Believe it or not the Coupe actually weighs more then the Hatch.. approx. 58 pounds.. From what I've heard the Roadster was designed 1st and it had to have extra bracing/enforcement to the chassis and they used basically the same chassis for the Coupe, which I think helped it's down fall. Could have been a much more desirable car had it weighed say 200 pounds lighter then the Hatch as one would expect..

 

The Roadster has the extra support underneath ( like the convertible ), the Coupe does not, but does have some additional body bracing then the R56. The Coupe' is heaver then the R56 Hatch ( Hardtop ).

The Euro JCW Recaros are very nice and feel really good. Heated option also.


The Euro JCW Recaros :

Part linked below. 52100446774 and 52100446775

Alcantara Version:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-question.html




Or Leather version 52100446772 & 52100446773

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...go-done-3.html

 

To the OP --- I gotta admire the effort you took in documenting this build. Lotsa great pics, good sourcing info, etc. Now that it's a "done deal", and you're moving on to the next "Tigger", how about some meaningful results for this build?

Adjectives alone are meaningless --- "awesome performance" from a first-timer with a stage 1 tune would be "ho-hum" to a stage 4 modder. You obviously spent a small fortune on your mods, and from earlier posts, you seem to be located in / near a major city that would have at least one functioning dyno. Others have made the same request, so I'm not alone here. I'm sure that some of these people want to know what kind of results to expect if they incorporate similar mods. It took me awhile to get dyno results, because I was holding out for an AP tune, and my original tuner wont tune for over 280 HP.

Please don't take this as a challenge. With the level of mods you had incorporated, you should be close to 350WHP and even higher torque. And if not, another tune while on a dyno should get you close enough. I did almost all my own work (Thumper did the head work), and made some mistakes I'm still living with. But this makes the satisfaction all that much greater --- posting 300+ numbers. I hope you follow thru and try doing the next Tigger yourself --- a great learning and rewarding experience.

Now, PLEASE post a dyno chart.

 

I agree, please do the dyno ...And...where do WE send donations to help pay for the dyno runs?

 

Sorry for the long delay in replying guys. Ever have one of those weeks you want to hit the rewind button on? This was one of those weeks! Barely had any free time at all between work and looking for a new motor for Tigger. More on that in a bit. What little extra time I had left over i spent on the new car coding the speedo correction, window one touch, getting rid of the annoying sat/nav disclaimer when you start the car, enabling video while driving and installing the GP2 diffuser.



I'm very certain the stock rods will hold 300hp as long as the rod bolts are replaced with ARP2000 bolts. One of my customers is running a very aggressive Stage 3+ with stock rods and ARP bolts. I hope to have a dyno for his build posted soon. Results should be similar to what Tigger would have made.

The slight problem with the head turned out to be not so slight. While at a stop light Tigger started sounding like he was running on three cylinders so I pulled around the corner and had it towed to the builder. Turns out that an exhaust valve stuck in the open position and had a close meet and greet with the #1 piston. The end of the valve broke off and chewed the head and piston up pretty good as you can see from the photos.

 

I hate to let you down OBW. Your example, as well as others are what inspired me to embark on the Tigger build. Unfortunately, the universe had other ideas. It happened the day before I was scheduled to take it in for the 2000 mile oil change. My plans were install the meth kit after the oil change and dyno it. Only one exhaust valve struck a piston so it was not a timing issue that caused the problem. Based on the data and photo's the engine was making metal which accumulated in the valve guide and caused the exhaust valve to bind while open.

After $14,000.00 going into the engine I had high expectations which sadly I never got to fully see. The Aquamist system never got installed and I never got a chance to see what Stage 4 map C was like. The builder has a good reputation and hopefully will stand behind his work and make this right. I should know more next week.

That I can guarantee. The only thing that will be farmed out on my next build will be the machine work!

 

Weird double post when I edited the one above..

That's the same weight difference I found as well. The body definitely feels more rigid, so perhaps some of the bracing carried over, and it also feels like more of the weight is in the front. I'm thinking the VIS carbon hood and an AGM battery (both on my shopping list) should help address the weight difference. Need to find some load scales to make sure though before choosing spring rates. But that's for another thread.

 

Sorry to hear about the busted valve --- gotta be really frustrating! Keep us posted on how well your builder stands behind his work?

Not sure why I thought it was a "done deal", musta forgot the WMI wasn't installed yet.

Since you now have two projects in work, how about separating the new one into a new build thread. I'm getting to the point where I get confused easily.

Have fun building the next Tigger.

 

Parts bouncing around in combustion chambers is never a good thing...sorry to hear that. Hope you never have that happen again. Good luck on the next build...

 

Engine was making metal? What was the mileage? Can you salvage the pistons?

 

Tri-Armor rod bearing scored through to the steel backshell.


Rod journal scoring.


Exhaust cam and roller scoring.


Intake cam and roller scoring.


Definitely making metal. 2,500 miles since build, 4,400 miles since new. The builder is standing behind their work as I hoped and felt they would. They have found another engine as the valve scored the cylinder sleeve pretty bad. I could fit a thumbnail in the gouge it caused so its definitely over .010' deep. This unfortunately means that boring to 77.5 mm will not remove it all. I'm very certain they are not happy about this either. A lot of blood, sweat and few expletives went into this project any I know they were looking forward to the results as well. I'll leave it to them on how they handle it with the bearing provider. This really really sucks.

 

Thanks for sharing your build, it is appreciated. Hope you are able to motor on soon.

 

How tragic and very sorry.
Do they know where the metal was being made?
Was it possibly low oil pressure/oil deprivation also?
I never experienced or heard of metal in valve guide but lack of oil will get an exhaust valve sticking. I wonder what the clearance was in the guide? .001 or so?
Either way things were going terribly wrong everywhere in there.

 

Was this a feak accident and was the CP piston damage beyond replacement?

A few posts ago you mentioned something about Mahle pistons holding up with no meth at 23 psi, are you thinking about using Mahle pistons on your newly purchased MCS Coupe?

I'm interested in finding out the differences between the CP piston you bought and the Mahle pistons, they must use different aluminum alloys for the Male to expand quicker than the CP's.

 

It looks like the rod bearing failure was the main culprit but it doesn't appear to be an oil starvation issue. Unfortunately the CP piston was damaged beyond repair and the block is scrap.

The Mahle pistons are a different alloy that does not expand as much as the CP, so they are manufactured to a slightly larger diameter. That is why they are quieter on cold start. If I go with Mahle pistons next time it will be with custom rods from a different manufacturer, or I may go with custom pistons from Diamond Racing and Carrillo rods. The CP pistons are heavier than the Mahle's, and the Pauter rods were also heavier than the CP. Since elevated RPM was not a goal last time around it wasn't an issue. The next build will probably be aimed at 7,500 RPM so rotating component weight and the stock crank will be something I look at closely.

 

Wow. Surprise twist ending... I did not see the R58 purchase coming. (edit: I guess I should have with you sig image. haha)

Bummer about the issues with the rebuilt N18.

Thanks for putting such a thought out and descriptive build thread together.

Any advice for someone who needs a N14 rebuilt?

I already have a KO4 turbo, but don't need maxed out power. I'm looking more for good power and reliability.

Hope the R58 is treating you well. I always loved that design too, ever since the concepts.

 

Yikes, sounds like shop is repairing this for you?

 

For good reliability without going for crazy power the Mahle PowerPak pistons with JCW head gasket and ARP bolts on the stock rods is a good setup. For the heads a minor port and polish with basic valve job is all you need. That way your low end torque and cold start will not be significantly altered. Even small improvements in flow will make big dividends. I highly recommend the ARP stud kits for the head and mains as well. Small price for a much better assembly. If boring the block make sure the machine shop you send it to uses a torque plate then true the head and deck.

They've had a few snags finding a suitable engine. Title issues with the donor etc. Starting to drag on too long in my opinion. Had another complication as well. When the valve broke a part of it went thru the turbo and damaged the turbine wheel. Just last night I found a very low mileage Gen 1 N18 S engine with turbo that looks like it will fit the bill. The shop is looking into it as I write this so hopefully that will be arriving soon. I've already re-installed the stock tune on the ECU and have the original cat for the car in case the donor doesn't come with one.

On the E45R I spoke to Arric at JMTC so that will be getting a new turbine wheel, shaft, bearing, seals and balanced. Once it's rebuilt I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it for Vlad or sell it. For the next build I'm seriously considering a EFR twinscroll or GTX with divided housing now that I know you can retain full ECU control on both.

 

Sounds like you know what you need in the future , just have to sort out the old engine and builder issues. I think my stomach turned when I saw the piston and head pics.

 

I know what you mean. When they pulled it in the shop the first thing they did was pull the plugs. The first three came out like normal but then the forth one fought the whole way out. I started getting that sinking feeling then but as soon as they got it out I knew the engine was royally screwed.

 

I love the title of this thread .. just sayin'.



Tigger2011 .. nice to meet you.

 

I think I just cringed again. Hope things work out for you.

 

 

Wow look at that plug, the valve head was smashing into the spark plug! I have never seen thing kind of carnage. I bet that the threads for the plug are just as messed up. My adrenaline is pumping I think I just went into shock and I'm sick to my stomach.

 

It looks like someone lit the fuse on a small explosive on the end of that spark plug and walked away to wait for the result