I had a VF34 on my old '02..you will of course see more lag and sacrifice some "streetability" with the larger turbo. A boost controller is probably not the answer; a talented Protuner should be able to optimize the map to make sure boost doesn't come on too late.

What is your goal for the car? Are you a drag racer, or do you just want to enjoy the car on a day-to-day basis? You will lose a good bit of low-end power going to the 18G on a 2 liter.

I won't preach at you about the transmission...I'm running a 2.5 block with the Blouch TD06-18G on a 2002 tranny in my car at the moment. :tongue:

 

Its my dd so want it to be streetable and maintain low rpm boost levels ...
But on the freeway some boost pull from fourth gear would help when someone rolls up ...but I heard that anything stronger than 18g is puttin wear and tear in the stock tranny and 2.0liter so... I'm looking for the smart route .

 

Top end
Low end

Pick one.

And an 18G can do more than enough to tear your transmission apart if not driven right.

 

I have a friend with an 05 WRX running a 20G and he's tuned to start boosting at like 2200rpms.

With an 18G and a proper tune, you'll barely notice it.

Very worthwhile upgrade.... and still very streetable for DD.

2nd gear was improved over the bugeye years in the 04-05 WRXs, so long as you drive it responsibly, you should be fine.

Depending on your elevation and injectors, I see no reason why you can't put 280-320 at the wheels, which isn't "rediculous" at all.

And an 18G can do more than enough to tear your transmission apart if not driven right.

Agreed.... but so can the stock turbo if you drive like an asshat.

I know a guy with a low 12 sec bugeye, that has over 80 drag strip passes, and 150K miles on the STOCK bugeye transmission (unusual, but I've seen it with my own eyes)

I also know plenty of punks that blow their trannies in stock cars with under 5k miles.

Just depends on the driver really.

 

I really like the powerband of a friends 18G'd bugeye. Donkey on here just upgraded to an 18G from a PnP's TD04 on his bugeye - he could probably shed some light for you.

A boost controller is probably not the answer; a talented Protuner should be able to optimize the map to make sure boost doesn't come on too late.

If he's going to upgrade turbos, he's going to want to upgrade his boost control (it's ~$100 on top of the $1500 for a proper 18G setup). Whether or not he uses an MBC or BCS should be a decision between him and his tuner.

Personally, I went the BCS route because I like the ECU being able to compensate for temperature differences (it's more of a set/forget form of boost control), where an MBC may require adjustments if you see large temperature fluctuations.

 

I really like the powerband of a friends 18G'd bugeye. Donkey on here just upgraded to an 18G from a PnP's TD04 on his bugeye - he could probably shed some light for you.



If he's going to upgrade turbos, he's going to want to upgrade his boost control (it's ~$100 on top of the $1500 for a proper 18G setup). Whether or not he uses an MBC or BCS should be a decision between him and his tuner.

Personally, I went the BCS route because I like the ECU being able to compensate for temperature differences (it's more of a set/forget form of boost control), where an MBC may require adjustments if you see large temperature fluctuations.

BCS=boost control setup? im not sure

But ok...definitley would rather set it and forget so appreciate the quick response...I Can't Wait!!

 

Boost control solenoid.

 

Ohh...Thanks

 

A 3-port EBCS will generally improve spool up characteristics and overall boost management.

I'm working through a tune with the stock turbo now where it seems to pull hardest from 4,000 up to a peak at 5,000 then taper off. I swear I've lost some low end spool, but maybe that's the tradeoff I have to accept trying to get 16-17 psi at peak. BTW, I had to adjust my wastegate arm out 4 turns to get my current peak, which is around .115 MPa, which should be 16psi if my math is correct.

 

I'm working through a tune with the stock turbo now where it seems to pull hardest from 4,000 up to a peak at 5,000 then taper off. I swear I've lost some low end spool, but maybe that's the tradeoff I have to accept trying to get 16-17 psi at peak.

If you tune it right you should be seeing a spool decrease. There should be no trade off of spool time by trying to run more boost. Are you using a 3port or stock solenoid?

 

On my stock turbo I used to hit 20 psi by 3000-3100 rpm in third gear. With the TD05H-18G I'm now hitting 20 psi by 3800-4000rpm in 3rd. In 1st I could hit 17psi by 5500rpm on the stocker. With the 18G its more like 12-15psi by redline in first. For me the TD05H is noticeable over the TD04L in the lower gears and part throttle but in 4th and 5th not so much. Plus running 20psi to redline is nice and makes up for it!

 

Still using the stock solenoid. I am definitely considering switching to a 3 port though, as I've heard nothing but good things. I can grab one for $80 from Mach V.

I have to see if I'm hitting target too. I definitely saw .11 on the gauge yesterday, but I still need to make some solid pulls. I'll try to take her out tonight and see if I'm hitting .115-.117.

 

Still using the stock solenoid. I am definitely considering switching to a 3 port though, as I've heard nothing but good things. I can grab one for $80 from Mach V.

A 3port will definately make an improvement. I myself used to use the GM Typhoon/Syclone 3-port. You can get them new for $25. I actually bought mine for $15 new at the time from GM Parts direct but they became the hot ticket and GM bumped the price up to almost $50. I find them all the time on Ebay for $25 new. One thing you can do is run the solenoid at 100% duty cycle at over 70% throttle durring spool up. Kinda like this(old TD04L-13Tmap) :

 

I thought that he was talking about a boost controller as we refered to it in the old days, ie, an MBC (valve). I did replace my solenoid when I did the hybrid swap; my tuner recommended it.

Donkey's feedback pretty much confirmed what I was thinking would happen to the powerband.

 

I got a chance to run her today and I'm still only hitting just over .1 MPa. I've already turned the wastegate arm out 4 turns. Either it isn't hitting target, or the gauge is off. I'm sure I'll know if the gauge is off when I data log.

Donkey, thanks for the advice. I'll pass that along to PDX for when they do the map revisions after I get them the data logs. I'm also trying to figure out why a P0444 DTC showed up right after I switched to their map. PDX said it could have been present before and just masked by my previous Cobb Stage 2 tune. I may switch back to the Cobb map and see if the code returns once cleared to see if that's really the case.

 

If PDX is doing the tuning I'm sure they know how to get quick spool. They have a pretty good reputation. I thought maybe you were doing self tuning on your own. As far as the P0444 it should be related to the EVAP solenoid connected to the front of the intake manifold located to the right of the turbo inlet pipe. I doubt the Cobb tune was masking it. The map notes clearly state which DTC's are defeated/disabled and I don't believe that is one of them. Maybe a vacuum line came unplugged,the solenoid itself unplugged or the solenoid is now faulty.

 

I have the factory troubleshooting info from Alldata, so I was going to work through the procedures. I couldn't see the Cobb tune defeating this, what practical purpose could it serve? I'll see if I can figure it out.

Regarding max boost. Like I said I'm still not hitting .115-.117 on my gauge like want. I'm already 4 turns out on the wastegate arm. I don't think going any further is a good idea because the end is already close to where it will want to fall off. Can max boost be adjusted via tuning to compensate?

I've now totally hijacked this thread; sorry guys.

 

Max boost has to be adjusted through the tables I posted above. The solenoid probably either needs more wastegate duty cycle through either the main table or the IAT wastegate duty cycle compensation table. Colder weather = less wastegate duty cycle to hit the same boost. Sometimes the compensations tables are off especially once you start modding.