radiator or hi-flow cat?
 

i'm getting ready to order some parts for my FD. boost controller, new ECU, intake, dp, cat-back, AST, rotors, pads, boost gauge... my problem is that i do have a limit to what i can afford to get all at once. my deliema comes in where i wonder to myself... should i get a new Koyo radiator or get a hi-flow cat. my reasoning is that i'll be able to afford the radiator later in the spring (closer to summer) when i'll actually need it. on the other hand, getting the cat now, i can get one new Pettit ECU set-up for the intake, dp, hi-flow cat, and cat-back and not have to worry about getting an upgrade later like i would if i decided to do the radiator now instead of the catalytic. any thoughts guys?

radiator... hi-flow cat...???

Radiator

I hate to disagree w/ the Mahjik (because he is right ALL the time), but I think the High Flo Cat is the way to go if you have certain financial constraints.

Pugg, you hit it right on the head - why have to purchase a 2nd ECU when you add the Cat later on?

Then again, I do see Mahjik's point also - all that boost, all that heat.... bye bye engine.

On second thought - just wait and do it all at once. and for the love of god, get a temp gauge :cool:

There is no point getting a radiator if you dont know the temp of your coolant anyway... you will just know its "cooler" instead of "wow, im running 255 - i really should put those fans on."

pugg57: Doesn't your car have ~33K original miles? Unless your plastic end tanks are cracking, which I doubt at that low mileage, forego getting a new radiator. Save your money or get something else.

Agreed. I know a lot of people will tell you that the stock radiator is fine, but I just don't trust those plastic tanks. Also, the extra cooling ability will only prolong the life of your engine.

i've been offered an Autometer water temp gauge... thinking i'm going to take the gentlemen up on it, so then i'll know the gauge. I have every intention of getting the radiator later on towards summer... but right now i am limited on budget. i suppose if i am gonna hold of on the radiator, i could probably hold off on the AST till then and swap both out at once, couldn't i? you guys say "all that boost" but, well, i'm not the typical RX owner... i barely hit 3500rpm on my car EVER and i plan on setting my Profec B to a low setting of 8psi for daily driving and 12 for the RARE spirited run.

i don't want you guys to think that if i don't get the radiator now, that i'm NEVER gonna get it cause that's not the case, i just think its dumb to pay for a new ECU twice :) i have no intensions of ever doing anything more than MAYBE a new SMIC to my engine. i don't wanna port or anything like that. just clean it up a bit and enjoy the sunny days.

Speedking, spot on on the numbers, i think i just turned 33k this AM on the way to work (6.5 miles) and my radiator and all the plastic stuff is in Great condition.

Yep, and as a heads up, while the radiator and AST are going in, since you don't like having to do things twice, take the time to swap in new hoses and belts. :)

Hi Flow Cat.

and do the free Fan Mod for the radiator

Adding more power to a car when there are financial constraints is not necessarily a good thing. The more power you make, the more things break.

IMO, take care of the reliabilty modifications first unless the main cat is clogged. If the main cat is not clogged, wait.

mahjik, the constraints are only on this order... but i definitely see what you are saying. i'm gonna have to do thinking on my own i guess to figure out what the best course of action is. i think HeatTreated has a good idea there too though.

thanks to all for the input. i'm sure i'll keep ya'll posted on what i decide to do.

What's the point of doing any mods at all if you drive like such a granny? No offense, but I fail to see the point of babying a car like the FD. Why put up with all the crap associated with owning one if you're not going to USE it?

I daily drive my FD and I hit 4k rpm and up to 10 psi of boost every time I drive. When I drive it for fun, it gets a lot of WOT and redline fun. And then there's track days....:)

My order advice is get all the airflow mods now and the AST/radiator later. I think you'll be just fine, as long as your AST/end tanks are in good condition.

Well, when/if those plastic end tanks crack, you'll be wishing you had that Koyo! ;)

i enjoy some spirited driving about once a week on a nice weekend drive but i'm pretty new to the area and its hard to find a place to really let go. i plan on eventually getting into some street/track race type stuff, but right now i'm just happy to have it. but otherwise, i just love the car. i just don't need a ticket or a wreck right now (not that anyone ever really does) and i'm a little rediculously overprotective of the car i just bought a month ago. i'm sure i'll get over it, but you guys gotta understand the situation, i'm 23 and just purchased my dream car (aside from the obvious exotics).

by the way though Rynberg, how do you like the Racing beat dual tip? that's what i'm looking at getting. is it very loud (relative to say the Apex'i N1)? my neighbor has the single tip version and i love the way it sounds.

Mahjik, i've finally secommed to your infinite wisdom and decided that when i get the money to make my order, the hi-flow cat is gonna wait till next time and the Koyo and the AST are coming instead. i was just getting greedy i guess... thanks for keeping me in check.

Personally, I think the stock radiator is fine with so few miles. Heck, I used a stock radiator with about 70k miles daily driven through one Pheonix summer. If you were going to get a new radiator around summer time any way then you have nothing to worry about with the stocker.

To answer your question about the Racing Beat exhaust, it is about the quietest exhaust you can get for the FD. Compared to an Apex N1 it sounds stock. I have never heard the single tip but I would imagine both RB exhausts sound close to the same. The sound the dual makes is beautiful, especially compared to some of the nasty sounding rx7 exhausts.

I love the RB dual-tip. It is pretty quiet, not much louder than stock with the windows up. Definitely louder than stock with the windows down, with a nice rumble at idle, a roar below 4.5k rpm, a turbine-like scream above 4.5k rpm, and a nice boomy resonance letting off the throttle at 3k rpm. You'll like it.

It doesn't sound ANYTHING like the N1. It's much quieter and doesn't sound like a chainsaw on crack....:p:

just stick to the reliability mods first...

rynberg, do you happen to have a picture of it on your car? or does anyone else have a picture of one on their car?

Here is my suggested list:
-power fc (delete the commander if you want save $). This computer will give you more room to grow and allow you to do things that you can't with the pettit, such as change your fan temps, injector size, control boost, ect.
-downpipe
-catback
-delete the ast (cheaper than replacing it and I don't think the aftermarket asts w/o baffles do a whole lot)
-(don't need a boost controller with the PFC)
-skip the intake and highflow/radiator and get an intercooler.

I might have missed this if someone said it already, but if your getting the pettit ecu either way, they do not set the ecu to your mods, there is only one ecu for any different combo of mods. So you will only need one ecu (it won't matter if you add a hi flow later because it can handle that too)....

that said, go for the radiator, and i'd even go for an intercooler before you go for the hi flow cat

Pugg - at the meet the other day I had the pleasure of hearing FD3Boost's PFS single tip Catback - I have to tell you, I really liked the note. At WOT and high RPMS it was loud enough to tell people you were there (as when you are at WOT on the Dulles Toll Road w/ 2 other 7's and a supercharged viper, they dont see you fly by, they hear you) but no so loud as to shatter your neighbors windows.

Having said that, I also like the RB dual tip - but up against one another, I like the quieter idle of the PFS... plus he is right down the street.

Lastly, I am 23 also and got my FD last October. Congrats and im protective as hell too.

Guys, I went over the car with pugg57 today, he lives next door to me. I also took him for a ride in mine where he almost shit his pants :p:

Anyway, this is what I suggested to him.
-Koyo Radiator
-Aluminum AST
-downpipe
-catback
-PowerFC
-Intake
-Coolant hoses (I added this just now Rich)

Here's my logic. I explained to him the need to get the cooling system tightened up. Sure you can wait and do it later because of his car's mileage, but my philosophy is to do it now and your set. From there I also explained how the Pettit/M2/PFS type ECU's work and that since he will have enough cash a PowerFC is a much better choice. He was looking at a boost and temp gauge but I told him this is included on the PowerFC for him. Reason I told him PFC is not only for tuning but also for any future mods he will want to add. Ya see pugg says he isn't planning to make this car too fast....but we all know how that goes :p: Anyhow, DP is a necessity and I think a catback is as well (not much so for reliability, but still a good upgrade). Pugg really wants the intake so that is why it is on the list. Only other thing I would add that is cheap to do and I forgot to tell him is to replace all the coolant hoses. I discussed for him the silicone vac hose job, but I think it is best to wait on that, plus that is a good bit of money.