Interesting reading LSXM3, thanks for replying.
Dimebag, agree, would be cool to know what values the "stock" upgraders are seeing
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Lying in bed last night I kept thinking about this and I came up with some theories that I would like to get confirmed or "busted" , hehe.
I do lack general knowledge of many things for example air, but I guess one can always read about this.
When you add an intercooler you do this to lower the air temperature on the air that is entering the engine, hence making the air more "powerful" .
But then again on a warm day, you would have to increase the boost level to run at right pressure since the air is less "powerful" that day.
So, I know it would be wrong but theoretically you could just throw the intercooler in the garbage and increase boost level and be good to go.
That said I do know that lower air temps help prevent detonation.
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Like, if you run at 4PSI at sea level and then run 7PSI at higher altitude, you will actually increase the air-volume that is entering the engine (no poop Sherlock) but still have the same HP since the air is less "powerful" at higher altitudes.
If you dont see where I am going, I am thinking this:
You have drastically increased the air volume that is entering the engine which means that the compression stroke compresses much more air hence creating more stress on internal engine parts (rods,piston and head gasket).
So, you are stressing the engine more then at sealevel but still making the same HP, well that sucks!! hehe.
Or, am I completely misunderstanding everything, air is thinner the higher up you get which means that you would have to have more of it the higher up you get.
Will thinner air at higher pressure be the same as thick air at lower pressure when thinking of the amount of air that is actually being compressed in the engine. Like, the pressure needed to compress the mixture would be the same at sealevel @4psi as at high altitude @7PSI??
Since you have to compress the air it should mean that you are creating a greater pressure inside the cylinder which means that as stated above you are stressing engine parts without gaining HP.
Yesterday when lying in bed I somehow thought:
With the boost pressure gauge you monitor what you do to the engine at the intake and compression stroke.
With the AFR gauge you monitor what the power and exhaust stroke are doing.
But then again, the highest pressure ever being created inside an engine will always be at the power stroke, right?
I thought that my conclusion was that you could be stressing the engine with too much boost due to very high altitude but still running OK AFR.
But this sounds stupid, or is it some sort of reality in this?
I guess it boils down to the following question:
Can I mainly focus on the AFR or do I have to pay attention to the boost level because of the fact that there is infact a fraction of truth in what I am believing/thinking or do I need to pay attention to the boost gauge for the real reason??
Dude I`m confused.. I guess I`m complicating this more then necessary?
Is 9 PSI the highest boost this engine can handle?
At 12.5 in AFR?
If I were to run at 9 PSI at my elevation the AFR would be too lean.
Should I feel safe as long as the AFR is lower then 12.5 since I know that my altitudes will never let me run more then about 7 - 7,5 PSI.
Anyone?
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