SyderJL

Hey guys I am in the process in doing the reliablity mods to my VR '93 FD.
Should I first get:
Downpipe
Radiator
Boost and Temp. guages
(AST already considered)
I bought the car with an Apexi intake already on it and thats the only engine upgrade so far.(money limited)

Couple of ?? too

What temp. guage to get? EGT or oil water?

If I get a DP will I have to worry about boost creep??

FYI it has been in the 90+ here lately so keeping it cool is a concern.

Thanks guys,
Justus

ijneb

I think it would be most important to get the guages. Atleast a boost guage.
Try getting an autometer boost guage and the cheapest SS downpipe you can get.
go through the archivs, this has been gone over several times.
Ben

SyderJL

Thanks Ben I have gone through the archives and didn't find out what I needed to know If anyone else has an opinion please feel free chime in.

Justus

Shinobi-X

If your radiator is working, and you are near stock, then it's not vital that you replace it now. If your pre-cat is in good condition, the same goes for it. I would go with the guages first, and do the DP soon after so that you can tell what, or if something is wrong, before you try to diagnose the problem (if any).

0110-M-P

iTrader: (10)

I voted DP, but would also buy an Autometer boost gauge, they are only like 50 bucks, so you can't go wrong there. But Radiator isn't a must unless yours is bad or you have more modifications. Plus the DP will lower engine temps slightly because of less restriction in the exhaust and no big *** precat up near the turbos to give off heat.

ttb

i would do gauges first..then dp..then radiator...

SyderJL

Hey guys thanks for the opinions!
Its always good to here what more experianced people think. Keep them coming.
Justus

apneablue

Temp gauge, DP, then Rad.

911GT2

I voted dp, but again, on a different day I might have said boost gauge. They're both vital, try to do both of them. Cooling is an issue, but if you turn on your parking lights the radiator fans come on at 190F instead of 210F (someone correct me if these numbers are wrong, just pulling those outta memory), so a radiator, while still important, is not as vital. Also, dp will decrease underhood temps as has already been stated.

ludeowner

I would say do the boost guage first before any engine mods. That way you can first see if you have a healthy boost pattern. If you have a good pattern then it will be a lot easier to diagnose whether future boost problems are a result of improper mod installation or spiking.

...or something like that.

Flyrx7

iTrader: (1)

These are all valid items, but I would probably choose the boost gauge first, followed by a watertemp gauge, then the DP. Of course, it would be nice to do em all at once. When you add the DP it would be nice to see the difference on your boost gauge, just to be sure. And of course the WT gauge is also very important. If you haven't yet, do a search on "reliability mods", you should consider doing the fan mod asap, especially since you're still using the pre-cat.

Frank

jspecracer7

I'm voting downpipe. Downpipe will lower underhood temps considerably. then Radiator. Then boost gauge.

cpa7man

iTrader: (2)

Heat is the bigest enemy to the engine. DP will reduce underhood temps by a bunch. If your stock otherwise, I'm not sure a boost gauge will do much. Once you mod then boost gauge is a must. In your case the with the intake a boost gauge might be higher priority.

The stock pre-cat tends to clog and can lead to premature engine/turbo failure. IMO the reliabilty mod list is.
DP
AST
silicone hose job
radiator
gauges (water temp, boost)

Lots of TLC

Shinobi-X

How many miles does the car have?

The problem with going with a DP first, is that your car can still overheat. Sure it will help, but it's no 100% guarantee that your car won't overheat due to some other problem. Getting a real water temp gauge is going to help you tell what is going on under your hood, no matter what is causing the overheating problem. A boost gauge can also help with problems that are linked to low boost pressure- for example if you have a bad pre-cat. Feedback to the driver is what you need first, before replacing parts that may not need replacing. Again, a working radiator, on a near stock car does not need to be replaced...it works. If your vac. hoses are fine (how would you know, unless you have that boost guage?), you shouldn't replace them either (yet). Buying your gauges won't stop problems, but they will help you to find, and avoid others as soon as they surface. No other mod, however functional, will guarantee this. Of course, you will want to take care of the other mods soon after, but it's a matter of priority.

My temp gauge has saved me from a leaking radiator, that decided to go at 100K miles (I figured it was time anyway). Without my temp guage though, I would have had no idea that my car was seeing far higher temps than it should have. If I had done my DP first, it still wouldn't have stopped coolant from leaking, and would have cost me an engine. Case in point, driver information is most vital, and a temp gauge would have helped in either scenario- whether it be my radiator going, or my pre-cat causing high engine temps.

Just my .07

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Guages.

Gotta know WHAT is going on before you start adding things to change whats going on.

SyderJL

Damn, thanks for all the reponses guys!
Guages it is then!
I am probably going with the D series DEFI: Boost & Water Temp.
Justus

Snook

iTrader: (12)

why the hell would you guys tell him to get a boost gauge first?

you dont need a boost gauge unless you modify the car
what is your car gonna blow up if you gave a boost leak or something. unless it was tampered with it should make 10psi or below which cant hurt.

the first thing I would do is water temp gauge or linearize the stock one

then an ast

then a downpipe

then a boost gauge

forget a radiator yours should be fine and you'll have the temp gauge to monitor everything soon

Flyrx7

iTrader: (1)

My stance on this is that he IS going to mod his car, and it is always good to have baseline numbers prior to any modifications. It just makes sense.

Frank

Shinobi-X

Because he asked if he should get guages (includes both), a DP, or radiator first. Passing on the boost gauge now, is not going to leave him with enough money to get a DP anyway. Besides that, signs of a clogged pre-cat affecting boost, will show up on the boost gauge, and along with that temp guage, gives him a great place to start looking for trouble. He might as well get it out of the way now, as it's a VERY practical mod, and along with his temp gauge, will help him to identify rougly 90% of the problems that may arise with his car. That is also why I asked him how many miles the car has, and said that all of these mods should be done as soon as possible.

crazysuprakid

When I had rotary performance install my downpipe, Chris said it can lower engine temps 200-300 degrees. It acts as an oven sitting right underneath your engine in stock form.

I bought the M2 unit and love it for 290.00. Other units can be had for a lot cheaper.

My next mod was the Miata Thermostat. You just replace the thermostat so the fans will stay on after u shut the car off and come on at an earlier temperature.

I've now ordered Defi water temp & boost gauges. So will see how I like those.

Next I will be getting a radiator and AST. I live in texas so heat is a concern. But The stock units seem to be holding up for now.

Snook

iTrader: (12)

ok I see what you guys mean now very valid points.

I figure if he hardly has money for gauges or a downpipe right now he wasn't really going to modify the car that much or quickly.

With a downpipe his boost should definetaly be safe without getting a gauge.

To solve 2 problems at the same time he should linearize the stock gauge for the few dollars it costs to do so and then get a downpipe. my 02

SyderJL

Hey guys, sorry Shinobi-X I have 73K on the car, also I do plan on modding the car I just want to get my priorities right. Also, I don't want to buy just one guage and then have an empty hole in the pod, and getting both guages costs the same as a DP, so its one or the other right now.

Thanks for the respones guys

Justus

cpa7man

iTrader: (2)

Good points! More Gauges can never hurt. I think I may need to get a temp gauge as well.

I think crazysuprakid did the Miata thermoswitch upgrade. Turns the fans on at a lower temp 185 i think, instead of 215 or so.

Looks like gauges have won the war.

Chameleon

Reliability mods...
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/reliability.html

SyderJL

Yeah I have that site bookmarked, lots of helpful stuff there thanks anyway!
Justus