Blow-Off Valves. Upgrade it right, don't rice it!

Heeltoe Corner Club

This is our first part-focused episode. We explore blow-off valves. What do they do, how do they work, what different kinds are there, and why and how you would upgrade one.

I've tried to answer Graham's question directly but there are some tricky things behind how BOVs work in conjunction with the rest of the fuel injection system. Especially with Mass Air Flow applications, venting intake air to the atmosphere after it has been metered confuses the hell out of the computer, and this can have a really ugly effect on the ECU's fueling strategy.

And on a turbo car--which if you have a BOV you definitely have a turbo--that's just super bad.

In case you are feeling critical, realize that I am not a technician. I'm not an engineer, or a tuner, or a real expert on this subject matter. But it does become my job to guide people into buying decisions, and I hope this information helps shed some light on how you should be thinking when buying parts.

Cool cars are cool, just make sure you aren't doing uncool things to look cool. It doesn't work.