OK fellas, lets see if we can keep this one to BANKS six-gun....

Peter T- I received my six-gun back and put it on..... man, I love the new power curve. That sucker comes on VERY strong down low and pulls extremely hard all the way up to 3K....

Only one question though? On level 5-6, I can feel the truck surging, sometimes pretty hard. This only happens if you are cruising at about 2K rpms (70mph)? Anyone experience this yet? Is it just because there is so much power coming through at this rpm that it is very,very touchy?

 

Ramasaur, Any smoke? I'm due to get mine back in 2-3 days, I'll give you a heads up on the surge issue.

 

I haven't really noticed any, but my truck is turning black at the dual fender...guess I need to move the stainless tip out a bit. I will normally run on level 5 or 6 on the highway at sustained speeds of about 70, to maximize fuel economy. I get about 2mpg better on level 6 @70 than on level 3. I don't really get on it too hard from a stop on 5 & 6 because I don't want to trash the drive train, but you will definately like the new programming..... really strong down low.

 

Ramasaur,
Give me a little more description about the surge. For instance, how much does the RPM change? How much does the boost change, from what to what? Since the fueling is very much boost referenced, I would guess that you are sitting right around a toggle point under those load conditions. I have not heard of a surge condition being described by other customers or by our test engineers, but I will ask around. Also, do you have an automatic or a manual? That may have some influence on it as well.

Smoke is going to be an issue in the higher levels. We are introducing fuel at a lower boost level resulting in the more aggressive throttle response. Boost is what counteracts the smoke. This will always be a give and take situation, you can’t have it both ways without extreme re-engineering.

Peter T

 

Peter T,

I will mess around with it to note if there is any Boost jump/rmp jump etc... the surge is very sudden and ends as quick as it begins. It's only happened at 70 mph when holding steady at around 2k rpm. When it surges, I've glanced at my guages and didn't notice any jump, just the quick surge.

 

gdh11,
We have done a lot of testing with injectors and with turbochargers during the Sidewinder development, but nothing that we are prepared to release yet or that is really usable in a street application. In fact, you really don’t need bigger injectors to get more fuel pushed through, there are other tricks that make more sense to do first, and we are still experimenting with those. As far as turbos go, an HX40 will fit pretty well in the truck, but the real trick stuff will be variable geometry. I think it is safe to say that we have done a lot of testing with VG on the Sidewinder project, and eventually we plan to have a streetable version.

 

Is the VG turbo computer controlled in some fashion? If so, I'm assuming that it would require an add-on component to control it?

 

LinearX,
A VG turbo is typically controlled in some fashion that involves electronic signals (both input and output) driving some form of actuator. Both the method of actuation and the desired result can vary depending on the application. Here are two examples:

The 6.0L Ford Power Stroke has a sensor that measures turbine inlet pressure. The ECU uses this value along with others and sends a signal to a hydraulic valve that actuates the vanes in the turbine. The result is control of the VG based on turbine inlet pressure.

On the Sidewinder, we measured turbo speed and actuated the variable geometry with a pneumatic device controlled by a stand alone electronic box that we put together. The result is control of the VG based on turbo shaft speed.

Your assumption is correct, if you are using a VG where there was a standard turbo previously, then you will need some electronic means of controlling the turbo.

Peter T
Banks Power