first off, in case nobody has said it yet or lately...
THANK YOU FOR DIVING INTO THIS THANKLESS JOB, AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE, FOR WHICH YOU WILL BE ENDLESSLY CRITICIZED FOR YOUR TROUBLES!!!
lol - welcome to the club - we're having jackets made next week
at the risk of sounding critical though, of course i have a long list of questions - many of these would probably be answered over time, but i thought i would put them down in case something might be skipped
further, certainly i would like to see "before" charts, but the numbers are about what i expected at this boost and octane - certainly a few of us are almost there already with a bit less spent, but this is very promising - 280-285 normally aspirated is a relative no-brainer, and 300 is attainable, but peak numbers aren't the whole story though, and the breadth of the curve is the key - everybody also knows that the more power you seek, the more you have to spend, in exponential amounts - this is where these kinds of units do very nicely in street applications, and this one seems to be no exception
that's the good news
the bad news of course is that with the head gaskets now crumbling on these cars due purely to age, one will have to consider the condition of the engine before entering into this venue, as anything over 60k or 5 years is very risky - this is no different than any other forced induction setup though - added heat and pressure will always find its escape route in the weakest component - age and use do not help this - but with everything in tip top condition (fresh head gasket, valve job and good bearings), there is no reason to suspect that this would harm anything or prematurely wear anything out if attention is paid to temperatures and maintenance
i understand that the premise of the project was "bolt on simple relatively low cost power" without sacrificing AC or power steering - the results thus far are very promising and commendable - i always felt that this was a viable idea, never believed for a minute that it could not be done, and i am happy to see somebody making progress (especially somebody besides me) - obviously there is more to do, and a nearly limitless list of directions it could go - i don't want to detract from the project or its concept, but, like many, i have more concerns and application restrictions than some, so i am hoping to answer some questions before going any further myself into contemplating getting one
that being said, i have quite a few questions so as to have a better understanding of where the project stands and how well it is working - here is the first round:
1. what is going on below 4k?
2. what did it do with a leaner mixture?
3. what fuel pressures are running and when?
4. oem injectors? the "book" says they are only good to about 280 hp at 80%
5. are they at their limits?
6. oem electronics?
7. was it simply a chip?
8. without giving away the store, how difficult was the programming?
9. did you run into limits?
10. what was happening on the timing?
11. did the knock sensors come into play?
12. why does it cut out at 6700 rpm?
13. what are the intake temps before and after?
14. where was the O2 sensor for the A/F readings?
15. was there any discernible "lag" as it spooled up?
16. any chance of getting the maf (this one or a "blow through") on the other side of the blower?
17. given the well known fragility of the mounting points, what reinforcing of the AC brackets was done?
18. can a lower boost pulley be provided? (yes, lower)
19. is the new radiator fan dual speed?
20. does the shroud cover the entire radiator?
and of course, there is:
21. "any idea what this will cost?"
22. will you sell parts separately?
