I'm not planning on a huge HP build. Roughly 300whp wpuld be just fine for me. I am interested in tracking the car though.
The point on the exhaust is well taken - 2.5 inches may well be enough for low boost settings, which is where I'd run this car. I ran my Evo at 24-28 psi on the (modified) stock turbo which is indeed probably not a fair comparison.
It's a pretty safe bet that all of these kits will work as advertised on the street but I'd want a system capable of surviving repeated 20 minute sessions on track without excessive heatsoak or damaging the engine, hence the emphasis on gauges to keep close tabs on everything and warn me if anything creeps out of the comfort zone. They're cheap insurance compared to an engine rebuild and have saved my bacon more than once.
Good news is you don't need a whole bank of gauges these days if you have a Defi Link with the digital display. You can simply program it to warn you audibly if a preset parameter is surpassed. All you'd need are the sensors. Shouldn't be scanning gauges constantly on the track anyways instead of focusing on driving, right?
As far as boost control goes, realistically speaking I'd probably stick with the solution provided by the kit manufacturer. I've had absolute nightmares fiddling with boost controllers and wastegates before but thought it was worth mentioning.
My biggest worry remains sustainable cooling, but I'm going to leave that for others to experiment with. Can't help noticing that Full Blown are already working on a very nice looking upgraded radiator for their kit. Hopefully the results will come in hard and fast next year when the season's on.
