bostonaudi
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Charleston, SC
- Car(s)
- 1995 BMW M3
So, the way a typical K03 flash behaves has me more convinced the vendors are geared towards bragging rights rather than making a product that does something useful.
The way most available flashes behave is to boost the crap out of the midrange, with a big tail off at around 5k. This results in a very peaky engine, with a torque curve that looks like an amplified diesel curve on steroids. It also causes a large boost slam when the engine is pounded with 22 lb of boost at very low rpm, putting stress on engine mounts, rods, clutch, CV joints, boost hoses etc.
This is exactly what you don't want at an autocross or the track. It results in excessive wheelspin, and totally non-linear unpredictable engine response. I also think it doesn't do your little turbo any favors when its asked to be boosted at double the stock amount for 30 min at a time. I've run autocross with flashed K03's, and to be honest I think you're better off stock.
I'm not singling out any vendor as they all do it.
I happen to use Revo, and have reverted to running my engine with a custom setting of 2-0-0 on the SPS+ to more or less provide a little extra boost with a more stock like response. I almost never use the full 6-4-9 anymore. At 2-0-0 the engine peaks at 15-16 psi and works well at the track. It doesn't pull quite the same as the full performance setting but it goes just as fast 99% of the time.
I want to put a K04 in, but I don't want an even more ridiculous midrange torque slam. I'd love to see a vendor offer a more factory like even torque curve that would be more appropriate for auto-x or track use. If I do install K04 I guess I'll be experimenting again with a 2-0-0 like setting to keep it a bit more even across the midrange and still have the higher rpm hp gain.
The way most available flashes behave is to boost the crap out of the midrange, with a big tail off at around 5k. This results in a very peaky engine, with a torque curve that looks like an amplified diesel curve on steroids. It also causes a large boost slam when the engine is pounded with 22 lb of boost at very low rpm, putting stress on engine mounts, rods, clutch, CV joints, boost hoses etc.
This is exactly what you don't want at an autocross or the track. It results in excessive wheelspin, and totally non-linear unpredictable engine response. I also think it doesn't do your little turbo any favors when its asked to be boosted at double the stock amount for 30 min at a time. I've run autocross with flashed K03's, and to be honest I think you're better off stock.
I'm not singling out any vendor as they all do it.
I happen to use Revo, and have reverted to running my engine with a custom setting of 2-0-0 on the SPS+ to more or less provide a little extra boost with a more stock like response. I almost never use the full 6-4-9 anymore. At 2-0-0 the engine peaks at 15-16 psi and works well at the track. It doesn't pull quite the same as the full performance setting but it goes just as fast 99% of the time.
I want to put a K04 in, but I don't want an even more ridiculous midrange torque slam. I'd love to see a vendor offer a more factory like even torque curve that would be more appropriate for auto-x or track use. If I do install K04 I guess I'll be experimenting again with a 2-0-0 like setting to keep it a bit more even across the midrange and still have the higher rpm hp gain.