Boost Control
 

I am going to set up boost control one evening this week, just wondering how most people do it with the AEM?

I was planning to use the stock solenoid, but I do have an aftermarket solenoid kicking around the garage somewhere if there is any disadvantage to the stock one. Is the stock solenoid NO or NC?

Anyway if anyone is using the stock solenoid for boost control on a single turbo setup let me know how you plumbed it and how it works. Otherwise I will have to just figure it out unless there is an accepted way to set it up with an different solenoid...

I would like to plumb this such that if the solenoid fails I default to wastegate spring pressure versus kaboom pressure, so that is one consideration.

One stock solenoid is not enough. I would recommend just replacing it with a MAC boost solenoid. Many companies offer them, AEM, MoTec, Haltech...

There are many different ways to do boost control in with the AEM EMS. You can tune just off of the Base WG duty table. This is an open loop 3D table. There is still a lot to be gained or lost from tuning this table right.

Then you have closed loop control. This can be done by targeting a 3D TPS v. RPM Table, or based on Vehicle speed. You will need to properly set up your error control table.

You also have Proportional and Integral closed loop control. This allows to fine tune your closed loop abilities.

There is also a boost targeting method. This is my preferred method. This is a compensation method that is based on multiple boost targets in open loop. You still have the ability to turn on feedback and P+I control. Boost targeting method gives you an offset table based on desired or targeted boost. it is a bit much to explain right now but, if you read the AEMPro help file it explains it pretty well. I will be glad to answer any questions you have or explain it a bit more later on.

EB Turbo

So to sum that up, the stock solenoid is NG, and the AEM doesn't care how I plumb the solenoid as long as I set up the software appropriately?

I'll see if I can dig up the solenoid I had and get it hooked up then I will decide which control strategy I want to use...

The stock solenoid can work dependibg on your wastegate setup but you may need to use restrictor pills and if it fails it may default to turbo boost. It is too complicated and not desirable.

There are many ways to plumb boost control depending on your wastegate setup(internal or external). You want to choose the one that if the solenoid fails the boost will default to spring pressure. AEM has some examples in there AEM Pro help file.

As for tuning, all methods require a properly tuned open loop base WG duty table. Start with that and you can experiment with closed loop and boost targeting. All are pretty easy to tune once you understand theory and principal.

EB Turbo