Hi all,
Looking for some advice on the most cost effective way to improve/modify my FD for maximal longevity and maintainability.

With mazda kegs costing 12k now, popping another motor is not an option. Im on a fresh motor from the pandemic with break in miles and some change
I'd like to make it my last. (I only put 1-2k mileage a year on the car if that)

So im thinking this year is the year i knock out all of the reliability mods in preparation for single turbo + haltech at some point in the more distant future.

Here's my current setup:

1. Apexi pfc on base map
2. Stock twins running sequential
3. Double throttle delete
4. Wax rod delete
5. New vacuum lines & most other rubber hoses
6. Disconnected air pump
7. IRP poly motor mounts
8. Cusco 1.5way LSD
9. Brandless chinese master cylinder brace
10. ohlins dfv coilivers
11. Oil temp, water temp, and boost pressure gauges
12. Catless exhaust (greddy clone) w/stock downpipe
13. Rxlights LED headlights
14. Act hdss clutch
15. All filament bulbs swapped with LEDs
16. New relays, new fuses, new plugs, new plug wires, new rotors and pads, new tires

Im not really hunting for power in any of the mods im planning to do in the near future. In fact, i'd prefer if i didnt have to retune after installing them.

With that said, here are the mods im looking at in order of priority

1. goddamn doorhinges - i need to slam them super hard to close
2. radiator upgrade
3. Air pump delete
4. Acv delete
5. Battery relocation and lithium battery upgrade
6. V-mount intercooler
7. Meth injection system
8. LS coil packs
9. Oil cooler upgrade (i have the jdm twin coolers)
10. -----below here is >1yr in future-----
11. Manual steering rack(?) -i need more insight into the pros and cons, steering effort is not a major concern
12. Haltech & full custom harness w/wideband
13. Haltech ic-7 (is it worth it?)
14. Single turbo conversion
15. Engine bay heat management
16. Big brakes
17. Clutch upgrade
18. New paint

If im missing anything or if the more expensive things on my shortlist such as meth injection and coilpack conversion arent very cost effective for my current goals, please let me know. Any insight is appreciated.

-Joey

 

The end goal is to have a bulletproof, well balanced street car with all the creature comforts that makes 380-400whp. I want to drive the crap out of it free of guilt and without being glued to the gauges.
Additionally I want to minimize the number of NLA components in the car that are rapidly becoming difficult to replace.
Above all i want to do it on a slim budget wherever possible.

 

Have you tried adjusting door hinges? If you loosen the torx/star screws you'd be able to move the hinges for adjustment.
That's quite an expensive list there. And you did not mention any fuel delivery mods, anyways I'd add fuel pressure sensor as priority too.

 

IMHO- The perfect street FD is with

A nice set of coilovers, some wheels, quality tires, vented hood, stock dual oil coolers, strut bar, a real cold air intake, Greedy Vmount, street port, dp, mp, exhaust, sequential turbos, ECU, and at 12psi of boost.

The car will be decently fast, reliable and very nice to your bank account. You talked longevity, just remember the more power you pump out of it, the higher the chance of something catastrophic.

Now as far as your wish list of mods is concerned, some of those items are an overkill for what you want your car to be.

​​​​​

 

my mistake omitting that important part. the fuel mods would go in with the single turbo conversion if/when i decide to go that route. Radium fuel rails, bigger secondaries, and radium surge tank with a fuel pump upgrade.

I dont plan on any fuel delivery mods while on twins since i dont plan on getting it retuned unless i have to.
My current fuel system setup is a (replaced) oem bosch 255lph fuel pump, fuel pulsation damper delete, cleaned and tested oem injectors, and new fuel hoses.

Fuel pressure sensor is definitely a good idea that ill need to add to the list.

I tried fiddling with the hinge a bit in the past but seemed to only make it worse. Might have to just take it to a pro..

 

Looks like all im missing from your street fd list is the dp, vmount, cai. Easy and afforadble things to do, but im not sure if ill stay on twins.
my understanding from reading the forums is that stock twins arent very reliable long term for a few reasons

1. theyre non rebuildable hitachi oems
2. New sets are rare as hens teeth
3. They require an array of solenoids to continue running sequential some of which are NLA.

As for the street port-- im not looking to take my motor apart for any kind of porting work for now.
As for ECU, the powerfc leaves a lot to be desired in terms of keeping my car in good shape for the long haul.

I realize that most of the stuff on my list is pretty overkill for my power goals, but i also dont want to be scrounging for NLA used parts indefinitely as i plan to keep this car forever.

Trading a busted used 30 yr old part on my car for a working but still used 30 yr old part off another fd doesnt exactly instill the kind of confidence i need in my build to really rip on it..

It's been one of the biggest pain points for me in fd ownership as I've been stuck in "troubleshooting" mode while driving this car for as long as ive owned it. So budget is important, but I'm ok with paying for some peace of mind if it means I can finally drive my car like i stole it. I guess what im not sure if I fully understand yet is if the mods listed will actually do that..

 

Here is my $0.02 and how I would order your list. I agree with @Montego

1. AFR gauge
2. Doorhinges - I get it the stock ones suck. Maybe just try to make adjustments. Curious to see what you accomplish. Mine **** me off too.
3. Radiator upgrade - move this to #1 if you are still using the original radiator.
4. Clutch upgrade - you are going to need this before all of the other mods.
5. V mount
6. Air pump and ACV delete, You pretty much have to do these at the same time.
7. LS Coil packs? Why not IGN1A? They are more common.
8. Haltech - go with it if your stock wiring is completely shot and do you homework with your wiring harness. I got absolutely burned with my wiring harness and I now regret going Haltech.
9. New Paint

The rest of the stuff is unnecessary unless maybe you are tracking it. The brakes are good on these cars, so long as everything is in tip top condition. The stock twin oil coolers are plenty cold. Manual rack is not a good idea unless you are constantly swapping engines.

 

I agree with the other posters about keeping things more mild.

 

Got it. Afr gauge and radiator are top of my to do list.

Im probably also gonna fab my own mounting for the v-mount so i guess ill do that + the battery relocation at the same time.

ign-1a's - my understanding from everything ive heard about them is that these ARE ls x coils, i could be wrong

Manual rack - im not overly concerned by the steering effort and improving steering feel/feedback while eliminating the power steering pump as a point of failure seemed like 2 birds with 1 stone. Maybe there are drawbacks im not aware of?

ACV and air pump delete- i know its fairly cheap to do but are there significant merits to doing these mods?

i guess based on your omission of single turbo the consensus among fd veterans is that single turbo isnt worth the cost of entry if im not chasing power?

 

"Apexi pfc on base map" why haven't you tuned it? you might as well be on the stock ECU if you aren't going to increase the boost and tune the engine. which would entail a new fuel pump and an FPR, at least.

"new plugs, new plug wires, new rotors and pads, new tires" assuming you need these things, why haven't you already replaced them? it's basic maintenance. you don't need new fuses and relays.

you should also rebuild the brake calipers while you are at it (he says, knowing he needs to do this himself)

"Cusco 1.5way LSD" when is the last time you changed the diff oil? you need to replace it on a fairly short schedule with aftermarket clutch pack LSDs. ideally something like 3,000 miles, if not shorter.

"clutch upgrade" sounds like you have enough for your goal, but I could be wrong.... that clutch will hold 400 ft/lb.

"big brakes" you absolutely do not need big brakes, since you didn't mention tracking the car at all.

Some of these "upgrades" are basically going to happen at the same time.

If you go single, you will need the v-mount, and heat management, and fuel system, and tuning, a downpipe, air pump removal, and so on.

"manual steering rack" this is not an upgrade. your steering will be exceedingly heavy without PS. especially with wide, sticky tires and low-offset wheels.

honestly, the best single upgrade to a sports car is a bucket seat, race belts, and an aftermarket steering wheel.

well, that, and tightening the nut behind the wheel.

 

+1 on keeping power steering.

Power steering is not just a comfort feature. It's a requirement for any type of performance driving. Without it, it's much harder to catch a slide, and your confidence in the car is reduced. Track cars have power steering for a reason.

 

All the consumables and old crusty electrical bits are under my "current setup" list, meaning its already been done.

The diff has had the gear oil changed once in my ownership, but i havent even put 3k on the car yet in my >3 yrs of ownership.

I have some (involuntary) experience with manual steering in the past and the weight is not a dealbreaker.
Eliminating a point of failure and improving steering feel seem like an upgrade in my head.

The stock sumitomo calipers on my car appear to have already been rebuilt.

The reason the car hasnt been tuned is because my engine blew into a million pieces in the first 50 miles i owned this car and my entire ownership journey since then has been going through every system on the car with a fine tooth comb on the fresh motor i installed.

I figured if things like the knock sensor, water temp sensor, oil pressure sender, map sensor, secondary throttle, idle control valve, etc are not working properly (they werent), paying a tuner to tune the car would just be a waste of $

 

Thanks for that input. Everything ive heard about manual steering rack conversion on the fd has been from the opposing perspective but your points are well reasoned too.

my main gripe with the power steering is that turn-in feels quite sluggish. My suspension bushings have been done and im on ohlins dfv's with the dampers on the firm side so i assumed it to be the power steering.

 

damn, my condolences...

 

Nothing wrong with LS coils. Easy to get, much cheaper, and you have plenty of choices from well known brands like Denso, Hitachi and Bosch to name a few.

 

Stop. Go to the FAQs for this section and scroll down to “recommended mods”, and just below that “Reliability mods”. Read thru those. Some of those posts might be old but the information is still absolutely valid. Given your stated annual use of the car, you can shorten your list by at least half, save yourself thousands of dollars, keep drivability, better maintain market value of the car, and have it just as reliable…if not more so.

 

This +1

I understand that you are coming here looking for actual community input for your build...and this is definitely a much better place to do that, then say, facebook. However, even here, everyone has their own opinions on how to go about modifying (or not modifying) and FD. Each has their merits/drawbacks. Unless you've been around for 10 - 15 years and seen these screen names over and over again, it will be tough to decide which person is giving you the advise that aligns with your goals, and falls within your skillset/budget.

This place has been around so long, that even the FAQs can be overwhelming. But stick to it. The more research you can do, the better your build will be....and moreover, the less trial and error (read: money spent) you'll need. There has been some viable advise in this thread, so you have a solid foundation of topics to research to help keep you on the right path. See which looks like they would be the route for you. Also, when you look for advise on specifics, or during your research, try to find the benefits and drawbacks of each avenue. That's where the real "knowledge" comes in. Not just people parroting what they heard other people say on the internet.

Already, I can see some echo-chamber advise in some of your responses. I don't say this to be a jerk, just trying to bring this stuff to light. For example, you say you haven't heard anyone else recommend leaving power steering. I feel there are many in this community that share that viewpoint. Hell, I'd argue most people who give advise like that actually have never delt with a car without (most, not all. I understand that there are some people who do practice what they preach in that area). Also, engines aren't $12K. That's MSRP. Sure, there are some dirtbags on FB trying to sell kegs for $11,000. They are just preying on the uneducated. There are PLEANTY of places to get them much cheaper. Granted, they aren't $4,000 anymore. Those days are gone for sure, but you don't have to spend MSRP.

 

The funny part about people recommending removal of PS and AC is that you can't connect them to threads years later lamenting that they removed that and now don't drive the car because it is uncomfortably hot and annoying to drive on the street. Or that removing those parts made it difficult to sell because nobody wants a car w/o ac and ps in this modern age.

 

I know what you mean about the sluggish turn-in, and I think that's just the FD. The stock rack is not razor sharp like a modern car, or even some older cars. A lot of 90s cars were like this, and I read somewhere it was thought to increase stability. I've been meaning to set some toe out to see if it makes a difference but have no gotten around to it yet.

 

Or tires, or alignment or swaybar(s)…or a combination of one or more.

I don’t have anything modern outside an F150 KR to compare to, but I do recall being told by some old hands in my Autocross days that the FD ruled A-Street prepared until the C5 ZO6 came out. So turn-in, at least back in the day couldn’t have been too sluggish. And going manual for a street driven car seems pretty drastic to correct any real or perceived ‘sluggishness’. Not to mention what it does to value.

 

Turn in response can be transformed with a touch of toe out on the front, more neutral rear toe and maximising castor then camber as priority in the front end. Combined with tyre selection and higher roll stiffness.

 

It's not that the rack is bad, it's just that the ratio isn't very fast for a sports car.
This was also true of the MR-2, which was even slower.

The steering needed to be light enough for a 100-pound Japanese woman while using PS technology from the 80s. It needed to not be so sharp that you kill a new driver. Big companies have to design for the least common denominator.

OP might due well to replace the rack bushings, though, if a bit of toe out doesn't help.

 

agree on the ratio. the rather large diameter oem steering wheel didnt help either. After swapping for a slightly smaller nardi torino i found that the ratio didnt bother me as much but still left a lot to be desired.

my rack bushings are almost certainly overdue for replacement thanks for bringing that up.

 

i have already gone through tires, suspension, alignment without significant change or improvement.
(Except that ohlins dont turn my lower vertebrae into dust unlike the 326power chakurikis that were on the car prior.

The ohlins didnt seem to do much for turn in but i do like the way they load up more predictably and how compliant they are mid-corner at maintaining grip when taking bumps and such.

Havent done anything to the sway bars, is there a noticable difference? Any recommendations?

 

i dont have my alignment sheet on hand right now but i do vividly remember the alignment guy describing to me that he set up my alignment exactly the way you described.

A smidge of toe out on the front, a bit over -2.5 degrees of front camber and a hair less rear camber, neutral toe on the back.

Do our cars have castor adjustment? Was not aware of this. Thought we needed adjustable top plates.