don't street tune your setup as i can tell your not on par with that... instead save up and have it tuned at a dyno by a professional. This not only ensures your safe but gives you actual numbers so you're not guessing at your whp/wtq.

Better to spend a few hundred on the dyno than about 5-600 on a new motor and a lot of your labor.

 

Well, I have worked on all sorts of motors and I know how to tune a N/A car (old school muscle that is), this is just my first time with a turbo set up. I understand fuel curves and what the EGT and a wideband AFR can tell me. I am just not sure of what hardwar/software to use on a turbo. The main question being.... For 6 psi IC boost, do I need a more agressive fuel system than what I already have?

 

bigger pump... big fmu... and you should be ok but watch your egt and afr's.

 

boe what should EGT's read at idle, partial throttle, WOT? i have good ideas but i just want to make sure my numbers are all correct.

 

it will very between cars and setups but i idled around 450-500c, cruised at around 700-800c depending if there were hills and stuff, and at WOT i kept it at 820-850c on pump gas. On Race gas i let it get up to 880c. Some would push it to 900c on race gas but after 4 motors i learned to be happy with a little safety margin. Good luck.

 

What are you using to tune the car with. Im running a similiar setup. Any type of piggyback system or anything?

 

Like Boe said, EGTs per car and setup will vary, but they should not vary by much (at least with our cars - Lancers and Mirages). It will also depend on where you have your EGT gauge. Some mount it in the manifold (preferred) and some mount it in the downpipe.

With a manifold mounted EGT gauge, I see about 300 - 400 degrees. At crusie 500 - 600, and I have my warning set at 800... i wouldnt recommend surpassing 800 degrees, especially street tuned. All of this is on 93 octane.

800 seems a viable limit. One of my Mirage buddies was seeing 780 degrees at 17 psi. I wouldnt look to pass 800 degrees on a street-tune.

 

The key to tuning with the AFR and EGT gauges is balancing them out. A good tune will keep a good moderate (not too rich or lean air/fuel mix) while also keeping the EGT's low. Lean = HIGH EGT RICH = LOW EGT The readings will vary under load, but can be tuned so that it is not dramaticaly varried with proper fuel manaemengt hardware.... I.E. FPR / FMU / High Flow Fuel Pump / Larger Injectors / AFC / ETC. Also using a boost controler along with the boost gauge will ensure you know what you are boosting. Tuning is not extremely dificult as some make it sound, but Boost in the wrong hands is dangerous . You do have to know how to read the gauges and what factors into each aspect of what the gauge is reading.

 

you do realize you can have nice and low egt's with a good afr and still detonate right. It is often necessary to pull timing while tuning. Keep that in mind.

 

how do you pull timing, i mean by how many degrees. how many degrees should you pull timing if your running 7-9 psi, stock internals, 93 octane, and running just a little rich. is it neccessary to stop detonating on our cars?
thanks for the advise in advance since i know boe knows the answer.

 

it is definately necessary to stop detonation. The stock pistons will take very little before they break... Forged pistons will take more but they will eventually break as well. Detonation is an audible killer to the engine. It can damage pistons/rods/bearings/valves/the head... etc!

Every car is different... today's aluminum heads and valve arangements allow motors to run cooler and disapate heat faster. Thus you can run more aggressive timing and get more power out of them. Everything has it's limits. If you're able to pull timing pull it to about 5 degrees and get things (AFR/EGT) in line. Then start adding the timing back in slowly until you hear/feel detonation. All the while making slight adjustments in you AFR to accomodate for the timing increases. Once you reach the point of detonation you should retard about 3-4 degrees back for pump gas daily drivers. Then you should add a little more fuel... maybe enough to drop .2-.3 afr richer. This not only gives you leeway for bad gas but also a cushion for higher temps outside.(summer time)

On average 10-15 degrees is a realm for stable daily driver operations. After that you tend to be in the race gas realm. On an already boosted car(from factory)... you can pull timing just enough so that the factory ecu takes over. Same goes for fuel. Factory car ecu's already can compensate for temp changes and bad gas detonation. Still it's only to a certain point so you have to get them adjusted within their realm to be effective.

Good luck.

 

On a dyno don't be discourage by a tuning pull with timing pulled out. That timing can take a lot of HP out of the car. In the end the mairage between timing/fuel/egt's will get you were you want to be safely and with numbers you'll like. It takes time so be patient.

 

wow. where did you learn all this stuff. i am saving this post as well as i did many other posts from boe to my desktop, for when i go turbo in the spring. thank you. i have one other question, what can be used to adjust timing, does e-manage do that? sorry if that is a stupid question but i am 18 and i had never messed w/ timing.

 

yes emanage will... the aem ems will... i think there are a few other piggy backs as well but the emanage and aem are ones i'd go with above all others.

 

is the aem really worth it i mean its like 3-5 times the price if you get a used emanage, plus you need or want a laptop w/ it. im just gonna buy the emanage cause it seems like the other evomer's like it. unless you think the ems is that much better cause once again i dont know much except im streched for money being 18 and would rather spend 300 on a used one then 1600 on a new ems