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My concern with those “vents” is
a: they impact the space occupied by the washer bottles, it seems.
b: there’s no flowing air back there that needs venting, because you have wheel liners and then washer bottles obstructing it.
it’s a lot of expense and time fitting and tweaking a cosmetic only part for what shouldn’t be much if any weight savings, and at least down here, they only last a couple years before they start yellowing and flaking, unless you scuff and paint them with automotive base/clear.
waiting to see what you find out when installing them.
if your cf yellows after 2x years , it's cheaply gel coated. I wouldnt accept low quality junk , id send it back.
I've had carbonfiber parts on this car now almost 3yr and they're as nice as the day I put them on..
And its not always just about functionality , I like carbonfiber , I'd have the entire body be carbonfiber if I could and I wouldn't care if it weighed 200lb more than stock , imo it would be beautiful..
But your wrong about the wheel well. In the liners you'll see they're far from being air tight against the fenders ESPECIALLY because I'm running widebody flare, I have a gap that oem flare don't and either I fill it with expanding foam or I allow it to vent , I chose to vent.
plus once I get the vented carbonfiber vented hood , its gonna really tie it everything in more. I also plan on gp rear bumper vents instead of my real venting grates I have and those will be carbonfiber also OR ATLEAST carbonfiber hydrodipped to look carbonfiber.
I have ALWAYS loved the look of carbonfiber..
not everything I do to this car is going to be to be to make it go faster. I'm doing it for fun and enjoyment and slowly turning it into a into I like more and better suites me and my style..
Here's a good article on a few reasons I switched to the ic I did.. as you guys may have knowticed I've been hunting for the ic with the least boost drop but able to maintain low iat's.. with this cooler being able to flow better and cool better it should be it.
if even the non liquid cooled version only had 1psi drops but much better iats , i can't wait to see what this better core design can do !
I will FINALLY be putting the fenders on tomorrow. I had to repaint the flares 2x and I've been up north working on mine n my pops properties..
I used a bead of window weld and then i use 1in black expanding foam to further enclose and hold them on better.
Then i got bored while I was waiting for the flares to cure onto the fenders so i started making an intake box / heatshield. The lid will be removable with push clips and it will screw to the firewall facia and bottom of the oem intake box in the oem screw spots. It's not done yet but it gives you a good idea how it's gonna look and function.
I'm also VERY MUCH considering having the 464catcam installed too.. I'm just kinda nervous to do so because I have gotten NO 1st hand feedback on the cam to know how it will operate as opposed to my ns1 cam that's in there now..maybe I will throw up a post asking if anybody has...
i had abot of a scare when i went to reinstall the rear strut bar , one of the bolt was wanting to cross thread. The musta got damaged because id over tightened it awhile back when I eliminated rattles. THANK GOD it easily retapped and the oem bolt went rite back in smoothly.
anyways , here's some update pics.
They've come out very nice. Not perfect but very very nice considering that they're a custom made to order part.. I'm VERY happy with them..
I did a little test drive until I realized, DUUUUUH I never secured the reservoir tank.. derderder. BUUUUT my garage temps were high 80s though it was low 70s outside so the cooler. But in a 10min drive iat went from 80'F down to 75'F lol.. and I did 1x good ,hard pull and OMFG this ic breaths baby ! Aaaaaaand on the pull the iat ONLY got to 85'F.. I can't believe how efficient this ic wlis going to be.. even with the BEST ic I've tested so far , on a hard pull at full boost 19-20psi it would get upto 150-160 for a few seconds and them immediately start to fall back down to where it was befor , usually around 110'F but the watercooled ic , it ONLY spiked to 85'F..fricken SWEEEEEEET.
I will get more pics n stuff soon and a drive along too finally to show you guys how it pulls.
Looks hella good bro! What's the story on that rear wing (what brand is it?) I also notice you're running a duck bill under the rear window, is this working to keep the rooster tail down and the back window clear of road dirt?
Looks hella good bro! What's the story on that rear wing (what brand is it?) I also notice you're running a duck bill under the rear window, is this working to keep the rooster tail down and the back window clear of road dirt?
your the 1st to actually realize WHY I wanted and put on that lower duckbill. It absolutely keeps the rear clean , atleast above it , lol...
Both were purchased off aliexpress...
your the 1st to actually realize WHY I wanted and put on that lower duckbill. It absolutely keeps the rear clean , atleast above it , lol...
Both were purchased off aliexpress...
Right on! The aero-dynamics on 3-door MINI's create a massive amount of drag from the flat hatchback profile, sometimes I wonder if putting a wing on the roof is even a good idea. My theory was that a duck bill would deflect the air that rushes up along the backend to fill that vacuum, making it stream smoothly away from the glass and meet the airflow from the roof further back; sounds like it works. Duell makes a Big Wing setup (Japan) that appears to do the job really well, Garbino also has some nice options available on the ECS site. Honestly, you could pull the supercharger and slam a giant turbo system in there for the price of some of those wing kits. Anyways, we're all eager to read about your detailed findings on that space-age intercooler you installed btw, keep us posted
Right on! The aero-dynamics on 3-door MINI's create a massive amount of drag from the flat hatchback profile, sometimes I wonder if putting a wing on the roof is even a good idea. My theory was that a duck bill would deflect the air that rushes up along the backend to fill that vacuum, making it stream smoothly away from the glass and meet the airflow from the roof further back; sounds like it works. Duell makes a Big Wing setup (Japan) that appears to do the job really well, Garbino also has some nice options available on the ECS site. Honestly, you could pull the supercharger and slam a giant turbo system in there for the price of some of those wing kits. Anyways, we're all eager to read about your detailed findings on that space-age intercooler you installed btw, keep us posted
The company that made the hp spoiler , i wanna say oanjje??? They did extensive wind tunnel testing when they developed it in order to have it actually be functional and function correctly.. the duckbill though , I don't know of any testing on it yet or if ever, other than me and my experience with it.
Heres an update, you tell me how you think the cars ripping.. btw , the pic was after the 130mph pull ( in Mexico) once I'd gotten off the speed road
Those were the Temps immediately after the 130mph run once I'd slowed down .goddang that intercooler cools.. i also hit 19psi max with it too so it IS boosting more than stock by almost 2psi..pulls are at end of video..
im SOOOOO glad this ic is what id hoped it would be , it is and is actually better than id expected. I thought it would give me same boost level as the non cooled motorsport version but the core design in this one is abit different allowing more flow.. it was expensive but imo , worth every dollar.
I hope at some point you get the scratch to get the AC Chiller.
I'm tryyyyyyyyyyyyying to obtain another sprintex at this moment actually...im pretty happy with wgere the car is at rite now so im just going to enjoy it as is for awhile now. I've gotten alot of interest in it lately regarding trading it or selling it so that's another reason I don't wanna do more to it rite now because it's kinda up in the air if I will have the car by years end or not..
I've gotten some good cash offers but they wernt quite where I need it to be to let the car go.. and I'm factoring in no sentiment value either lol. Imo the price is a more than fair price for this car..
How is this GRS chargecooler different to the standard one?
its a completely different sized core and passages NO intercooler I've yet tested flows as well. Its also liquid cooled which is what allows the flow to be so well. Its actually smaller than the gra motorsport ic which isnt liquid cooled. I needed to run a coilpack spacer with the motorsport version and it covered my plug wires but this charge cooler has almost the same profile as stock ic. It's just thicker. And unlike the kavs coolers which are just stock with a water jacket welded around them. This ic is designed specifically for liquid cooling..
it's expensive but it really is worth every dollar for a build like mine. I'm very glad I decided to finally get it. I wonder if I'd be as happy with a tvs as I am this chsrgecooler because I'm still debating to go turbo on this car or stay sc but get and try a tvs and if it's not as powerful as the sprintex, then just run it on my the aero mini then..
After buying 2x x60s gauges only for them.to both not be compatible due to hardware versions I decided to try an ultra gauge.. and I actually like it. It fits perfectly in my line of sight as I drive so I don't need to take my eyes off the road to look at data , like I had to with my tablet I was running..
I highly suggest checking them out..
I got mine WITH the mount off aliexpress for 50$ shipped and it came in under 2x weeks. It even listed it as specifically fot an r53 so i took the gamble and glad i did.. lol bit now i have 2x new x60 gauges and nothing to do with them...
I replaced a door speaker that starting sounding crappy last drive . I can't believe how easy it it to remove the door panel. What a relief it is to have something be easy for once.
I'm currently trying to trade the turbo kit plus a fat handful of cash FOR A TVS900 . ID BE soooo pumped to finally get my hands on one to be able to test. Im verrrrrrrry curious if my gen2 sprintex or the tvs will make more power..
I think I'd like the tvs better even if it made the same , maybe abit less power because I will NEVER have to check and add sc oil like you do with a sprintex. Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast with a sprintex when running such a small pulley on it. When I had the standard pulley on it , it boosted barely more than stock with a 15% but it didn't use any oil then.
I don't mind checking n adding oil every 2k miles or so , big deal...
But I went for some back road cruising today because Temps were in high 50s only and GEEEEZUS , the cars so powerful. I ALSO never saw iat above 100'F either no matter hpw long the pull was.. then normal driving with occasional rips , avg Temps were 65'F !! Unreal !
then I shut the car off and let everything heatsoak for 15min and idled the car too then for 5min once restarted and befor i began driving , iat Temps were 125 and with in 30sec they were back down to 90' and in another 30sec they were back into the high 60s low 70s..
I ALSO seen 21psi again ! The cars running so dang well and strong I'm absolutely enjoying everything min I get to drive it..
I pray PRAY I end up getting this tvs though. A turbo install is abit beyond my capabilities buuuuut to slap on a tvs , THATS NOTHING !
stay posted guys..and if you know who has the tvs and wants my turbo.. lol help convince him to do the deal. I DID offer a good chunk of change ontop of the turbo kit so i hope SOOOOO bad the deal pans out..
Since I'm no longer running the v12 tbody I decided to get am intake to match the throttlebody size so I ended up getting an alta intake and scored a ddm intake box off a fellow member... I've actually always wanted this intake box. It seals perfectly to the rear facia and hood so it does an amazing job keeping out hotair. And the rear scoops are going to be more efficient now too then.
the car doesn't seem to have lost any power either switching to a smaller intake without a velocity stack.
Also Imo it really makes it look alot cleaner and more potent when the hood is popped..
I'm still waiting to hear back on the tvs deal so just keeping my fingers crossed.
Omg omg omg ! It shooooould be going through ! The tvs900 should be getting sent on or around November 1st. IM SOOOOOOO EXCITED to FINALLY get to test one out. Like I said , idc if it makes less power than my sprintex but I doubt it will because I plan to run it on its smallest pulley WITH the 8rib serpentine setup. Lol this is gonna be EXPENSIVE but atleast cheaper and better than buying it new..
I also made a set of entry sill plates since I was sent 2x different ones. I just painted them , put on the decals ( they match decal on my dash )and then I clear coated over them.
I made a mount too to install another switch on because i wanna run the waterpump to a switch because I don't need to it run for 5min EVERTIME I power up the car , I'm sure that's contributing to killing my battery. The battery is new as of 2x months ago and i put the alternator in in spring. I also seen the alternator charging with my voltmeter too.
So I am having a parasitic draw somewhere i could use some pointers with. I unhooked all my gauges , waterpump and pulled 2x fuses for the cd player and amp and instead of the car dying over night it had 13.8v when I went to check it today. So I plugged in the gauges and switched them to a different fuse # spot encase the other one was periodically drawing power for tests but I left the waterpump and stereo fuses unhooked so if it still holds charge then I will plug in the waterpump.
I hope you get all the pulleys so you can see whats its like to make the same power you do now with less psi etc. Example. I made the same power with 8 psi and 70mm on tvs as I did with a 19% on m45. Plus insane lower IAT. I actually have my setup running 12 psi now and have essentially detuned it. I have been having way more fun as a result as well. No need to run on ragged edge all the time. Even though with the engine built for 600+ whp still no need to flog it all the time. I just pulled log book last night. Since the rebuild in 2021 I have put close to 60,000 miles on it already and thats with our short season in Wisocnsin. Also no need to go 8 rib with the rmw tensioner. Still you can if you want. They make a 8 rib tensioner and all the pulleys as well. That being said with a 8 rib you need to use the Ati dampner with the Rmw 8 rib shell swapped over. I have the 6 rib ati 4% shell which is the biggest crank you can use due to the bolt bosses on the oil pump in the way. Right now I am using the larger crank and a larger tvs so I have more belt wrap up top. I also had Griptec make me the entire range of pulleys. Take a google on grip tec. Chris Mentrup at Harrop can set you up with the 55mm grip tech for sure as they had one left when I talked to him last month. I dont know if you have the Sptintex compressor map but if so and you know how to read them (Took me a bit back in day to figure it out lol) you should compare them for sure. But it would be cool for you to see the changes instead of jumping to max setup/power pulley right away. Also be mindful of the tensioner locking tab as mine snapped off before. I fabbed a new one and the design for it you can remove the part and replace vs stock you would have to get entire new unit. Cool design with forward thinking. But I had used my compressor tool over 100x times before it snapped. Just went to menards and made my own little replacment.
I hope you get all the pulleys so you can see whats its like to make the same power you do now with less psi etc. Example. I made the same power with 8 psi and 70mm on tvs as I did with a 19% on m45. Plus insane lower IAT. I actually have my setup running 12 psi now and have essentially detuned it. I have been having way more fun as a result as well. No need to run on ragged edge all the time. Even though with the engine built for 600+ whp still no need to flog it all the time. I just pulled log book last night. Since the rebuild in 2021 I have put close to 60,000 miles on it already and thats with our short season in Wisocnsin. Also no need to go 8 rib with the rmw tensioner. Still you can if you want. They make a 8 rib tensioner and all the pulleys as well. That being said with a 8 rib you need to use the Ati dampner with the Rmw 8 rib shell swapped over. I have the 6 rib ati 4% shell which is the biggest crank you can use due to the bolt bosses on the oil pump in the way. Right now I am using the larger crank and a larger tvs so I have more belt wrap up top. I also had Griptec make me the entire range of pulleys. Take a google on grip tec. Chris Mentrup at Harrop can set you up with the 55mm grip tech for sure as they had one left when I talked to him last month. I dont know if you have the Sptintex compressor map but if so and you know how to read them (Took me a bit back in day to figure it out lol) you should compare them for sure. But it would be cool for you to see the changes instead of jumping to max setup/power pulley right away. Also be mindful of the tensioner locking tab as mine snapped off before. I fabbed a new one and the design for it you can remove the part and replace vs stock you would have to get entire new unit. Cool design with forward thinking. But I had used my compressor tool over 100x times before it snapped. Just went to menards and made my own little replacment.
that really really now got me MORE excited.. I do plan on running a 55mm pulley and 8rib setup.. from the looks of it , the deal SHOULD be going through very soon !
it's just hard imaging it making more power than now with the tvs.. but like you said , it might run that much cooler ..
I only am afraid that even though it run that much cooler ,the less boost won't equal out...
the sprintex does have its advantages but it does have its flaws..
Hypothetically if i cant make as much power with it , i will just put the sprintexback on but atleast my sprintex will be freshly rebuilt and give me a much better piece of mind.
my biggest gripe with the sprintex was inability to use an oem belt tool but once I'd finally tracked down the last available gpr tensioner, it made servicing my car soooo much easier now with the oem belt tool and I build a solid 19psi , even on 75'F days like other day.. it now also has no belt slip with the tensioner.
I just wish it didn't use the amount of oil it does because I'd really like to only have to check and add oil every 6k , not 2-3k , or less depending on how hard the engine has been run. thats one of the unavoidable flaws with the sprintex.
Last edited by MiniManAdam; Oct 25, 2023 at 10:35 PM.
