TURBO!

[UselessPickles]

My FJR was quite neglected last year. I barely rode it last summer. I actually drove a 4-wheeled cage nearly every day. Here's why:

Yeah, I got a Jeep. And then I put a turbo in it.

So first of all, a Jeep is MUCH more enjoyable to drive than my previous cage (Pontiac Sunfire). It's a convertible, the doors come off, and it even has a manual transmission with that 6th gear that some people wish the FJR had! I used to hate driving my Sunfire, so I would basically ride the FJR at all costs to avoid that boring car. I actually enjoyed riding the Jeep, so the FJR had to start sharing me with my new cage.

With the newer 3.6L V6 "Pentastar" engine, the 2012+ Wranglers are actually decently quick compared to previous Wranglers. It's the same engine as the V6 Charger and Challenger. About 190 hp and 175 ft-lbs at the wheel (lots of drivetrain loss, ~33%) is enough to get it from 0-60 is about 7 seconds. It's not exactly slow, but also not really fast. I kinda like fast. And ridiculous.

So as soon as I found out that a company (Prodigy Performance) was developing a turbo kit for the newer 3.6 Pentastar Wrangler, I knew it was destined to happen.

I received the "Stage 1" kit in June. No intercooler, no blow-off valve (BOV), ~7 psi boost, 330 hp and 342 ft-lbs at the wheels. I spent a long/exhausting weekend installing it in my driveway with lots of help from a friend and my wife. It was one of the first few kits to be shipped out, so I was an "early adopter". As such, it was not a simple install-and-forget kind of project. There was much time spent throughout the rest of the summer tweaking details of the install (including fixing install mistakes like exhaust leaks), recording data logs, providing feedback, testing updates, more data logging, more feedback, etc. In order to properly test and provide feedback on the custom tune, I basically had to drive the Jeep quite a lot. Each time I install a new tune, it takes several days of driving for the computer systems to re-calibrate closed-loop fuel trims, etc. So the FJR sat neglected in the garage.

Then the "Stage 2" kit became available, and I got it installed in September with help from my wife.

This adds a giant intercooler (which I painted black for a stealth appearance), a blow-off valve, ups the boost to ~8 psi, and brings things up to 360 hp and 373 ft-lbs at the wheels. MOAR POWER!

Like the Stage 1 install, I was an early adopter of the Stage 2 kit. So I was still tweaking details after the initial install, and continuing to provide feedback on driveability, testing new versions of the tune, etc. The FJR continued to remain mostly neglected in the garage.

The Jeep is just hilariously fun to drive now. In 1st gear, the rear end squats and it nearly lifts the front wheels off the ground. The transmission is a light-duty truck transmission, so the shift from 1st to 2nd is clunky and slow. During this time, the rear suspension unloads, rocking the Jeep forward quite a bit, just in time to get back on the throttle in 2nd gear, rocking it back again. It's like an amusement park ride. Passengers always laugh after that shift into 2nd. I haven't recorded any 0-60 mph attempts yet, but I'm predicting under 5.0 seconds if I can learn how to launch it well.

I'm now nearly 100% happy with the installation. I still have a suspected exhaust leak I need to find and fix sometime when there's warm/dry weather, and I need to tweak some things to prevent the air filter from vibrating against the plastic wheel well liner. I do have some ideas for the future when I have spare money, like adding oil catch cans to the PCV system, but there's no rush.

The engine tune also been improved a lot since the initial version. There's still a few annoyances, but I've been told that they're going to do some serious tuning sessions over the next few weeks to work on perfecting the tune.

I'm really hoping that I'll have a great tune before Spring arrives so that I can stop feeling the need to drive the Jeep as much as possible to test new versions of the tune and record data logs. I plan to get back to riding the FJR regularly this year. Then again, there's already a "Stage 3" kit under development. I'm not sure if I'll be able to resist the opportunity to perform more modifications for even more power

Here's tons of details/pics of the kit and installation: https://jeeplab.com/showthread.php?131-Prodigy-Performance-3-6-Turbo-DIY-Install

And the Prodigy Performance website: https://prodigyperformance.com/

 

[Auburn]

Man that thing needs some better meats on it. The power upgrades sound pretty good. Definitely helps the smile factor.

 

[Surly]

Hi Pickles,

Looks like fun, the kids in the back seem to be having a hoot just keep them safe.

Best regards

Steve

 

[UselessPickles]

Bigger tires are actually next on my list. I started with a base model with no options (except A/C), so I have the small 29" stock tires. I'm not going huge. Just 33x12.5. I already have a 2" lift, which was necessary for clearance between the front driveshaft and the turbo kit's exhaust. That lift makes the stock tires look even smaller because of all the exposed wheel well. The 33" tires should fill that in better.

The kids love riding in the jeep both on and off road. They still squeal any time I accelerate quickly. I think off road might actually be safer than driving around metro Detroit in traffic. I don't do anything that would put me at risk of a roll-over, so my biggest risk off road is simply getting stuck.

 

[Geezer]

Very nice. I like turbochargers.

 

[Pterodactyl]

So when does your FJR get a Turbo?

 

[Bounce]

Fun to dink around with custom tunes and boost amounts innit?

Cobb did this for my STi.

 

[lnewlf]

Still running stock pistons on that 3,6 ?.....read somewhere about the top lands not being strong enough to take the boost...mebee that was with a supercharger tho,,?

very kewl settup...

 

[UselessPickles]

So when does your FJR get a Turbo?

If there was a complete kit available for it, I probably would have done it already . A completely custom install would be too expensive me.

Fun to dink around with custom tunes and boost amounts innit?

I'm pretty much limited to the tune provided by Prodigy. My boost is simply controlled by a mechanical wastegate, so it cannot be controlled by the tune in any way. I could increase boost by putting a different spring in the wastegate, but I don't want to pay for a custom tune or blow up my engine.

My brother has an STi with some mods (intake, methanol injection, etc). That's a fun car to drive

Still running stock pistons on that 3,6 ?.....read somewhere about the top lands not being strong enough to take the boost...mebee that was with a supercharger tho,,?

No internal mods to the engine. Just larger fuel injectors and a MAP sensor that can read above atmospheric pressure. I haven't heard anything about it not being able to handle boost. In fact, there's rumors that the Pentastar engine was designed from the beginning with direct injection and turbocharging in mind for the future. There's several supercharger kits available for this engine as well. All types too (centrifugal, roots, twin screw). They are all in the 7-9 psi boost range.

Prodigy is working on some bigger power. So far, they have provided a sneak peek of some forged pistons. It will be interesting to see what other engine mods they do and how much boost it can support.

I just captured some turbo sounds on video today. Might have to turn up the volume a bit to hear it: