Quote:
Originally Posted by mission2toilet
Ian, any chance of you going FI? I am leaning toward to KW. Any advise? My goal is 350hp on E85(btw sorry that I came out of no where to ask, this is totally not this topic but your opinion is greatly helpful) thank you.
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There's always a chance
I am a fan of the Jackson Racing Rotrex kit over KW for many reasons. JR and CSG did lots and lots of testing on and off track prior to releasing their kit and it shows. The JR kit is a more simple design with less parts overall, and it exclusively offers a plug and play thermostatic oil cooler kit to make it the best solution for a car that will be tracked and street driven through all seasons and climates. I appreciate the minor details in the JR kit like the easy air filter change, the simple bracketry and belt drive, the Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate compatibility, and not having to replace the OEM washer tank to clear the charge piping. Also with the oil cooler kit you get the biggest capacity core available from any Rotrex kit which will provide the best cooling, and it all mounts on a nice bracket which puts both the SC fluid cooler and engine oil cooler cores right next to each other, protected by the intercooler in front.
Based on what I've seen so far with the current JRSC kit, you can expect 300hp/230tq (280whp/220wtq) on E85 with the included pulley, stock fueling and a catless header. With the upcoming, soon to be released JRSC upgrades that are currently finishing up testing you may be able to get the C30-94 to move enough air to get close to your 350hp on E85 goal with a port injector, fuel pump, and clutch upgrade.
I'm well aware that KW offer a C38 upgrade but in my opinion that's too big for the car and tuning out the tip-in knock has proven to be a pain for some of this platform's most experienced tuners. I'm a fan of keeping things simple and reliable. I like the idea of keeping the stock fueling and clutch, maybe even the stock cooling system and running a rock-solid reliable kit that has been tested for thousands of miles to ensure it will perform without any issues. Shit can happen with any kit but the failure/issue rate with the JR kit has remained relatively low and that gives me confidence as a potential buyer.
The KW kit has had it's share of issues including fitment, missing parts and broken belts (ironically since the separate belt system is supposed to be more reliable). There is also this weird situation KW is in with lots of no-shows at the track days out in SoCal where KW should be out testing the kit and proving its worthiness. Perhaps it's because the kit is still not CARB approved but who knows. I'd expect KW/Skunk2 to have a trailer and tow rig to get their car out to WSIR and other 86 Cup events but based on what I've seen they are pretty reclusive.
Either way they are both good kits, I just prefer the one with the simpler design, more compatibility and best track record in development and post-release. Upgrade-ability should not be a concern in your choice as both kits will soon be upgradeable.
If you want to hear this with some more debating mixed in from KW owners and reps, head on over to this thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74774