Turbo, wastegate,b.o.v.,stage 1, boost controller ????? WTF?

[sgstudster1796]

I started a new thread up on another forum but was told to try posting one in this forum so...........
Okay Im a newbie to this whole computer tech stuff...... Let me tell ya about my knowledge in what I do know.
I have been drag racing for 20 years
I have had several cars( from a 15 second corvette to a 7 second Dragster)
I can tune anything with a carburetor
I currently have a dragster that runs 7.40s at 180
but heres the funny thing I just bought a 05 turbo lite convertible and I cant wait to make it a little street rocket, I do want to bracket race this as well, but more to have fun on the streets! im going to go run it this weekend and i think Id be happy with something in the mid 15s?????I have done the easy mods like the airbox, and I was actually impressed! I need more info would be great I can find the turbo(duh) but as far as all this stuff about the wastegate and Blow off valve and boost controls? I dont have a clue I do think I can figure the stage 1 deal out though, I would have to have a tech do it! Any help would be great guys and girls thanks and love this site!!!!
Jaimie

[Chromenut]

Originally Posted by sgstudster1796

I started a new thread up on another forum but was told to try posting one in this forum so...........
Okay Im a newbie to this whole computer tech stuff...... Let me tell ya about my knowledge in what I do know.
I have been drag racing for 20 years
I have had several cars( from a 15 second corvette to a 7 second Dragster)
I can tune anything with a carburetor
I currently have a dragster that runs 7.40s at 180
but heres the funny thing I just bought a 05 turbo lite convertible and I cant wait to make it a little street rocket, I do want to bracket race this as well, but more to have fun on the streets! im going to go run it this weekend and i think Id be happy with something in the mid 15s?????I have done the easy mods like the airbox, and I was actually impressed! I need more info would be great I can find the turbo(duh) but as far as all this stuff about the wastegate and Blow off valve and boost controls? I dont have a clue I do think I can figure the stage 1 deal out though, I would have to have a tech do it! Any help would be great guys and girls thanks and love this site!!!!
Jaimie

First Jaimie, welcome to the forums. Then, your vette is slow, see my earlier slips below. This was run with the 93 octane tune using the DiabloSport Predator to tune the car. What you're asking, if I can paraphrase, is what are suggestions for making it go vroom vroom?

PTCrew.com is by far the most technologically advanced forums for that kind of stuff. There are plenty of racers there, and I can make some suggestions for you here, but still suggest you go there and sign up for free membership. I asked exactly what you're asking and now have a custom tune that puts out 263 whp, 325 lb ft torque... that's 321 hp at the crank!!! I could go further than that, but started blowing the clutch at WOT on the dyno. Took it to PBI and raced it and torched my poor clutch, and still ran a 14.7 at 103mph.

I've got the GT with the Getrag 5-speed manual tranny. Tough as nails, except for the clutch. It's only rated at 250 lb ft of torque, so I've had to have the flywheel pulled and resurfaced as I glazed the heck out of it. Now I run a modified 93 octane tune, until I can get me a Spec Stage 3 clutch kit.

Anyway, from what you're asking I'll need to know what kind of tranny you're running. If it's the auto, it's got it's own worries. If it's the auto-stick, another set. If it's a manual, you need to know which one as there were two produced. The G288 that I have is the beefiest one. I love that tranny, it's just blisteringly good.

PM me regarding the manuals, I can lead you to them, in PDF format. As to the whizzo's and gizmo's... the BOV is not really necessary, but sounds great. I strapped my camera to my lower grill assembly the day I installed my BOV and ran it down to where they were doing road construction near my neighborhood. Took it up to 105 to see what the BOV sounded like at speed, video was pretty funny. You can see it at my site at the following link:
2006 PT Cruiser GT Convertible with BOV

The Blow Off Valve exhausts the backpressure off the turbo, as in excess boost, so you hear it go off when you are shifting gears or go from throttle on to reduced throttle. Loud pshwissssshhh sound. The Mopar BOV is the cheapest, and frankly I like the sound the best of all I've seen. No need going for an expensive BOV, they all do the same thing. That is unless you plan on going beyond Stage 2. Do not attempt to install an after-market waste gate until you install an AFR & Boost Gage. You have to monitor boost and Air/Fuel mixture or you go playing around with a WGA and end up redefining "internal combustion". Believe me, you don't want to eff with boost and a/f mixtures without having a way to measure what you're doing. I was new to turbos when I bought my GT, and have learned the hard way what NOT to do....

First thing, get rid of those crappy ass trashy plug wires. The factory wires are worthless. My suggestion, spend the $54 on Granatelli's, they are the best damned wires out there. I bought Crane Fire Wires (no longer made) and have had some heat issues with them. I went cheap. The Gran's are about $20 more than most of them, and damn well worth it. Next, replace the plugs, or if they're good change their gap to 0.40, run for a week, then try 0.35 and see which spark gap gives you better performance. It's COMPLETELY an individual car thing. Some run like shit at 0.35, some run like shit at 0.40. You gotta give it a try and see what works best for you.

Next, you need to decide what is best for you - go straight to Stage 1 or get a DiabloSport Predator. There are other programmers out there, none as well tested as the DSP. I'll be glad to show you the videos of me on the dyno first run stock, then beefing it up over 2 1/2 hours to get that magical +300 hp tune. Another thing is to consider hard-piping your turbo. The factory puts these flexible rubber elbows on that, they work great if you're not running it hard. I ran mine down the track four times, then strapped my silly camera under the hood and ran it and watched those bends balloon out once they got hot, then suck in when I came off boost. That means hesitation and wasted boost. I'm completely OCD so have tested all these suggestions multiple times, video taped everything, and photographed the hell out of every mod I've done.

BIG NOTE - if your tranny is automatic, consider going straight to Stage 1. The DSP is a great programmer, but lacks the ability to make tranny adjustments to the auto's. The Stage 1 PCM will do all that for you. I don't know enough about the turbo-lites to know what size injectors you're running, so go over to PTCrew.com and ask around. Check out the section titled "Mod Bible". I've written a few articles in there and it's one of the most valuable places on the web for instructions on modifying and tuning the PT.

Anyway, I'm tired of typing now...lol... so get in touch with me here or over there, you'll see me as Robinh over there.

Old track slips...



My engine last weekend at the Lowes Motor Speedway AutoFair:


This is her after I added new wheels, tires, dropped her down on new H&R color-matched springs and Tokico racing shocks and struts:


Also look up PT Cruiser on youtube, quite a bit of interesting videos there on custom tuned PT's. Last, if you're feeling frisky go visit my photo albums, I'm documenting all my mods and posting there. So far only recent stuff, haven't yet caught it up from all the old mods I've done in the past: http://www.hugginsnet.com/photoalbum

By the way, I do not claim to be an expert of any kind, can only suggest what I've learned from here, PTCrew, several other places, on the track and through experience. Always get a second opinion!!! Can tell you my caris a great sleeper, low and slow when cruising, but watch out for when I get started...lol... mustangs, pickups, and those rice burners with fart cans are always wanting to get it on with me... they pull up beside me laughing, there's a great stretch of road about 2 miles from me where in exactly 1/4 mile it goes from 2 lanes to one, everyone races there. My daughter, bless her soul, is going to get me in trouble as invariably when we stop there and some yahoo in a ricer pulls up next to us and laughs at my "pre-teen" cruiser, she starts in with the, "take him dad! come on, take him!"... lmao... funny thing is they never want to pull up beside you at the next light after being embarrassed by a pre-teen cruiser......lol....

[Chromenut]

Also, I've been meaning to do this for a while so I might as well do it here and copy this down for my other forums... here's my list of performance mods to date:
* DiabloSport Predator, custom tune
* Crane FireWires (hate them, want Granatelli's)
* NGK V-Power copper core 4306 plugs, LZTR5A-13, gapped at .40 for street, .35 for track
* Customized airbox with K&N drop-in filter (have 1 new K&N Typhoon cold-air intake kit for sale! chrome)
* Stainless Turbo-to-Airbox 3" pipe
* Stainless IC to Intake up-pipe
* Stainless lower IC hot-pipe
* H&R Sport Springs, color-matched, 1.4" drop front, 1.2" drop rear
* Tokico "Blues" Shocks and Struts
* Freedom Designs Strut Tower Brace
* MB Drifter wheels in black, 17x7, 5x100, 0.40 offset
* Falken Ziex ZE-912's all-season sport tires, 215/50's
* Custom shift knob
On order - Maddog STS (can't wait!!!), need to order - sway kit for rear

As to looks, these are the customizations and modifications I've made so far:
* Chrome 3 tube lower grill insert
* Chrome bug guard
* Chrome front and rear bumper protectors
* Chrome door spears
* Chrome vert beltline trim
* 15" semi-shorty billet antenna
* Silvania Clear Blue headlights and driving lights
* Chrome headlight trim
* Custom chrome mini-flames (hood, fenders, gas cap, headlights)
* Kenwood Stereo w/ JL Audio 1200 watt amp and 10" JL Audio sub in custom box
* Interior blue LED map lights
* Custom 4-bar LED trunk lighting
* Chrome door/trunk handle protectors
* Custom chrome flames on roll bar
* "Love The Ride" rear seat air deflector
* Custom leather driver's pillow (aka Head rest)
* Custom badging
* Backup camera
* Wolo BadBoy 130db Airhorn behind front grill, twin hi/lo note chrome horns in the engine compartment (yeah, it's loud!)
* Chrome stop-light Rod Prism on dashboard

I'm sure I'm missing 20+ other items, but my brain just froze when I realized how much money I have spent on this thing! No one tell my wife what all I've bought!!! lmao...

[sgstudster1796]

WOW? That is alot of information, thanks for that and I will be talking to ya!!! As for the Vette out of all my race cars I have had I am pretty sure I have won the most money with this car, its a low hp L-48 but dead ass consistant! Ive won 8 Super Chevy Shows with it! my PT is an automatic and I have read they are a weak link, Im not looking to go crazy with this thing just something that may run in the mid to high 14s. I want to get the stage one kit along with the hard pipes I really want to get rid of the T.T.A.B. pipe I cant believe how restricted that thing is! I need to know where I can get theese at? Anyways thanks for the post and all that info! Im gonna head to the track Saturday and see what it runs..... I was hoping for something in the mid to high 15s but whatever as long as its somewhat consistant Ill be happy. Talk to you soon , and again thanks for the help!!!
Jaimie

[Chromenut]

With the auto tranny, you have to be very careful not to boost in overdrive. I'm not all that familiar with the woes of that model, so go check out PTCrew.com, you'll find plenty of others there who have been there, done that. They will offer you a plethora of information. Great gang there, and it's where I get most of my info from. Or rather got my info from...lol...

[ChefTank]

Robin,

Push away from the computer... Damn you type alot! Lol!




Josh

[Chromenut]

Originally Posted by ChefTank

Robin,

Push away from the computer... Damn you type alot! Lol!

Josh

lmao... yes, too much, what goes in my head, comes out my hands, I type faster than most secretaries...