Mechanical vs. Electronic Boost Controllers

[slow car]

not that i have any money for an EBC, but i have heard that MBCs could possibly be a safety hazzard in some way... i am thinking of the Hallman Evolution... still cheap but it gives you remote adjustability.

so basically:

• What dangers come with using a MBC?

• Is the EBC worth the extra money?

• Which MBCs are most popular/ most successful with DSMs?

[GSXtsy]

1. I don't think there is any serious danger with using a MBC, they MIGHT spike more then a some better quality EBC's, but that should be ok in small amounts.

2.Kind of personal opinion here. EBC have more features, some can be tuned more exactly. And they can be adjusted from in the cockpit and while moving. But, of corse they cost more.

3. I'm not really sure, i have an EBC, but I think there is still a poll on the homepage of this site saying how many people have what controller.

[destrux]

Alot of people actually make their own MBC's. Theres a how-to on www.vfaq.com about this.
then there's the joe-p MBC, the hallman, the extreme, and a ton of others. It seems like the joe-p is the most popular (from what i've seen anyway), but I've heard of some people getting spikes of as much as 5psi from those.
If you are looking at a $150 budget maybe get an EBC from somebody on Ebay. There's always profec's and whatnot going off for cheap on there. Most of it's used, but who cares?... as long as it works.

[bassrushflo]

tHE ONLY REAL DANGER IS THAT THE SETTING CAN CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER, IF THE NUT HOLDING ITS PLACE CAME LOOSE OR A VARIETY OF OTHER REASONS BUT THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BOOST GAUGES. IF YOU SEE THE BOOST IS TOO HIGH YOU STOP AND CHANGE THE SETTING. IT BECOME DANGEROUS WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING TOO HIGH A BOOST LEVEL WITH NO ENOUGH GAS. LEAN MIXTURE= DETONATION (ENGINE GOES BOOM). MBC ARE NOT BAD, I RUN A HALLMAN, I HEAR THE JOE P IS GOOD TOO.

[slow car]

thanks GSXtsy, destrux and yelling man!

i really would like an EBC... so i plan on holding off until i can find a used one... i have a couple of friends that i could see replacing their 1 year old models when the next flashingest beepingest spinningest one comes out :P

[barney]

Do you friend's cars look like this?

http://home.hetnet.nl/~mailjos/index.html

[Big Red 211]

Damn, I'm going to make my interior look just like that. Sweeeet.:rolleyes:

Seriously, like Bass all you have to do is reset your boost every once and a while. It's not that big of a deal.

[99GTsc]

I'd wait for the EBC. I found a HKS EVC IV on eBay for $300 about two years ago. You can find a Profec B for much less.

[slow car]

Originally posted by barney
Do you friend's cars look like this?

http://home.hetnet.nl/~mailjos/index.html

if that were a mkIII supra, yes, yes they do.. and some how they're still my friends :dunno:

[autoxr37]

if your looking for advice on different parts, a good place to start is DSMreviews.com You can check out what other people have to say about different dsm parts.

[99GTsc]

here a few HKS EVC IV on eBay: a good price is ~$300 or lower

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873427493

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873412241

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873487874

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873376097

ProFec B search results:

click click (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&from=R7&ebaytag1=ebayreg&query=Profec+B&query2=Profec+B&search_option=1&exclude=&category0=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ebaytag1code=0&st=&SortProperty=MetaEndSort)

[scotthidley]

There are also "cabin" adjustable mbc's. Don't forget the dual stage mbc's either (hi/lo setting via switch controlled).

I like my ebc for:
the fact that I can adjust it from inside. It has 4 different settings (which I can flip through for various temps, I don't need hi/lo, either I get on the gas or I don't).
it has a built in gauge
it has a peak boost reading
it has a built in alarm
it can control boost up to 37 psi (which I currently don't need to worry about, but do plan on being able to boost up to 30 eventually)

If you just want to turn up your boost to 15 psi, not worry about adjusting it all the time, and don't want to go any further with the car, then an ebc is by far overkill. If you want to run high boost, you still don't need an ebc, but you need at least a high quality mbc.

[slow car]

thanks again for the responce. i am planning on getting a good MBC for now, and upgrading to some sort of EBC when i need it, i.e. when i upgrade turbo and FMIC.

as for MBC. i've heard of the "fish bowl" style causing spikes and being of poor design. please tell me which ones use this so i can avoid them, and reccomend a good quality MBC.

i am thinking of the Joe P MBC XZ (new design, it's a knob like Hallman) $45, or the Hallman ES.

[scotthidley]

The "fish bowl" style mbc is not a mbc. It threw me off for a minute. Its a bleeder valve, that has a similar effect to a m/ebc. Look at the parts reviews section, just type in the type of mbc your interested in and you'll find quite a bit. Joe P's and Hallmans both seem to get good reviews, I haven't used either myself, so can't comment. Stick with one with a name brand at least. By that I mean don't buy a homemade one from ebay or something similar (this is because the spring rate has a very good likely hood of being wrong, and being a pita).

[slow car]

oh, okay, thanks :)