All,

The above is what I have done to upgrade my MCS engine for improved performance. Hope that the system holds together. So far, I am amazed at the increment in driveability and performance. Torque steer has emerged as "another problem" to fix. Will provide feedback over time.

Want to thank the Performance Modifications forum for the information and debate that has helped me to make these choices.

Regards,
John Petrich in Seattle

 

What about intake and exhaust, none yet? How does it drive?

 

Be careful of the NAPA belt - I saw one shred on a pulley-equipped MCS.

 

>> The above is what I have done to upgrade my MCS engine for improved performance. Hope that the system holds together. So far, I am amazed at the increment in driveability and performance. Torque steer has emerged as "another problem" to fix. Will provide feedback over time.

John,
Sounds good. Hope you have some decent weather. Not too wet. Although your upgrades are quite good I wonder how a free breathing intake and Cat back exhaust would give you the full potential in power gains from the 19% reduction pulley/ larger intercooler. Helix13 mentions that the 19% pulley alone makes gains although it might be muted a bit with stock intake and exhaust.

Torque steer is a problem with all that added power. Maybe a Quaife Limited Slip Differential would do the trick to allow maximum traction to both front wheels.

 

john...belive it or not, I am finally going to get my rig back on the road this week , after about a month!, to test those front control arm bushings and H&R front and rear bars. also the 19% and One-click; due to the need for the teardown, i will also have the spax clutch

 

Becareful with the EVOtech ECU and the 19% pulley. I thought the EVO raised the rev limited to 7200-7500RPMs which DEFINITELY (according to Eaton!) revs the supercharger too high!

 

Max engine RPM with 19% pulley should be 6950RPM aka stock. I hope EVOtech took this into account when remapping your ECU

what heat range are the IK-29's?

 

Ryan is right to ask, these plugs don't seem the right heat range for a 19% pullied car. IK 22's are the colder plug (the factory works kit uses colder plugs as well ngk's though). They do this to help prevent detonation...not good.

 

The ik20's are stock, and 22's one step colder, so he's headed in the right direction, it just sounds like quite a leap numerically!

How'd you come to the conclusion that 29's were the ones to have?

JLM--can't wait to hear how the bushings work out. My car finally steers where I want to (no more runflat tramlining nonsense for me), but the runflats revealed that there's a lot of play in the system! I'd like to get a better idea of the payoff of going through the work...

Sorry--didn't mean to hijack.

Jeff

 

>> i will also have the spax clutch<<

Shussssshhh......no one is supposed to know about the joint venture between Spec and Sachs to produce the ultimate Mini clutch.

Please, no insider trading on this one.

 

oops!

 

All,

Appreciate the feedback and questions. My engine modifications are centered around the theory that supercharger pulley upgrades are presently the most reliable and direct means of achieving a significant torque increases from this small engine. The larger intercooler, the significantly colder heat range spark plugs, and the EvoTech ECU are targeted to fully utilize the raised boost pressure by minimizing the potential for destructive detonation and ECU protection defaults. I neglected to mention the MSD DIS-2 ignition system that I have also installed offers a multiple discharge CD spark and programable rev limiter to fill out the complement of reliability oriented modifications in a highly boosted engine.

The helpful comments about potential HP benefits from intake, throttle body, and exhaust modifications are well taken. An early decision I made was to not focus on peak HP performance targets but rather focus on the broad range of torque improvements to be found in my typical driving range of 2000 to 4500 RPM. The intake and exhaust mods seem to significantly improve breathing in the 4500 RPM range and above. These modifications are valuable but substantially increase the engine modification costs.

I do not anticipate further engine related modifications with the possible excepetion of installing a more evolved aftermarket ECU system. These products appear to be coming to market as we speak.

A suspension modification program has brought me significant functional improvements in MCS overall performance. I'll post the details at another time.

Regards,
John Petrich in Seattle

 

It seems to me you are tuning for specific needs John, that's cool. It seems to me though that with 20lbs of boost A milltek header and exhaust would net you at least 10lbs of torque more than a stock set-up. You are correct it's not cheap but you are right torque is where it is at.

Please describe for us what it drives like with these changes as many of us are on the fence about a 19% pulley. Appreciate the feedback...Fletch

 

I'd wait for more testing on the Milltek header. I've heard all the MCS headers were recently tested and none (including the Milltek header) made any significant gains whatsoever. So at this point in time I can't see spending money on a header. And no header has made ANY torque - just a HP or two which is really irrelevant at best.
As far as cat-back exhausts go, maybe the Milltek exhaust does make good torque but then again it depends on where it's dynoed. Some vendors list cat-backs as making up to 8lbs of torque and 12HP while others found no more than 4 or 5 HP and a couple lbs of torque - from the same exhausts! So I think Petrich is going about this the right way. I do have an exhaust - the UUC but I didn't just buy it for the torque it may have. It looks great, sounds out of this world and definitely gives good power on the butt dyno. But if it looked and sounded the same as stock, I don't think I would have spent all that dough for just the power alone.

 

got my rig back on the road.

don't mess around with strut braces...get the control arm bushings! First and immediate impression is a huge improvement. Will report more after some track/autox time.

Well worth the install time/effort and part cost.

_________________
""the onus of proof is on he who asserts the positive."

 

Ok JLM, time to start spilling some beans... I know what you been up to....... Hope all the mods came out like you expected, feel free to PM, I am very intrested on how things went with TOO and others.........

 

TOO hasn't completed my block/head yet. Very soon, he says.

 

John...

Glad to hear from a Seattle-lite! (My wife of 20+ years is from Seattle, and we are hoping to move back this summer from So Cal). I put on a K&N Typhoon intake system on my MCS. ($270 at an NHRA event ) With no other mods (A pulley is on order) I am greatly pleased with the results; from the web I have downloaded dyno charts of a 9 HP gain; even if it is only 5 HP, that is pretty cheap. It only take 2 hours or less to install, and had really excellent instructions for the application. I have a big hill to climb from the I-14 to I-5 each day on the way to work; I can now pull it in 4th vs. 3rd!

As to exhausts, the Borla folks tech center (out here in So Cal) and I have e-mailed back and forth several times, and their regular (quiet) exhaust for the MCS adds 5 HP: the "Sport" one (with round vs. oval muffs, pn# 140035) adds another 2 HP. (But exceeds the "federal 94 dB sound limit" who cares)? I am shopping for that system now.

As to plugs, with that much boost, if your ECU re-tuning can keep you around a 13.0 ratio, you shouldn't have to drop more than 1 or 2 heat ranges down from stock. The JCW upgrade goes down only 1 heat range from stock, for example.
(Using the stock-type 4-prong plug)

The ND IK22's (?) are what I've read some folks use; suppposedly they add 5 -8 HP above 6000 R.P.M vs. the stockk "4-prong" sytle ones, which suppposedly mis-fire under additional boost conditions.

Hope that is usefull..DoctorNytro@AOL.com

 

DoctorNytro,

Thanks for the input. Check out your Private Messges.

Regards,
John Petrich in Seattle