Which! Boost Controller?

[colVR4]

I have had a search through the site, including the galleries and have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people are using one of 4 popular electronic boost controllers:

Apexi AVC-R
HKS EVC 4 or 5
Gizzmo IBC
Blitz Dual Spec II

There are some other variations out there, but these seem the most popular. So the question is, which one is the best? How should they be rated?

I have given this some thought as I am planning on purchasing one of them for my car. They are all different in price, but that is because they each offer different capabilities.

So I have decided to open it out to the people that use them. What are your experiences of the different boost controllers? Has anyone used more than one before and has some comparisons to make?

[Nutter_John]

Hi Col

Apexi Review

Installation
quite easy with about 6 wires to splice into the ECU loom (soldering skills required) . Fitting the pressure gauge and the Soleniod is easy as the diagram shows exactly what to do .

Setup
I never did this myself took it to the local RR and had them set it up , but looking at it aftwards seems very easy to do and has so many options for settin g the boost level (RPM , Gear etc )

Features
Lots you can have it display rpm , speed , throtle position , Injector , Boost ,speed . It has the abillity to display up three on the screen at once and will record the highest value each one hits - eg max boost reached 0.95

Comments
Slight concern at first as the measurements are not in bar or PSI but once I researched on the web the difference between bar and kg/hg (or whatever it is) was on about 0.03 so it's almost like for like . Speed display is only in KPM which is good for europe etc but I discovered a problem with mine that the max the speed would hit was 137 kph but the car was doing more like 160kph .


Overall
Very happy with the system , quite pricey but you get lost of extra toys one it . If you like bling then this is the one , if you want all go and no show then may not be the best option .

Cost
Approx £320 inc vat


Cheers John

[Nick Mann]

I have an older HKS unit. An EVC 3 or 4. It is a bit quirky to set up, but easy to use once it is.

The chap doing the RR at WRC last month said that it was the best boost controller ever produce - the newer ones are too complicated to set up well, the older ones don't control properly.

I can't really give my opinion as it is the only boost controller I have ever used!

[colVR4]

John, did you buy yours new in the UK or was it an import ? I am suprised that it doesn't give you the option to change from kph to mph and to change the units for boost.

Best price that I have found for a new Apexi AVC-R is £239 + £30 postage. Anyone know of a better price for a new unit?

[colVR4]

There is a HKS EVC EZ for sale on e-bay at the moment for £129.95 from Japan. That seems like a good price, anybody know if that one is any good?

[colVR4]

So far found:

Greddy Profec B Spec II for £179 (new)
Blitz Dual SBC Spec R for £224 (new)
HKS EVC EZ for £129 (used)

Is a closed loop controller better than a dual-solenoid? Do I need a dual-solenoid or do I only need a single solenoid?

[Nutter_John]

Hi Col

Mine was purchased in the UK but I think they all come from the far east anyway - Not manage to find a way to change from KPH/MPH but as I said can be usefull


From what I understand we only need a single solenoid as the control to the wastegates is shared there fore the existing link is only a single

The Apexi is single with a closed loop .

Cheers John

So far found:

Greddy Profec B Spec II for £179 (new)
Blitz Dual SBC Spec R for £224 (new)
HKS EVC EZ for £129 (used)

Is a closed loop controller better than a dual-solenoid? Do I need a dual-solenoid or do I only need a single solenoid?

[BraindG]

Ive got an EVC5 - Its fine, was easy enough to set up (providing i remember the pipe layout) however i do have one big issue with it.

If im at 1.1 bar, and floor it, it will spike into 1.24 (which was my last warning level, before i backed off) So its not very good at holding the boost level, it will spike well past the preset level, and slowly come down to the level set.

This, as you can image could harm the engine. There are a few threads around on the forums regarding it, and boost spiking.

If you have no plans on setting it near danger level, you'll be fine. I just like living on the edge

[colVR4]

I think that I am leaning more towards the Greddy with all the stuff that I am reading on the web. The Apexi is a close second at the moment.

[EdmundVR4]

I have the Apexi AVC-R & i've tried all different settings & it still spikes. I have it set at .95 kg/mm & it will spike to 1.05- 1.25 kg/mm (depending on load) then settle down to .95.
Before the AVC-R i had a Turbo XS dual stage mbc...same spiking behaviour.
Do all the EBC's spike...re : HKS, Greddy, Blitz et al ?
Chime in guys.

[william]

I had a Greddy Profec B spec II fitted on the advice of Torque Performance here in Auckland. I was keen on the Gizzmo but apparently it looses it's settings when you disconnect the battery (like when resetting the ECU) and you have to reset it then. This does not apply to the Greddy as it has a build in memory battery.
I run it at 12psi at the moment and it gives a very nice smooth and flat boost curve on the dyno chart with no spiking and no fuel cut. I mounted the contoller unit in the coin holder (no brass hinge unfortunately!!) where it is out of sight (wife etc) and easily accessible. The greddy also seems good value or money.

Hope this is of some value!

[bernmc]

Someone posted a link to a very good review of many of the popular boost controllers here some time agao - I'll see if i can find it. The apexi didn't do very well - spiking as mentioned.

I've fitted the Power Enterprises Boost-controller - not a popular make, but it's very simple to set up and use. At current settings of aroun 0.8-0.9 bar, I get spikes to 1.1 bar on gear change (although my BOV sticks a bit when oil accumulates on the piston) and no fuel cut. Pics and details in my thread here.

A lot of the more complex EBC have all sorts of fancy functions - I think you have to decide whether you'll ever use them, and whether you're going to install and set the thing up yourselfor geet a pro to do it. If it's DIY, the simpler the better. If you're going to get a man with a dyno to do it, then complexity doesn't matter so much.

[mpau009]

I was keen on the Gizzmo but apparently it looses it's settings when you disconnect the battery (like when resetting the ECU) and you have to reset it then. This does not apply to the Greddy as it has a build in memory battery.

Not mine. Iv had the battery off many times without a problem, for hours sometimes. Maybe that was the early ones?

But I think the Profec B is a much better product tho.

[colVR4]

I am planning on getting the boost controller and fitting it myself, then I am going to upgrade the exhaust. When that is all done I am going to get it professionally tuned to get the best from the Apexi S-AFC, boost controller and exhaust system.

[colVR4]

This website has quite a few listed and gives a description of each.

http://www.envyperformance.com/index...category_id=21

[bernmc]

That's where I got mine from.

[colVR4]

I am going for the Greddy on Flea-bay for £179 + p.p. Should be arriving within the next couple of days

[Kenneth]

I have been thinking about changing the BOV. I can also wind up the boost controller a bit more as I have no problems with fuel cut. What about the actuators?

Give me 5 mins to start a new thread (stop hijacking this one) and move some of the posts...

[colVR4]

Much obliged. Just makes it easier when people are trying to find the threads that they want.

[Kenneth]

All done. Moved to NZ Chat, feel free to talk as much do do as you wish there

Much obliged. Just makes it easier when people are trying to find the threads that they want.

Not a prob mate, here to serve!