STEP1: fix the car, STEP2: gofast(er), STEP3: more go-fast!

[RichieB5]

As I step back and realize that no matter which car I buy, it will be a bad investment and I will never be satisified with it 100%, I believe I have decided I am going to stick with my trusty 200TQ since all those tiny repairs are all finished with! I'm wondering what most of you did as the next power adder after a ECU+WG spring upgrade. SP intercooler then DP/exhaust? Anybody have any experience with a 3" Downpipe & catback on a k24 MC2? I'd like to hear about different setups before they decided to go EFI.

[qpower]

2bennett.com check out their exhaust options, not the cheapest but good quality,performance and great sound , they will help you decide which system is best for you now and in the future if you do more substantial upgrades.

[Twisted5000]

After chipping, (obviously the first place to go) You should be looking at the obvious simple things. Some people put a lot of faith in having a 3" exhaust, for Instance.

Personally, I went with a 2 3/4, as I couldnt imagine that the extra 1/4" would help much. As it turns out, Ive been told by a number of VERY reliable sources (Toxcheap, etc) that the increase does make a difference. More then anything, I think its the removal of the Cat. Whatever you decide, an upgrade is cheap as hell if you go to your local exhaust shop. Get a decent muffler and have them work sometihng up for you. Obviously, San-cat if you can get away with it, or with a test pipe if you cant.

Most CIS people tend to all do a couple modifications. Chip, spring, adj.wastegate, exhaust, and IC. Never having had the SP IC (from the 200, anyway) I cant really comment... but its reasonable, and should help airflow.

...The thing is, you gotta understand, that if you do all these, youre not going to all of a sudden have a rocketship. They help, but they're just helping... not really "Making a whole lot more power."

The other thing thats so often done is the K24. Do it. Why not? This will do a lot of things for you, starting with the quick spool, blah blah. Im sure youve heard it over and over. the K24 is obsolete... but the K26 is a goddamned boat-anchor.

All this you knew. I'm sure. There's other stuff. I remember looking at it, personally, before I went with 034... but the fact of the matter is that the fastest 10v with CIS that I know of is Toxcheap, and he's running a low 13. That's not to belittle that... in fact its impressive as hell. It is, however, sometihng you should note. Im going to go out on a limb here and say you dont have anywhere near the auto-knowledge Tox does, nor the ability to rune and modify (and nor do I, for that matter)
...Guess what Im trying to say is, without EFI or a guy like tox doing your mods, you probably wont have a 13 second car. ****, Ive got EFI and a RS2 Replica Turbo, and Im not even in the 13's (though admittedly its tuned like shiat)

If you eant to modify CIS, talk to boxer... he's been really open and friendly about his modifications. but be forewarned... and Im sure he'd agree. Start REALLY messing with this, and you'll be playing with fire. All of us who have really modified out stuff have broken things... Lots of things.

And wow, that was long... and I need to learn how bonds work for my accounting class.

Whatever you do. Best of luck and keep us posted. (Pun not only intended... but strategically placed)

[boxerfan]

I agree with everything you have said. Obviously fueling is the key and hence the EFI route many have gone. Personally I can't find a rad shop to weld up a spare IC into a single pass and haven't bothered with the exhaust yet. My personal philosophy is to maximise power with minimum $. This does require self edge-a-ma-kaytion.

I've posted all my info about the 6th injector and must say I swear by it. The other CIS mods are written up elsewhere on the weeb and a little searching will turn it up. Basically, you need to comit and not be afraid to mess up. And if you do you'll only end up going to the wrecker for a new CIS dizzy unit.

If you have doen the chip and springy thingy then put a bolt through the WG cap. Next up shim the system pressure and then 6th injector time. I also used a manual boost controller since my WGFV failed. Look for my write up. Most of the info is there.

[qpower]

hey twisted you in CT?

[birdmanmt]

but boxerfan, have you verified any of your tuning with EGT readings, A/F ratio, dyno, excessive durability testing etc? have you monitored your knock at all? how many miles do you have on your modification?

on tox's mods, he never touched the metering head. and his car never got near low 13's. he was 13.7 with a k24, SPIC, 3inch exhaust..etc...his brother was a whole nother ball of wax though, and the wagon had some serious $$$ invested.

[Twisted5000]

[qpower]

live in wethersfield, play hockey at the ice palace in bolton

[SteveAngry]

People seem to forget this step.

Steve
Michigan

[RichieB5]

Thanks for the reply but to me that is already taken into consideration.

I'm looking for more info regarding the best process of stepping the power up on the MC2 before going EFI and the effectiveness/value of all the possible modifications.