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BOOST CONTROLLER FAQ

How is boost controlled?

When a turbocharged vehicle comes off a production line, it’s basic method of boost control is taken care of by the wastegate (actuator) which is the can shaped object you’d usually find on the exhaust side of the turbo. There is a short hose that connect the compressor side of the turbo to the wastegate. In most cases a turbo charged vehicle produces somewhere in the vicinity of 7psi boost (stock standard).

This hose tells the wastegate the amount of boost being produced by the turbo. When pressure in this hose reaches a predetermined amount (around 7psi) the wastegate actuator (which is basically a spring) opens; allowing an amount of air to pass through it and into the engines exhaust system away from the turbo.

In this way boost pressure can be limited and controlled.

Where does our boost controller come in?

In simple terms our boost controller allows the actuator to stay closed for longer, which in turn causes more boost to be built up by the turbo.

The boost controller does this; by allowing a set amount of air to escape from that turbo/wastegate system via itself. This very safely and efficiently causes the wastegate to think that less boost is being produced by the turbo than actually is.

Although there are other methods of ‘tricking’ the wastegate such as physically altering it, the previously mentioned method also known as the “gated system” is by far the safest and technologically advanced means of doing it.

How does our boost controller get the job done?

As previously mentioned, the job of our boost controller is to keep the wastegate closed for longer by allowing a set amount of air to escape the turbo/wastegate system.

This is accomplished ingeniously simply. Inside of the boost controller there is a spring that holds a small metallic ball down, the ball stays right in front of the outlet of the top ‘exhaust’ nipple on the boost controller. When the dial is turned all the way to the left (no extra boost) the ball is completely pressed against the floor and nipple which causes no air to escape through the boost controller. Now when the dial is turned to the right (increasing the boost) the spring in the boost controller becomes less taught, which allows the ball to move around vertically; to a certain degree. Therefore, air is now able to escape through the boost controller, as the ball is no longer completely blocking off the exhaust nipple; and more boost is in this way created.