Turbo install by Breathless

[raiden658]

Ernie, at Breathless Performance, installed a turbo on my one year old smart cabrio this past week. I picked it up today. Garret 20 Turbo, sump pump on timer, wideband air/fuel meter, boost guage, new center exhaust, waste gate. With boost at 6 psi, it was flying on the way home. I'd be doing 50 and hit the floor and next thing I knew, I was doing 85 mph. I'll take pics sometime this week. This is just what the doctor ordered - gobs of power.

[Okiesmrt]

Estimated hp?

[raiden658]

I will try to get a dyno run this week. Ernie has another turbo smart that was at 5 psi generating 90.3 hp at the wheels. Mine has psi 6 to 7, so it should be about the same or a little more.

[tbone28]

did you consider both turbos before deciding on the Breathless? Curious as to your decision-making process. Seems like the SFR turbo is more prevalent on this forum. Was it the local factor for you?

[tigerwong58]

tbone, great question, I still haven't pulled the trigger yet. These turbo cars need more miles on them.

[raiden658]

Tbone, the deciding factor was definitely the close proximity of Breathless to my home (about 22 miles). But, I also liked his setup.

Today, we put the turbo on the Dyno. Ambient temp was about 88 degrees, the car had been run up from Miami (22 miles), and we did not exceed 5 psi on the boost. We were able to generate 100 HP at the wheels, in fourth gear. On the return trip, the ambient temp was 89-91 degrees. My scan guage showed that the Air Intake Temp never exceeded 165 degrees while cruising at 70-80 mph. Most of the time the AIT never went above 150. When I got into the turbo the AIT would rise, but never exceeded 175 degrees. This has been a blast to drive and really makes a difference on the highway. Now I can keep up with those mini's, suv's and others.

[raiden658]

link for Youtube:

YouTube - Turbo Smart Car

[BreathlessPerformance]

Originally Posted by raiden658

link for Youtube: YouTube - Turbo Smart Car

Mike great video, my only question is while showing the IAT temperatures do stay very cool even without using an intercooler and with the great camera work who was watching the road.

Thank you for pointing out the IAT Temps, those numbers really seperate our sytem from all the other systems that are available out there, not to mention our system mounts lower in the engine compartment not above the engine where more heat soak is distributed into the intercooler and intake plumbing. We also use a blow off valve which keeps the Turbo spooled up during shifts.

Our Products at Breathless Performance

[raiden658]

Ernie, I forgot to tell you about the driver guidance system I built. Basically, an optical lens tracks the white (or yellow) lines painted into the road to keep the vehicle in the lane. A front searching radar monitors the front and slows the vehicle down to avoid collissions. A rear radar causes the car to speed up in the event a car gets too close from behind. If cars are coming up too fast and there is no room in front to speed, the computer automatically dials my life insurance carriere, the morgue and my wife (in that order). In dire situations, I just basically close my eyes and remember that the car is just too small to get hit by anyone else. Its sort of like my golf game, if I aim directly at the tree, more than likely I wont hit it.

Seriously, driving with a turbo takes getting used to, now I can keep up with the big boys, and they dont like it one bit. If I pass someone, they just feel honor bound to get back in front of me, no matter how fast I am going. I kinda feel like the miniature
pinscher bossing the rottwielers around.