Wastegate Hacks Tuners Wish They Learned Earlier

Most tuners ignore the two tricks that actually stabilise a turbo engine’s power.

Boost control tuning decides whether your turbo engine delivers usable, predictable power or becomes a complete handful. After tuning more than a thousand turbo cars, there are two techniques that consistently improve power, reliability, and drivability, yet most novice tuners overlook them.

Using a Ford RS200 as a case study, this video explains how your turbocharger and wastegate interact, why boost usually peaks early then falls away, and how you can use advanced electronic boost control strategies to shape the curve. You will learn how to control torque to protect weak components, how to extend power at high RPM, and how throttle position based targets transform a turbo engine’s response so it behaves predictably on the limit.

These principles apply to any turbocharged engine regardless of ECU or hardware. If you want more power, more control, and a safer tune, understanding these strategies is essential.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - The Two Boost Control Tricks Novice Tuners Miss
0:24 - Why Controllable Power Matters On An RS200
0:59 - What Electronic Boost Control Actually Does
1:27 - Level One Boost Control Explained
1:56 - Why Boost Climbs Early And Drops At High RPM
2:06 - Level Two Boost Control And Shaping The Curve
2:10 - Adding Throttle Position To Unlock Level Three
2:23 - How A Wastegate Actually Works
3:07 - Why Uncontrolled Boost Will Destroy An Engine
3:18 - Using Torque Limits To Protect Weak Conrods
3:46 - Example One: Fixed Duty Cycle And Boost Drop Off
4:48 - Example Two: Shaping The Curve For Safe Power Gains
5:33 - 51 Horsepower Gained Without Extra Risk
6:03 - Making Powerful Turbo Cars Easier To Control
6:18 - Why Throttle Does Not Reduce Torque In A Turbo Engine
7:13 - RS200 Test: Fixed Boost Target Vs Real Torque Output
8:02 - Why Torque Barely Changes At Half Throttle
8:47 - Adding Throttle Position To Boost Targets
9:04 - Improved Torque Control For Drivability
9:29 - How Correct Boost Control Transforms Traction And Confidence
9:45 - Final Summary And The RS200’s Behaviour After Refinement