Hi everyone,

I drive a 2008 r56 with a jcw package. This is my second mini, first being an 02 r53.

let me start by saying I’ve found some helpful information in other posts regarding my issue, but haven’t found exactly what I’m looking for. If this has already been discussed and you know about the post, please let me know as I would appreciate it highly.

My question is regarding a turbo smart kompact shorty plumb back (mechanical, full recirc) dv making my stock tune r56 SLOWER than it was before. I don’t expect it to make my car any faster, but slower?

This is why I opted for this mod. For some time, almost a year, I ran a cheap Amazon blowoff spacer on my stock dv with alta spring. I installed the spacer purely for the whoosh sound in letting off the throttle. Recently, in higher rpm long pulls on the highway (45-6000 rpm, 3rd or 4th gear) I sometimes will lose all of my power and my instincts tell me this is related to boost. All my vac lines are replaced with harder silicone line, I don’t think I have a leak there, so my two guesses as to where the system may be opening is the dv (the cheap spacer I put it in) or my wastegate is beginning to fail. Cheaper, simpler to fix option, I decided to attack the dv first. I still wanted the whoosh sound but didn’t want to go for another spacer on stock dv. So I figured, upgrade to a blowoff valve, I should do this anyways for when I plan to tune in the future.

I keep throwing the terms bov and dv’s around. I should add I intended on getting the dual port 50/50 plumb back valve but didn’t realize I purchased the full recirc until after install. Also, the seals on the cheap bov spacer were completely toast.

In conclusion I want the whoosh sound, but don’t want to lose any power. The turbosmart valve sounds really nice, though I wish I had the 50/50, but the mini’s definitely not as fast as it was before install and it really stinks. I feel like I did a thorough install, I don’t think the TS valve is leaking boost itself.

Does anyone have this issue, or do you run a TS valve just fine on your stock tune?

would the 50/50 adjustable plumb back valve solve my power loss problem?

would one of the newer EM valves that utilize the ecu solve my power loss problem? I’ve heard some people say EM throws more codes, some say mechanical throws more codes. I have an n14

should I just get a better spacer and new improved oem dv? is the torque solutions spacer any good?

Sorry I know I said I have a question, but there are several. Thanks for reading the longer post. Any light you can shed is appreciated.

 

I thought I read someone having issue with the turbosmart valve not seating properly into the turbo housing. If that's the case, you're leaking boost without knowing it, which would make you slower...

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...dual-port.html I’m pretty sure this is the one he is talking about.

I just bought the newest version, a pierburg unit, and picked up Nik’s, thanks again, older style as a spare. I’m running basically the same thing you were, but will be swapping to a forge one later.

 

Everything seemed good and tight but this could be it, I’ll try reseating that valve as well as the MAP adapter tomorrow. Appreciate the reply!

 

I’m currently running the shorty plumb back (full recirc, TS-0203-1252) I intended on running the 50/50 dual port (TS-0203-1052) but accidentally bought the full recirc :( I watched a YouTube video on 50/50 install, bought the valve from the link in the vids description and it turned out to be the full recirc valve.

If I can’t figure this out with the turbosmart valve, I’d like to, it sounds really nice, I’ll probably opt for the upgraded oem with torque solution or forge spacer

 

Can I be honest with you, I went the cheapest route I could, MOTD is right around the corner and the wife has me on a budget. If you have the money just buy the forge unit and be done with it, my tip is pull the manufacture part number off ECS first then hunt google with that part number, that’s how I find my deals.

 

I have a forge unit for my N-14 motor just need to install.

 

I reseated both the MAP adapter and valve today. I cleaned the surfaces of the intake manifold and turbo, again, where the adapter and valve respectively go and I also made sure to hold them in place while tightening them down. Didn’t do a thing.

I noticed driving today that I almost have the same power accelerating in higher rpm’s, but not nearly the same amount of power down low that I once had. It takes a really long time in 4th gear+ to reach 3000 rpm and feel any sort of power, not peak, accelerating from 2000 at wot. Much longer than it use to take.

I’m thinking three things.

1. Could have to do with it being plumb back and not EM, which would communicate with the ecu and therefore get readings from MAF sensor.

2. Could have to do with the spring in the valve being too stiff, so the solution would be the 50/50 plumb back where the spring is adjustable. This option doesn’t make much sense to me however, since the spring keeps the valve closed and boost is what opens the valve and the issue isn’t regarding the valve not closing.

3. The valve is simply meant for a tuned mini. Being stock my best bet may be putting the turbosmart valve to the side until tune and going for the upgraded oem dv with a torque solutions or forge spacer, unless someone out there has had success with ts valve on stock tune 👀

 

I know the thread Jason linked above is long, but did you actually rear through it? Try again, but start at post #26:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4558290

It seems TurboSmart is not so smart. The valve body is too shallow to properly seat into the turbo and actually seal against leakage. If your valve is similar, no matter what you do with the TurboSmart valve, it will prevent you from building full boost, and not getting all the power you expect.

I would take the Turbo"Dumb" valve out and replace with a known good OEM diverter valve and see what happens, and go from there. I'd be willing to bet you'll get full boost.

 

Yeah I didn’t get that far, thanks for telling me where to look. That’s seriously a shame! I find it interesting however as I have the stock turbo and it still doesn’t fit.

Two things could be going on, my car has a jcw package (2008, they didn’t make true jcw’s) so maybe it has a jcw turbo? He mentions it doesn’t fit in his stock jcw k03. I wonder if the valve seats against the turbo in a regular cooper s. That or turbosmart butchered the dimensions for the valve and it doesn’t even fit a stock cooper s turbo, making it a beautiful $2xx paper weight.

 

I've not had any of the problems with a 2009 fjcw with the Turbosmart 50/50 apart from needing to dialling it in.

Have you tried contacting Turbosmart directly so that they know it's a problem?

 

I know I haven’t been on the forum as long as NIk, but I know the GFB+ and the turbo smart ones have had issues. Only issue I’ve seen with a forge unit was the top wanting to come off, but I do believe Scotty got that sorted out. There is a new in box GFB+ that popped up for 50 bucks on Facebook and as much as I was tempted to go snag it, but too many issues Read on here for me to justify buying it. I’m going with a forge unit just simply based on it works.

 

My Forge diverter valve has been rock solid for the past 4 years, with no maintenance. And I’m running it with a blow off spacer.

 

with a spacer? Really, what’s that sound like? I’ve heard just the forge, and obviously I’m running spacer with intake, so I get the fluttering sounds.

 

Sorted it right out into the trash can lol.
The Forge was just not for me, I went back to the OEM DV (11658636606). For whatever reason, the Forge would cause boost leaks. Maybe I had a defective unit.

 

you don’t still have it do you?

 

I get a cool slight "whoosh" sound on throttle release. Sometimes it is so subtle I don't even hear it. But, if I do a hard pull it can get loud.

 

Thank you now the 20 yr trapped inside wants to try this now.

 

Ha! The FIRST thing I wanted to do when I got the Mini was make the turbo sound louder. Best $20 I ever spent. It was all down hill from there...

 

I do. It's currently a $252.72 paperweight.

I'm pretty sure that there was something wrong with it.

 

I suppose I could I just don’t want to deal with the
hassle. I feel like for over $200 it should be something that just works. I’ve heard good things about the improved oem dv so I decided to buy that as well as a forge bov spacer, hope it does me better than the cheap duwhel spacer from Amazon did. I haven’t seen anyone on here talk about this setup so I’ll let everyone know how the improved oem dv plus forge spacer works out.

 

What issues did you have with the cheap Amazon spacer?

 

As you can see here the o-ring is toast. Had it on the car a little under a year

 

Yuck! Looks like someone used silicone sealer on it? Or was it just a really cheap o-ring not suitable for higher heat applications?

I would be temped to get a better set of o-rings, clean it up, and try it again.

 

Wow. That's fun.