when i first got my car, i thought it was the fastest thing in the world..but then after a month or 2, i became bored with the same power, i wanted more so i did bolt ons..now im stuck at almost its highest point in bolt ons..next step would be single turbo to start another chain of levels of power..but im pretty sure it wont be enough..

like someone said, you'll know its too fast when you cant even drive on the street anymore..all i want is like 375rwhp, thats all, then im done..

 

I miss the sequential feel, specially the fast spool from the first turbo. But then again, when I switch to "high boost" on my boost controller and rip through first through third gear and spin the tires the entire time, I quickly forget about the stock twins.

 

I've been down the FD mod road for many years. I had this mentality that nearly everything related to performance had to be upgraded. This decison racked up about $28K in mods (engine, brakes, suspension, safety, etc) including a GT35R single resulting in about 400 RWHP. I even went as far as removing the interior, PS, AC radio and other miscellaneous items to make the car as light as possible for track (road racing) events.

Recently, however, I've revised that decision (maybe I'm getting old). I decided that it would be nice to enjoy the car on the streets, so I added a little bling and creature comforts: a new CD player; upgraded speakers; new interior items (replacing the removed and aged stuff); removing unnecesary gauges; swapping an insanely loud exhaust for a RB dual; and adding some nice wheels. I'm extremely happy with the results and may finally be done with the mod game. Ther car will still kick *** on the track, weighs under 2625 lbs, and is more than acceptable as a daily driver.

My brother recently purchased an FD and asked me the same question. I recommended two options:

1. If you have to mod it, shoot for 280-300 RWHP on stock twins and call it quits. This should set you back about $4K max (intake, intercooler, precat, cat-back, computer and perhaps a high flow cat).

2. If you don't want to do that, get rid of the precat, get a boost gauge, freshen up the fluids, basic tune-up and call it done. It will be plenty fast and resonably reliable (for an FD) if done correctly. Use additional funds for driving schools and/or a second car.

Gene

 

I am a little girl about this issue. It bothers me to put something on the car, a rotary, and cut fuel in a high horsepower application. I have not seen any real data from the rotary community on this. What ever happened to the GB? I know one or two people use it, but none of them are near my horsepower levels on the rotary world.

Sad to say, I am scared of breaking my engine. It purrs wonderfully now, and that is an unknown variable to me.

 

I wont stop till 8.99s

-then il retire.

 

I actually found this can get dangerous when you keep thinking your car isnt fast enough. When this happened to me the problem wasnt the car - it was me getting used to the power and speed which is definetly not a good thing and lead to a bent/broken rim

 

I've been satisfied for years with my modestly modded FD and I'm not even 300 whp. I wanted to keep my car fun to drive around town. All of my recent expenditures have been to improve the reliability, creature comforts, and appearance. I guess it all depends what you want from your car. Once you decide that, mod accordingly.

 

That is exactly where I am at

 

it's never fast enough.

 

mine is definitely not fast enough... DAMN AUTO'S!!! mneh, it'll be stick some day

 

I wish I had a dollar everytime I heard the words "this is it, after this last part it'll be all finished"

I would be sooooo rich

Stephen

 

are you talking about me Stephen??.. Just kidding.. i think i said that to you like million times.. you probably thought it was done when I blew my engine.. than I bought another one..

 

Talk to Rice Racing or Nocab72 (Kyle?), if they're still around. Both are in the high horsepower range and both have RaceLogic installed and love it.

I understand your reluctance to risk a somewhat rare and expensive engine on something that cuts fuel, but it obviously does work. Many people in the group buy haven't installed their systems for the same reason that a lot of people that buy my bushings don't install them. It's a lot of work, they're not comfortable doing it themselves, and it would cost more money to have someone else do it for them.

I was reluctant to buy the system myself, and I've got a fair amount of change in my engine also. Maybe you should talk to RaceLogic or some of the people I mentioned. Talk to Jim Swantko as well. Offer him Pocky, he'll tell you anything you want to know.

 

I just finished getting a GT35/40 with all supporting mods but with the .82 exhaust A/R instead of the 1.06 and I swear it spools as fast as my old twins with mods did, maybe even a little faster. I'm only putting down 350rwhp on 15psi, stock portted motor and I'm completely satisfied for street driving. Big horsepower must be fun in these cars in certain places, but you have to wonder about the reliability and driveability in a 1.3 liter rotary. I guess that is where the V8 conversions really make the difference.

I'm not really bringing out anything new that most of you guys didn't already know. But if you really like the low end power of the twins, want more reliability, and have a good bit of money to spend on a single, then go with a GT35/40 with the .82 exhaust A/R. Pretty nice power for most people on the street.

 

Perfect for me was stock sequential twins with all the bolt-ons and running 1 bar. There was zero lag and the car had plenty of power. Anything after that turns into, either waiting for the boost to hit or a half a second later stomping on the breaks because its time to slow down now.

 

I can see this happening that's why when I see people drive fast cars everyday I
just see them wearing down their feel for the car.

I saw you featured in SUPER STREET

 

and don't forget POWER DELIVERY

It is just as important to get a smooth power curve

 

I've been daily driving my t04e setup for almost a year now. Output is low 300s, with absolutely no lag compared to the twins. The powerband is nice and smooth with no dip and surge like the twins had during transition. This turbo doesn't have the "hit" of the big ones, but it is strong enough to light up the tires after 4K in second and third at WOT. I've driven other singles, but didn't like the feeling of "wait for power and then hold the hell on." I just don't enjoy extremely peaky powerbands.

I've been done with the mods for months now. The car is plenty fast and, more importantly, reliable. (It is also for sale https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=388851) Sorry for the shameless promotion.

 

It all depends on knowing what your goals with your car is, for me I have 2:

1. Reliable daily driver -- This really isn't too hard unless you feel the urge to drive at 5500 rpm and stay boosted all day on the street. You do have to do more accurate maintenance and keep a better eye on things than if you DD a Honda Accord but it still isn't impossible to do like some suggest. I have a single turbo now and actually find it easier to DD so far than my seq-twins were since I can stay off boost now unless I want to get on it, with the twins sometimes they spool so low/fast you're boosting before you know it.

2. Good autocross -- The FD is a really fun car to do this with, nice balance, good power, good braking distance. I'm not shooting to be 'best' autocross, just good. I like my PS/AC/Stereo/CC and the rest of the DD needs (one of these to me is a sunroof, so I have the heavier touring model).

The previous seq-twin FD I had did the jobs well, the new single turbo FD I have now does it well though I'm making a few changes to make it more streetable than it was at the time of purchase (fixing up the exhaust, rerouting wastegate so it isn't atmospheric, considering a better DD plug than 10.5s, etc). I'm not looking to do anything power wise on it. If you clear 350ish rwhp you have many more things to consider to deliver that power properly (solid axles, bushings, etc) especially at launch if you are ever going to 1/4 mile the car.

This applies a to a lot more things in life than just your car. How much house is too much? Is there a difference between a $100 watch, a $500 watch and a $5,000 watch? Do you really need to own your vacation home or could you timeshare it or could you just stay at resorts/lodges? Some people are never satisfied and others determine their level of comfort and enjoy life.

 

Man, I wish I only spent 4k for min 300RWHP. I calculated all mods to include all exterior mods (body kit, rims, etc) and found I spent over 16K and this is not even a single turboed FD. Everything for this car is so freekin expensive. Even an intake can run you about 300~400 dollars (for quality one..not the ebay
knockoffs). I had even purchased a single turbo kit about 3 years ago but sold it right away because of the passing smog hassle and the expense of an engine rebuild with streetport I was going to have to go through which would have added to the growing money pit. If I could go back I would have just kept the car stock. I love these cars but man, quality parts for this car are so expensive and practically no performance parts for these cars are carb/smog legal..

 

Just a point of reference. This time last year, Steve Kan was tuning my car with me driving. It was at night and a cool 34 degrees outside. My eyes almost popped out when I saw the boost gauge hit 15psi at 2500 rpm! We repeated it several times. No single setup is going to do that!

Mods with stock sequential twins: M2 intake & pipes, Med SMIC, 850s x4, Power FC, dp, high flow cat and RB duals.

 

Highflow Precat *and* main cat, RB twin catback, all the bolt-ons - stock turbo and engine (well, stock '99 turnbos) - tuned/dyno'd by a professional and a great city ride. I wouldn't say no to more HP but I would say no to noise, sinky exaust, having to mess around with emissions inspection (my car passes without anything other than fresh plugs).. In short it runs reliably and with no extra fuss or muss.

but it never does end, really. After 2 years without a mod or major repair it's time to deal with the aging paint, leather, and front suspension..... or cave and buy a Boxster S (oops forget I said that last thing - that would be an expensive downgrade yes it would)

-cheers

 

I'm trying my best to forget about the whole Pocky "incident"......

 

The FD in my humble opinion is a car that one should mearly approch with one word in mind. "Balance" priorities should be 1.Reliability (or as close as you can get) 2. Suspension 3. Power to meet your requirments.

If you're going to the drag strip, 600+ isn't enough, if your're driving your daughter to school, 255 is too much..... it's all up to you and it's purpose...

 

Just like crack, you need more and more and more to get a high, until you are so wasted it is worthless.


But counter to that; I have found that my track use only FD has seen more street miles in the last two months than in the last 5 years, because my mild mods have made it more pleasant to drive on trips. Smoother engine at cruise, cooler temps ....