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RB20 low down power upgrade?

CerealKiller
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CerealKiller Veteran

CerealKiller

Posted
Posted

I recently installed a front mount intercooler and accidently cut the wrong pipe. Anyway I did a quick patch up job but now I'm leaking boost (hot side intercooler), so in order to not do some damage I've been driving off boost. Conclusion - the RB20DET is a dog off boost. What mods can I do to improve low down performance?

Currently I've got installed:

A'PEXi Power Intake (pod filter) - but I'm going to change back to the stock airbox because I haven't made a partition and the heat soak is fairly noticable.

Blitz LM Intercooler

Blitz BOV (stock BOV still present)

exhaust is 2.5" but I'm changing to 3" very soon (hopefully).

I was thinking of getting some adjustable cams. UAS have this STR cams for $380 (both in and ex) which I think is a bargain - if properly tuned can cams give me some grunt down low (off boost)?

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https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/43215-rb20-low-down-power-upgrade/
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Roy Grand Master

Roy

Posted
Posted

Im all for chasing extra low boost response, and technology is spoliing us not having to live with too big a compromise.

But my thinking is that our cars are still fundamentally not designed for low down grunt. They are designed for a good balance of mid range, with acceptable bottom end and good top end.

The fact that we are talking about a low compression 2L engine, and it being a dog off boost, the only things you can really do to help the thing grunt down lower is the old fashioned NA tuning tricks....more displacement, more compression, or cam specification...and then there are the niceties of tweaking it all with adjustable cam gears etc.

So it depends on what you are after, and what you mean by low down performance...and the extent of the improvement you want, ultimately you are driving a small displacement 2L engine using forced induction.

Another compromise is the Audi A4 1.8L turbo, a friends even with being a 1.8L std motor grutns down low, you wouldnt pick it as the same displacement as an old TX3 turbo, but with their baby turbos giving punchy bottom end, there is simply no top end pull. Its like an NA 2.5/3.0L engine, but after 5,000rpm you are revving the little 20v engine because it can rev, not because it goes like stink up there.

You can always improve the effeciency of the engine, but after the usual bolt ons, doing so normally gets expensive

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