Minivans are Hard To Go Fast In / TBI Bottom Ends Cant Handle Turbocharging

[Pat]

For the record, this can scoots! It ripped around the autos way faster than I thought it would and it was a blast on the strip.

Great seeing you, Adam. Thanks again!

[Reaper1]

That thing absolutely tore the autocross up for a minivan! One of the times I saw was a 43.xxx and at that point FTD was 38.xxx I think. Considering the competition, he was booking it!

[Vigo]

My best AutoX was 42.9. GRM had a new ND Miata out there as well and it ran in the 42s. That's a throwback to the last time I went to GRM in '09 in the sense that I didn't bring an especially good-handling or sticky-tired car, but I still drove it to within a second of a brand new Miata (2009) on an AutoX course.

I don't autocross often, but every time I do I feel like I should do it more often. Those skills don't get used much in my daily life..

[86Shelby]

The van looks good in the pics, glad you had a good time out there!


What's the story on that grey Ford...Truck...Car? I dunno what it's supposed to be.

[GLHS60]

Very impressive!!!

Thanks
Randy

[Vigo]

When we were putting this van together again almost a year ago we ran into literally every kind of trouble with the fuel system and ended up replacing (sometimes with used parts) literally everything but the hardline between the tank and the filter, and the return hardline. Tank, pump, hanger, filler neck grommet, every soft hose, injectors, fuel rail, regulator, and fuel level sender. And not all at once either, or it wouldn't have been so annoying! Anywho, shortly after installing the new fuel level sender it stopped functioning again and at that point I was so tired of working on the fuel system that I ignored the problem.

It reared its head at GRM when I bought 5 gal of race gas and was only able to put 3 gallons in before gas overflowed the filler neck. Well ----. That was some expensive octane booster! The best I could do at that point was pump about 10 gallons from the van into my Lexus (which was all the room it had) and pour the rest of the race gas on top of what was left. I don't think it was helping much. I watched the scan tool for two runs and had a little knock activity at 13 psi (80* 80% humidity btw) so I left it alone, ditched the passenger, and did a best of 14.5 with 60s around 1.99-2.05 iirc. Not spectacular.

So I didn't even use the 2nd stage of boost, and never filled the nitrous bottle. I was annoyed because of how much money I wasted on race gas over my unwillingness to fix a fuel sender, but I was pleasantly surprised that the van would run a 14.5 at only 13 psi.

A couple of days ago, I walked my students through the fix on the fuel sender. It was just loose terminals. So that's fixed.

My plan for the van at this point is to stick some +40s from another car in it and start running e85. Then do a 3-bar cal when I finally upgrade the turbo.

[Vigo]

Check this out..

https://youtu.be/31Ewc9_DP-0

[wheming]

Check this out..

https://youtu.be/31Ewc9_DP-0

That's awesome! That looks really good in the turns!

I think i need to drop a couple inches off of MeanMini!

[Vigo]

Those +40s are finally in! It's been sitting lately since i still haven't permanently fixed the boost leak i picked up at GRM. I also need to mod the DSM BOV for high boost and run the 93 out of it so i can fill up with e85 and start turning it up again. I'm hoping it will take an unplugged wastegate worth of boost on e85 so i can do street tuning without spending $10+/gal on fuel. I'd like to do a 3-bar cal and tune in a launch limiter, or otherwise learn to ET it better. I feel like it could go 13.7 on this turbo if i knew what i was doing. It's officially turbo weather in South Texas again, our first cold front came through yesterday!

Funny aside: With these wheels/tires/spacers, i can't open the sliding door very far before the door carpeting starts dragging across the rear tire!

[turbovanman²]

Awesome, looks like you had a great time, all these Minivan story's are making me said,

[wheming]

Awesome, looks like you had a great time, all these Minivan story's are making me said,

We are trying to keep you motivated to press on!

[masterjr33]

gotta love some van updates. so you are just going to plug in +40% and put e85 in? 10% rich or so wouldnt be too bad.

[Vigo]

Yeah, just going to pump out the 93 in there and fill with e85 and adjust fuel pressure until the wideband is happy, then start turning up timing again. I'll start with the same stock 2-bar cal with zener diode and just crank base timing to see if e85 can get to the same point that the race gas did. At some point i'll do a 3-bar cal. I'm very interested in trying a launch limiter.

[cordes]

Yeah, just going to pump out the 93 in there and fill with e85 and adjust fuel pressure until the wideband is happy, then start turning up timing again. I'll start with the same stock 2-bar cal with zener diode and just crank base timing to see if e85 can get to the same point that the race gas did. At some point i'll do a 3-bar cal. I'm very interested in trying a launch limiter.

You sir, are a wild man.

I would also add that Simon must have felt a disturbance in the tuning force when you started this thought process and began posting again. It's amazing how well modern instrumentation can allow old school tricks and crazy tuning techniques to keep an engine together. I love it.

[Force Fed Mopar]

I don't know why you wouldn't just use MP Tuner to scale for the fuel/injectors and leave the damn fuel pressure alone lol...unless you just like tuning like a caveman...

FWIW when I did E85 in my Shelby Z, I ran +40s but left the cal scaled for stock TII injectors. AFR was almost dead on, only minor tweaking needed.

[masterjr33]

damn i really wish i knew how to flash/tune these.. all those advances came during my 10 year hiatus

[Spraynlog]

Check this out..

https://youtu.be/31Ewc9_DP-0

Awesome job on the van! Way to represent!

[tryingbe]

damn i really wish i knew how to flash/tune these.. all those advances came during my 10 year hiatus

Not too late to learn.
Software are free.

[Vigo]

I don't know why you wouldn't just use MP Tuner to scale for the fuel/injectors and leave the damn fuel pressure alone lol...unless you just like tuning like a caveman...

Well, i don't know why people in the age of free tuning software seem to have such a hard time making vans faster when i'm knocking on the door of 13s with a stock turbo and computer and not even a wideband (added afterwards..)?

Up to this point the stock computer (and certain other stock parts) has mostly been to prove a point. I'm 95% of the way to being off of that kick now, though. I'd like to crack a 13 with it before i do 'real' tuning, because once it start doing 'real' tuning and put a bigger turbo on it then it'll need to be 'real' fast too.

I don't think the e85 is going to make it any faster without upgrading the turbo which is the weakest link. But, I think it'll let me get a lot more seat time on the track without spending near as much money trying to bandaid my charge temps with race gas..

[Vigo]

I finally fixed the boost leak since i needed to use the van as a truck for the next few days.

I'm running the last 1/4 tank of 93 out of it and then filling up with e85.

Im thinking about trying one of these on it: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-13740

It's a three-chamber muffler but happens to have a straight-line flowpath and be huge. I think it would be an interesting experiment.