RS2 turbocharger

[Ken]

Bernard Littau bernardl at acumenassociates.com
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<<This assumes both cars are trying equally hard.  One would need to know that neither car is somehow retarding the ignition or otherwise trying to
compensate for a pretty low rpm with high throttle situation.  You are
really in the engine lugging area, and lifting the head gasket can be an
issue.  It's possible the factory added code to protect the engine to the
engine management system, or that the knock recovery algorithms are
different.>>

Okay, now you've struck upon something I was wondering before.

What is it that makes lugging an engine bad?  Is it related to boost pressure at all?  Or is is just that it's bad for the motor because it is spinning too slow to make proper use of the air/fuel being put in?  I know it sounds like knocking, so maybe that's what it really is?

If it is boost-related, then is this a reason that I wouldn't want my WG held closed and generating more boost earlier than it would otherwise?

What lifts the head (gasket) in the situation you describe?  I imagine high cylinder pressures?

I had asked the question before if there was any reason that you wouldn't want boost at low rpms.  I'm wondering if that has anything to do with lugging at all?

Lugging is just too much throttle at not-enough engine speed, right?

On my 16v Saturn, it seems like there is more power if the throttle position is less than WOT when the motor is still spinning slowly.  Holding off on WOT until the engine gets "on the cams" (perhaps?) seems to make more power.

The launch control offered with LinkPlus EFI, supposedly lets you hold the throttle at WOT at launch, but the computer limits rpms to whatever you program.  How the heck does it do that?  Injector duty cycle, even tho' the air is getting in?

I'd like to understand this stuff better.

Later,

Ken