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DECEMBER NEWS Lindsey Racing would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you hadn't noticed, we have our Christmas Specials category running on the web site and they will continue through the end of December. We may add or remove a few items as the month moves along so make sure you let Santa know early what's on your list. We started Lindsey Racing in April of 1999 to help cover the costs of two of us going to PCA Driver Education weekends or DEs. The cost of a single event with two entrance fees, hotel, fuel (to, from and racing), food and wear and tear items on the car that need to be factored in quickly adds up over a weekend. So Lindsey Racing was created to help cover those expenses. Our first product was the Boost Enhancer which to date has sold well over 1500 units and still selling. And now, nearly 8 years later, the line has extended to over 90 products. But over the last few years, the part time business we put our passion into took off and left us little and then no time to go racing which again, was why we started the business in the first place. Before long, customers were wanting us to build and swap engines, install roll cages, install Horse Power kits and tune their machines. Next thing you know we purchased an 8,500 sq. ft. facility to make room for all that was expanding. Lindsey Racing never set out to be a mechanical or installation shop turning wrenches. Our business model was to design, manufacture and market our products. While at it, we would do some club racing and enjoy the competition and camaraderie. Over the last few years, we managed to take on many projects ranging from tuning, to building 2.8L & 3.0L 951s, to turbo charging a 968 to go chase tornados. These projects seemed to take longer than anticipated to complete. That's what happens when you have only a few hours a week to dedicate to these types of things. At times having as many as 4 in house builds going on at once, we knew we needed a better solution and hiring a full time mechanic or two wasn't going to be it. Always having projects to work on left us zero time to maintain our race car and go racing ourselves. Telling a customer we are too busy to finish their car because we are out racing ours didn't sound like a good idea or one that would build long term relationships and good will. Today, we get more calls than ever before with current and future customers wanting to have their cars shipped off to us for a variety of levels of builds. Recently having the last of the big in house projects done and gone (December Customer Car Of The Month) feels great and we want to maintain that feeling. But more importantly, we want to stay focused on new product development, efficiently delivering the ones we already have, and our engine programs. To satisfy both the customer's wants and needs, as well as ours, we have come up with a solution that we feel best benefits everybody. Lindsey Racing is now contracting a major portion of the labor involved in these projects with another local independent Porsche mechanical garage. The task of pulling and re-installing engines, changing clutches, installing HP kits and the like, while leaving the engine building and tuning still in our hands. This garage has been servicing Porsches exclusively for over 40 years and is well qualified for the work. We currently have a 2.8L project driven down from Canada over there getting a fresh Lindsey Racing built engine installed. Once they had pulled the engine for us, we picked it up and did the complete re-build and build up in house. While the engine was out and this shop holds the car, the customer has the opportunity to have any other things fixed at the same time. They are a full service from A-Z Porsche shop. We quickly returned the completed engine ready to drop back in. The shop will re-connect everything, add all the fluids and get it ready to fire up. Then the car comes back to Lindsey Racing for inspection, initial fire up, break-in and tuning. We feel we now have a better plan to do what we do best: build engines, machine engine parts, stock and supply all the pieces day in and day out. The work you came to us for in the first place is still in our hands. We have another similar project that just arrived on a transport and the same process has started over again. We are testing this new relationship and feel it will be a "win win" for all parties and allow us to take what previously took way too long and trim it down to a few weeks. So if you want a 340 kit installed, a stock engine rebuild, or a major build up, we now feel we can take care of you in a fashion more to our liking and yours. While the leaves are turning color and falling, the grass is no longer green, there is a dusting of snow on the lawn, and we're spending time with friends and family enjoying the holidays, things are really blooming at 3745 N.W. 37th St. in Oklahoma City. Now that the business of 2007 is coming to a close and we're gearing up for 2008, it looks as though we may actually once again be able to enjoy what we set out to do back in 1999, go DE'ing and Club Racing!
DECEMBER SPECIALSFor the Month of December, we will be offering the following special pricing for our retail customers only. Other discounts and programs do not apply and cannot be combined. You must request the special pricing at time of ordering. The shopping cart does not recognize our specials and will NOT automatically give you the special pricing. You MUST either send us a follow up e-mail immediately after ordering through the shopping cart or International Order Form, or give us a telephone call and ask for your special pricing. If you order by phone, you MUST mention the special pricing at time of order. If you contact us after the order is shipped and request the special pricing, it will be too late to receive it.
This December, we have our Stage II MAF Meter Kits on sale. Save $150 on this kit. You still need a Piggy Back Fuel Controller. When purchasing the Stage II MAF and our Mafterburner at the same time, take an additional $100 off the Mafterburner.
How's 300 RWHP sound for 2008? Our 300 RWHP Kit is on sale at 10% off this December.
If you're looking to improve the handling of your track car this year, we're having a 10% sale on our Solid Bushing Package Deals throughout December.
One of our very popular items is our Stock Replacement Fuel Line Kits . Since we feel safety is important, and the factory lines are a problem area, we are offering these line kits at 15% off this December.
This new T3 TURBO HEAT SHIELD has an introductory price of $150.00. Normally $199.95. This shield is designed specifically for the T3 turbine housing found on the 951's stock turbo and most of the aftermarket turbos. DECEMBER CUSTOMER CAR OF THE MONTHRobert Killian's '86 951Robert dropped his car off at Lindsey Racing in the condition of what we call a "basket case". The engine was not in the car, and there were literally boxes and baskets of parts. Parts from his 3.0L donor and his original 2.5L. There has been some unusual body work performed on this car you don't see very often. The rocker panels were changed and molded into the surrounding fender and quarter panel. The rear turbo valances were removed and the new bumper cover was also molded into the quarter panels and rear body panel. Throw on a hood scoop and a new header panel, and it makes this car a one of a kind.
ENGINE MODS:
Lindsey Racing Built 3.0L SHOP TALKIn this issue we are going to discuss Bypass Valves. Sometimes they are called Blow Off Valves, Recirculation Valves, Pop Off valves and probably a few other names. This discussion is focused on the two different valves we currently sell. We are also going to touch slightly on turbos, but only in the sense of how they fit into the Bypass Valve picture.First things first. We want to stress that on the 944 Turbo, we need to run a valve that connects back into the system or air intake in front of the turbocharger like the factory valve did. Not one that dumps or blows to atmosphere under the hood. If you're running an Engine Management System or device using a MAP (Manifold Pressure) sensor, versus a MAF (Mass Air Flow) or stock AFM (Air Flow Meter), then you can dump to atmosphere, but aside from that, it should connect back in. A loop from the charge pipe to the turbo inlet like you see below.
Over the last 6 or 7 years, we have carried a few different valves. Today, we sell the EVO or Evolution Motorsports Valve (left) and the Champion Motorsports Valve (right).
When we first sold the Champion valve, there were two versions. A diaphragm and a non-diaphragm unit. They no longer offer the diaphragm unit for unknown reasons so we only sell their non-diaphragm part. So both the Champion and the EVO pieces are without diaphragms and this discussion is limited to these two valves we currently sell. The difference between diaphragm and non-diaphragm should be explained. The diaphragm style uses a rubber diaphragm between the main body of the valve and the lid or top where the vacuum fitting connects. The diaphragm is pinched between the body and lid. This diaphragm makes an air tight seal allowing the top of the chamber to either hold vacuum or boost pressure. The center of the diaphragm protrudes down into the piston and the spring is placed inside. This allows the piston to travel up and down and maintain a seal. The non-diaphragm type valve instead has a grove (in some cases two) machined into the piston bore where a large diameter rubber o-ring is placed. This o-ring sticks up slightly from the bore so when the piston is placed in the bore, it contacts the piston and makes the seal. This o-ring helps achieve the air tight seal without a diaphragm. There is also an o-ring sealing the lid to the body.
Both of these types of valves house a spring. This spring sits on top of the piston and holds the valve in a normally closed position. Pictured below is a typical non-diaphragm valve.
Worth mentioning here is these valves without a diaphragm need a little lubrication from time to time. Remove the top and remove the spring and valve. Clean off the old grease or lube from both the bore and piston. Then re-apply some new lubricant. We like to use a lightweight grease. Something really slippery that doesn't feel like it has a lot of drag. There are two forces that actuate the valve. These are Vacuum and Boost Pressure. The valve is connected to a vacuum hose that is connected to the intake manifold plenum (between the throttle body and the intake runners). If it's not, you need to correct it or the valve will never operate properly. So whatever the pressure is in the intake manifold plenum , we have the same pressure in the top chamber of the Bypass Valve. When the engine is under boost (positive pressure), this pressure in conjunction with the spring holds the valve closed. When not in boost, and under vacuum, negative pressure pulls or sucks the valve open working against the spring. The rate or strength of this spring can have an effect on when the valve is open with relation to how much vacuum you're pulling. We have all watched our boost gauge while driving around. When idling, you have vacuum. When driving on the highway at a sustained speed, you have vacuum. When you lift the throttle and decelerate such as when coming to a stop, you have vacuum. In all these conditions, the amount of vacuum can vary. If on the highway, and the grade of the road is going up and down slightly, you can have higher or lower vacuum because the engine loading changes. Larger cam profiles typically mean lower engine vacuum in all of these conditions. Thus the vacuum varies from engine set-up to load conditions. When you depress the throttle and start to load the engine, the vacuum lowers to zero then transitions to positive pressure or what we all know as boost. How much boost doesn't really matter in this discussion. Just understand that it's not vacuum any longer and the force on the valve through the vacuum line connected to it is now pressure and this holds the valve closed. The spring is aiding this pressure in holding the valve closed. The primary function of the bypass valve is to release or bleed off the pressure when you lift the throttle and close the throttle blade in the throttle body. Your turbo can be spinning in excess of 100,000 RPM and it's pumping the air through the intercooler, past the throttle body and into the cylinders. All of a sudden you close the throttle body or in effect have slammed the door on the passageway to the cylinders. This can be hard on the turbocharger. Some more than others, and some not affected by it. When the turbo is spinning at these extreme RPMs and you close the throttle, this backing up of the air can try to force the shaft in the turbo laterally or sideways and permit contact of the wheels to the housings. This damage can quickly cause the demise of a turbo. So the bypass valve system is designed to open a venting hole to allow this pressure somewhere to go. In the 944 Turbo, and probably most applications, the pressure escapes and returns back into the turbocharger's inlet plumbing and is compressed once again. Thus the name recirculation valve. The bearing in the turbo resisting this sideways movement is a thrust bearing. On the K26 turbos from KKK that come stock in the 944 Turbo, they have 270 degrees of contact area. Think of it as a pie with 1/4 of it eaten or missing. Our Super and Sport Turbos and probably most other Garrett turbos out there have a full 360 degree bearing. What makes them different is whether or not this 360 degree bearing is bolted in place. Both KKK and Garrett produce the turbo with a spring washer holding the bearing in place. In order for it to be bolted in, it would be a secondary operation performed by the aftermarket turbo builder such as ours. This spring washer can compress with the sideways force caused by not bypassing the air and allows the contact. If the bearing is bolted in, the shaft cannot move and there is little to no chance of resulting damage. If you have a Lindsey Racing Sport or Super Series Turbo, then you have no worries since they are all bolted in. Fact is, you don't need to run a bypass valve if you don't want to with one of our turbos. We would argue that the main reason Porsche has one on the 944 Turbo is to prevent this damaging sideways shaft movement. If you have a Garrett Twin Ball Bearing Turbo, such as our new line, those are every bit and then some as durable as a 360 bolted in. We have tried removing the Bypass Valve altogether on the 951 with our set-ups and the results are not favorable. The problem is that the car does not return to idle quickly. That last 1000 to 1500 RPM back to idle can take a few seconds vs. a fraction of a second. This means that the deceleration of the engine is slower and you cannot use this to engine brake like normal. Strange enough, even though the Bypass Valve is removed, the resulting sound of the air backing up into the turbo's compressor housing sounds identical to still having one. When tuning the car with a Piggy Back fuel controller coupled to a MAF Meter, this inconsistent opening and closing or position of the Bypass Valve can affect the state of tune. If you're going up a slight grade, then down, the air fuel ratio can be switching from rich to lean from your desired target ratio. When bypassing, the amount of air entering the meter is not the same as when it's not bypassing. It's a slight difference, but enough to aggravate tuning. In some cases making the car buck or miss when transitioning from open to closed or vise versa. The EVO valve has two areas needing improvement. The spring is of a rate that allows the valve to start to open at 4 to 5 inches of vacuum, and is wide open at 7. Second area is that the spring is not precision ground flat on the ends. This allows the valve or piston to tip and possibly bind up or drag once opened and the centering tip of the piston comes out of the corresponding alignment bore on the valve's body. The Champion Motorsports valve starts to open at 6 to 7 inches of vacuum and is full open by 9 or 10. That's with the stiffest supplied spring in their kit (comes with three springs and two shims). Each shim increases the amount of vacuum required to open it by about 1. So with the stiffest spring, and both shims, you're full open at 11 to 12 inches of vacuum. If you watch your vacuum gauge while driving, you will see your vacuum run the gambit from 0 to about 15 inches with the exception of full deceleration where the vacuum goes way up to 20 or even more. The air fuel ratio in this condition doesn't matter since the injectors are turned off anyway and the boost went away and the engine is coasting down. We want to point out that this early opening of these two valves may be fine when running an AFM. But we have found that on MAF set-ups, it's not so good, or it can certainly be improved. So we decided that a new spring was needed. One that would start to open at 15 inches of vacuum, and fully open at about 19-20. So the only time the Bypass Valve will open is when you lift the throttle under full boost and the vacuum surges past 15 inches. This is when the backpressure is there and when the bypass valve is needed. The rest of the time it will remain closed. This makes tuning of the car easier since this open and closed variable is eliminated.
Since both valves have similar internal dimensions, we were able to make one spring that fits both valves thus we get the same results with each. We also feel this will help with "tip in" of boost since the valve would already be closed. A stock valve or one with a weak spring would be normally be open just before you go full throttle. So you bypass a little air before it closes and building of boost. This new spring may not work for everybody. But it has proven successful on our projects and cars we tune in house. We feel this new spring should be used on turbos with a bolted in 360 bearing or a Twin Ball Bearing turbo set-up with a MAF. The AFM doesn't seem to mind the bypassing and that's how Porsche had it set up based on their other components. It may prove ideal for AFM cars as well. Get one and give it a try if you're still running an AFM and an EVO or Champion Valve.
NEW PAGES @ LINDSEYRACING.COMWe are continually doing things improve and grow www.lindseyracing.com, adding new pages of product as well as new and exciting information to current pages. Since the site is always growing, we thought it would be beneficial to share some of those "New Pages" with you in this new section of our newsletter. Otherwise, who knows how long it may take to discover them.
Fuel Inlet Line Filter Kit New Page
911
BOXSTER
FINAL THOUGHTSWe have dusted off a few toys around here. Dave's white 2.5L '88 944 TS monster was fired up and driven just before Thanksgiving for the first time in over a year. The Yellow Race Car which started this whole business was pulled out of the corner with over two years of dust on it. It's now on the lift getting new Control Arms, Coil Springs, Chips, MAF, Turbo, Seats and a list of other things in preparation of going back to the track next year. Mike's 930 was parked last Fall when a fuel leak was detected when pulling into the shop one Saturday. The car has sat covered up ever since. The fuel leak was corrected and the 3.3L turbo was brought back to life with a charge of the battery.This year has been another one of growth in products, knowledge and experience for us. As we move into 2008, we do it with excitement and optimism. The web site will be taking on a new look. You will see plenty of on-line instructions and do-it-yourself help pages in the Tech Garage section. We will delve deeper into the 911 product line and further extend our reputation to that group. We couldn't do it without all of you, so we owe you a big THANKS! Until next issue, we wish you many safe and quick laps. - The Lindsey Racing Crew
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