Opinions/experiences wanted on a VA Smartbox C3.2

[Sarge]

Sooooooo, the ideal is a pressure box, that alters timing, and duration, to an extent?? Is there such a beast???

 

[jcarey]

What would be a good reason for stacking two boxes at about $1000 as opposed to going with a TST with built in gauges for about $850 that also comes with defueling capability? Works by duration and some timing with much more power and doesn't stress the HPCR with increased rail pressure. Most of us can't use all the power, but it still has the potential to outperform any currently stackable boxes. The TST is even about $100 cheaper if you don't go with built-in gauges and defueling, which the other boxes don't have either. That makes about a $250 difference.



Just curious!

 

[DLeno]

if you want to look at cost/benefit, consider that there is no box released to active production today that does all three -- timing, pressure, duration. You might find some creative marketing babble out there but thats all it is. To be clear on what I mean, as I have said before: when we talk about fueling boxes performing some function(pressure/timing/duration) we mean that they interace with, intercept, change and or control the engine signals who's primary influence is the parameter of interest. Thus we refer to the boxes by what they directly control, not by the side effects that the ECM does.



The interest in stacking has to do with the desire to combine pressure and duration so that neither one is exploited to its extreems. In the case of pressure boxes you have the potential to pop the pressure relief valve (Edge says don't go over 65 RWHP with pressure). In the case of duration boxes you have decreased efficiency and high EGTs. ergo, folks are trying to cool down their duration boxes (including the TST) with pressure boxes.



now then, the TST is by itself wonderful on low to medium settings, as it mitigates the EGT issue by advancing timing. Still, there are guys who have staked the TST with a pressure box and found a benefit.



The VA duration box suffers from very high EGTs, unlike the TST box set to an equivalent power level, due to the fact that it performs no timing. Widening the fuel pulse width without changing the point in time that it begins amount to, guess what: retarded timing. So guys have found that staking the VA with a simple pressure box (EZ, Bullydog, or quadzilla) gives a benefit. And VA themselves have limited the pulse stretch itself so that EGTs don't go any higher than they already do.



but jcary makes a very good point: The TST box can be adjusted to any power level currently available on any other box, and it will do so with equal or better fuel economy improvements and will not raise rail pressure. And you can sweeten the TST up even more by stacking with one of the simple pressure boxes mentioned earlier. My own experiments show that about 50HP with pressure works very well with the VA box. Others have shown that approximately the same amount is beneficial to the TST (i. e. EZ on level 3).

 

[Blakers]

Has anyone had positive results in reducing EGTs on their VA box by installing a freer-flowing muffler or air cleaner? Will increasing boost help? How can we get a little more boost out of the stock turbo?



Thanks.

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

I ran the VA CP3/2 on my truck with the Piers Bomber Lite turbo and it still got hot. It set three codes in two minutes and came off the truck and was sent back. My level 6 EZ put out more power anyway.

Greg

 

[Gypsyman]

Well, just got another report of a C3. 2 with DD2's, an EZ and a B1-2-04 set at 40 psi that dynoed over 425 and stayed safe on egt's. Guess we'll find out when my B1 and EZ get here...



-Richard

 

[DLeno]

I really think you need one of the simple pressure boxes (EZ, Quadzilla, Bullydog) to get the most out of the VA duration box. At high RPMs there just isn't a lot of opportunity for making power with duration (and no timing). So VA did the best they could -- benefit the lower to mid RPM range and the result is a torque curve with a lot of torque rise at the low end. This is definately not a racing box, as it backs off at the higher RPMs.



Duration without timing results in a net retardation of timing. Thats where all the heat comes from. So you can put on a bigger huffer and take care of that (especially with a pressure stack) but you'll still have a fuel economy thing due to the fact that you have retarded timing.



guys that are stacking the 3. 2 with a pressure box and putting on different turbos should have good success and make good power without raising pressure too high or adding injectors. The penalty will be fuel economy because such a combo does not do timing. Its good to know that the bomber lite isn't enough air -- thats really for pressure boxes in the sub 100HP region I think.