Prodigy Performance 3.6 Turbo DIY Install

[Timmy]

Early driving impressions (based on VERY limited driving time with notoriously inaccurate butt dyno!)...

It "feels" about the same as stock at low rpms, up to somewhere around 2000-2500 rpm.

Somewhere in the 2000-2500 rpm range, it starts "feeling" noticeably quicker.

Around 3000 rpm, the wastegate is singing it's heart out, you and your passenger start giggling like Beavis and Butthead.

Starting around 4000 rpm, there's no question that you've about doubled how quickly the jeep can accelerate in that range.

The wastegate sound is truly addicting.

I really like how it sounds very quiet and essentially stock while idling and gently driving around town.

That sounds exactly like my Audi 2.0T with my APR 93 Octane boost code on it. Very sluggish, and then a kick in the butt. Makes 0-8mph very slow, and then 8-100mph very fast ;-)

[Gunner]

This is fun. Pickles I dislocated a rib under my Jeep the other day. It hurts. I guess I am getting to old to crawl around under there.

[jeepsking]

Nice to hear that. I know its not legal, but would love to see a comparison with others like GC SRT. If I installed one, I will definitely add boost gauge and AFR gauge for safety.

[UselessPickles]

"Very sluggish" is relative, though. Before adding the turbo, I would not have described my jeep as "very sluggish" below 2500 rpm. In stock form, it reached near peak torque just under 2000 rpm. As far as I can tell, the turbo does not make the jeep any slower below 2500 rpm, it just makes it insanely faster above 2500 rpm, which makes below 2500 feel slow by comparison. If this is anything like their kit for the 3.8 engine, then there's actually a small gain at lower rpm without any losses anywhere.

Also, just got a response about the 50 miles of light/moderate use before full throttle: it's intended to allow the driver acclimate to the increased power. So if you have experience with powerful vehicles already, just ease into it responsibly at your own pace once you have confirmed the install is fully complete with no leaks, etc. I don't have to worry about the fact that I disobeyed this instruction . I was getting worried that I may have potentially caused bad things by forgetting that instruction. No more holding back! TURBO!

[Jkfletch7]

"Very sluggish" is relative, though. Before adding the turbo, I would not have described my jeep as "very sluggish" below 2500 rpm. In stock form, it reached near peak torque just under 2000 rpm. As far as I can tell, the turbo does not make the jeep any slower below 2500 rpm, it just makes it insanely faster above 2500 rpm, which makes below 2500 feel slow by comparison. If this is anything like their kit for the 3.8 engine, then there's actually a small gain at lower rpm without any losses anywhere.

Also, just got a response about the 50 miles of light/moderate use before full throttle: it's intended to allow the driver acclimate to the increased power. So if you have experience with powerful vehicles already, just ease into it responsibly at your own pace once you have confirmed the install is fully complete with no leaks, etc. I don't have to worry about the fact that I disobeyed this instruction . I was getting worried that I may have potentially caused bad things by forgetting that instruction. No more holding back! TURBO!

We need some audio! I want to hear this wastegate

[ljvsnyder]

audio and video would be nice. When I first saw that you had a stock sport with 16's and 29" tires, I thought you were going for the sleeper look. Can't wait to hear that turbo wine. I was surprised it isn't intercooled. Congrats on the build.

[JeepLab]

audio and video would be nice. When I first saw that you had a stock sport with 16's and 29" tires, I thought you were going for the sleeper look. .

This thing is Sleeper of the Year.

Dont change a thing. Stock sport with a turbo is hysterical to me.

We need some vid of you smoking an M3.

[UselessPickles]

Sleeper is what I'm going for in general. That's one thing I like about the turbo vs supercharger. The turbo doesn't announce itself until it's too late

I was surprised it isn't intercooled.

This is only the stage 1 kit. Stage 2 (not yet released) will have an intercooler and more boost. When I upgrade to stage 2, I plan on blacking out the intercooler to continue the sleeper theme.

Can't wait to hear that turbo wine

There's not really any turbo whine. The turbo itself seems pretty quiet. It's the "whoosh" of air through the wastegate that you mostly hear, then a slightly different "whoosh" of the pressurized intake air flowing backwards out of the air filter when you let off the throttle.

I didn't get a chance to take any video tonight because I was tinkering around with re-routing a hose slightly better and tweaking a few other details of the install. Then it started raining, and then it started RAINING. The rain was so heavy it would have overpowered the turbo sounds. Friday will probably be my next chance, since tomorrow evening is the lift install

Dont change a thing. Stock sport with a turbo is hysterical to me.

Stock except for a 2" lift...

I think 33" tires would make it even more of a sleeper. They'll fill the wheel wells nicely and "look" slower

[UselessPickles]

Lol...

I have actually confirmed that the turbo blanket is tolerable to the touch immediately after driving. I bet the turbine housing itself is NOT!

I haven't gotten a chance to "run it hard" much yet (waiting for the lift), let alone measure any under-hood temps.

I have an IR temp gun I can use to measure specific items under the hood. This weekend, I will be at an ORV park with some stock 3.6 JKs. I'll bring my temp gun and get some comparison measurements when we stop for lunch.

However... I may end up without a turbo blanket this weekend because I may be sending mine back for an exchange (for cosmetic preferences only; not quality issues). So I might actually get a worst case comparison this weekend without a turbo blanket. I think the best way to compare will be to measure the temp of stock components that are NEAR the turbo components,and a few other places. Forecast is also showing 86*F, so it should be a decent test of under hood heat.

The turbo won't be working hard at the ORV park, but slower off-road driving is where there's the most concern about under-hood heat. All the hot components (turbo, downpipe, wastegate) are conveniently placed right behind the radiator where they should get good airflow when travelling at speed on the roads. I don't expect any problems while street driving at all. The turbo kit also REMOVES two catalytic converters from the engine compartment and places a single high-flow cat down low and behind the engine.

[Snarf77]

Very interested to see those temps. I agree it woudl be nice to test the same surfaces on two jeeps - stock and turbo - to see how different objects are different temps. Various sensors, plastics, etc., surrounding turbo bits. Good idea.