 |
 |
 |
One would ask why should I upgrade the turbo charge pipes that came with my Solstice or SKY? Well the answer is in one word…”Airflow” it’s not about Boost you see…Boost gives you torque down low but ultimately it’s airflow that gives big Horsepower… The Factory Charge Pipes on the Solstice & SKY are formed using a technique called “Press Bending” they essentially take a strait piece of pipe and bend it over a mold… they do this because it’s fast and inexpensive…
What does this mean for my car…well for most people you don’t even notice the issues that this causes… or at least until you hit that freeway onramp and hear your car shudder and / or cough at high RPM’s… this is caused by the lack of airflow due to the crimps in the piping where the bends were made.
So what are my options… well one of the best aftermarket parts you can get for your car is a set of true mandrel bent pipes…these pipes will be consistently round from start to finish in turn ensuring proper and adequate airflow all through the RPM band.. We have seen 7-10Hp Gains on bone stock cars and up to 22HP Gains on Stage 1 tuned cars… Stage 2 Tunes require these pipes due to the amount of airflow the tune creates.
In Conclusion…This is one of, if not the best aftermarket MOD you can do if you own a Turbo Charged Solstice or SKY
GM's highly evolved LNF engine, which is the 2.0L Turbocharged motor found in the Saturn SKY Red Line and the Pontiac Solstice GXP, just grew in stature a bit within the broader GM enthusiast community.
As many people know, I began my tuning career working with earlier generation Ecotec engines found on Chevy Cobalts and Saturn Ions before I began working with SKYs and Solstices. For the Cobalt community, the performance engine option offered by the factory was the LSJ, a close cousin to Sky/Solstice engine that was "super"-charged instead of turbo-charged. However, GM recently annouced the retirement of the LSJ, although they didn't leave GM enthusiasts much time to grieve before that short lived motor was quickly replaced with the turbocharged LNF.
With all of the aftermarket products out there on the market, there may be some confusion as to how all of them work. In my short series of articles, I plan to cover the technical side of how basic aftermarket upgrades benefit your car, and explain the important question: “Why do I need that, and what does it do?”
In this article I will explain the functions of Cold Air Intake systems, but in upcoming articles I will be covering Exhaust Systems, Ignition, and Forced Induction.
"Does anyone else feel like a fried Egg"...
Ok now that we know that lets talk about how a factory catalytic converter robs our motor of Horse Power... Inside the factory CAT there is a ceramic type material that if held with a light at one end the light can barley pass through the membrane... this material is packed so tight that it inhibits the flow of exhaust gas... and in turn reducing the amount of exhaust your motor can expel. Remember a motor is able to make more HP if it can breath air in and expel exhaust gas out.. This is what a forced induction (Super & Turbocharged) motors are able to make more power than naturally aspirated motors.
The EFR line of turbos was born out of an internal BorgWarner Turbo Systems program labeled Advanced Aftermarket Products or AAP. So, the first thing you might be wondering is what does a new product line of high-performance turbochargers have to do with commercial applications? Commercial/industrial turbo products have extreme requirements for durability, reliability, and aerodynamic performance. Since modern passenger car applications use turbos smaller than 55mm in turbine wheel diameter, it's the aerodynamic development from the commercial side of the business (i.e. everything larger) that feeds into what the performance enthusiast wants and needs for big power production. Boost pressures of 45-50 psi (3 bar+) are the norm, not the exception. Also required is resistance to abusive thrust loads, high vibrations, and robustness for a wide range of lubrication conditions. Additionally, our commercial product validation standards are among the highest in the engine boosting industry; all good things that also benefit the performance enthusiast or racer.