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Installed EBC Now Car Is Slower???

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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 07:49 PM
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Default Installed EBC Now Car Is Slower???

Hello gents,
I recently installed an Innovate SCG-1 Electronic Boost Controller and now my car feels noticeably slower and has now lost races to cars it shouldn't lose too.
I've been running a 13.2 lb. spring on gate for years and have always been very happy with the cars performance until now.
The only changes being the EBC and a 3.8 lb. spring in the wastegate so the EBC can dump boost when needed.
Has anybody else ran into this?
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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted by The ******
Hello gents,
I recently installed an Innovate SCG-1 Electronic Boost Controller and now my car feels noticeably slower and has now lost races to cars it shouldn't lose too.
I've been running a 13.2 lb. spring on gate for years and have always been very happy with the cars performance until now.
The only changes being the EBC and a 3.8 lb. spring in the wastegate so the EBC can dump boost when needed.
Has anybody else ran into this?
With using manifold pressure you are usually good for 2:1 on the wg spring. How much boost do you currently log and how much before the SCG-1?

I wouldn't doubt that you are seeing less boost now than you did on the 13.2lbs spring setup...
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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 08:07 PM
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I'm unable to log unfortunately and it also seems like peak boost is erratic.
I thought I had it dialed for 13.4 lbs. and then after checking the memory feature it was at 11.4.
With the 13 lbs. spring it hit hard and pulled hard, now it feels sluggish and slow to gain boost.
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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by The ******
I'm unable to log unfortunately and it also seems like peak boost is erratic.
I thought I had it dialed for 13.4 lbs. and then after checking the memory feature it was at 11.4.
With the 13 lbs. spring it hit hard and pulled hard, now it feels sluggish and slow to gain boost.
I'm impressed you got nearly 3:1 on that baby spring. lol

But it is likely your baby spring issue on manifold pressure. If you were on c02 that baby spring would do well.

Go back to the old 13lbs spring and set the controller at zero. I bet you will go faster....
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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by islander033
I'm impressed you got nearly 3:1 on that baby spring. lol

But it is likely your baby spring issue on manifold pressure. If you were on c02 that baby spring would do well.

Go back to the old 13lbs spring and set the controller at zero. I bet you will go faster....
Ah I see, but the controller has a boost / afr cut feature.
If the base spring pressure is 13 psi how will it dump pressure when the cut features are needed?
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Old Jun 25, 2019 | 08:47 PM
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Originally Posted by The ******
Ah I see, but the controller has a boost / afr cut feature.
If the base spring pressure is 13 psi how will it dump pressure when the cut features are needed?
I’m not familiar with that controller. You’d have to set it up for a larger spring.

Lets say you want 15psi on kill, use a spring around 8lbs. 2:1 is a reasonable expectation.

Ps. I know some ricers that use a 4 port valve for wg control and can achieve a stable 3:1 ratio off of manifold pressure.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by islander033
I’m not familiar with that controller. You’d have to set it up for a larger spring.

Lets say you want 15psi on kill, use a spring around 8lbs. 2:1 is a reasonable expectation.

Ps. I know some ricers that use a 4 port valve for wg control and can achieve a stable 3:1 ratio off of manifold pressure.
I would agree with this. It depends on what boost you want to scale from/to and when you want the cut to kick in.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 08:34 AM
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Originally Posted by ddnspider
I would agree with this. It depends on what boost you want to scale from/to and when you want the cut to kick in.
I'm looking to run right around 13 lbs. same as when I was on gate, I was really just looking to gain the advantages of an EBC and not make more boost since I'm already at the max boost the tune will accommodate.
A good friend of mine ran a TT LS setup with this controller and a 4 lb. spring making max boost at 22 lbs. without issue.
I realize every application is different and it sounds like my back pressure is opening the wastegate prematurely, slowing spool until boost pressure can over come the difference.
I guess I just assumed that in order for the boost/afr cut to be effective it had to dump as much boost as possible but that may not be possible with my setup and such a light wastegate spring.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 08:48 AM
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Originally Posted by The ******
I'm looking to run right around 13 lbs. same as when I was on gate, I was really just looking to gain the advantages of an EBC and not make more boost since I'm already at the max boost the tune will accommodate.
A good friend of mine ran a TT LS setup with this controller and a 4 lb. spring making max boost at 22 lbs. without issue.
I realize every application is different and it sounds like my back pressure is opening the wastegate prematurely, slowing spool until boost pressure can over come the difference.
I guess I just assumed that in order for the boost/afr cut to be effective it had to dump as much boost as possible but that may not be possible with my setup and such a light wastegate spring.
You have a cutout? Any difference with it open vs. closed?
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by ddnspider
You have a cutout? Any difference with it open vs. closed?
I do have a cutout but I only tune the car on the EBC with it open because through the full exhaust its very restrictive since I like the car quiet.
My cutout is located beneath the driver floor board so its a good 4-5 ft. down stream of the turbo using 3" pipe.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by The ******
I do have a cutout but I only tune the car on the EBC with it open because through the full exhaust its very restrictive since I like the car quiet.
My cutout is located beneath the driver floor board so its a good 4-5 ft. down stream of the turbo using 3" pipe.
back pressure shouldn't be too bad then. I think I picked up 30whp when my cutout was in the same location at 8 psi lol. I would double check the plumbing and how its configured. Could always go back to intake referenced only real quick and make sure nothing else changed.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by The ******
Hello gents,
I recently installed an Innovate SCG-1 Electronic Boost Controller and now my car feels noticeably slower and has now lost races to cars it shouldn't lose too.
I've been running a 13.2 lb. spring on gate for years and have always been very happy with the cars performance until now.
The only changes being the EBC and a 3.8 lb. spring in the wastegate so the EBC can dump boost when needed.
Has anybody else ran into this?
3.8lb spring is probably cracking from backpressure and bleeding your spool up. Put the 13.2lb spring back in and enjoy it, no reason to run any lower boost then that.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by SLOW SEDAN
3.8lb spring is probably cracking from backpressure and bleeding your spool up. Put the 13.2lb spring back in and enjoy it, no reason to run any lower boost then that.
This. The gate is probably floating open a little. You'll build boost considerably slower and have issues maintaining consistent pressure.
You need to run either a compressed air tank or CO2 to get away with a spring pressure that low.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:13 AM
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Originally Posted by SLOW SEDAN
3.8lb spring is probably cracking from backpressure and bleeding your spool up. Put the 13.2lb spring back in and enjoy it, no reason to run any lower boost then that.
Originally Posted by JoeNova
This. The gate is probably floating open a little. You'll build boost considerably slower and have issues maintaining consistent pressure.
You need to run either a compressed air tank or CO2 to get away with a spring pressure that low.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the input.
So what's the point of buying an EBC that can cut boost if you have to run a wastegate spring close to the boost being run?
The whole point was to have a controller that can help protect my engine but now that seems moot with running the same spring as before?
Thanks again guys.

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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:19 AM
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It can still drop boost from 15 lbs to ~7-8 lbs. Doesn't seem like much until you have an issue and it drops boost enough to keep AFR within a better range.
You have to remember that a lot of 4-cylinder cars use those products. They have to run 20+ PSI to make decent power. Dropping from 25 PSI to 7 PSI is a considerable advantage for them.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by JoeNova
It can still drop boost from 15 lbs to ~7-8 lbs. Doesn't seem like much until you have an issue and it drops boost enough to keep AFR within a better range.
You have to remember that a lot of 4-cylinder cars use those products. They have to run 20+ PSI to make decent power. Dropping from 25 PSI to 7 PSI is a considerable advantage for them.
Ah I see, so it looks like ideally its a 2:1 ratio.
I intend to run even more boost in the future with a Gen IV 5.3 and race gas.
Hoping for 18 ish lbs. at 800 whp before running out of turbine so if that's the case then I should be running at minimum a 10 lb. spring.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:43 AM
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Did you try adjusting the gain?
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by jayyyw
Did you try adjusting the gain?
I did actually but gain is defined as feature that tailors the boost from tapering off on the top end in the Innovate manual not how its brought in.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by The ******
I did actually but gain is defined as feature that tailors the boost from tapering off on the top end in the Innovate manual not how its brought in.
Correct. Some have a spring setting so the solenoid blocks boost pressure until a certain PSI to help spool, but in your case that may not be helping if BP is pushing it open. You could route it so that your boost pressure is routed to the top of the gate, not sure how your's is currently setup.
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Old Jun 26, 2019 | 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by SLOW SEDAN
Correct. Some have a spring setting so the solenoid blocks boost pressure until a certain PSI to help spool, but in your case that may not be helping if BP is pushing it open. You could route it so that your boost pressure is routed to the top of the gate, not sure how your's is currently setup.
Currently plumbed as such.

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