WasteGate Actuator - Did anybody upgrade?

[ENGINR]

I'm going to install the GTPumps turbine housing on my TD05H-20G turbo today (fingers crossed I stay motivated enough to do it today!)

Question - has anybody upgraded their waste-gate actuator? I am looking at the enlarged waste-gate port on the GTPumps housing and think "that's all good, it'll flow more - but what about the actuator which holds the flap shut?" Has anybody put a heavier rated actuator on their turbo?

Mark at GT has said that he sells his enhanced turbos with the standard actuator on them, so I'm not concerned with leaving the standard one there, but it's just a question that came to my mind.

 

[3zercrowd]

The Evo4 onwards has 2 different actuators 0.8 Bar and 1.2 Bar...but not he VR4-Evo1,2,3 ones ( 0.8 Bar)......Ive looked around for them too but couldnt find any

MBC or EBC FTW!

 

[GSRWRC]

All the actuator does is open the flap at a given pressure. Why would it need to be "upgraded" unless you want to change your base boost setting?

 

[ENGINR]

I'm going to be using an AVC-R with it.

 

[shadow]

There's no need to upgrade the actuator. Upgrading it will just modify when the wastegate opens if you weren't running the AVCR.
I can only see your running into trouble if the spring in the stock actuator is too weak, but considering people have run 22 psi and higher through them i'd say it'll be fine.

By the way, the AVCR is a good unit, i'm running the same thing in mine.

Here's a pic to help explain how the actuator works.
Note: i didn't draw this pic, just searched for one.
[/img]

 

[doommachine]

I did some research into this in the past, and people reckon that you want to have the actuator spring be able to hold at least half the boost you want to run (ie, if you want to run 2 bar, you need a 1 bar spring).

Don't forget the wastegate flap is being pushed out as well by the exhaust gasses. Additionally if you have bigger flap then theres more surface area that the exhaust gasses are pushing against. Ah, also, the car will build boost up to 20, 22 etc psi on an 8psi spring, BUT it will take longer as the exhaust gases leak out a little. Basically by upgrading the spring you get better boost response.

Anyway, easy (and cheap.. haha) way to upgrade your actuator spring rating is to add some washers behind the wastegate actuator bracket. I have stock 8psi actuator, one 2mm odd spring washer and now the wastegate opens at 10psi. I wouldn't recommend much more than that though, obviously they aren't designed to be used in that way.