Monthly Archives: June 2016

Turbo Concepts, Turbo Selection

Turbo Concepts – Another option?

Several weeks ago someone posed a question about the Turbo Concepts brand of turbochargers for the Audi B5 S4.  I’d never heard of them before, so I checked out their website to try and learn some more about this company and their product line for the 2.7T engine.

I was happy to see that they provide some information about the products that they sell, that’s not always they case when it comes to aftermarket turbocharger suppliers.  Three products are available for the 2.7T engine, described as Stage 1, 2, and 3.  The Stage 1 product looks to be a replacement for the K04 with a bit more potential, and the Stage 2 & 3 are in the RS6 hybrid category.

As indicated in my quest for the best stock motor turbo, a K04 replacement is what I’m mostly interested in – a turbocharger that can retain K04-like spool yet delivers a bit more power towards the top end, the Turbo Concepts DZX-271 is the product in their lineup that is most closely aligned with what I am after.

Turbo Concepts DZX-271 Audi B5 S4 Turbochargers
Turbo Concepts DZX-271

Looking more closely at the information available it’s not clear if the Stage 1 turbo will differentiate itself from the other turbo’s that I have driven, or am planning to evaluate.   There is a claim of it being capable of flowing 28 lbs/min, but at what pressure ratio?  Even then, claimed flow rate numbers for a compressor don’t necessarily translate to vehicle performance.

For the time being I’ll wait to see if any user data is published that gives more indication of whether or not the Turbo Concepts product is something that will meet my criteria.

 

Nogaro S4

More Nogaro Silliness

While in the process of putting a replacement rain tray on the driver’s side I encountered more shake your head silliness with this Nogaro.  The driver’s side wiper arm was not budging when I tried to wiggle it off.  This didn’t come as a surprise since when I was loosening the nut that holds it in place I observed that it was torqued down excessively for a wiper arm.

Wiper Arm Silliness
Wiper Arm Silliness

At the same time I saw that a prior owner had managed to cut the electrical connections as well as fluid line to the washer nozzles.  C’mon, really?

The solution for the wiper arm was to raise the hood far enough so that I could get a gear puller on the arm and break it free.

Wiper Arm Solution
Wiper Arm Solution

Moving rearward I took the driver’s side rear tire off to put a smaller tire in place (from an 18″ to a 17″ wheel) and realized, holy hell, there’s no rear stabilizer bar.

Missing Rear Stabilizer Bar
Missing Rear Stabilizer Bar

I guess one of the previous owners liked body roll.  At the moment the car does not have a front or rear swaybar.  The situation is not dire, the car came with an upgraded Stabila (Black Forest Industries) front swaybar in the trunk, and I’ve got the 034Motorsport rear swaybar in my basement that’s been sitting in it’s box for a while, so I do have options to solve this issue quickly if I want to.

 

 

Testing

Hot weather data

I made a few measurements today taking advantage of the high temperatures to collect some comparison data on the TTE550 turbochargers and Silly Rabbit Motorsport SMIC’s.

The first chart is the 2-11 time that illustrates how long it takes for manifold pressure to rise from 2 to 11 psi at various engine speeds.

High Ambient Temperature 2-11 Time / TTE550
High Ambient Temperature 2-11 Time / TTE550

Today’s temperatures were in the 90’s and I have used a diamond shaped symbol to identify the data points that were recorded today.

There does not appear to be much, if any, additional delay as compared to measurements that were made when the ambient temperatures were in the 70’s.

I’ve not yet logged the car when ambient temperatures were in the 80’s.

A second set of readings I took were of the Intake Air Temperature, without Water-Methanol Injection active.

IAT With and Without WMI (TTE550 / SRM SMIC)
IAT With and Without WMI (TTE550 / SRM SMIC)

The comparison data, with WMI active, was recorded when the ambient temperatures were 6 degF cooler.

The SRM IC’s did a good job keeping temps in check even without the WMI, only rising about 20 degF over the pull in 94 degF temps which ended around 6100 rpm.  Had I continued to 6500 rpm the temperatures were on track to reach about a 25 degF rise.

For some perspective on a 25 degF rise in IAT, below is a chart showing the air temperature going into the turbo compressor (blue), leaving the turbo compressor (red), and the temperature reading after being cooled by the SRM IC’s at the IAT sensor inside the intake manifold (green).

TTE550 / SRM SMIC Hot Day Temperatures w/o WMI
TTE550 / SRM SMIC Hot Day Temperatures w/o WMI

The air temperature rises inside the turbocharger from 109 degF to 329 degF, and the SRM SMIC pulls the temperature back down to 146F.

An additional observation is that it is very evident the benefit that WMI brings, showing IAT’s that decrease and then hold steady throughout a similar boost-profile pull.