GFB TURBO FUSE - Overboost protection valve
Something no turbo owner should be without…
New from GFB is the Turbo Fuse, which is essentially the last line of defense for a turbo-charged engine. Simple to install, it can be fitted to any car with an existing blow-off or bypass valve* in less than 1 minute, and protects the engine against sudden over-boost.
The Turbo Fuse is genius in its simplest form. It plugs inline with your BOV vacuum hose, and when the user-adjustable trip-point is reached, boost pressure to the top of the BOV is instantly cut off (in a similar action to a solenoid valve) and the BOV vacuum hose is exhausted to atmosphere. This in turn opens the BOV and dumps a significant amount of boost pressure to prevent possible engine damage, at the same time giving the driver a warning that something is wrong.
Why use a Turbo Fuse?
The Turbo Fuse should be considered as insurance for your car. With so many readily available devices that give fingertip control over the car’s boost pressure, the possibility of catastrophic over-boost from failure or accidental adjustment is always a possibility, so why risk it?
Most cars have a factory (or aftermarket) boost cut anyway, why use a Turbo Fuse?
This is true – most will cut fuel in the case of an over-boost, some even design the factory bypass valve to leak at elevated boost pressures (the very reason many people replace their BOV when boosting the car). However, in many cases it is common practice to bypass or disable these features (through the use of a “fuel-cut defender” or similar product) in order to intentionally increase boost. In this case, the engine is left unprotected against over-boosting.
How good is the Turbo Fuse?
It is so reliable and cost effective that it is now being used in Motorsport classes where boost pressure is limited by the class rules, where it prevents teams exceeding the specified limit, and even slightly penalizes the driver since the throttle must be lifted to re-set the Turbo Fuse.
*any blow-off or bypass valve being used with the Turbo Fuse must be able to open under boost if the top vacuum hose is removed - this is the most common type. The amount of boost pressure dropped when the Turbo Fuse is triggered depends entirely on the blow-off valve and turbo system, but most will show an appreciable power/boost drop when activated.