Better Safe Than Sorry (need guidance pls)

[matthewbellamy]

As you all know i own the FD3S Type R Special Edition (as it states on the door sticker lol dont know if this is good or what lol) basically the previous owner has fitted aftermarket parts to the car which is running on a standard ECU and map.... I know many of you are covering your face thinking OMG!!!
 
The parts i have on the car at the moment are
 
Greddy mushroom Twin induction kit
Blitz dump valve
XS Power FMIC (looking to replace this - anyone interested for a p/x?)
An unknown s/s backbox with cat (not sure what make may be Kakimoto ive been told)
 
I am about to install the following
 
RE-Amemiya Single "dome" induction kit for twins
HKS Silent Power exhaust and decat pipe
 
I know that if i installed the decat it may give me some issues such as a boost spike which could be fatal to the engine so obviously i dont want to install the above yet until i know if what im doing is the right thing :burnout
 
I am thinking of buying a Greddy piggyback ECU and putting a map on it by a reputable rotary garage i trust locally. Mainly because i cant afford to pay £500 plus for an Apexi at the moment.. I know when i drive it it doesnt pull immediately as much as it should do? Seems to kick in around 4-5k revs..
 
So im asking what is the best port of call? shall i get the mods put on (stated above) and drive 50 miles slllooowwwwlly to the specialist to get the mods mapped? Will i need any other additional equipment before going ahead? Any advice will be appreciated!:god

[Mir]

The only advise is-PFC. Sorry cant advise any further as I don\'t know nothing about it. Cheers

[wolfie1]

maybe your car has had the turbos changed to make them non sequential and thats why its not boosting till higher up the rev range

[matthewbellamy]

Hmm maybe... might get pip at WGT to take a look... I bought the car down to him not so long back and he said it seemed fine just had to have the sparkplugs replaced and it ran great..still does.. just doesnt have that bite that im sure all your FD\'s do.. He recomended me to change the intercooler to a bigger one as ther XS POWER one is a little small and restrictive so may look into this also for better gains..
 
Will i need to buy a boost controller when getting the decat installed and mapped? Or is this not really required? I dont even have a turbo timer as i let it cool down itself im still after one though... anything else can u reccomend?

[Ada7]

FYI.. the special edition bit only means something if it has something writen beneith it on the door sticker. A common mistake.
As has already been said, it would be advisable to get a PFC if you\'ve changed that much on it

Adam

[matthewbellamy]

So a Greddy e-manage ECU wouldnt do the job???

[Ada7]

Not sure on that. I\'m sure someone with a big brain than myseel will be along to help you with that.
Its just the PFC is very popular and most, if not all the major tuner can map them for you

Adam

[Ada7]

Just seen the thread to the one you\'re thinking of buying. If it does what it says on the tin then i dont think you\'ll go wrong with what mods you have.
If you went a bit further (stage 2 thuning) then maybe then you\'d need the PFC of equivalent

Adam

[clive]

Hmm maybe... might get pip at WGT to take a look... I bought the car down to him not so long back and he said it seemed fine just had to have the sparkplugs replaced and it ran great..still does.. just doesnt have that bite that im sure all your FD\'s do.. He recomended me to change the intercooler to a bigger one as ther XS POWER one is a little small and restrictive so may look into this also for better gains..
 
Will i need to buy a boost controller when getting the decat installed and mapped? Or is this not really required? I dont even have a turbo timer as i let it cool down itself im still after one though... anything else can u reccomend?

First up is a boost gauge, have you got one and if not it really would be an idea to get one so you have an idea about how the car is boosting as a lot of info will come from this.

The level of mods mentioned should be O/K with a stock ECU providing its not over boosting (gauge will tell you this)

If you did wish to change the ECU a new Apexi without a map from somebody else\'s car  will happily adapt to your level of mods without a re-map.

You should not need a boost controller or a turbo timer, personally I have never run a timer,
 
If your worried about heat in the Turbo\'s just drive it for a short while on low revs after a blast and they will cool OK

Hope this helps

[matthewbellamy]

Hi clive

Thanks for your reply, I do have a boost gauge, what am I
Looking out for?
Thanks

[m1tch]

The boost gauge needs to be a mechanical sort - one that is directly fed from the vacuum/boost of the engine, don\'t rely on an electronic gauge as if there is a bad earth somewhere it won\'t be accurate.

If the car is brand new to you I would suggest doing a full service on it, so oil, filter and plugs, the car will probably improve just by doing that!

I would also consider:

Replacing the OEM fuel pump for somthing better - the OEM pump is getting old and can be the weak link if you are wanting to push the engine more
Upgrading secondary injectors - popular upgrades would be to add 850cc injectors as secondaries - this would need to be mapped for

[matthewbellamy]

Hi m1tch I have a mechanical type boost guage so what am I looking for dude?
AlsO done a full service inc oil and plugs, filter I have aftermarket ones but sprayed with oil retention fluid which did the job.

I\'ll look into replacing fuel pump with an aftermarket one, see if anyone has one on here and alsO the injectors just want it feeling how it should. I\'m not aggressive at driving it I just know it doesn\'t feel like it should if that makes sense

[m1tch]

Did you change the fuel filter as well? Although you aren\'t agressive with your driving, the fuel pump/injectors are now quite old so aren\'t injecting/pumping as well as they would have done whilst they were new, I had a mate with a Subaru who managed to crack both the heads and needed an engine rebuild, he wasn\'t sure what was wrong so he just got it rebuilt, car didn\'t seem any faster/better even with a larger turbo, told him to change the fuel pump....massive power increase, the fuel pump was failing so was causing the engine to go lean causing all the damage.

[efiniste]

It\'s a long time since I ran twins but from memory the standard boost pattern for twins is 10-8-10 (psi). So you should see 10 psi up to the turbo changeover point (4500rpm?), a slight drop as the turbos changeover, then 10 psi up to the redline. I\'d guess with the filter kit and exhaust it\'s probably boosting slighty higher than that, maybe 12-10-12. If it\'s doing more than that, especially up to the redline then drive it off boost until you get your mapping sorted. IMO it\'s well worth saving up for a PFC.

hope that helps,

Steve

[oyvindjs]

its a nice car indeed, but here is a word of advise.
Rush ahead slowly...!
I understand you want the car to up the performance, but cheap and fast rushes without doing stuff in the right order, can and will get more expencive than they have to, further up the line.
With the setup now, the cat has saved you. Keep it that way.
Save up for the following stuff:
PFC
1600 ccm secondaries and supra pump + aftermarket FPR
full turboback exhaust.
When fitting this, take off twins, and port the wastegate.

Theese cars are like an expencive mistress. Treat em nice, and they will give you the time of your life. Treat em bad, and they will tape-record you while having fun with her, then sit home one day when you get home from work and have lunch with your wife and act all nice just to mess with your head , and you have NO idea what they have been talking about, while she gives you that grin while you sweat like a madman. Then she will blow the wistle on you and take all the money you have with her in the process...!

Do things right the first time. Theese are expencive cars to own. cheap shortcuts cost!