Stock Wastegate Actuator VS Turbosmarts IWG75

Sep 18, 2019Erik Blume

Our Turbosmart IWG actuators are good things. We know that, and we really wanted to show you why they are one of the best bang for buck products on the market. So, we took our test car – a stock 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR, and replaced the standard actuator with one of our IWG-75s (part number TS-0601-3122). We conducted four back to back tests on Pulse Racing’s four wheel drive Dyno Dynamics dyno, and the improvements over the stock actuator were remarkable. Take a look at the results below, but keep in mind, the Evo had not been fitted with any other aftermarket parts and had not received any ECU tuning. Boost control was managed by the twin OEM solenoids, mapped by the OEM ECU. The only thing changed was the actuator.

wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Test 1

Our first test was an actuator crack pressure bench test – To check the theoretical minimum boost pressure of the actuator. The OEM actuator measured 13 PSI, while the Turbosmart actuator measured 12 PSI.

Test 2

Our second test was a no boost control full-throttle dyno test – To examine the strength of each actuator without external boost signal manipulation, we disconnected the factory boost control solenoid and carried out a full-throttle dyno run. Graph 1 shows Power VS Manifold Pressure and Graph 2 shows Power VS Tractive Effort (pushing force) The Turbosmart actuator showed a peak boost pressure of 13 PSI @ 4250 RPM while the OEM actuator’s peak pressure was only 11 PSI @ 2750 RPM. At maximum engine speed, the Turbosmart actuator maintained 12 PSI whereas the OEM actuator dropped off to 9 PSI. The big gain, however, was at 2000 RPM, where the Turbosmart actuator allows the turbocharger to produce 2 PSI more pressure than the OEM actuator. The results show that the Turbosmart actuator will bring boost on earlier and maintain the rated level of boost more accurately than the OEM actuator. This translates to improved boost response and more power throughout the RPM range.

Graph 1:

No boost control full-throttle dyno graph – Power VS Boost (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Graph 2:

No boost control full-throttle dyno graph – Power VS Tractive Effort (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Test 3

Our third test was an OEM boost control half- throttle dyno test – To examine boost response at part throttle between actuators with OEM boost control, we reconnected the factory boost control solenoid and performed back to back a half-throttle dyno run. During this test we were looking for any differences in boost, which would equate to a difference in power and torque, and essentially change the response of the engine during low to medium engine speeds. Graph 3 shows Power VS Boost while Graph 4 shows Power VS Tractive Effort The Turbosmart actuator produced a peak boost of 17 PSI @ 3100 RPM while the OEM actuator produced 13 PSI @ 3500 RPM. In this test, the Turbosmart actuator also reached 13 PSI @ 2800 RPM, 700 RPM earlier than the OEM actuator. At maximum engine speed, the Turbosmart actuator produced 11 PSI while the OEM actuator produced 8 PSI. The Turbosmart actuator allowed the turbo to produce more boost earlier in the RPM range, which improves midrange torque significantly. The Turbosmart actuators ability to hold more boost throughout the rev range allowed more power to be produced at all engine speeds than the OEM actuator. On the road, this increase in boost would make the engine feel more responsive.

Graph 3:

OEM boost control half- throttle dyno graph – Power VS Boost (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Graph 4:

OEM boost control half- throttle dyno graph – Power VS Tractive Effort (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Test 4

Our final test was an OEM boost control full-throttle dyno test – This test was performed to examine the differences in performance on both actuators at full-throttle, with the factory boost control solenoid connected. This would determine the maximum power gained by fitting a Turbosmart actuator to an OEM vehicle. Graph 5 shows Power VS Boost while Graph 6 shows Power VS Tractive Effort. Peak boost for the Turbosmart actuator was 22 PSI @ 3100 RPM compared with 19 PSI @ 3100 RPM for the OEM actuator. Peak power was at 6000 RPM for both actuators with the Turbosmart actuator producing 17 PSI and the OEM actuator producing 15 PSI. The extra 2 PSI provided by the Turbosmart actuator translated into a gain in power of nearly 10 KW (13HP). As Graphs 5 and 6 show, that same power gain of 10 KW is consistent throughout the RPM range.

Graph 5:

OEM boost control full-throttle dyno graph – Power VS Boost (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

Graph 6:

OEM boost control full-throttle dyno graph – Power VS Tractive Effort (Turbosmart Actuator OEM Actuator) wastegate turbosmart iwg internal wastegate EVO

So there you have it! All tests showed the Turbosmart actuator brought significant improvements in boost response regardless of throttle input, when compared with the OEM actuator. By using the TS-0601-3122 part number we were able to make these improvements without the need to modify any factory ECU settings, making this an excellent value for money upgrade. Dyno graphs aside, the best feature of this upgrade is the “seat of the pants” feeling when behind wheel. The gains in midrange power and torque make car a lot more enjoyable to drive, particularly on the street where the power band is now in a more usable range. Remember, all of these improvements were achieved with an actuator as the only modification. With an ECU tune and a Turbosmart boost controller, you’d be laughing!

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