I don't need water, I don't need meth....I need < 30 F ambient temps and an M2 medium IC.

Holy rip, it feels like someone exploded a seminuclear device behind the car, it flat out shreds in this ice cold air. Beemer M3s and Mustangs are dropping like flies in my rear view, like they can't get out of their way. This car hauls serious freakin *** in the cold weather. Unless you're forced to garage your queen because of snow, get the heck out there and mash the go pedal. It's an FD Merry Christmas.

 

turbo cars are always faster than N/A cars in cold weather

 

As long as you have the tune/boost control for it

 

hell yea they do..

 

Hell yea! Even the stockers are nice in the cold.

 

lol does it even get really cold in Texas?

 

The only part that blows is getting the 1c water temps to 80c.

 

Rotaries seem to warm up pretty quick, although I take it easy for awhile because I'm running SAE 60 oil - the oil pressure gauge is pretty much pegged until the oil is warm ha

But when it's warmed up, look out. The best way I can describe it is power dense. Essentially zero heat soak. You can hammer the throttle repeatedly and the charge temps hardly budge. Highest I saw was 5-6 C. Plus you can safely run more boost (with adequate fuel). Win-win.

I love December and January. No "down time" here.

 

In this weather I feel like I own a single turbo Supra. 1st and 2nd gear are so frickin useless. It's like hydroplaning on dry pavement. I often turn the boost down in the winter so I don't wrap the car around a tree. The highway pulls are nice though.

If the eshaft thermal pellet has been deleted/modified (and it probably has if the engine isn't original/reman) the engine will take longer to warm up. If the fast idle system has been deleted, the engine will take longer to warm up.

Also, watch out for boost spikes!!

 

what are boost spikes?

 

^ when boost briefly overshoots its intended level. so if you normally run ~15psi, when it's really cold out it hits 18psi briefly as it spools up and then drops back down. that brief extra boost could be dangerous for the engine depending on your tuning, the fuel system, etc

 

What charge temps are you seeing at x ambient temp? 5 C is 41 F and the ambient temp was about 30 F. The air-to-air ICs seem to perform better in these frigid temps. In the summer, I'm usually at least 20 F above ambient.

 

QFT. And I also couldn’t agree more about boost spikes. Unfortunately we’re buried in snow up here in NY, so my baby is put away for the winter.

 

I am using a Triumph (dudeman) sensor located in the elbow. I personally think this sensor reads maybe 4C too high (which isn't really a big deal). I have checked ambient temperature as reported in Celcius (phone app) and with a completely cold engine the PFC always reports temps higher than ambient even if it hasn't sit in the sun. That being said, intake temps still really vary a lot when you use this exposed element sensor. On a very cold day (about 0 or -2C ambient), with the engine just barely warmed up I am reading about 6 or 8C intake temps, but you'd have to subtract maybe 4 from that to account for what I feel is sensor inaccuracy.

If you drive the car around, boost a bit, and then shut it off it will still heatsoak. It just won't heatsoak anywhere near as much as it does during the summer. Temps will be maybe 10C above ambient... still greatly depending on the type of driving.

 

how can you tell when it gets heat soaked

 

Very easily. If you're driving around and you're seeing, say, 10 deg C then you arrive at your destination, let the car sit for 20 minutes, and get back in to leave, it will heatsoak. At that point your IAT sensor will read much higher (say 30 deg C) because it's absorbed the heat from your motor while sitting, and it will take a long, long time to come back down.

You know that the TRUE air temperature coming into the motor isn't that high, but the sensor has absorbed so much heat that it can't tell the difference, and will unfortunately take time to cool down.

 

I don't know, I was driving the car very hard Sunday and Monday evening and I never saw above 6 C charge temp (I have the stock air intake sensor still), from a low of 1 just cruising down the freeway. I'd hesitate to call that heat soak. People love to knock these old ASP style SMICs but as long as you're above 30 or so mph they work extremely well

Edit: just noticed you were referring to post shut-down heat soak, any IC does that (FMICs less so of course)

 

Actually it does! We have really nice seasonal weather down here. Fall is usually in the 60's, winter, in the 40's and summer in the 90-100. It's dry where I'm at (no humidity) so summers aren't that bad cause you get that dry heat. It usually snows once a years but it's always gone the next day.

 

This is still a tricky comparison. An original stock IAT sensor in the stock UIM location is definitely different from the Triumph sensor and especially a relocated one. The IAT readings don't fluctuate anywhere near as much with the stock sensor. It doesn't cool down as quick (on a hot start) and it doesn't heat up as much (from a WOT pull).

 

So basically you are saying that the best bet is to relocate the AIT sensor whether is triumph or stock?

 

oh, any ways to avoid such?
sounds great
georgia weather is random, it'll be in the 30s one weekend then be mid 70s next week; during the summers it only usually gets to like 90 but it's so humid it's like walking around with a wet heated blanket

 

Relocating the IAT sensor will make it read differently, but that doesn't automatically mean everybody should do it or that it's always "better." The readings will behave differently as the engine heatsoaks and the air temperature correction tables may have to be adjusted to account for this. I think it's the tuner's preference more than anything else.

Most new turbo cars that use only a MAP sensor to calculate load (like the FD) have two or three IAT sensors. One sensor might be in the airbox, one after the intercooler, and one in the intake manifold. The twin turbo Ford Ecoboost motors have 3 sensors like that, and VW uses two on their speed density/MAP engines. Multiple IAT sensors and a self-correcting ECU are the best solution, but the OEM and aftermarket computers for the FD were never engineered for that.

 

Stone age FD technology

 

took the car out for the first time in about three weeks. just some short highway pulls were insane

 

Beautiful day for rotary power. Merry Christmas