TurboXS Dual Stage boost controller

[24OZ]

Guys,

 

I am thinking of purchasing this, do any of you have any experience of them?

 

 

I like the idea of running on low boost for every day driving, and when i want higher boost then I can flick a switch.

 

Your thoughts appreciated.

 

Cheers.

[MrFancypants]

Just get an electronic boost controll (EBC). Much better performance, and completely adjustable from the cockpit. I personally like the Blitz Spec S or R (depending on boost level).

 

 

- Greg -

[24OZ]

I wanted something which wouldnt need a lot of wiring, hence the turboxs just requires a switch a ground and a live.

 

Are the EBCs hard to wire up, what is involved.

 

Thanks for the input.

[MrFancypants]

There is a single electrical harness and a vacuum signal line that need to be routed into the cabin. IIRC the harness has 4 wires. In the engine bay you will have to mount the solenoid, route another vacuum line to the solenoid and connect the harness.

 

Youre going to have to run wires for the stage 1/2 switch anyway, so you may as well go EBC.

 

 

- Greg -

[24OZ]

Thanks a lot Greg.

 

Wasn't considering one, but will look into it now.

[MrFancypants]

You should be able to get the Spec S (good to about 18 psi) for around $300 new.

 

 

 

- Greg -

[Tony D]

I really got to wonder how much adjustability in the cockpit you really need.

When I was young and impressionable, I bought a fancy HKS EBC... Thinking it would be great to be able to just "crank up the boost" from the cockpit.

 

After living with it for the years from 1985 to 2007, I have come to one conclusion:

 

I don't adjust my boost to either one of two settings: 10psi for "normal driving", and "Full Boost" for when someone gets spunky.

 

From my experience, and from my original impressions, I never really set the controller at anything in between the two settings.

 

So, were I to build another car (like for my wife) I most likely would use that Two-Stage Boost Controller, and use a keyswitch to switch between "Wife Boost" and "My Boost".

 

Other than that, in 22 years...I rarely if ever have run anything other than 10psi or 21psi on my controller. For a while daily boost was 15, then 17, then I set the HKS EVC up to control 12psi on normal, and 21psi on the high setting. I never use the 'scramble feature' which when I bought it I thought I'd use all the time.

 

Just my experience---I'm curious, do you other guys constantly fiddle with the settings, or do you use one or two settings?

[MrFancypants]

I guess different strokes for different folks. I tried different settings, normally depending on ambient temperature, wet conditions, etc. I never used scramble boost either.

 

The Blitz gives you four presets, so in that sense it functions just like the TurboXS with two more presets. The other benefit is the EBC also provides a built in boost gauge. Saves you having to mount another gauge in the cockpit. It also stores maximum and has a retard function if you overboost your preset. Most importantly, you can adjust gain to make it more or less sensitive. I really think the EBC far surpasses the manual boost controller.

 

 

 

- Greg -

[rztmartini]

i think personally that the gain adjustment would be more beneficial than inside boost adjustment...i guess this is one of those items where personal preference is most important...like shift knobs

[Tony D]

Didn't a magazine (I want to say "Turbo") do a test this past year involving Electronic Boost Controllers, and manual units? I remember reading this sometime, and even they were suprised that the Manual controllers were more precise and less prone to creep at a given setting. They thought the complexity of the gain and 'fuzzy logic' in the newere generation of controllers would make them far superior to the old manual poppet-style manual boost controlling valves, and to their suprise they found it wasn't so.

 

I think this is what got me thinking about the choice of controller for my wife's car. To that point, I really hadn't considered a manual controller, and after reading that article, I started thinking "how much did I really use it"--- and came up with the realization that I really only used 2 settings for the most part. Until I really thought about it, or had it called to my attention by the article, I'd have gone out and bought the newer-generation electronic controller thinking like they did.

 

It also came into my head about the Bonneville Turbo Car, and launching at 15 or 20 psi till the speed was up, and then flipping a single switch at mile 2 to "get it on" for the rest of the course at full boost. Seemed like less hassle than anything else when going that fast. That entered into my consideration as well, to be honest. I'm thinking about buying the Turbo XS for the wife's car, just to "field test" it before going with it on the B-Car.

[vashonz]

It was Sport Compact Car, you can still find the article online. http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/tech/0207scc_boost_control/

 

I have been having a little trouble getting it to be consistent with what boost comes to. I'm not sure if its the solenoid or the controller. It is self learning for gain. I chose this one because I can program boost levels based on RPM, so using the stock turbo, shoot for 17-18 psi at 4000rpm and 10-12 psi at 6500rpm.

 

If I keep having trouble with this one, I'll probably get one of the new HKS EVC controllers.

[MrFancypants]

Ive also heard bad things about the "fuzzy logic" controllers. The Blitz Spec S doesnt use fuzzy logic or self learning. It's just a straight gain setting (i.e. sensitivity).

 

One other thing I didnt mention -- An electronic boost controller solenoid fails open (at least the Blitz does). The solenoid is normally open, meaning that if you have a malfunction, you just revert to stock wastegate actuator preset pressure.

 

 

 

- Greg -