An Expert Opinion on the Turbo eBoost2

From the sleek digital instrumentation that’s used in modern cars, to the endless rows of custom dials, switches, and relays used in rally cars, there’s no shortage of electric gauges and controls to be found on most dashboards.

Dashboard space comes at a premium, though; and for vehicles that have been modified for forced induction, a lot of those electric gauges and controls can sometimes find themselves performing double, or even triple duty.

Turbo charging is one such modification. And while you might not think of it as having anything to do with dashboard electronics, high-performance turbocharger setups can also be controlled directly from the dashboard. It’s called electronic boost control, and it’ll let you tune your car or truck’s turbocharger in ways that you wouldn’t have thought possible.

Full Electronic Turbo Control With the eBoost2 

Boost control is the process of regulating the amount of exhaust gas that’s allowed to enter a turbo, and ultimately the amount of boost it can produce. Turbocharged vehicles are designed to do it automatically through the ECU, but they’re not for optimized performance. With standalone electric car parts and controllers like Turbosmart’s 3-mode eBoost2 controller, however, you have the ability to manually program 6 unique boost groups directly from your dashboard that is in line with the performance you want.

With an eBoost2 electronic controller, you have complete control over 3 critical turbo performance parameters:

•  Its maximum amount of boost pressure, orset point;
• Its rate of spool up, orgate pressure; and,
• The reaction time of the controller itself, or itssensitivity.

The eBoost2’s full functionality is built entirely into an intuitive dashboard-mounted gauge, allowing you to monitor, map, and control turbo boost from the driver’s seat. eBoost2 controllers are also capable of managing a number of other functions as well, including:

• Shift light indicators and RPM management;
• Water injection management; and,
• Methanol, or nitrous injection management.

In short, the eBoost2 is an ideal space-saving addition that can help reduce the number of electrical connections and parts you have running through your dashboard, and will blend in perfectly with any dashboard aesthetic that you have.

All the Electric Parts you Need in a Single eBoost2 Kit 

An eBoost2 kit contains all the electrical auto parts needed to install the controller, including:

• A 60mm or 66mm dashboard gauge;
• A 3- or 4-port electric wastegate solenoid valve;
• Poly tube and silicone vacuum tubing;
• An 8-pin wiring loom; and,
• All necessary mounting and fastening hardware.

All the parts you need to get an eBoost2 controller installed and functioning along with all the other automotive electrical components on your dashboard are included with the kit.

Depending on whether your vehicle has internal or external wastegates, or is running single or twin turbos, there are multiple ways to connect the eBoost2. You can also purchase an additional wastegate solenoid to run with the eBoost2 to help reduce the length of the vacuum tubing used, and improve wastegate control and responsiveness.

Mounting Options For the Full Range of eBoost2 Applications

Although eBoost2 kits come with their own in-dash mounting bracket, a range of custom mounting options for both the 60mm and the 66mm bezel are also available, including:

• A steering wheel mounting kit;
• A roll cage mounting kit; and,
• An LED gauge bezel surround.

Regardless of whether you want to install the eBoost2 in a daily driver or a weekend ripper, the mounting hardware and electrical switching are available to make the install perfect.

Setting up Your eBoost2 for Maximum  

The eBoost2’s easy setup begins with 5 key parameters that have to define before you’re able to program your boost groups.

•  The over boost Shutdown pressure. This is the maximum PSI reading that you want the controller to register before it automatically reduces the turbo’s boost to half of the PSI you’ve specified.
• The number of set points. This is the number of boost groups that you want the eBoost2 to control once they’ve been inputted.
• Cylinder count. The number of cylinders of your vehicle’s engine.
• Output Scale. Indicating your preference for output readings in either bar, PSI, or kPa.
• Bar Graph. The 7 blue segment / 3 red segment electronic bar graph on the gauge can be configured to reflect the acceptable and maximum boost levels that you specify for your engine.

When setting up the eBoost2, you want to keep in mind that these parameters are designed to protect your engine, your turbocharger, and crucial vehicle electrical components and systems from a calamitous over-boost scenario. It’s easy to forget just how much pressure turbochargers are capable of producing once the horsepower starts coming, and you want to take every available precaution to avoid putting unsustainable stress on your engine.

Programming the eBoost2’s Electronic Boost Groups

After you’ve done the initial setup, programming boost groups for the eBoost2 is as simple as defining these 3 performance parameters.

• The set point duty cycle. With a value between 0 – 99, this is the percentage of boost pressure you want the wastegate solenoid to operate at.
•  The gate pressure. This value represents the amount of boost pressure ( in bar, PSI, or kPa) you want the turbo to create.
• Controller sensitivity. This is how sensitive the controller is throughout the RPM range, and can be increased or decreased depending on where the boost curve falls off.

These 3 performance parameters need to be defined for each of your 6 boost groups; and as they’re are all dynamic settings, they can be adjusted as often as you feel the need. Advanced functionality even allows you to set up boost groups to respond to gear, RPM, and set point durations, making the eBoost2 one of the smartest automotive electric parts on the market for turbo tuning.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, there’s simply no substitute for the kind of performance that turbochargers produce. But regardless of whether your vehicle is factory stock or you’re running a pair of big horsepower compressors, you’re still going to need the right electronic parts to get the best performance out of them.

With standalone electric car parts and controllers like Turbosmart’s eBoost2 though, you can manage turbo performance in ways that simply aren’t possible with ECU-controlled wastegates. It’s the only way to tune a turbo setup to fit your driving style, and an investment that you won’t regret making.

---