I have been talking to Randy about installing his head to get 15 -20 more HP. I am very disapointed with the "reality check" that Randy gave me. A new clutch......."that much power will overwhelm your clutch"......In asking about the cost of installing an appropriate clutch...and if I'm there a LSD the cost gets nuts. Well over $4K for 15-20 hp......not gonna do it! What are the rest of you doing in this rarified air over 220 hp?

 

Well im not there yet.... but the plans continue :smile: Here has been the path so far taking into consideration that I autocross the car, MCS/JCW Mod#1 CAI, Mod# 2 3way Rear swar bar, Mod #3 front camber plates, Mod #4 "unexpected" Rear solid bars to adjust camber (1st alignment on car at 19k miles +.09 camber right side/-.1drivers side) Mod # 5 also unexpected : LSD/phantom grip (my wife found good price on a phantom grip someone had bought and wasnt brave enough to install) she loves me :smile: It was in the master plan to wait until the clutch gave up and do LSD & upgraded clutch & pressure plate/ I am not going to do the lightened flywheel after riding side by side in 1 car with, and 1 car without, I like my bottom end tourque better than millisecond improovements to gear changes. Mod #6 JCW upgrade package, fuel injectors, plugs, and CAI, I miss the sound of the madness intake! But the low end tourque is smoother and stronger.
I have 29k miles now and plan to continue running in ASP/ mabe STU this coming year then... Mod # 7+ upgraded clutch, 17% pully, throttle body, and header. I think that if you have the ability to pull the head and reinstall it you would come out cheaper to take it to a local head specalist to port and polish it. Im sticking with the JCW head and from past 5.0 mustang experience forced induction lessens the need to purchase aftermarket heads. The factory ford heads are some of the most restrictive out there. I performed all my own head work on the fords at the local vocational school as class projects, and with the access to the right tools flows were increased to within a few cfm of the best heads on the market at the time.
Right now I am working on the nut behind the wheel as this is where 95% of the speed will come from, after 1 year of autocrossing I was finishing in the top 20% every race. I recently attended an evolution school the teacher beat my time easily while driving 1 handed, talking, pointing and driving smoother than I did these guys are unreal! my car set FTD by 2 full seconds on a 31 second course (the school was hosted by the local corvette club ) the 10+ corvettes, 2 miatas, RSX s-type and honda 2k have an all new respect for a Mini I was 1 second behind the teacher who was driving 75% tops
Sorry for the long post

I was just trying to show that the horsepower needs to be planned out. If you schedule the mods with the eventual clutch replacement... the labor shouldnt be $50- $75 more to do the LSD/aftermarket clutch and pressure plate and unless you want to start doing 5k launches or you road race in my opinion the stock flywheel is fine. We have one of the smoothest shifting trannys out there, dont believe me? climb into a WRX and give it a shot you almost have to stop to go into first, its notchy, it clunks, its terrible.

 

Thanks for the post. So what HP are you running? and I'm not sure from your posst but have you or have you not already donne the clutch and LSD?

 

SpiderX,
Before you spend $4K on such upgrades, always consider:
What do you need 230 HP for?
How will that level of added HP affect all of the other weaker components?
What is the maintenance on said upgrades?
How does it affect daily drivability?
What are the hidden costs and/or potential complications?

If you are driving on the track and need much HP then 220 or 230 might be usable. For street driving about 200-210 is more than enough. Work on increasing or maxing out on torque first with your mods and you'd do better for less $$$. Always go for lightness before more power- which means lighter wheels and tires whenever possible- this will help no matter what sort of driving you do.

Once you get up to 230+ HP you always have to worry about transmission and clutch not to mention build up of heat. More power also means you'll need more stopping power- so some sort of brake upgrade or big brake kit.

If you are doing street driving primarily there is not much use for 230 HP over a MINI that has 200-210. Are you really needing to get somewhere 0.1 seconds earlier? My area is full of traffic and a stock MINI would arrive about the same time as a modded one. Long range commuting might be a bit better but not once you hit urban areas.

I'd have to agree with randy on the clutch wear. LSD labor is a killer unless you are dealing with someone that does it all the time.

 

Yes I did the LSD at 19k miles I wasnt prepared to do the clutch yet so that will be next :smile: By the way the LSD took me 16 hours at a safe pace I had 0 problems even without a manual at the time but I have a nicely equipped garage with a drive on ramp style lift.

 

Hate to burst your bubble but SPI has been running a stock clutch and it hasn't failed yet... it will slip under extreme use...

I have the upgraded version in mine and so far no problem and I would guess I am over the 300whp area

 

sweet! 1/4 mile smokey burnouts

 

The reality check for me was not so much the physical limitations, but the practical ones for us with FWD. At some point more torque and hp just spins the tires, even with an LSD.

El, I heard about your burn-out yesterday leaving Steve's, I believe . If I recall correctly, you have the Phantom Grip. With so much power, we won't be able to get it down, except for in some circumstances, which is fine if we learn to feather it in those situations...

Drive-ability was another concern that maybe El can answer. Is the steering wheel jerking a lot on ya?

 

El Diablito Rojo-N20Mini: Why haven't you posted anything on the Twincharged MCS Thread?

 

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I have just ordered the Miltek header and cat-back. If Randy is right, and he usually is, that should get me about 18hp. take away the 7 I am getting from the Borla I have a theoretical gain of 11 hp which will bring me some where between 210-216. currently 178 at the wheels. What about things like plugs and wires? intercooler diverters etc.? I have RV-Fs they are plenty light. I'm thinking of doing Brembos just because they look cool, pride of ownership to say nothing of the performance. Currently Powerslots and Ferodos. What else? Just having fun.

 

I purposely lit them up... at steve's
You have to "feather" it but it gets down the road.... 3rd gear you can pretty much jump on it and hold.... when I had the 15% pulley on you couldn't even do that..... it would boil them in 3rd....

torque steer is not that bad with the phantom grip...

can you say 110mph as fast as you can pull the lever?

 

because I am still tuning the car..... we dyno later this month

 

good luck getting 18hp from a header on a MCS.....
unless you have a ported/polished head , cam and throttle body

 

The header brings between 7-9 the exhaust brings 9

 

Well, as I mentioned when we talked, I don't buy the notion of much increase. Please try to get the car baselined in similar temp/humidity and then run an after-install dyno test.

I like the Miltek, I run it, but I don't agree on the accumulated HP gains.

Also, the biggest jump in apparent power (actually it was torque) was the 19% pulley - by far. Replaced the 15%.

 

i also find it kinda hard to belive that you can achieve 18hp from just a header and cat-back. i would think it would be somewhere around like 10-12 maybe

 

Yeah - that wasn't my quote. You can't do additive gains, the header may make 5 or so, and the catback 9, but that doesn't mean you'll make 14 total.

I'd be happy to talk you through it SpiderX, to make sure you understand that while you are getting a gain, you will not be getting an 18hp gain.

Hope that helps!
Randy

 

thank you!!!!

 

Hi guys,


Have any of you guys replace the original flywheel with the lightweight flywheel,either Fidanza or UUC etc?I dont' see any of guys car specs have the change of the flywheel.If there is any of you guys have it change,do you face any problem with it especially street drivability.Any engine staling problem when the car comes to a stop or slow down in a sudden?

Does the weight different between the original flywheel and the lightweight actually makes great?

Thanks.

Peter.

 

I have the Fidanza. The only effect on streetability - which could be a deal breaker for some - is that it's noisy unless the clutch is in. Sitting at a long light, you may or may not be embarrassed by the clatter. If you're embarrassed, then your leg's gonna get tired (from keeping the clutch depressed) when you're stopped and idling.

 

I'm just trying to learn.....sorry for the ignorance.

 

I have read that the 19% can cause problems if used hard and long....what is up?

 

That was not Randy's quote but my erroneous reasoning.....did not mean to misrepresent you Randy

Hope that helps

 

We have installed a good number of our 14.5 lb flywheels and the only minor side effect is a slight rattle while at low idle with the clutch engaged.I noticed that when I recently did the MTH software upgrade the low idle was about 100 rpm higher which almost eliminated the " rattle " a great deal. As for the good things the snappier responce and easier downshifting is well worth the minus IMHO. The car is just as easy to drive as with the stock flywheel and even passed the " wife test " . I had her drive the car without telling her about the recent change and she did not notice anything different which is not the way the great Borla Race with no resonator test went

http://www.m7tuning.com/products/billetflywheel.htm

Randy

www.M7Tuning.com

 

hang in there spider