Tuned In - 120: Wastegates and Boost Control — What You NEED to Know.

120: Wastegates and Boost Control — What You NEED to Know.

08/01/24 • 130 min

Do I need electronic wastegate control? What about CO2? And how do I know what size wastegate is needed for my build? These questions and a whole lot more are answered thanks to this week’s guest, Matt Wright from Turbosmart.
Use “MATT25” to get $25 OFF HPA’s Boost Control course: https://hpcdmy.co/boostb
Matt has a unique understanding of the industry, having worked for two of Australia's biggest aftermarket performance brands — two decades at Haltech and a more recent move to Turbosmart.
We start this episode by delving into the path that Matt took to get where he is today, covering the early days of Haltech that saw him dealing with some fairly rudimentary electronics and software as a support tech. Matt grew with the company and would go on to head up Haltech’s expansion into the United States. There are some great discussions here about VE-based tuning, the future of standalone ECUs, and what Matt thinks is missing from the current crop of standalone offerings.
After 20 years of service, Matt decided to move across the road to Turbosmart, where he’s helped push the development of new products — especially its new range of turbochargers. Matt discusses these new turbos before diving deep into the world of boost control, getting way into the weeds on all things external wastegate.
Sure, the idea behind a wastegate is simple enough, but things get a little more demanding and complex when a vehicle’s performance starts to get pushed to its limits.
Follow Matt here:
IG: @turbosmarthq
FB: Turbosmart
YT: Turbosmart
WWW: turbosmart.com
Don’t forget, you can use “MATT25” to get $25 OFF HPA’s Boost Control course: https://hpcdmy.co/boostb

Timestamps:
4:39:20 How did you gain an interest in cars?
16:54 Did you move into Haltech tech support with almost no tuning experience
24:28 What was your role at Haltech?
27:10 The difference between American and Australian car scenes
32:15 Haltech’s growth into the US market
39:45 Key changes in ECU tech over the years
47:30 What do you think is missing from aftermarket ECUs?
54:43 How does an ECU company balance technical features while keeping it user-friendly?
1:03:55 How did the opportunity at Turbosmart come up?
1:08:38 Overview of Turbosmart
1:13:10 Turbosmart’s external wastegate, Why is it so good?
1:17:54 Pros and cons of electronic wastegate?
1:34:08 What is a StraightGate?
1:42:52 How do we pick the right size wastegate?
1:47:30 Bringing Turbosmart turbochargers to market
2:05:35 Final 3 questions

Previous Episode

Field Report: 60 PSI Is LOW Boost? | 2400HP Drag Car Transmission.

What are some of the advantages of having an automatic gearbox in a 2400HP 6-second drag car?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Nate from 99 Racing gives us some insight into the transmission setup in their 6.29s at 225mph 2400HP Toyota Camry drag car and how it allows for more consistent passes without some of the disadvantages of the past.
The Sydney Jamboree event was sadly rained off but we're keen to see what the team can do with their new GCG Turbochargers Garrett Gen 2 106mm Turbo once things wind back up.

Next Episode

Field Report: 2100HP 75PSI Supra | X275 Drag Radial Class Racing.

What's the point of drag racing if you're limiting performance via rules and regulations?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Varun Sharma gives us a rundown on the 3.3L 2100HP at 75PSI Oceania College/101 Motorsport X275 Drag Radial JZA80 Supra which runs a methanol fed Bullet Race Engineering Billet block-based 2jz engine with a best ET of 6.79s at 212mph making it the fastest Sport Compact in Australia at the time of filming at Sydney Jamboree.
Discussed is the decision behind running a TH400 3 speed automatic and the lock up converter setup that is required to prevent transmission slippage as they dial the power level higher and higher. The safety a billet block offers is also touched on along with how despite the extra weight the team run a water to air intercooler setup. We also talk about some of the class limitations including the tyre size which see any loss of traction turned into an aborted run and how the old independent rear suspension setup is much more difficult to get dialled in for the drag strip along with behaving differently too.
The X275 Drag Radial class sees competitors restricted by tyre and power adder sizes among other rules added and changed over the years around the use of a stock location firewall, factory roof and quarters and an emphasis on equipment that was originally produced in an OEM form or is readily available in the aftermarket. As Varun explains this, along with the use of a 1/8th mile strip at many events, helps keep the competition close and the costs lower to help ensure a healthy field of competitors.