I recently took my car to Protosport in Pompton Plains, NJ for the Protomotive ECU tuning final adjustments. Going in - the car was running slightly lean under boost and had an uneven idle, so it needed some tweaking (this was just a generic program to get the car in for tuning). John at protosport started by examining and testing the basic mechanics to be sure the car was running properly prior to the tuning and that proved to be a very wise move (I'm sure he knows to do this from experience). He discovered a major boost leak at the intercooler connection and a check valve that was stuck open, which was somehow recirculating boost, when it was not supposed to be. Once these issues were sorted out, readings were taken, the ECU files were exchanged with Todd K at Protomotive and the tuning was completed. I picked up the car this morning and drove 250 miles home, through a combination of sun, clouds, and torrential downpour. The car didn't miss a beat and ran like a top. And much stronger than before...

Protosport does fantastic work and I would recommend them to anyone. They really know their stuff and did a great job with my car! John and Todd - if you are reading this...I want to thank both of you again because after driving the car all day today, I am just so pleased with the result.

 

im really happy 4 u... enjoy it

mark

 

im satisfied as well. i picked up my car last month from protosport and couldnt be happier with the results. the car is super fast with the 24/18g upgrade compared to a stage 2 (which now seems soo slow).
the service from john and his partner, at protosport was excellent. between arangements to pick up the car and have it dropped off, and phone/email convos explaining the differences between packages... were excellent.
John D i did see your car there when i picked up my car. love the look.

 

And I also saw a fellow 6speed members car there - getting the P700 treatment. That GT2 is a beauty and very well set up...

 

Congrats John. Your car keeps getting faster and faster.

Can you guys give me an idea of the powerband and boost capabillities of K24/18G turbos?

I am running stock K24s and have driven the K16/24. While these 16/24 hybrids do have better throttle response, I think they are close enough to K24s that it's not worth the effort.

24/16G seems the next logical and financially acceptable choice for me since I already have K24s... Did you lose any throttle response or get increased lag?

Finally, anyone know if the GIAC stage 4 program will run OK with K24/18G hybrids? I know that a custom tune is optimal, but if off the shelf runs OK, then maybe I can away with a 5 BAR FPR and the Stage 4?

 

Ari, i honestly dont know about using giac programming.

however, i will tell you about the package i have with the protomotive tuning.
oem k24 turbos, with the upgraded 18g compressor. + wastegate upgrade + protomotive tune + 5bar fpr. (+ exhaust/intake from previous setup)

boost holds at a steady 1.2. with the race file your at 1.3 (goin for this soon).
with stage 2 my car wasnt as responsive on the highway. it would loose steam up top all the time. another advantage is the rev limiter.
after first gear its up to 7200 rpm which makes driving at WOT so much more fun.

car is an animal in every gear compared to what it was before. i do not feel any lag problem at all. as long as you are in the right gear that makes sense to be in, their is no difference. once this thing pulls, it just pulls hard at full boost all the way till around 7200 rpm mark.

from what i gather, if you have a stage 3/4 right now, i think the jump wouldnt be the biggest in Hp. maybe 50-60 hp. i had around 500 hp at stage 2 level, and jumped at least another 100 hp to wheels (IMO). thats why i feel such a huge difference.

I would love to get some highway pulls in ny/nj area vs a a regular stage 4 to see differences.

 

HMMMM...that car looks familiar!
Hey John... thanks for taking the pic. I wanted to do a pictorial to post on here as the process went along but haven't had the time. Thanks for the compliment and I gotta say your car looks gorgeous. I love the carbon fiber with the yellow accents. I'm glad John was able to straighten out the issues with your car. Sounds like you're having fun with it.

Raudel

 

ari,

I really don't know enough about the various turbos to make any recommendations. As far as lag and response: since I did the fuel system with injectors, with the K24/18G, I feel less lag and better throttle response than with the stage 2 K16 and the stage 4 K16/24. It's hard to explain, but the car jumps instantly at slight throttle input - it's very responsive. I did drive a K24/18G Protomotive car last season without the fuel and I felt quite a bit more lag than my K16/24 set-up at that time, but it pulled harder through mid range and higher RPM's. I think the fuel system transforms the K24/18G turbos into a really responsive package. Since you have K24's, you can upgrade them to 24/18 for approx $1,000 and get a Greddy BC for about $500, FRP for $150, then all you need is the Proto program...about 3K. Then, if you want to add the fuel, etc. at a future time, you keep the base pieces and just add on with a just under $400 re-flash. All that said, I am not sure if a non-fueled k24/18G set-up would be enough of a difference from a flashed K24?

 

Thanks Raudel,

They are doing a really nice job with your car. And yes, John did great with my car. I'm truly impressed with their shop and knowledge.

 

Thanks for the quick response guys. John what do you mean by Fuel? Injectors and fuel pump?

Are you still on a factory MAF? If not I think that is where proper fueling and programming, running slightly leaner because you can accurately guage A/F ratios at high RPM pays dividends.

My understanding is that once the factory MAF is pegged, the programs "estimate" fuel and must by default run a little rich to ensure safety. I think this is where the GT700 (Hitachi) and Protomotive (Ford) MAFs start to payoff.

I don't even want to ask what all the above plus GT3 heads at 8,000+ rpm cost.... but the thought of pegging the Tach is so alluring

 

ari,

By "fuel", I meant injectors, dual high pressure pumps and the Protomotive MAF that is required. I was a little lean under boost because my car was not done at one place, at one time. We bolted on the pieces and drove it with an "approximate" program to Protosport, where they took readings and fine tuned the software with Protomotive. This was the plan all along. If the car was done at Protomotive, all adjustments would have been done before picking up the car, so you would never know if it were slightly lean at one point before tweaking the program.

 

My god I can't wait to get a ride, gonna be BEASTLY!

John congrats man, seems like nothing but happy campers when dealing with these tuner's

 

Good thread...subscribed!

 

good info guys.....

 

Hell Ari, if your up for it I can contribute the HKS EVC BC or Greddy BC from my old turbo kit to this project !