Y-TRY
01-10-2005, 04:24 PM
Well, I had my first full Saturday night out in the car this weekend. I'd call it more of an "extended test drive".
The car was a blast. The TKO's overdrive made easy work of cruising down the freeway. The power was crazy-fast, and the poor Z-rated rubber didnt have a chance against my right foot. I made a couple notes, though:
1) The 3.89's were a carry-over from my old combo (275/60/15's,4-speed, peaky 355). Even though highway cruising wasn't an isue, the steep 1st gear (3.27) and short tires had me shifting into 2nd halfway through the intersection when I was leaving a light. On hard acceleration it was non-existant. I've decided from this drive that I don't really need the gear that I did with the 355. I'll be swapping in some 3.25's very soon. I'll enjoy the broad power curve alot more this way. This engine wants to really stretch out more without having to shift and slow the turbos down so often.
2) With the stiff suspension the stock style seats are feeling a bit dated and rough. More modern seating is needed to keep the ride a bit more comfortable. These look great but don't have the padding and support of a Corbeau or Sparco. Along with the gears, this will be the next order of business.
3) The carb tuning isn't all that bad. My main issue is getting the boost under control. For some reason, the Wategates don't open when I want. Once I get the boost where it should be, the carb tuning will fall into place. As we saw on the dyno, it runs super rich at low boost and leans out when it goes over the 12psi the carb is jetted for. I ended up giving it more timing (24 degrees total) and the car seemed to like it better than the 20-degrees I had. It was passing alot of raw fuel into the exhaust and it would continue to pop for a second after the car was shut down, like popcorn.
4) I was hoping the turbos would quiet the exhaust a little more than it does. As it is now, the exhaust runs out of the downpipe and out the back of the car with no mufflers. Just turbo-to-rear bumper, 3". It's pretty freaking loud still. So I'm going for some 18" bullet-style mufflers to help my ears. I don't want a chambered-design, and the packaging under the car limits me to that style.
5) Low stance + CalTracs + Speed bumps = Crunch
Of course, I have my share of bugs to work through. Finding the right boost and timing will be some trial/error. But even untuned as it is and only 6psi it's putting well over 700hp to the ground. I can't wait to see what it does at >12psi and the carb jiving.
I also have some turbo questions that I'll move to another forum. I just thought I'd share some results with you guys. Maybe someone is considering the same issues with their car and could glean some advice from this.
The car was a blast. The TKO's overdrive made easy work of cruising down the freeway. The power was crazy-fast, and the poor Z-rated rubber didnt have a chance against my right foot. I made a couple notes, though:
1) The 3.89's were a carry-over from my old combo (275/60/15's,4-speed, peaky 355). Even though highway cruising wasn't an isue, the steep 1st gear (3.27) and short tires had me shifting into 2nd halfway through the intersection when I was leaving a light. On hard acceleration it was non-existant. I've decided from this drive that I don't really need the gear that I did with the 355. I'll be swapping in some 3.25's very soon. I'll enjoy the broad power curve alot more this way. This engine wants to really stretch out more without having to shift and slow the turbos down so often.
2) With the stiff suspension the stock style seats are feeling a bit dated and rough. More modern seating is needed to keep the ride a bit more comfortable. These look great but don't have the padding and support of a Corbeau or Sparco. Along with the gears, this will be the next order of business.
3) The carb tuning isn't all that bad. My main issue is getting the boost under control. For some reason, the Wategates don't open when I want. Once I get the boost where it should be, the carb tuning will fall into place. As we saw on the dyno, it runs super rich at low boost and leans out when it goes over the 12psi the carb is jetted for. I ended up giving it more timing (24 degrees total) and the car seemed to like it better than the 20-degrees I had. It was passing alot of raw fuel into the exhaust and it would continue to pop for a second after the car was shut down, like popcorn.
4) I was hoping the turbos would quiet the exhaust a little more than it does. As it is now, the exhaust runs out of the downpipe and out the back of the car with no mufflers. Just turbo-to-rear bumper, 3". It's pretty freaking loud still. So I'm going for some 18" bullet-style mufflers to help my ears. I don't want a chambered-design, and the packaging under the car limits me to that style.
5) Low stance + CalTracs + Speed bumps = Crunch
Of course, I have my share of bugs to work through. Finding the right boost and timing will be some trial/error. But even untuned as it is and only 6psi it's putting well over 700hp to the ground. I can't wait to see what it does at >12psi and the carb jiving.
I also have some turbo questions that I'll move to another forum. I just thought I'd share some results with you guys. Maybe someone is considering the same issues with their car and could glean some advice from this.