I have heard that the ebc's can actually help on spool.

 

That is true. They dont bleed boost like manual controllers do. In essence, its a small boost leak with a manual so spoolup will improve. My brother is always telling me thats why he wants an electronic!

 

Just be sure the unit you choose will hold the boost you plan to run. I LOVED my old skool Profec B, but had to jump through hoops to get boost over 26 psi, even with a 20 psi spring. The solenoid just couldn't do any more. In the end I had to rig up a pressure regulator from a LICP source and put pressure on the "top" port of the external WG to hold it closed.

The newer profec type S or whatever it is works beautifully up to 30 psi thus far. The HKS EVC V I believe it is also does the same. I have both, I should probably figure out what the names are In the end I stick with the HKS, I like the display and extra features. I prefer the NPT fittings on the Greddy solenoid over the nipples on the HKS. If one of those lines blows off you can be in trouble. And this is why I always recomend sizing the fuel system components to the maximum airflow capacity of the turbo. It's easy for this to happen Spool up was very quick with both units. I only ran the MBC for a short time last year, so I can't recall if there was any appreciable improvement.

 

Like other have said the problem most people have with EBC is not knowing how to use them. It took me about 30 minutes of reading the manual and playing with the EBC to have it working right. I have used both a MBC and my EBC. Both work good but I perfer a good EBC.

Here is where I mounted my E0-1

 

Very similar to where I ended up with mine when I had it. Your install is cleaner, but mine was temporary and I wasn't ready to drill any holes in the dash.


I noticed what looks like an AEM UEGO gauge in your picture, also. That's another advantage of the E-01 specifically. If you choose to, you can skip buying seperate boost and AFR gauges and use the E-01 to display and datalog (on a limited basis) boost (in whatever unit of measure you prefer), RPM, and AFR (assuming you have a wideband controller). Or, if you use a more complex datalogging setup that can log MAP voltage, the E-01 uses a 5-BAR MAP sensor.

Finally, I was really impressed with the RPM Offset for a stock turbo Evo. Here is an example of the back-to-back improvement seen by using that feature:

3rd gear roll from ~3000 RPM. RPM Offset feature on the E-01 turned off.
5030 RPM = 21.5 PSI
5510 = 20.8
6010 = 20.1
6530 = 19.1
6990 = 18.7
7250 = 18.4

3rd gear roll from ~3000 RPM using the RPM Offset feature on the E-01.
4960 RPM = 21.5 PSI
5510 = 21.4
6000 = 21.7
6490 = 20.6
6990 = 20.5
7250 = 20.5

That was when the car had DP-back exhaust with no cat and the E-01. Everything else was stock.

 

Unless you get the more expensive/complex EBCs on the market, the boost will not come on as hard and you will have higher boost in higher gears. This is because they rely solely on a "duty cycle" for controlling boost, IE if the duty cycle is set at 70, that means for a given span of time, the boost control solenoid will be open for 70% of the time, and closed for 30% of the time. The more expensive units have ways to compensate for this, and actually use the boost feedback signal for more than reading boost or overboost cutoffs and such.

That said, I love my cheap little EBC (Blitz Dual SBC) because it's adjustable from within the cockpit, has a boost gauge built-in, overboost cutoff, peak boost, etc. So, say I'm driving in the snow...with the turn of a knob I can cut the boost all the way down to the minimum boost it takes to open the wastegate. For the conveniences I can deal with the boost variances in different gears, although I do plan on upgrading in the future.

 

I don't mean to high jack this thread but I have a brand new Forge MBC and a slightly used Hallman MBC that are just sitting here waiting for a buyer. That being said I use a Greddy Profec B Spec II ebc and I have been very happy with it. Their is a thread on the forums about what people are using for settings...and I just used that as a reference when dialing mine in. It also tells you peak boost which is a nice feature...plus it is a secondary boost gauge which doesn't hurt.

As far as install it is simple. Their is a hole in the firewall behind your glove box. You can easily run a vaccum line through their plus your wires for the unit. I like it because you can adjust in the cabin...but yeah...your going to spend 150 and up extra to go with convenience.

 

For you E-01 junkies out there i was just wondering, on the brain box there is a what looks like a plug-in marked "option". Has anyone used this before or know what you can plug into it?

Edit*nevermind, found it!

 

Depends on what your looking at. There is an yellow wire listed as option. That is an output wire that can be used for a warning light or buzzer. There is also an external input harness that is sold separately. This is so you can monitor/datalog other gauges like wide band 02/ EGT/Oil pressure... Gauges must have an output signal for this to work.

 

This quote from XS Engineering sorta sums up my opinion on MBC's, saved me some typing lol:

"We have also selected an electronic boost controller so boost will stay consistent under all conditions. Mechanical boost controllers will vary boost output based on ambient temperature, humidity, and elevation changes making them dangerous at best."

"Dangerous at best" seems sort of harsh but I agree that a EBC is the way to go if you can afford it.

BTW dryad001. when you got a new HKS EVC did you just replace the stepping motor (they don't use a solenoid by the way)? Because if you ran the original harness through the firewall and created a short that might explain you blowing up a second stepping motor if the harness was not changed or inspected. I know the harness is the least fun part of the install and I could see how someone might skip replacing it. Just food for thought.

 

Depending on the setup, sometimes an EBC has to be used (exotic water/methanol kits, electrically signal WG to open in emergency).

But if you dont require the use of one, a MBC is more appropriate

 

Get the Apex AVC-R, best features for the buck. RPM based boost, Gear based Boost, Scramble boost, Peak Hold, plus no worries on the duty cycle, makes target boost in every gear and holds solid.