Originally posted by azgn
I just can't agree with the "backpressure" theory either...once the exhaust system is full, the main source of backpressure is the turbo and an upstream wastegate won't change that...it'll just bleed off total boost
Woody - I gotta agree with Nashty here. If I can reword his argument a little bit:
-the power the turbine extracts from the exhaust gas is a function of exhaust mass flow, EGT, and the ratio of turbine inlet to turbine outlet pressure. If you keep the flow and temperature the same, but decrease the turbine outlet pressure (or increase the turbine inlet pressure), you will extract more power from the exhaust, which will turn the compressor side faster, which will try to increase the boost level.
To keep the boost level the same, you have to change something. Realistically we can change the exhaust flow through the turbine, or we can change the inlet/outlet pressure ratio. When the wastegate opens further (in reaction to the rising boost pressure) both of these things happen: A. more exhaust flows through the wastegate, so less flow goes through the turbine, and B. the pressure in the headers drops some, lowering the inlet/outlet pressure ratio.
-Note that last bit: lowering the pressure at the turbine outlet also lowers the pressure at the turbine inlet, which is the backpressure in the headers. Lower backpressure there = more power.
-Lots of mods we do has this effect. Remove the cat - lowers the pressure at the turbine outlet, which lowers the backpressure in the headers, which gives more hp. Same thing with better mufflers/pipes (or no mufflers/pipes). Same thing with a THDP. vs a stock downpipe.
- If you go from a high restriction elbow/downpipe (ie stock) to a low restriction elbow/downpipe (ie THDP), you get this effect. If you had the same high restriction elbow/downpipe, but passed less exhaust through it, you would also see a lower pressure at the turbine outlet, which would drop the backpressure in the headers. This is where a wastegate on the crossover can come into play.
In the integral wastegate case, all the exhaust goes all the way up to the turbine housing, and when wastegated is just stuck right back into the turbine outlet. The headers and downpipe see the entire flow, and have the maximum pressure drop. If you put a gate on the crossover and dump it to atmosphere, or after the downpipe, the pass side header and the elbow/downpipe don't see the entire flow, and so have a lower pressure drop than before. Even if it is a low restriction piece (ie THDP), the pressure drop through it is still less, since the flow is less. And that means the turbine outlet pressure is reduced, which means the header backpressure is reduced.
Now, it should be obvious that the more pressure drop you have in the elbow/downpipe, the more of an improvement you'll get by having an external gate on the crossover. On a mild car, you might see a big jump on a car with a stock downpipe, but no measurable improvement if a THDP is in place. On a race car, maybe a guy with a 3" THDP sees a gain while the guy with the 3.5" THDP doesn't. Just depends.
Back in '89 or so, Car Craft had some EFI car shootout, and Duttweiler had 2 GNs there, the faster one running low 12's maybe. In the buildups he mentioned that he had an external gate on one of the cars (both had stock downpipes of course). He said it dropped the backpressure by 8 psi and was worth ~20 hp.
John Estill