Best manual boost controller?

[BLACKCAT]

So what is the best manual boost controller on the market at the moment & why?

[NME308]

For an external wastegate I have just switched to a small gas pressure regulator and love it! The bottom port of the wastegate gets full boost pressure as per normal while the top port has regulated pressure fed via T off the normal supply line. I can run an 8psi wastegate spring and add say approx 12psi to the top of the wastegate and have 20psi boost. Adjusting is extremely simple - just turn the pressure regulator dial for more or less boost.

On the internal wastegate turbo I had last I loved the ebay boost T thingy, you know the ones consisting of a threaded T piece with two hose tails and an adjuster bolt tensioning a ball and spring with a bleed hole... Seemed to work a treat! I was using this on my external gate but was concerned about back pressure overcoming the gate too easily.

These happen to be the only two forms of manual boost control I have tried, but they worked for me.

Cheers,
Jason

[BLACKCAT]

Thank you for your input Jason.
The reason I ask is that I am currently using the T type you described but am having issues with it.
Even with the bolt loosened as far as possible & next to no spring tension on the ball my Toyota turbo has no trouble hitting my boost cut of 18psi by around 5400rpm.
Would prefer to be able to rev it to 6500 as I have aftermarket cams.
Trying to find a softer spring as I believe the one in there is too hard which makes minor adjustments pretty difficult.

[Draven]

internal wastegate? (ie: is it possible your wastegate can't flow enough to control the boost?)

and in general all manual boost controllers are less than ideal at controlling boost - I'd highly recommend an EBC for serious boost levels

[BLACKCAT]

Yes internal wastegate, CT26 highflowed.

[mattysshop]

divorced dump pipe?? we find that is the biggest killer with controlling boost, all other things being equal..

back on topic -

best i have used was a $40 special Turbo XS from autobarn... the wife actually bought it for me as a pressie on the little GT starlet i was fixing for her... not only was it the cheapest.. but it replaced one of those $12.95 ebay specials (very easy DIY item) which just seemed to build up a very large spike and then taper off, it was also VERY hard to make small adjustments..

one of these little fellas was brilliant!.. in theory it's exactly the same as the ebay cheapey... but the increments you can adjust are far more user friendly, and i had no boost spiking, everything on the car remained the same, i could run 13psi all day no worries (EP82 only has a 2 bar map)



what i would really suggest though is an EBC as draven mentioned..

[Bazda]

GFB also make some good units.

[Fodder]

I've been using a Turbotech brand one off ebay for a good few years now, slight spike when it comes hard onto boost occasionally but other than that works well.

I've had to re-set it a few times because over time I find the boost level creeps a bit lower - my personal theory is the spring getting tired due to wear / heat cycling.

That said, I don't know of any boost controller that will let you set the boost level lower than the factory wastegate control, which is what it sounds like you're after.

[punkture]

Had a eBay t thing bleed valve, kept
Fluctuating at max boost and was hard to adjust; now have a turbos art or something ebc, looks expensive, works amazing!

[boxh34d]

18psi and climbing suggests that the boost controller is not your primary problem. . I too would say that wastegate size / flow / position etc is a likely cause.
What happens when you take the boost T out and just run on the wastegate actuator directly?

[BLACKCAT]

Under wot load on a dyno I had the cut set to 19psi, with the standard hose setup, & it was fine never hit boost cut.
On the street it would easily exceed that & has hit 24psi once.

[Indelible]

because on a dyno there is no low gear sudden throttle driving as you would when dropping back a gear and flooring it
dyno is normally run in 4th gear and less aggressively , if i run my highest boost/gain setting on my ebc that it was dyno'd on
i'll hit boost cut in 2nd and 3rd but i can run lower gain to come on slower and avoid it

might be your wastegate cant flow enough quick enough once full boost is achieved so wouldnt notice the spiking without
the boost control unit but having said that havent heard the best of manual boost t's/valves

[boxh34d]

The hypergear (??) manual controllers were pretty good. They use a pressure regulator primarily to stop bleeding off any boost pressure until set pressure is obtained, then has course and fine adjutment for overall pressure.
I don't think any kind of controller will really help you that much though.
What car / engine / turbo (more specific than CT26 HF) are we talking here?

[BLACKCAT]

MX83 Cressida with auto & 7MGTE.