"Justino6969" (justino6969)
03/17/2014 at 19:38 • Filed to: None
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"Justino6969" (justino6969)
03/17/2014 at 19:38 • Filed to: None | 0
| 14 |
Evening Oppo. I've been wondering for a while now what I could do to my car to make it a little more spirited. I've heard of manual boost controllers before and thought about it, and was just wondering your opinion.
The car is a 2001 VW Jetta 1.8t. Everything I've read says the stock ECU and fuel pump handles duties up to a little over 1 bar, and kicks into limp mode for safety if it ever goes above that. So keeping the boost at <= 14 psi would be completely safe, so I've heard. I was always wary in the past but now I want to do it. Opinions? Am I being stupid? Anyone else ever used a MBC?
Arben72
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 19:43 |
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My saab has a mbc. I bought it that way otherwise it wouldn't have one, but I'm going to sell it soon and I'm not to worried about it. It's a hbc mbc and feels like a quality sold piece. Take it to a tuner and do what they recommend.
Christopher Keach
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 19:44 |
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I'll be the first to ask if you've taken any advanced-driving courses, since the best way to get more out of your car is to get more out of yourself. (Note 1: I am a hypocrite and haven't done this myself. Note 2: When I got my 1.8T back in 2001 the salesman took me on a drive that showed me it had a ton of potential bone stock right off the lot, at least in his capable hands.)
I know the 1.8T is a much-modded motor - is the manual boost control the best option you've found? Have you looked at ECU tunes/chips?
CAR_IS_MI
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 19:44 |
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First, get a proper tune (Not sure if those are flash or need to be chipped but that is step 1, then maybe an MBC but be careful with it not to create a lean condition or knock (although the ECU should have a strategy to prevent these things).
Reigntastic
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 19:53 |
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They're fun, just don't overdo it. I have an EBC in my MR2.
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Justino6969
> Christopher Keach
03/17/2014 at 19:53 |
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I've been looking at tunes for years, but the minimum of $500 keeps me away. I could do a MBC for $20. Poor college kid is poor.
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Justino6969
> Reigntastic
03/17/2014 at 19:55 |
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I would be too scared to go over 14psi. I would probably keep it at 12/13.
hethoughtofcars
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 19:58 |
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My mom had that engine with her 2003 Beetle Turbo S. It was tuned from the factory to 180hp and had a six speed manual. It was a lot of fun, but had some crazy torque steer if you played too hard with it. I'd recommend taking it easy, maybe doing suspension/tire upgrades or a short shifter first.
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Justino6969
> hethoughtofcars
03/17/2014 at 20:01 |
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Unfortunately my car has the AWW version of the 1.8, so 150 horses. Hopefully a MBC will fix that ;)
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hethoughtofcars
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 20:05 |
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Yeah, I was just trying to point out that even with just 30 more hp, the torque steer from that engine/transmission combo could get a little excessive. So I would recommend caution when pushing it. :)
beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 20:45 |
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from what I've heard, you'll get more out of the Jetta with a chip/tune than a boost controller. Especially with so many off the shelf tuning options.
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Justino6969
> beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
03/17/2014 at 20:48 |
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Oh I know I would get much better results with an actual ECU tune, and I would love to get an APR tune or something similar, but those cost $500 and up. This costs $20. Money is the only thing that's stopped me from chipping it for the past few years.
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beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 21:00 |
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You'll also want a boost gauge. no point dialing it up without knowing what you've set it to. any factory gauge you have won't be accurate enough. You'll also want to upgrade your diverter valve, these are only plastic in the Jetta and don't last very long on increased boost. You might even find it'll send any increased pressure straight back into the airbox.
At least the boost gauge and DV will also be needed with a tune.
I used a turbosmart MBC in my MR2 turbo, and a spitfire gauge and GFB BOV.. but seeings as the engine was made in 1990 there isn't as many tuning options without buying a whole new computer.
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Reigntastic
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 21:08 |
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I have mine set at 12psi currently. When I'm feeling frisky I'll bump it up to 14.
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Christopher Keach
> Justino6969
03/17/2014 at 21:15 |
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I can understand that. I just did a quick search and the opinion on VW Vortex (FWIW) is that an MBC is best when installed with a tune, not instead of a tune. Here's a thread with links to others. I don't have an informed opinion, but the old "you get what you pay for" usually applies to these situations.
I'm trying to think of a low-cost mod for you and can't think of one - definitely not one that would increase horsepower. In the Mini world, the typical recommendation for cheap, effective mod is a rear sway bar (and I love my polyurethane engine mount). I don't know if there's a similar go-to mod in the Jetta world.