AVO Turbo Kit Owners Topic

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by s2d4

Good luck with that, haven't heard anyone with good experiences with MRT overlords by doing that.

Damn...yea I guessed so but was hoping otherwise.

[SkAsphalt]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Silly question. Is it possible to install the intercooler without taking off the front bumper? There's a whole thread on guys ending up with ill fitting bumpers after removing it....apparently the sides doesn't line up perfectly once the bumper is re-fitted.

No, no way. and there are also threads out there showing how to fix the bumper if you should not get it to line back up perfectly (patience and ingenuity)

[willharp360]

Anyone with this kit running the Tomei 80r?

[Zenith/Nadir]

Originally Posted by willharp360

Anyone with this kit running the Tomei 80r?

[ame]http://youtu.be/6qnWxlPtzH8[/ame]

[Skorov]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Another question. If buying an AVO kit that includes a base map, all I'll need to get running is a license yea (I can borrow the cable from buddy)? Is the license country specific? I mean can I buy the license from the US and use it in Australia?

I plan to just run with the base map for time being, but if I want to tune it later on I would need to just pay for the cost of a tune, plus dyno time, yes?

And does anyone know if an Australian ecutek tuner is restricted from tuning a car that doesn't have local license?

Buy an overseas EcuTek license for a fair price and get your local tuner to tune use it. That's exactly what I did.

Just buy it and set everything up on a laptop, drive to tuner and leave your laptop with them while they work on your can.

[Flasher]

Would an upgrade to a 3 bar MAP sensor require adjustment to the tune right away or is it a simple exchange? Would like to have accurate boost readings with an option to go for more boost sometime later.

And yeah - I have the same problem with a bad aligned bumper. Does anyone have a link to where there are some proposals on how to fix that?

[protpibe]

Originally Posted by Flasher

Would an upgrade to a 3 bar MAP sensor require adjustment to the tune right away or is it a simple exchange? Would like to have accurate boost readings with an option to go for more boost sometime later.



And yeah - I have the same problem with a bad aligned bumper. Does anyone have a link to where there are some proposals on how to fix that?

The tune would have to be adjusted for the 3bar map

[AVOturboworld]

Originally Posted by Flasher

Would an upgrade to a 3 bar MAP sensor require adjustment to the tune right away or is it a simple exchange? Would like to have accurate boost readings with an option to go for more boost sometime later.

Your car won't even start if you swap out the map sensor, as it uses it for the initial startup. Has to be tuned for.

[AVOturboworld]

Originally Posted by @Art_Mighty

How much additional oil does the Stage 1 system hold. Also, how much is held by the AVO oil cooler?

With just the turbo kit, stick to the standard oil fillup.

With the oil cooler, you'll need a total of 6 liters (a bit over 6 quarts). Because the oil cooler thermostat plate doesn't open till it gets hot enough, you may need to fill it as normal on the initial install of the oil kit, then warm it up to get oil into the oil cooler, then top it off.

[toast]

Questions for stage 1 kit. I want simple and am looking to run just the basemap. Since the stock map sensor only reads to ~5 psi and the kit is advertised as 6 what is controlling the boost, just the wastegate spring? Is there any kind of overboost protection in the basemap (and how does that work if the ECU can't see any more than 5 psi?) in case the hose blows off the wastegate or some other kind of catastrophe?

Also, did the people having problems with the exhaust leaks at the turbo and manifold find a solution? I saw a couple pics of failed turbo gaskets and then didn't see any more mention of it. Same thing with the failed manifold gaskets and the manifold flange warping.

[FrX]

I never really had problems with the manifold-head gasket, but I did blow out the turbo-manifold one. I quickly surfaced the flange with a file (more to clean up carbon than anything), and re-installed the turbo with a one piece stainless gasket (instead of the multi-layer steel that comes with the kit) and nordlock washers. Two track days later and the hardware has not backed off yet (which was the root cause of the issue), and remains tight.

[babydriver]

Hi, new to the forum and this is a long thread, so I apologize in advance if this has already been asked. Does this turbo kit require a different set of pistons? Years ago, a friend turbocharged a big block Mustang and went with 7:1 pistons (that's not a typo) to avoid detonation. How does the stock motor (12.5:1 CR) react to turbocharging? Are there issues with pre-detonation?

[kbogarto]

Originally Posted by babydriver

Hi, new to the forum and this is a long thread, so I apologize in advance if this has already been asked. Does this turbo kit require a different set of pistons? Years ago, a friend turbocharged a big block Mustang and went with 7:1 pistons (that's not a typo) to avoid detonation. How does the stock motor (12.5:1 CR) react to turbocharging? Are there issues with pre-detonation?

You don't need low compression Pistons for this kit but you need to retune your ecu to compensate for the turbo or you will blow your motor. AVO sells this kit with a ecu tune if you don't want to take it to a local tuner.

[Whatabouteggs]

Originally Posted by babydriver

Hi, new to the forum and this is a long thread, so I apologize in advance if this has already been asked. Does this turbo kit require a different set of pistons? Years ago, a friend turbocharged a big block Mustang and went with 7:1 pistons (that's not a typo) to avoid detonation. How does the stock motor (12.5:1 CR) react to turbocharging? Are there issues with pre-detonation?

Less compression makes it easier to increase boost without worrying about detonation as much. However there are new tools available on modern cars that make turbos more reliable and more effective. On old carbed engines the answer was low compression, large displacement, and biggest turbo you could find, then drive around with a screwdriver in your hand hoping it doesn't blow up. FI has changed the game in that respect, and the ECM suite on the FA20 has a ton of features that even sophisticated engines from the early 2000s didn't offer. Crank position resolution, direct injection, and better supporting and tuning mods (like widebands, MAP sensors, knock sensors, failsafe conditions, temp sensors, etc.) have made it possible to run silly amounts of boost on engines with very high compression.

That said, the FA20 clearly was not made for boost. LNF's in cobalt SS's have 9:1 compression with DI, but they also run 23psi stock. Most people with reliable FI on these engines seem to top out at around 14psi on pump gas, with some notable exceptions. E85, methanol, and race gas make it much easier to make more power safely. Plus these engines are still extremely new, and knowledge isn't in supply yet.

In the end, these days a modified engine is only as good as the person that tuned it. For every 400whp on 93 success story, there are a bunch of 250whp cars that blew up on the dyno that you may or may not hear about. Unfortunately, it's difficult to nail down who the good tuners are, and shops like to change names and addresses to purge their reputations.

Personally, I'm going to hold off until I find a local/semi local tuner with an excellent reputation, and I'm waiting for someone who has been running high boost for 10k-20k to post some blowby comparisons. As it is, people keep talking about stock engines with boost as a temporary condition and built engines as mandatory, and that makes Vorshlag's LS swap kit seem like a far better option.