Boost related question - 10psi or 13psi

[Big Red Suburban]

Anyone with kennedys TD Max chip will attest to being able to make boost fairly easily :D I can see 13 to 14 psi when I'm into the thottle accelerating or maintaining speed up a big hill. Around home this is great, why you ask? Because I live in Nebraska and hills aren't very tall. This corresponds to very short periods of time when I am above 10 psi boost (I'm not intercooled btw).

My question is related to a trip I'm making to Colorado to go skiing. I can see myself driving up the mountain trying to maintain interstate speed with the boost gauge on 13 psi the whole way. Obviously, this is bad to sustain boost over 10 psi non intercooled. So you ask, why don't I just lift off the go pedal? Well, how slow will I have to go to keep boost under 10? Can I just install a homemade boost controller (like the one recently posted to turn the boost DOWN) to dial the max boost back to limit it at 10 psi for times like this?

Logically thinking (I'm probably wrong) shouldn't I be able to maintain say 65 mph up a steep grade longer at 10psi rather than 13psi if at the same throttle position (since EGT will rise faster at 13psi)?

[Turbine Doc]

BRS you can see IAT on a scan tool & know, or if you don't have access to one of those, SEARS sells a thermocouple kit that converts a digital volt meter into a digital thermometer for about $20.

Connect & leave the module under the hood feed 2 long wires thru the fire wall to your meter in cab to read temp. Snake probe tip under turbo outlet coupling hose to get and idea of IAT, only temp to establish max safe boost level for your truck, I don't know if probe tip Cr/Al wire will take long term air flow.

Also remember to test at several ambient temps as it will impact on IAT as well, make a chart that says @ 80F day max boost is X, or on another day it could be higher or lower.

[eracers999]

She will run at 13 all day, watch the water temp and pyro. Run a good fuel lubricity improver and let er rip.

Kent

[rjschoolcraft]

When you're in the mountains, you will probably see more than 13 psi... the computer will compensate for barometric pressure drop from elevation. You didn't say whether you would be towing anything or not. If, as Kent says, you watch EGT and ECT, you should be fine.

The boost controller you're talking about will not dial boost down from what the chip commands. It only provides adjustability for boost levels above what the chip wants.

[Marty Lau]

I just pulled 2 campers from Arizona to Montana in the last 6 weeks through the mountains and on a few grades my boost was on the peg at 15 inches so it was that and better. I didn't let up until the EGT climbed to at or above 1150. I think I had 2 grades I had to back off and speed fell to about 60-62 mph. Not too bad so just keep it cool and you'll be fine.

[Big Red Suburban]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like I should just keep an eye on the guages and not worry too much about it. I may see if I can get a thermocouple from work to use on monitoring IAT just for fun.

Now, if I could just get the timing gears and cooling mod installed before I leave!

[Kennedy]

Make sure that manual glow button works. The thin air in the mountains can give you grief. If it's not a heavy or continuous duty primary on the solenoid, I'd look into changing it before it burns out.