Pixel67's Daily Driver Build - Journal

[pixel67]

Thanks. I don't have any video's of the zeta exhaust. I purchased this one. No drone at all.

[pixel67]

Wow, It sure has been quite a while since i updated my build thread. After 9 months of torture, I can finally say "Done"!! And what a long, strange trip it has been...

Here is what the final build consists of:

• Garrett t3/t4 57 Trim Turbo
• Tial Wastegate
• Tial BOV
• FIC 540cc Injectors
• 7PSI Wastegate Spring
• Prodrive Boost Controller
• Flex Fuel Kit
• Custom Wastegate dump recirculation
• Catted FA20Club Front Pipe
• Perrin Over Pipe
• AEM Failsafe Guage
• Ecutek Boost Control with 2 Maps, 9 PSI and 12 PSI

And here output estimates using virtual dyno. The road is a bit bumpy and actually looks just like that 12psi torque curve, but you should get the idea...



Final tuning is courtesy of James at HRI Tuning. He..is..awesome! So why is the title called a tale of 3 tuners? Because I made several mistakes along the way to finding HRI and the process each tuner took was completely different from what James did.

Tuner 1 was, of course, Toni @ FA20Club. After several months of tuning with Toni, he just couldn't get it right. The car was knocking like crazy on 93, trying to hold an RPM was near impossible as the car kept surging. Once e85 was on board then things were a bit better, but no where close to ideal and I can't keep e85 in my car all the time (thats why i bought the flex kit)

So, i swapped over to Bill @ Delicious Tuning. I was using his Flash and Go Maps and to his credit the knock exhibited in Tonis tunes was gone! But, surging was still there and wouldn't go away regardless of tune version. Now, to be fair to Bill, this is a custom kit as are all FA20Club turbos. Every kit is different so his ability to create a "canned" map that would address more than one users issues was impossible. This car needed a fully customized tune and Bill's process just wasn't conducive to ironing out the problems. Could he have gotten there? Of course given enough time but the changes were very slow coming. Now, for those that have Innovate and stock injectors then Bill is the obvious choice since that is what he drives everyday.

Last up, and with truly the best results by far, is James at HRI Tuning. James has a process for tuning unlike the others. You really get the sense that he is building the map as you go vs throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks. He just doesn't cut corners. Tuning MAF, then DI, then PI, then combined, then boost target, then timing etc... The result is that for the first time since i bought the turbo kit, i actually have confidence in the car. I know what it is going to do when i give it 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or full throttle. I know what it is going to do off the light and how it will react coming out of corners.

Consistent and predictable...and I am very pleased!

[Dru670]

Originally Posted by pixel67

It's been a little while since i updated this post and thought i would comment on the latest additions to my FRS. I have 15,000 miles on it now and it is still rock solid (no CEL). I do still have the HPFP chirp but don't see a long term fix yet.

My first round of mechanical mods was focused around getting a better sound out of the flat 4 and opening up the breathing a bit. My budget is very limited at this point so i decided to go cheap and bought a K&N drop in ($50) and a catback from J2 Engineering ($349).


It just doesn't get any cheaper than that and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting a whole lot for that level of investment either. The K&N filter has been discussed ad nauseum so i will focus on the J2 catback.

I purchased it off of Ebay, installed it on Friday, and have put a few hundred miles on it already. Installation was a one person job for the most part. I don't have a lift and local shops were going to charge 175 - 210 to install it (crazy, i know) so i put it up on jack stands and did it myself. Removing the stock exhaust was pretty simple after lubing up the hangers. Only 4 bolts really and it pulls right off (with a little bit of elbow grease on the hangers of course).

Installing the J2 was a bit more involved since their are 4 sections. I essentially followed the same path as is posted in this youtube video. Getting it to hang right was PITA but just time consuming mostly.

So, my impressions?

First the good...

From outside it actually sounds quite nice! Deep tone at idle with an aggressive quality that i really like. Winding it out is really a blast as it now sounds like it means business!

Then the bad...

It is a bit loud for my tastes (both inside and outside), but again this is about what i expected given the investment. The donut gasket coming from the cat needs to be removed and replaced with a standard gasket which should have been included in the kit. Head to the parts store before putting it on or you might end up like me and running the donut for a bit while you head to the parts store.

And the ugly...

Drone is definitely present from about 1500 to 3200 rpms. This actually surprised me a bit since I made the assumption that the helmholtz resonators were tuned to help low frequency drone. That doesn't appear to be the case. I will let all of the engineers among us do the math, but to my ears it sounds like it is actually tuned to take the edge off of higher frequencies because once you get it over 3,000 rpm then the note smooths out quite a bit. To the point where i would cruise highway speeds in a lower gear to shift out of the "drone zone". Vid below but keep in mind you can't hear drone on a video.

So what's next? Since i daily this car i need to address the drone. My ears are just too sensitive but your tolerance may be different. I will be trying out a Car Chemistry insert which should be delivered this week.

This seemed to be the next logical step before taking more drastic measures. I chose the 3 disk model so that i can add/remove as necessary. I will likely have a local shop tack weld it to a 2.5 inch flange so that i can slip in in between the cat and catback easily and remove it to adjust as necessary. I will update the thread with my thoughts once i get it installed.

Soo....any update?