Everything You Need to Know About Boost Controllers

Manual Boost Controllers Vs. Electronic Boost Controllers

Boost controllers live up to their namesake by allowing you to control your vehicle’s boost level with a great deal of adjustability. There are many reasons why you might want to have more control over your boost, most of which point to making more power out of your engine. A boost controller is a great way to improve your vehicle’s driving dynamics, but choosing between a manual and an electronic boost controller can be a tricky decision. The main distinction between manual and electronic boost controllers is how they are controlled, be it via the physical adjustment of the controller or the use of a computer to make the adjustments. Either way, both serve the same essential purpose: to control the amount of boost that’s allowed to enter the engine. However, they do so by different means and with various functionalities. So let’s look at each, uncovering how they work and what they can do for you.

Boost Controller Basics

Boost controllers adjust boost pressure by essentially tricking the actuator spring in the wastegate, making it think (if a spring could think) that there’s less boost pressure being made than there is. An inquisitive-minded person may question what a boost controller would offer over simply changing the spring pressure of the wastegate. Note that the wastegate spring rate is the minimum pressure your system can make (under load). No boost controller can open the wastegate at a lower pressure than the spring is designed for. So, having a controller allows that spring rate to be heightened while maintaining easy adjustability effectively. And while a wastegate spring might be rated for 15psi (for example), that’s the point at which the wastegate will be fully open. As a result, it will start to open sooner, leading to longer spool times. A boost controller can make it more of a precise operation, shortening spool times and maximizing performance gains.

Manual Boost Controller - Overview

As you might have guessed, manual boost controllers require manual adjustment to alter the boost pressure, meaning you’ll have to open up your hood any time you want to adjust your boost pressure. Manual boost controllers are installed in line with the boost reference line (a tube on the intake side) between the charge pipe and the wastegate. Inside a manual boost controller is a spring and a ball, the tension adjusted by tightening or loosening the controller. This effectively alters how much boost is required before the ball will let pressure pass, controlling the boost pressure reference the wastegate sees to adjust its actuation artificially. Manual boost controllers may be a cost-effective solution to adjusting boost, but be careful—adjusting boost without a proper tune can wreak havoc on the reliability of your engine. They do increase boost, but nothing else controls the controller so that they can be more prone to issues without proper attention. Changes in elevation, temperature, and other environmental factors can cause a vehicle equipped with a manual boost controller to be unpredictable and unreliable without careful adjustment.

Electronic Boost Controller - Overview

Electronic boost controllers serve the same fundamental function as manual boost controllers; the boost reference is altered to adjust the boost pressure, and the wastegate spring rate is still the minimum boost pressure for the system. The benefit of an electronic boost controller is that it controls the adjustment of the wastegate automatically (by ECU or other means), meaning it can be done on the fly without needing your intervention under the hood. Instead of a spring and ball, electronic boost controllers use a pulsed solenoid at varying speeds to achieve the desired boost reference.

Why an Electronic Boost Controller Might Be Worth It

In short, it’s because electronic boost controllers can implement dynamic boost pressures, whereas manual controllers are static. To be even briefer, tunability. Why does that matter? Well, let’s put it in reference to a hypothetical. Let’s say your car runs perfectly fine for your daily driving on 8PSI of boost, controlled by a manual boost controller. But, for track days, you want to turn up the boost to 16 PSI to shave down your times. As a result, you achieve more power, but you’re starting to experience a knock from 3,000 rpm to 4,200 rpm that clears up in the higher rpm range. With a manual boost controller, you’d have to turn down your boost to a safe level at all rpm ranges. With an electronic boost controller, you can set a boost pressure relative to maps, meaning you can turn down the boost for that 3,000 to 4,200 rpm range and turn it back up for the higher rpm ranges where you’re not experiencing knock. Electronic boost controllers give you the most control over your boost level while minimizing the time it takes to reach your desired boost pressure. There are many styles of electronic boost controllers available, so speak with one of our technicians at Boostin Performance to see which is suitable for your build.

Control Your Boost With Boostin

Boostin Performance can help you choose a boost controller, install it on your vehicle, and get your vehicle tuned for peak performance and reliability. We’ve got the experience and expertise to get your car ready to take on the track and your daily commute reliably, so give us a call today and let us make it happen.