higher and I agree. Even though I was testing up a small hill, the revs peak and fall too quick to see it accurately in the low gears and the max boost seems to be higher in the taller gears as well. I also saw a slight diff between when the engine was cold and hot. I don't have an IC fitted. 

As in many of the reports I read, the beauty of these things is in how they lift the bottom end boost which was precisely what I was after. I get about 3-4 PSi now at 1500 Revs and 8+ at 2000. It sure made my old girl a very different beast.
Obviously for the way I have it set, the top end isn't much different but the way the thing pulls on the way there is bloody awesome. 

I can see it's going to be hard on the back tyres. Every time I come out of a side street and give the thing a bit of squirt even when I start in 2nd gear as I usually do, the rear tyres are protesting to the added Torque. Once you get the thing straightened up and lean on the throttle, the thing gets up to speed very nicely and makes it a lot easier to merge into traffic.

 

The power does come on with more of a rush now but the only problem with that was the first time I took my daughter out for driving lessons after fitting the thing. She wasn't expecting  the rush and it gave her a bit of a surprise. Like Daddys Girl, the little bugger now wants to make the thing surge ever time she changes gears. My wife isn't so keen on the mod, she says it made the thing so much more nimble now and I throw it round like a sports car instead of a truck. 
Like there is some sort of problem with  being able to do that???  

 

As far as economy goes, I haven't measured or compared to previous in any meaningful way at all but pure gut feel is that I seem to be going further around town than I used to on the same amount of fuel. That's about as subjective and non factual as you can get and I haven't run the thing up the highway for any distance to get a feel for consumption that way but the few short excursions onto the highway so far have been brilliant performance wise. 
Hill climbing and overtaking is seamless and effortless and the thing is just a pleasure to drive. 
It wasn't bad before, now it's great. 

 

I towed my big trailer and the difference was pretty amazing. It was like the thing wasn't even there and the truck still pulled well even with the parachute on the back. 
If a person used one of these things and fueled the pump up as well, the result would be probably the best bang for buck increase in performance ever seen.

There are a lot of different Boost controllers out there and I'd say this one is one of the most basic but then again so is the engine I'm fitting it to. An electronic type may add advantages for people chasing outright performance or tuning but for $40 delivered, I couldn't be happier with this little unit.

It's small, simple, works great, cheap and was easy to fit and tune.

10/10 from me. 

[Rumcajs]

Good on ya Glort, How does it work? Is it just manipulating waste gate actuator?

Cheers

[Glort]

yeah, they hold the  pressure back from the actuator line basically fooling the actuator to think the boost is lower. 

The real beauty of these things as I see it is they give far less creep in the waste gate.
Obviously if the WG is set to open at 7 Psi, it will be partially open probably at 5 or maybe even lower.  This means the boost is bleeding off and the engine has to spin up higher for the boost to hit max and lessens the boost lower down, right where you want it. 

The guts of these controllers is nothing more than a spring and a ball bearing but they are quite ingenious. The adjustment screw compresses the spring onto the ball bearing meaning the boost  has to be higher to lift it off it's seat and cause the actuator to open the WG. They also bleed a little pressure off the line once they do open which makes the actuator hold longer before opening. 

It's a simple little devise but it works unreal. 

I looked at what I initially thought might be doing the job properly in getting a higher rated actuator but soon gave that idea away. They are expensive little buggers coming in at $150 and going quickly skyward from there. $40 controller that allows variable boost? No competition. 
THe way it works and allows the boost to come on so much better in the bottom end is unreal. 

When cruising in 5th on level ground, the thing is now doing about 2 PSI boost. As soon as you touch the throttle it goes straight to 6 and then climbs from there very satisfyingly as the revs and speed rise.

 If you pull it back to 4th and nail it, the thing really winds out to 100-110 real quick. 
At 100 in top, the boost is about 2.5 psi on level cruise but comes on much harder when you hit it, more around 8+ and the thing pulls very strongly for as long as you keep the boot in. 
It sure makes hill climbing more relaxing and overtaking much safer. 

I have to go up to the gold coast next month to shoot a job and I'm looking forward to it. The client was going to fly me up there but I elected to drive so I could Visit family and friends along the way. 
In the old truck I suffered the Diesel thing of people speeding up in the overtaking lanes and not having the grunt to get past them before the passing lane ran out as they always put them going up hills.  

That sure as hell won't be an issue this time!  

Move or be moved fkers!

 

I'll see if the cops are on the hill again at Yamba and I get pulled over for an RBT then the truck gets Drug searched because the smell of the veg oil gets the cops in a tizz.  All the poor dog could smell was a combination of Doughnuts, Fish and chips and Peking Duck. Just made the little fella hungry and the handler upset when they told me why they were searching the vehicle and I cracked up laughing at them.  They stopped searching and could not get me out of there fast enough after that!

I'm keeping an eye on some Vintage engines and a big gen head i'm interested in up north so if I get anything, I might be taking the trailer for a long run as well. 
With the way the truck is going now, I'll hardly know its there till I look for a parking spot at maccas along the way.