That looks like a great solution for the OP and others that are pushing the limits of the stock pump (600WHP). If the pump is only given more voltage when boost is > 3psi then it doesn't waste heat or overwhelm the system during most driving conditions.
I was thinking of replacing my in-tank pump soon but this seems like an ideal safety device to ensure no starvation occurs.
Can anyone provide a reason why this would not be a good addition to our cars?

 

Wow I am surprised no one on has responded about the boost a pump. Someone must have an opinion. It seems too good to be true and we all know what that means in most cases.

 

Thats prob because no one has tried one, they have been around for years and used on other injected cars !!!

 

Yes I was reading about the history of the device and after 15 years without a single pump failure I am guessing that the added voltage does not cause premature wear. That would be my only issue with using a device like this. If you have a healthy pump that is on the edge of its capabilities because of additional demand caused by mods this seems perfect.
Maybe I'll be the first to try it and report back to the forum. So far it seems like they are used primarily on american muscle cars. The Koenigsegg (sp?) is the only import they show on their site that has been tested with one but that is good enough for me.

 

there area couple of brands out there, so I would take a look at the options. From memory, I think MSD has a nice one.

Also - I have seen one used on a Honda with an external 044 and it worked perfect. There is a video of testing the setup online. I'll see if I can find it.

 

I'm thinking that everything has it's trade offs. I would take whatever the manufacturer publishes with a grain of salt. I think that any way you slice it, if a pump is designed for 12V, you WILL shorten it's life when you pump 50% greater voltage (17.5V) into it. The pump will also produce correspondingly more heat as a byproduct. I think it's one thing on a muscle car doing periodic 1/4" runs but another for a road circuit car where you are constantly on and off boost. I'm also not sure what would happen if the BAP would have a fault and short out for example. I'm assuming your fuel pump would stop working. Not good. It seems by adding another electronic gizmo to the equation you are only increasing a chance for failure.

I'm still unsure which way to go on a pump upgrade. Is one actually necessary for a car under 600whp with larger injectors? I'm thinking about just installing another brand new latest version OEM pump. I'm pretty sure that after 12+ years the original factory pump has probably lost some of its efficiency and a brand new pump would probably be a little bit of an improvement in and of itself. The Walbro E400/450 seems like a tempting upgrade but I am not sure I feel comfortable installing a pump that draws 18Amps compared to 6Amps for the OEM Bosch. I would seem to me wiring would need to be upgraded for long term durability.

Another thing that bothers me is that based on what I have read, the Walbro runs much hotter than the OEM pump since it draws 3x as much current. I'm not sure that continually adding more heat to the fuel system with the Wabro would be a good idea for a car. Not only is the pump going to run hotter, but the increased fuel recirculation will be adding more heat to the fuel system. I don't really know if that is the way to go in a car running in +120F degree heat at a track in the middle of the summer.

I emailed Tim a few days ago with some of these questions and If I hear from him I'll pass it along.

 

another option, which I think might be a better fit for a circuit car that's at 600whp would be the bosch 413 pump.

This pump is a 044, that Bosch bench tests and ensures that the flow rate can be achieved at 8bar vs the 044 std 5bar.

The standard fuel pump is an 040, the 044 does flow more than the 040 and with the 413 you would be assured you have the best flow from a Bosch pump.

Now, installing a 044 or 413 does take a little bit of modification - because it's slightly different but not that much. Basically the pump will sit slowly higher and you would want to install an after market filter on the bottom of the pump. 034 motorsports sells a nice one.

The 413 pump is the pump that the rally cross guys use, and along with a number of other Motorsport outfits. For what you do, this will probably be the best of both worlds.

 

Really good stuff guys! Thank you very much for everyone's input. I'm with powdrhound so far in that I really don't know which way to go. I'm tempted to do the Walbro, without larger lines, but the consensus appears to be rewiring is then needed. Looks like a new stock pump may do it for me at 600rwhp as well, so still torn!

 

Thanks for the input. The 413 draws a ton of current also at about 16Amps and it's uber pricey at $1500. I'm running injectors with 3.8 bar fpr. What benefit would a pump like the 044 or 413 designed for 5 or 8 bar be in my case? I know the 044 is reeeely loud which is one thing I'd like to avoid. Can you give some more detail about wiring the fuel pump directly off the battery to preclude voltage losses. I'm not sure if that would work in my case as I am using a fairly small capacity lightweight battery.

Thx

 

What - $1500. Did not know that.

Generally flow and pressure are related. More pressure equals less flow. So the assumption being the 413 can flow the baseline at 8bar, it will flow more at 5bar or even 3.8bar. Effectively the 413 is just a better built pump.

Both 044 and 413 flow more, but they use more amps and are louder as you pointed out. That said, you won't hear any difference inside the tank.

I defiantly recommend looking at the wiring. Adding a relay, so the fuel pump is always seeing 13.5+ volts will help with flow as you can see in the radium charts. My car is at the shop but let me see if I can get a photo of what I did.

 

Thank you. If you could post up some pictures and info, that would be fantastic. I'm starting to think that getting the latest version of the OEM pump and improving the wiring so the pump sees slightly higher voltage may be the way to go to bump up flow. There are too many unknowns with any of the other systems out there, especially for a car seeing extended track duty. The OEM 040 is a relatively great pump as it draws very little current relative to all the others and provides good flow across a wide range of pressures.

Maybe one of these days one of the vendors here will spend the time and effort of putting together a kit that would adapt the 997TT twin pump set up to our cars, if that's possible. That would sell like hotcakes I have a feeling and be worthy of the automotive Nobel prize... There are many smart guys out there that know these cars inside and out so it's hard to believe someone has not done this yet. AMS had a thread about the 996TT fuel system and it unfortunately went nowhere...

 

No problem - the wiring isn't that difficult especially since the battery is right there.

With respect to a proper solution. Installing the 997 pumps is likely a no-go. Between the high and low pressure pickups and the staging off the pumps based on fuel level, it's just to complicated to even think about a retrofit - and that's without factoring the cost of the oem parts.

The challenge is, we already have what is one of the best fuel pumps. Adding two - especially at 600whp is overkill without updating the rest of the fuel system. Going to two smaller fuel pumps like the walbro 255 doesnt make sense.

 

I would not waste the money and time on the Bosch 413 pumps....

 

For my 10 cents worth I would say that yes upping the voltage is going to reduce pump life .........................from X000 hours to Y000 hours none of which will prob be a problem for any owner fitting one as he will never see those Y000 hours in his ownership, everything we do reduces life of something, tyres, motor etc yet we do not worry about reducing the life of a $20K motor but do a $200 pump. Most pumps on a fuel injected car are all powered via a relay or fuel pump ecu so the relay is already in place.

 

Agree 100%
I don't believe that upping the voltage using a device like the BAP or similar that does it in a controlled manner using boost or vacuum switching to turn it up only when it is needed will shorten the life of the pump in any meaningful way.
It also does not excessively heat the fuel because it is not always on like a larger pump would be. I'm going to install one before my next track day; it's good insurance against fuel starvation.
If the device fails, it fails to the wire according to the mfr. meaning the pump will just receive 12V as if the BAP weren't in the picture. The simplicity is what sells it for me.