Anyone ever heard/used BoosterPlug

Hmmm, back before i bought a 10 and joined the forum i was on a couple of ZX6r forums with a guy who had a special edition. He was working with this very type of thing for a minute and ended up with positive results just with his own tinkering with the AIT sensor but it wasnt a big enough difference to have much of an effect if i remember right - it had a positive effect, just not enough of it. Its been a number of years at this point and i cant remember what his results were exactly but it was a interesting experiment. I just cant see how this thing would accommodate any fine tuning, from what ive read it simply richens the fuel. Sounds like the bike would be rich all over the place instead of being able to tune specific fuel cells or throttle positions - kind of a blanket effect. This thing sure seems a bit vague to me on what exactly it promises - other than to enrich your fuel. :dontknow:
opcorn:

So I wrote to the Boosterplug chaps to get more info on what all this thing does and how exactly it competes with the other kits in the market. Also asked them for clarification on how this works in case one puts a de-cat pipe on the bike.

Below is their reply

Hi,

Thanks for your interest in the BoosterPlug.

You are quite right that the de-cat’ed pipe will increase the air flow and make the AFR even leaner than stock, but the BoosterPlug will still keep you covered - as long as you keep the O2 (Lambda) sensor installed in the exhaust. (Which you should for several other reasons.)

Here is why this is possible:

Most aftermarket filters and exhausts (including the de-cat modification) will flow a lot more air at higher RPM, but at low RPM's the difference between the resistance in the original exhaust and the aftermarket system is minimal - so in low RPM conditions, the AFR (Air/Fuel Ratio) is almost the same.

In a modern fuel injected bike, there's no risk of damaging the engine by running it too lean when you install an aftermarket exhaust or K&N filter - because the O2 sensor in the exhaust will adjust the mixture back to the original AFR in all closed loop situations (Higher RPM)

(Constant medium and high RPM are closed loop operation, and the O2 sensor is in charge here. The BoosterPlug is active in open loop conditions which is idle, low RPM and during acceleration and engine braking. - See the BoosterPlug.com website for a full explanation on open loop and closed loop)

But as the aftermarket parts will flow slightly more air in low RPM conditions too, the drivability will be even worse than on the stock bike. Normally we see the open loop AFR go from around 14,4:1 to 14,5:1 with the aftermarket exhausts, and now you really need the small controlled fuel enrichment from the BoosterPlug to restore the smooth throttle action and to prevent the engine to stall easily.

So, the fact that the AFR difference (between the stock system and the aftermarket parts) is relatively small in open loop conditions,makes it possible for the BoosterPlug to cover all combinations of exhausts and filters on the bike. (The BoosterPlug is only active in open loop)

You are far worse off if you installed a Power Commander, where the O2 sensor is removed/bypassed and then changed the exhaust. Now you would have to dyno and set up the Power Commander correctly again to avoid running the engine too lean all the time - with the risk of damaging your engine.

So the fact that the BoosterPlug works in cooperation with the O2 sensor in the exhaust makes it possible for our device to cover all combinations of exhausts and filters.


Not convinced on the whole performance gain claim but full marks to the guy for confidence.

There are so many hysterical flubs in there.... I don't know where to start. Full marks for for confidence, sure.... but not so much for accuracy. A few worth mentioning:

Most OEM systems go into open loop under high load. Closed loop systems are primarily an emissions control system in OEM applications, and almost all emissions testings are done well under full load.... even sound tests are done at half RPM of peak HP (in the USA, at least). Closed loop also shuts down under closed-throttle deceleration, as you're usually in fuel cut at that point and O2 feedback will do fuck-all. Idle and low-load are about the only places it does anything, really.

Aftermarket filters don't flow more than stock... they really haven't since the middle 2000's on most supersport machines.... maybe on something budget or poorly designed, but manufacturers haven't been giving away HP in filters for about a decade now... they're smart enough to design them with the proper flow potential.

In the same vein, modern cat. converters really don't restrict flow either. The OEM'S design them over-sized enough to meet the engines stock HP potential. I've done back to back testing on more than one de-cat project, and saw -zero- change in mph in every case. But it does make it quite a bit louder. If you see gains from people removing them & tuning, the gains are usually from tuning over a stock set-up, or switching to a less restrictive muffler or a header that changes peak torque output. Bastards are heavy & hot though, so there is something to be gained there by there removal.... to be fair.

14.5:1 afr's for cruising and low load are ideal. You may want a touch more when you are just opening the throttle to make it smooth, but how the fuck are you going to correct 0-2% throttle openings with this Miracle Pill? You can make it too fat everywhere and sell the improvement in throttle response!! Brilliant, right? Orrrrr.... you can flash/tune just the appropriate parts of the map with a real tuning tool. Tough choice, right?

Flat out, this shit is 95% snake oil. I'm not a Power Commander nut swinger, but a PC is superior in almost every aspect here. Whatever changes this thing does to your fueling a power commander or ECU flash can do better. Period. You have to pay a bit more, but that's the name of the game... pay half for a half ass product or spend the full amount for the full benefit. While it's true that most modern OEM set-ups can benefit from a little more fuel just about everywhere, paying 160 bucks to screw with your IAT sensor to do it is asinine, at best. If you really buy into that, just crush your FPR to about 48-50psi. Hell, I'll do that for ya for 20 bucks, including the shipping.