We asked 6 experts to present us their top turbo project, which runs on our PBC PRO boost controller and to share with us how it helped them reach or even exceed their tuning objectives.
1. NINE EXCELLENCE (9e) | UK’s Fastest Porsche 996 Turbo
Nine Excellence is the premier Porsche specialist of UK which keeps setting benchmarks for others to follow. Their passion about Porsches is reflected in their carefully crafted 9e packages, which are proven with real world performance numbers, such as their 996 turbo that holds the current UK VMAX record at 367.36km/h.
PLEX: What drove your decision to select the PBC PRO as the right boost controller for your 996T project?
Ken Napier: We selected the PBC PRO because we were able to work with a company that we felt would develop features that we wanted on top of the existing functionality. The boost controller in addition on the 996 turbo, offered controls such as boost by gear, intake temps, etc, which were not on the market in other solutions. We normally chose a supplier not just for functionality, but on whether we feel we can work together and in this case, we feel that our decision was vindicated in the response to functionality we wanted.
PLEX: Which specific PBC PRO features did you utilize for achieving your project’s objectives and how have these features/functionality helped you optimize or improve the performance of your vehicle?
Ken Napier: We run closed loop control with boost by gear and intake temps. The PBC PRO CAN BUS data display allows us to monitor boost and intake temps very easily when testing the car, along side our own datalogging.
PLEX: What is the next performance milestone that you want to surpass with your project and what elements do you consider essential for reaching your target?
Ken Napier: This current car is having it’s engine capacity increased to 4.1L, with billet crankshaft, etc. The PBC PRO will become more important to us in terms of control, and especially the fail safes it lets you set up. We have this boost controller installed in 10 cars now over the last 12 months, and never had an issue. This is the only boost controller we plan to use as it meets all our current requirements and we know that if we need more functionality, it will be provided.
2. AMS PERFORMANCE, USA | Wicked 1000+HP Chevy Hearse
AMS Performance is known worldwide for breaking one record after the other with its Nissan R-35 GT-Rs and/or Alpha vehicles. In less than 10 years its upgrade packages have become the pinnacle in proven, turn-key performance. The AMS Alpha Series Packages are already powering the fastest and most powerful street and race R35 GT-Rs in the world but they also have another interesting project for which they utilized the PBC PRO.
PLEX: What drove your decision to select the PBC PRO as the right boost controller for your Hearse project?
Arne Toman: I chose the Plex PBC PRO boost controller because of its quick and easy installation combined with its dead accurate boost control. Since the Hearse is OBDII, connecting only two wires was necessary to get most of the parameters like vehicle speed, coolant temp, throttle position and RPM to the boost controller. All of which can be utilized at the same time by the PBC PRO to control boost with incredible accuracy, and set limitations/warnings if the car starts to misbehave.
PLEX: Which specific PBC PRO features did you utilize for achieving your project’s objectives and how have these features/functionality helped you optimize or improve the performance of your vehicle?
Arne Toman: After running the 9.94 pass in late 2013, we had the power to go faster, but we needed to get the 60′ times lower. This is where the PBC PRO shines, by using the boost by gear and boost by vehicle speed we are able to fine tune the boost curve to get a hard, consistent launch every time. No other controller I’ve tried has come close to offering the vast amount of open and closed loop control options Plex does, it’s an amazing unit.
PLEX: What is the next performance milestone that you want to surpass with your project and what elements do you consider essential for reaching your target?
Arne Toman: In 2014, the goal for my Hearse is to be able to go back to the track, unload the car and run repeatable, consistent mid 9 second passes without drama. When we originally started the Hearse project, the ultimate goal was to run a high 10 second pass. A couple of years have passed an I’m running high 9’s with a new goal of mid 9 second passes. Several aspects of the setup needed to be revised to make it happen and the addition of the Plex PBC PRO has become a great asset.
Find out more by visiting the AMS Performance website, or go straight to the Madness Hearse webpage.
3. GIK Turbo, Norway | Classic E30 M3 DTM
Selling and reconditioning turbos in the Norwegian market for the past 20 years, GIK Turbo A/S, is among the top Scandinavian experts in the field with strong ties to manufacturers such as Garrett, Borg Wagner (KKK and Schwitzer), Holset, IHI and MIT. Marcelo Garcia, the owner, is also competing in circuit racing with his fabulously classic BMW E30 M3.Fin
Find out more about GIK Turbo by visiting their website, or Facebook page.
4. ES MOTOR, Turkey | 1500+HP Porsche 997 Turbo Tiptronic
Located in Istanbul, Turkey, ES MOTOR is a family owned company with heritage in racing and lots of eastern style passion thathas grown to be among the top Porsche tuners internationally. Recently it developed the world’s fastest tiptronic Porsche that achieves 100-200 km/h in just 2.8sec and 200-300 km/h in 5.4 sec (street acceleration – VBOX verified).
PLEX: What drove your decision to select the PBC PRO as the right boost controller for your 997T project?
Emre Levent: It was a combination of many things and especially the enhanced features such as the multi-dimensional boost control, the advanced boost limit safety functions, its CAN BUS connectivity that adds a lot of convenience and also the motorsport quality of the screen with its large clear fonts.
PLEX: Which specific PBC PRO features did you utilize for achieving your project’s objectives and how have these features/functionality helped you optimize or improve the performance of your vehicle?
Emre Levent: For a powerful street car running on real world conditions and dirty highway asphalt, it is very critical to be able and control effectively boost by speed. The PBC PRO does an excellent job on this while also offering easy compensations by air temp and EGTs. We also benefit a lot from its CAN BUS display that allows a great number of parameters to be seen and used in limit/fail safe functions that are essential with such high horsepower.
PLEX: What is the next performance milestone that you want to surpass with your project and what elements do you consider essential for reaching your target?
Emre Levent: We now aim for 8sec quarter mile passes with our full weight street car 🙂 For this we need to focus on launching the car properly and making it as stable as possible during these launches. We hope that you will soon have the chance to enjoy this via our videos!
Find out more about ES MOTOR by visiting their website or youtube channel.
5. PETROPOULOS TUNING, Greece | Monster Opel Corsa OPC
Another family company located in Athens – Greece, PETROPOULOS TUNING specializes in Opel only tuning and upgrade packages and with its recent 700HP Monster Opel Corsa OPC is determined to get the car deep into the 9s.
PLEX: What drove your decision to select the PBC PRO as the right boost controller for your Corsa project?
Panos Petropoulos: We’ve been working with Plex Tuning for many years, even before they switched to a product specific strategy and in fact have been among the first to try and test their early PBC PRO prototypes. There is simply no comparison between competing alternatives when it comes to the quality of built and also the specifications. What was very important for us was the CAN BUS compatibility, which translated into ease of installation and use, as well as the multi-dimensional boost controlling.
PLEX: Which specific PBC PRO features did you utilize for achieving your project’s objectives and how have these features/functionality helped you optimize or improve the performance of your vehicle?
Panos Petropoulos: For our drag projects we particularly use boost vs rpm, speed and gear (simultaneous) and the PBC PRO is the only boost controller that offers this capability. This allows us to really tune boost finely and therefore ensure that the torque delivery of the engine matches the available traction of the car.
PLEX: What is the next performance milestone that you want to surpass with your project and what elements do you consider essential for reaching your target?
Panos Petropoulos: Our Monster Opel Corsa OPC has not shown its full potential yet, as the car is still under development to improve traction and without the sufficient testing that will eventually lead us towards our goal of getting it deep into the 9s.
Find out more about Petropoulos Tuning by visiting their website or facebook page.
6. TUNEHOUSE, Australia | Classy THR/ABT AUDI S3
Awarded as Australia’s most professional workshop by the Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers, TUNEHOUSE is a Sydney based performance workshop specializing in wide span vehicle servicing, maintenance and performance enhancements, with particular emphasis on late model vehicles. They chose a regular, yet classy project to demonstrate how the PBC PRO appeals also to customers who care most about drivability and who only occasionally compete in race challenges.
PLEX: What drove your decision to select the PBC PRO as the right boost controller for your Audi S3 project?
Jim Ghelis: Plex has developed a special PBC PRO version for all TSI/TFSI engines that enables the PBC PRO to communcate directly with the VAG protocol and therefore receive more parameters and faster, including knock retard per cylinder. Coupled with its diagnostic functionality and the steady/accurate multi-dimensional boost controlling, there was simply no other alternative for our customer who demanded a top range boost controller.
PLEX: Which specific PBC PRO features did you utilize for achieving your project’s objectives and how have these features/functionality helped you optimize or improve the performance of your vehicle?
Jim Ghelis: Short of NOS control, we pretty much utilized every other feature the PBC PRO offers. What was important for this project was to ensure outmost drivability and street safety while maintaining the option for switching between different boost programs for occasions where the customer wanted to compete, like in the Hot Tuners Challenge for example. Drivability was ensured by utilising the PBC PRO’s boost vs throttle position and vs rpm and street safety was made possible by setting smart engine protection limits and also locking the tuning settings of the device so that we are the only ones who can manipulate the configuration.
PLEX: What is the next performance milestone that you want to surpass with your project and what elements do you consider essential for reaching your target?
Jim Ghelis: The S3 project is now complete and had successfully competed in the Hot Tuners Challenge – 2012. Our next project involves establishing ourselves in the NWS Time Attack with our Toyota 86, which is already the fastest in the country (lap record of 1.04.6).
Find out more about Tunehouse by visiting their website, or facebook page.
© 2016 Plex Tuning.