Carskick's Build - Finally going aftermarket after 8 years...

[GroceryGtr]

With a stock block precise boost control is key, so I would say yes an EBC is a must. Will help with spool up, respond more consistently, and combat boost creep.

IMHO anything north of 18psi starts to flirt with the limits of the stocker's voltage range. If you plan on being around 19-20psi its worth the small $ cost. Again, plenty of people running with the stock sensor, but plenty more that felt it was worth the investment.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by GroceryGtr With a stock block precise boost control is key, so I would say yes an EBC is a must. Will help with spool up, respond more consistently, and combat boost creep. IMHO anything north of 18psi starts to flirt with the limits of the stocker's voltage range. If you plan on being around 19-20psi its worth the small $ cost. Again, plenty of people running with the stock sensor, but plenty more that felt it was worth the investment.

Got ya. I want to do this thing right, so I might as well add them to the list. Thank you!

[GroceryGtr]

you could offset the extra spend by using Toyota diesel injector seals vs. the CS ones. The CS seals are a good quality product, but for your build goals the Toyota seals would be just fine and save you $100. Lots of people have used them, including myself, without issue.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by GroceryGtr you could offset the extra spend by using Toyota diesel injector seals vs. the CS ones. The CS seals are a good quality product, but for your build goals the Toyota seals would be just fine and save you $100. Lots of people have used them, including myself, without issue.

Very good call. I've seen that, and I think it's a great idea. I am planning on holding off on the seals for the first upgrade run, but I'll probably have it done when I have my valves cleaned next time, as I believe their is a lot of labor overlap. I'd be having a mechanic do it.

But I've read many time the Toyota seals work fine and cost only a few dollars.

[GroceryGtr]

Most of the places I found charged 12-15 bucks for shipping what was $8 worth of product, so you might as well order a few sets at once(shipping is flat rate for that size/weight). You'll most likely end up pulling injectors again in the future and/or you'll have a friend that will need a set. IIRC I grabbed mine from tasca for a decent price and just ordered 3 sets to justify the shipping. Should be in the neighborhood of $2 per seal plus shipping.

[Carskick]

I fixed my roof rattle, all by myself!

It was suggested that the spoiler rattles, which may be causing my severe roof rattle after upgrading my RMM. So I took the spoiler all apart, added Butyl Rope, put it back on, nothing change. Exact same Rattle. FML!!!

So I went with my gut... it must be in the headliner. I popped the 3 clips in the back headliner off, an carefully pulled it open from the seal. There are a lot of wires/brackets up there! I found that one of the big plastic brackets had nothing between itself and the metal roof. I stuck my hand dandy microfiber hand cloth up there, put the clips back in, and I am now ROOF RATTLE FREE!!!! It was tight to get in there without removing a lot more to get into the headliner easily. So the microfiber cloth fix will have to do. Not like one sees it anyways, and it weighs maybe 2 oz.

Dumba$$ went ahead and ordered a CPE S2 RMM, which is on it's way now. I figured that I really wouldn't be able to live with the vibrations long term. I told myself that once I fixed the rattle, it would be a lot better, and then it would break in more, but I didn't listen to myself. Wish I had. I will most likely not even open the CPE S2 and just send it back and eat the return shipping a 5% restocking fee. It's amazing how much less annoying the NVH from the RMM are when your Roof doesn't rattle like a MOFO at 1500RPM and sometimes cruising on the highway.

I didn't get to it this weekend, but I have some dyanamat I just ordered, which will likely go into my front doors, and any extra into my trunk. I will eventually work towards dynamating all 4 doors, hatch, and trunk floor. This should make my MS3 a LuxurySpeed 3!

[Carskick]

So I've been continually researching, and I'm coming very close to my final parts list. I've attached my Edge Auto Cart to this as well

Phase 1 Upgrades

• JBR 3.0" Tru Intake (ECU Relocated via velcro hack)
• CP-E TMIC
• Ultimate Racing 3" Downpipe
• Ultimate Racing High Flow Cat Testpipe
• APv3 + Freetune/Stratified

Still not sure on:

• Electronic Boost Controller
• Upgraded MAP
• EGR Delete

Will do Later:

• OCC
• Injector Seals

I had my Camshafts inspected, and they seem fine. Post-install, pre-Tune will be doing a boost leak test and possibly a compression test.

So on the not sure category, this is what I'm still undecided on, and here's why:

EBC & MAP Upgrade: Are these necessary? Not going BT, not planning on exceeding 20PSI. Some say that both of these increase the computer's ability to maintain correct boost, others say it makes no difference. They can always be added later anyways. Do they need to be tune for?

EGR Delete: I thought I wanted to do this for sure, to keep engine cleaner, especially intake valves. However, EGR keeps combustion chamber cooler, which several people have told me this is beneficial in hot climates, ie Florida. Opinions?

I definitely want to do OCC at some point, same with injector seals and cleaning. Will likely have the injector seals done professionally, and have them clean my intake valves manually around the same time.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

[Shwaykid]

Stratified sells EBCs. Mine has worked great for 3 years. I mostly got it to make tuning easier on myself. Not sure it's necessary for someone running only 20psi, and not self-tuning.

Get the OCC sooner rather than later.

I think you meant MAP sensor, and you don't need that either if you're staying at 20psi

Also, if you're going to delete the EGR down the road, make sure the tuner doesn't charge extra for unticking MILs for you, as it will throw two codes.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by Shwaykid Stratified sells EBCs. Mine has worked great for 3 years. I mostly got it to make tuning easier on myself. Not sure it's necessary for someone running only 20psi, and not self-tuning. Get the OCC sooner rather than later. I think you meant MAP sensor, and you don't need that either if you're staying at 20psi Also, if you're going to delete the EGR down the road, make sure the tuner doesn't charge extra for unticking MILs for you, as it will throw two codes.

While some have suggested the EBC, I am thinking that I may not need one at my boost level, as you said.

I knew peeps were gonna say get the OCC sooner.
I really should...

Can my tuner untick MILs ahead of time so if I ever remove the EGR, I won't get errors.

I did mean MAP, good catch. Fixed my original post. I'd be better off putting the EBC/MAP money to the OCC, right?

[Shwaykid]

Originally Posted by Carskick While some have suggested the EBC, I am thinking that I may not need one at my boost level, as you said. I knew peeps were gonna say get the OCC sooner. I really should... Can my tuner untick MILs ahead of time so if I ever remove the EGR, I won't get errors. I did mean MAP, good catch. Fixed my original post. I'd be better off putting the EBC/MAP money to the OCC, right?

I don't see why your tuner couldn't. You'll just have functional sensors the ECU is ignoring. But I'm really not sure if tuners charge extra for un-ticking MILs after a completed tune is finished and delivered. It seems to me they shouldn't, but I've never used one.

Definitely put that MAP/EBC money towards an OCC. the amount of crap it removes from the system is pretty remarkable. I'll have anywhere between 4-6 ounces of oil/gas/blowby junk in mine in between oil changes.

[Omega]

A new EBCS isn't necessary at 20psi - I run 20 on a stock EBCS. However going to an aftermarket EBCS will free up WGDC and you'll be able to hold higher boost in the high RPM's better. I taper down to 14psi awful quick from 20 peak -- I have an EBCS sitting in my garage for this reason.

MAP is also not needed for 20psi - anymore than that though and you can't do it safely without upgrading the MAP.

I doubt a tuner would charge extra to turn off MIL's - I asked justin to throw me a valet map while my car was getting fixed and he didn't charge me

[Carskick]

Ok, I will ask my tuner about taking out the EGR error codes and see what they say.

I will plan on doing the OCC along with all my other upgrades as I agree, it'll catch a lot of garbage and I really want to prevent intake valve build up AMAP.

So the EBC isn't actually necessary, it will allow me to hold boost better at higher RPMs? That's definitely appealing...

As a side note, I bought a barely used JBR 3.0 WP yesterday from a local. Saved almost $100 over new! I guess that $100 could be for the EBC.

[Carskick]

I talked to Justin@Freektune, and he said, yeah stock MAP & EBCS are perfectly fine for my mods...

So all parts have been ordered, and some have arrived:

• JBR 3.0 WP Intake
• ETS TMIC
• Speed Daddy Ebay Test Pipe
• AP v3
• Freektune 93/E30

The OCC will be installed either now or very soon, we'll see how everything goes. I also need tires soon...

Justin is going to be working on my tune, and I told him I'm planning on a June 2nd install date. I'm very excited. Thank you everyone for helping me make all my decisions!

As an aside, since I saved so much by not getting the DP, I decided to go all out on the TMIC. While heatsoak will likely still be an issue, my research leads me to believe the ETS is better built and cools slightly better than the CP-e & CS options I was also considering. Here in Florida, I need all the cooling I can get. Will it really be worth the $165 difference? Not sure, but I decided to do it anyways!

Now on to tire decisions:
I'm currently looking at stock sizes 215/45R18:

• Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport - Very Budget Friendly ($78 each + ship)
• Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Positon - ($160 each + ship)
• Micheln Super Sport - ($180? each + ship

OR

Get wide wheels, probably 17x8 or 17x8.5, roll fenders, and get wider tires. Problem is price with this. Unless I can find a good deal on nice, light weight wheels, I'd rather just save the money and stick stock on the wheels ATM.

I know some people have gone 235/40r18 on the stock 7" wheels, but that scares the hell out of me...

Any thoughts?

[Shwaykid]

Personally, I went to 17x8s. The difference in tire price alone was worth it. I opted for 'cheap' wheels, as my speed is my daily, and the roads in Austin are not great. I'm not so worried about curbing a $135 wheel as compared to a $300 wheel.

My Motegi's are 17x8 +45 and I run a 235/45/17 tire. The overall diameter is almost identical to stock. Plus, I like having the extra side wall.

If you're lowered, you'll have to roll the rear. I didn't have to touch the front at all.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by Shwaykid Personally, I went to 17x8s. The difference in tire price alone was worth it. I opted for 'cheap' wheels, as my speed is my daily, and the roads in Austin are not great. I'm not so worried about curbing a $135 wheel as compared to a $300 wheel. My Motegi's are 17x8 +45 and I run a 235/45/17 tire. The overall diameter is almost identical to stock. Plus, I like having the extra side wall. If you're lowered, you'll have to roll the rear. I didn't have to touch the front at all.

I will take a look at wheels in that size category, as that was kind of what I was thinking, is +45 the perfect offset, or is there kind of an acceptable range?

I'm not lower nor will I, so not worried there. With larger sidewall & wide tire, did you find both handling at the limit and overall grip were improved?

I don't need super fancy wheels, just something alloy, not too heavy, and not ugly.
I could probably offset the cost by selling my stocks, too.

[Shwaykid]

Here's my mini-write up thingy

Motegi MR118 17x8

I wouldn't go any lower than +45 on an 8" wheel. My wheels are nearly flush.

I can't say with certainty one way or the other that grip improved with the larger side wall. Definitely made surprise pot holes less of a concern.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by Shwaykid Here's my mini-write up thingy Motegi MR118 17x8 I wouldn't go any lower than +45 on an 8" wheel. My wheels are nearly flush. I can't say with certainty one way or the other that grip improved with the larger side wall. Definitely made surprise pot holes less of a concern.

Great writeup, thanks!

Sidewalls really should affect grip per say, but theoretically, smaller sidewalls are more rigid, which means less flex when cornering. I'm actually looking at 245/45r17. I really want to get as much power to the ground, minimizing wheel spin, and the large sidewalls add comfort and pothole safety, as you mentioned!

Started a wheel/tire thread here.

[Carskick]

The day has finally come!

I've gotten all my upgrades in (Save for the tires/wheels) yesterday, and I'm on my initial Freektune.

First off, I'm guessing this is normal and I haven't asked @Justin@Freektune, but my boost is only 8-9lb and the car is noticeably slower. I'm guessing Justin starts with a very conservative low boost tune to make sure everything is healthy. I did my logs on the way to work today after the car was fully warmed up (about 10-15 minutes into my drive) and will submit them when I get home tonight. I'm very excited for him to give me my boost back!

AFR is far better than it was before. Looks to be in the 10.5-11 range at WOT, though I haven't looked at any actual logs yet. My mechanic who did my upgrades said it did look like there was a small leak in the stock intake after the MAF, as he could see where some dirt had come in. That made me all the more glad I did this. He also did a smoke test to check for leaks after the upgrade, and he says all is good! I had requested that he move my ECU to on top of the relay box, but he decided to leave it in stock location. He was able to leave it there with the cover on and still fit the JBR 3.0. I was surprised, and it looks tight. I hope that won't cause any issues.

On that note, my mechanic was concerned about how high up the JBR 3.0 was. He says the filter is almost touching the top of the hood, and he would of liked to see it a little lower. He suggested a small silicon piece to extend it just a bit further down. I will post pics later, but anyone have any thoughts on this? As long as it's not actually hitting the hood, it should be fine. Plus, now there's plenty of space to add my OCC underneath.

I love my upgraded horn! Having a high and a low note makes it sound fantastic by comparison. I almost want people to cut me off now so I can honk at them!

I reserve most of my judgement on the upgrades until I get further in the tuning process. Running a slow a$$ tune kind of sucks, but it hopefully won't be for long. It's been raining constantly lately anyways, so it's not like I could use 18lb of boost on my worn out 215 tires without just flying off the road.

[Carskick]

The day has come! The Speed 3 is fast. Had a couple of installation issues, but it's all cleared up now it seems! Car runs fantastic so far on the base tune from Justin@Freektune. Running 17-20PSI, and it's pretty stable in many of the stats already.

Reflashed ECU after I resolved all problems yesterday, so I will hit my 30 mile after reflash amount, and be able to take logs. Then we'll be working on 93oct revisions before we go on to an E30 blend.

Next, I'll be saving for 245/45R17 on Enkei PF01 17x8.5 +40s. Will likely need a rear roll, maybe front, too. Clutch is also showing some wear, so I'm planning on that whole deal in the next 20k miles.

I will post logs here on my build thread once I got em up, in case anyone is interested or wants to analyze them. I can't believe how little knock I'm getting @ 20PSI. Engine pulls AMAZINGLY!

[Carskick]

Time for some logs. These were done yesterday, except for 3rd gear WOT, which was done this morning. I've also attached my virtual dyno for my 3rd & 4th gear runs.

I did get some noticeable high RPM knock in my 4th gear run yesterday. Looks like Justin may need to back up ignition timing a bit up there. Overall, the base tune is great, and I see knock very rarely, even at cruise. Most of the time it's just a quick .35 or .7 blip. And supposedly Justin puts it at 2x sensitivity.

Logs and vdyno attached, Smoothing 2.

[Carskick]

It's been a long time since I updated. I have been active on the forum in other aspects, and I thought I updated this last December, but apparently not!

Anyways, a lot has changed with my Speed 3 since my last update here. This includes:

• Southbend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch & Flywheel
• Completed 93 Oct Fuel, currently on Second version of E33 Tune
• Enkei PF01 18x8.5 Wheels in Silver wrapped in Continental Extreme Contact Sport 245/40R18
• Rally Armor UR Mud Flaps

I started getting bad slipping in the clutch, partly because of my rear seal leaking some oil, but the clutch and associated parts have all been upgraded/replaced. My driver side CV axle was replaced at the same time, as it was worn. Passenger side was fine.

Once this was replaced and we got to the end of the 93 tune, traction was in issue with the Potenza RE760 on stock wheels @ stock size. I decided to go all out with 18x8.5" wheels wrapped in 245mm tires. With the +48 offset & no spacers, it just barely clears the stock suspension, and only the rear needed a basic roll. Otherwise, no rubbing except on extreme bumps. Even then, I still have the original shocks/springs. Eventually I'll replace or upgrade, which will probably prevent rubs further. Not going lower. But I decided not to go down to 17" wheels. I'm glad I stuck with 18s, and the slightly larger than stock diameter of the 245/40R18 makes my sidewall only slightly larger, and makes my speed more accurate. Also the gears are effectively a little longer. These are pretty small changes, mind you, we're talking a 2.5mm diameter difference

I realized pretty quickly that the wide, sticky tires were throwing crap all over my car, so I decided to go mud flaps to help prevent this and protect the body panels. I've attached some basic pictures of the wheels, mud flaps, and my dyno from my E33 base tune. Haven't done my runs on second tune yet, but going to try to do those tonight. It's been over a month since I submitted them to Justin.

Despite the large amounts of low end torque and my bad habit of heavy throttle just shy of 3k RPMs, engine is holding strong. Hope it stays that way! I've already told my wife that if I blow the engine, I'm going to have to buy a long block with forged internals and a GTX2867R. I used the old "it's cheaper than a new car" phrase for the 50th time. But hopefully I can get another 30k-130k miles out of the stock block!

So I'll try to get some new pictures soon, and will update the dyno logs once we get closer to the end of the E33 tune. I hoped to have a bit more top end power and maybe a bit less torque down low, so we'll see how that goes. I'd love to get just a flat line of 310WHP from 4500RPM to 6500RPM, haha.

At this point, not even sure what's next. I have JBR boost tubes and a Damond OCC with VTA both awaiting install. Power and handling are great, though as mentioned, suspension maintenance may be in my future. I'm surprised my stock shocks are holding up as well as they are. Anyways, my next mods if the engine holds up I think will be GTX2867R, exhaust manafold, and DownPipe. Since the old K04 is holding up pretty well somehow, it's not necessary. But I'm sure the itch will come.

Sorry about the wall of text, a lots happened. I plan on washing my car and getting some better pictures of the new look soon!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I finally broke down and will have tint installed on 5/2/18. It's for my son, who gets sun in his eyes!

[Carskick]

Got around to completing my runs and I'm sending off my E33 Tune B results today, but I thought I'd share the latest Vdyno results:

It was a much bigger gain than expected. However, this is with my new wheels & tires. I had the Vdyno take into account the slightly larger diameter, but these wheels are also significantly lighter than stock. I wonder if that's adding another 5-8 HP on the Vdyno. Otherwise, just advancing the timing more brought me up quite a bit than my E33 Base tune. Still minimal KR, so we should be able to advance a bit it more.

I'm happily surprised to see a fairly consistent 300WHP+ (DynoJet) at 4500-6500RPM. I've attached the logs shown here, in case anyone is interested.

I've also asked Justin@Freektune to limit boost & load a little more below 3k RPMs, just to give a little more safety net.

Last, I'm trying to setup a time to go autocross in the next couple of months. If anyone in Florida is interested in meeting for a Daytona, Gainesville, or Brooksville Autocross, let me know!

[Fstrnyou]

Congrats on the progress.

A real simple way to limit bottom end torque...larger turbo.
A BNR S3 might have your name on it one day.
Where your hp starts to taper off, the S3 or Larger will just keep going.

[Carskick]

Originally Posted by Fstrnyou Congrats on the progress. A real simple way to limit bottom end torque...larger turbo. A BNR S3 might have your name on it one day. Where your hp starts to taper off, the S3 or Larger will just keep going.

Thanks so much!

It's hidden in the wall of text above, but in the long term, I'm thinking of going GTX2867R. Especially if I have to build after a ZZB. But you're right, a larger turbo would move the torque band up, which would be awesome!

Nothing against the S3, but I'd really like ball bearing if I can. I think the GTX2867R is similar in size to the S3 if I remember the conversion correctly, while the S4 is about GTX3071R size. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

[Fstrnyou]

Sorry, ya...I missed that.

Just gotta be careful with quick spooling a larger turbo in the winter. You can easily get into a high load situation without even going WOT.

[Carskick]

It's time for more upgrades!

My suspension is starting to feel looser and softer as it ages. The wider wheels definitely made it worse, too.

First, I made a failed attempt at just replacing Shocks/Struts thinking that was the only real issue, as the stockers were leaking. Well, it was just a bandage fix and now basically a waste of money. I decided no more bandage fixes, going all out. After lots of planing and research, I have finally placed all the orders to get all the new suspension parts .

The shop that did my wheels, tires, fender rolls etc will be doing the work, as they specialize in suspension, wheels, tires, etc. In fact, when I went to have the car lifted to get a parts list together, they were in the middle of putting coilovers on a Golf R. They work with an alignment shop that is good for low cars, so that'll be taken care of as well.

So now here's the full on game plan:
- Bilstein B16 Coilovers (BSN-48-121262)
- Ford Transit Van Front Suspension Top hats & Bearings
- JBR Front & Rear 125 Sway Bars with Upgraded Bushing Mounts
- Whiteline Front & Rear Endlinks
- Whiteline Bumpsteer Correction Kit
- Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit
- Whiteline Front Control Arm Bushings
- Mevotech Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
- Rear Camber Bar Upgrade
- Beck/Arnley 1018003 Trailing Arm Bushing
- Monroe Rear Shock Mount 906981
- Damond Side Motor Mounts (Already have the rear)
- Damond Oil Catch Can (Finally going to have it installed)

Everything has been ordered and I can't wait to get it all installed!

After ordering sway bars, I had someone mention that replacing the front sway bar may require a larger rear sway bar than the 125 to counter understeer. I'm planning on the softer setting in the front and the stiffer setting in the rear, so we'll see how that works. It's a DD, not a race car, so it may be ok. But I don't think it'll be hard to swap the rear sway bar afterwards if needed.

My goal was to replace as much as possible that could potential wear in the near future, so I won't have to address any of these items for a while, hopefully.