HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR XRG TURBO TO THE NEX
STEALTHUPGRADE 9 @%4! som-nIF THERE ever was @ complaint about
the turbocharger on the Ford XR6 Turbo,
It would be that the compressor lacks @
litle in the way of size. While this isn't a
big deal on cars that are near stock or
those with bolt-on tuning, the lmitations
of the factory Ford compressor become
4 bigger issue as power output levels
start to climb.
While there are plenty of theories on the subject,
‘the fact is that the basic limiting factor of any
turbocharged engine is the airflow generated by
tho compressor wheel. This is frequently confused
with boost pressure and it's often thought that a
‘small compressor at 10psi equals the same kind
of flow rate as a big compressor at 1Opsi; we are
here to tel youit simply isn’t so.
‘There is an engineering diagram that exists for
every different type of turbocharger compressor
‘made, known as a ‘compressor map’. It describes
indetailhow much aifiow (power) the turbocharger
can generate at a given boost pressure, and how
far you can push the whole shebang before the
law of diminishing returns kicks in and starts to
reduce tangible improvement.
A theory | often refer to as ‘squeezing the lemon’
escibes the process of working the stock turbo
as hard as possible, but eventualy you got to the
point where no matter how hard you squeeze
there is nothing lf to give, andthe lemon (turbo)
starts to dsinteorate, Many in the XRG Turbo scene
wil push the XRB turbo compressor past its happy
Airflow zone, and in return create nothing but heat and
8 setup thats dficut to tune thanks tots propensity
for detonation,
The ‘sweet spot! for the stock BA-BF XRS turbo
‘compressor i in the 250-370rwkiW zone at about
‘8psioi boost pressure. Push the factory turbocharger
beyond this point and there are only tiny gains to be
made with each addtional pound of boost. In short
tha factory compressor has run out of airflow and
effective ‘choked. The harder you squeeze that
lemon the closer you come to the possbity of
‘mechanical falue, so there must be a battar way to
generate increased power,
“The commonly accepted "better way’ oles fiting a
largor-than factory turbocharger to gain mere sirtow.
\With ery turbocharged engine there are many ways,
easy and hard, ofinoweasing turbocharger size, Aas,
for XRG owners easy was not aivays being quite
50 easy ~ untl Sycney-based GCG Turbochargers
became involved inthe process.
rere take mc, much onglee ere eee es
oe een lcd
eee ec)
Cee eee icetee
Re ea ee
ec eee
oe ee
ee |
Re cw
Serer)
Be a weet)
Ce ere ia
eee
ee eee es
Se td
Pernice mer
ere ace)
*
Ss
in
r=
=
oe
ry
a
=
=e
=
i
ca
rr
ie {rant na of te comproesot wn
cn) Ie inducer ez showe te
Ce ee ee)
See es
necessary machining and other stuff to make it
Prerernes
Rg ory
high-powered BF sbe-speed ute pictured here
in the Morpowa workshop. Having undergone
Se eee eae
eer eee eee
eee ee ear
Ee geet cad
eee ee ec
Peete gtd
eee rar
ae a es
ee ea)
ee ee a
Pearce i ec)
ee en ee ee nd
Peer gt ice!
eee aT
Ce ee
ee es
ee id
ieee
{gan trom rasing the boost pressure beyond the
ee
‘subsequent reduction in ignition timing to
ee ee ee
Se en ers
eee te tice
Pee earleccti cad‘SQUEEZING THE LEMON’ DESCRIBES
THE PROCESS OF WORKING THE
STOCK TURBO AS HARD AS POSSIBLETHE GCG BRIEF WAS A SIMPLE ONE - TO COAX
GREATER AIRFLOW FROM THE TURBOCHARGER
WITHOUT ANY HARDWARE CHANGES