Ross

iTrader: (12)

I’m running Stage 2 and don’t have the money to do any of the “next step” mods, like a bigger turbo or FMIC. I do, however, get bored if I don’t have any projects pending on my car, so I decided to do something cheap and bought a used GFB hybrid BOV.

I know some people on here and NASIOC hate BOVs with a passion and I had read that the stock BPV is good for 22+ psi, so a BOV should be unnecessary for most of us. I had also read all the horror stories of cars idling poorly or bogging between shifts when running a BOV. Recently, though, I heard that the stock BPV may “bleed off” boost above 15 psi (I’m running 17.5 psi) and that a BOV might actually help throttle response and spool.

I installed the BOV fully expecting to be disappointed by all the detrimental side effects and immediately replace the stock BPV. Wow, was I surprised. My car idles better than stock, with higher vacuum (19 in. Hg vs. 16 in. Hg) which I understand means that the idle A/F ratio is improved. The turbo also spools up faster; the difference is like the difference I saw when I went from the stock DP to my current catless DP. There is also less of a dropoff between shifts, so there isn’t a downside that I can see. I’m pleasantly surprised as I really expected to be back to my stock BPV by now.

So, is my experience different from what others have experienced? Would I change my mind if I was running a full atmospheric venting BOV (like the Forge I have sitting on the side)?

BTW, the GFB customer service is terrific. They answered all my questions and gave me detailed directions on disassembling, cleaning and tuning the BOV, even though it’s an older model that I bought used.

4080wrx

iTrader: (38)

well you are running a hybrid and not full atmospheric so side affects should be very minimal if none..........personally i am running the turbos xs recirc with a intake and it is plenty loud for me when i am boosting. yes boosting, anything else would get annoying as a DD IMO.

GL and enjoy your new mod

touge-n00b

iTrader: (21)

I have the same BOV Ross! I love it, it only goes off when I want it too, and so far as I can tell, hasnt had any detrimental effects on my car (had for a good 4-5 months now).

desmundo

iTrader: (3)

looked good when i seen it ross! glad its working out for you

808_lgt

iTrader: (2)

I run this on my lgt. I love it. I run full atmospheric cause I like it loud.

alienbreed69

iTrader: (5)

^^^^^^ have you run it 50/50? if so did you notice a difference in performance??

Ross

iTrader: (12)

This is an older hybrid model, I think it can only run 50/50 or full atmo, but I don't have the block off plate so I'm running it 50/50. I do have a Forge full atmo BOV on the side, I will try that one after I finish cleaning and re-building it.

bpang1

iTrader: (25)

You know, I've had Forge 50/50, HKS and Forge blow off valves. Ran them all and thought things were fine.

The only time I realized how much of a detriment they are to my car's performance is after switching back to stock. WOW...couldn't even believe how much they were messing up my drive. Now I don't have the revs plummet so much on shifts. The only way I could see it making such a huge difference for you is that your stock BPV was messed up somehow and leaking boost...maybe the seal was bad or misaligned.

Ross

iTrader: (12)

^^^ That's what I was thinking, but I bought my car with only a few thousand miles on it and never messed with the stock BPV except to take it off when I had to remove the intercooler. Maybe I just had a bad BPV from the factory?

Haole-Pino

iTrader: (21)

I'm running a WORKS BOV, it's adjustable to 100% recirculating, to 100% atmospheric, with 25% incerments in between.

For everyday driving, I have it on 50/50. If I go on car cruises, I have it on 100% atmospheric to show off the sound. And if I'm planning to race, tune, or Dyno, I'll set it to 100% recirculating (Stock) to help prevent quick drops in my RPM when I shift, helps me stay in the power ban better.

desmundo

iTrader: (3)

^^^^^ how much was it dave?

bpang1

iTrader: (25)

Maybe a bad one or maybe the seal wasn't good at either the flange or the stopper thing in the BPV.

Hey I had a GFB like yours...mine got stuck wide open when the piston thingie splooged to teh side and got stuck. That really sucked...good thing I was close to home!

Ross

iTrader: (12)

Update: I was bored, so I installed the Forge full atmospheric venting BOV. Maybe I just don’t drive very hard, but I didn’t really notice any downside to going full atmo, other than a slightly uneven vacuum reading at idle and the occasional faint popping noise when shifting from first to second. On the contrary, boost seems to come on even more quickly than it did with the GFB Hybrid, which may be due to the fast reaction of the Forge BOV afforded by the two stage piston design.

The only other big change, which may be a plus or minus depending on what you like, is that the Forge BOV blows off pretty loudly at almost every shift unless I really baby my shifts and/or shift below 3,000 RPM. I’m not sure if this is good or bad for the turbo, but I assume that blowing off more frequently is better, as long as the BOV is able to maintain peak boost.

On a side note, customer service from both GFB and Forge was outstanding. Both companies took a lot of time to answer all my questions about cleaning, re-building and tuning their respective BOVs. Forge is also sending me a bunch of spare parts at no charge; basically all the wear items (like the o-rings and secondary piston) and a stiffer spring for the secondary piston to try and cure the uneven vacuum at idle. I am definitely doing more business with Forge in the future.