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Reliabilty and Horsepower?

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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 02:54 AM
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Reliabilty and Horsepower?

So, ive come to these forums once again with a question im sure to get shot over xD

anyway, i dont have acess to a dyno or anything like that but ive got a list of parts that i want to put on my 94 FD and was wondering about horsepower gains and more importantly, reliability,

so first off, my car currently has a GReddy/Trust Airnix Intake, and a 3" downpipe, along with a Fujitsubo PowerGetter Type RS Exhaust.

now ive been told already that a boost controller is desperatly needed to help control the boost since im running a stock ECU.

so my parts list at the moment consists of,

GReddy Intercooler piping with the BOV flange elbow
Bonez High Flow Cat
GReddy Type RS BOV
GReddy Profec B Spec II Boost Controller
HKS Twin Power Igntion Amp
HKS Twin Power harness
Magnacore Spark wires
NGK Platinum Spark Plugs

so my real questions here are, firstly, what kind of reliability will i get out of these mods, and will gas economy really improve at all?

secondly is, will i really see any significant horsepower gain off of these parts?

and third is, is there anything else i should be considering for reliability at the moment?

im working sort of on a budget and this list here is lookat the higher side of 2 grand at the moment.

any help would be appreciated!
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 04:44 AM
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15 year old sports cars are only as reliable as their owners. I maintain mine and have driven it daily for two years. Those are reasonable mods to run on a stock ECU, but you really need to pay attention to the fuel system. Clean filter, supra pump, and cleaned and flow tested injectors should keep you safe.

You should add a reprogrammed ECU like Pettit or M2 to your list. ($300-400). The Apexi power FC is really the way to go. Allows you to monitor everything the ECU needs to run, so if a sensor is out of spec your can check it out on the hand-held with out the need to break out a voltmeter.

Gas economy is a mute point in a car like these. I have intake, SMIC, DP, MP, and exhaust and I'm lucky to see 13 mpg. I once stayed out of boost, shifting before 3500, for an entire tank full and saw maybe 300 miles to the tank in stop and go.

I have the RB Dual, a fairly restrictive unit, with a borla MP, and I saw 287 at 12psi on the dyno and was told my injectors were at they're safe limit. From my reading on the forum you should be able to run these cars up to about 325hp on stock twins and still have "reliable power."

I don't have the twin power yet, but from what I've been told it really improves throttle response and should allow for a better burn of fuel thus helping in the gas mileage and hp department.

Something else to consider is get yourself the coolant hose kit from Ray at Malloy Mazda. If the hoses on your car are original they are at the end of their life-cycle,( ask me how I know.) Probably one of the best investments I made as I went through a period of 4 weeks where one hose would fail after another. My radiator also began to fail at the same time. The kit is currently around $160 and includes around 12 hoses more or less. Saved me a lot of downtime.

See, you didn't get shot...

Yet.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 05:41 AM
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I would say go for a good radiator, an aluminium AST and a PFC/controller. Also, if your car doesn't have a good boost gauge than you should definitely see about picking one up. I would also bear in mind that the stock temp guage sucks ***, so if your in there adding stuff than you may want to go ahead and get a water temp guage too..

The BOV is pretty much useless on the twins, it's only needed if you like the "Pssshht!" sound. Plugs and wires are good stuff, though swapping out all the wires will turn into a bit more of a project then it seems up front.

just my 2cp.. good luck =)
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 05:53 AM
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upgraded radiator, use the fan mod and everything else those above this post said. I have found that a vented hood significantly reduced my engine and coolant temps. Keeping the engine as cool as possible will help you in the long run.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 06:01 AM
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reliability....................................... .................................................. ..horsepower

choose which dot you want to be at. It is a balancing act.

however: factor in good tuning, great preventative maintenance, and that gap between the two shrinks.
This is of course barring a freak accident (ie bad gas, random detonation due to fluke carbon buildup, etc... things that could happen to any rotary)
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 06:02 AM
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^^ I am actually thinking of doing some McGyver **** to my hood when I get back in England.. I saw a link on here awhile back where a guy cut up his S2000 hood along where the support brackets were. Done right it's subtle, looks mean as hell and seems pretty effective.


https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=S2000+hood

Last edited by fendamonky; Aug 12, 2007 at 06:15 AM. Reason: Link added
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 06:07 AM
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+1 for upgraded rad/ast and above. gauges for sure, they cost like $60 for both with pods if you spend your $$ right.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 09:57 AM
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so the survey says this

new fuel pump, filter, new injectors
reprogrammed ECU, if not PFC
new hose kit
new radiator
aluminium AST
boost gauge
temp gauge

so now i ask, what kind of fuel pump should i go with? is the Walbro 255 lph a good choice?

and should i go with upgraded injectors or should i stay stock? and what cc should i go with with upgraded injectors?

which sounds good, and the only reason i asked about gas mileage is that im bringing my car home to Connecticut for a couple weeks to visit my parents and well its a long trip xD 800 miles one way so, on top of that, theres the driving ill be doing in Connecticut.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 10:19 AM
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Walbro pumps are known to fail, get a Denso pump (aka: Supra TT pump) and as far as gas milage its not going to be very good but if you shift at 3000rpm or below u might be able to get a little better but its not going to great.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 10:22 AM
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From: DFW
Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
so the survey says this

new fuel pump, filter, new injectors
reprogrammed ECU, if not PFC
new hose kit
new radiator
aluminium AST
boost gauge
temp gauge
If you could get all this and the stuff you first listed you would bee in really good shape, you also may want to look at an aftermarket intercooler v-mount or SMIC, and get good tuning.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 11:51 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
so the survey says this

new fuel pump, filter, new injectors
reprogrammed ECU, if not PFC
new hose kit
new radiator
aluminium AST
boost gauge
temp gauge

so now i ask, what kind of fuel pump should i go with? is the Walbro 255 lph a good choice?

and should i go with upgraded injectors or should i stay stock? and what cc should i go with with upgraded injectors?
There's no absolutely no reason to buy an upgraded fuel pump and injectors if you're staying at stock boost levels and the stock ones are working fine.

You really need to do some research. Simply relying on forum replies to questions will easily lead you astray and waste money.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 01:18 PM
  #12  
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Fuel economy will never improve. If you're about to start a long trip like that, don't do any major mods before the trip. Maintenance is always good but mod carefully. **** happens and if everything is working right, leave it alone.

Follow Kento's advice. Read the FAQ thread and do more research on the pros/cons of the mods you plan to do.
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
so the survey says this

new fuel pump, filter, new injectors
reprogrammed ECU, if not PFC
new hose kit
new radiator
aluminium AST
boost gauge
temp gauge
I'm not sure if you're including the mods mentioned in the first post with these, but a new fuel pump is not necessary if the above mods are all you plan on doing. While it is nice to get a 12yo+ pump out of there and replace with a new one, if it still works, it isn't an urgent mod. Larger injectors are not necessary, but you might want to send them out to get cleaned and flow tested. You won't NEED an ECU...

This is all assuming you are only doing the above listed mods...
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Old Aug 12, 2007 | 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by BlowenByTwins
Walbro pumps are known to fail
Known by who? I didn't know this...
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:01 AM
  #15  
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GReddy 3pc Intercooler Pipe kit
High Flow Cat
GReddy Type RS BOV
GReddy Profec B Spec II
HKS Twin Power Ignition
HKS Twin Power Harness
Mangacore Spark Wires
NKG Platinum Spark Plugs
Koyo Radiator
GReddy Boost Gauge
GReddy Temp Gauge

this is my list as of now, what do you think MADDSLOW?
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:10 AM
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From: DFW
Originally Posted by MADDSLOW
Known by who? I didn't know this...
We did a test at the shop of Denso and Walbro pumps and we had 3 BRAND NEW!!! Walbro pumps fail out of i think 5 or so and not 1 Denso.
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:27 AM
  #17  
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From: Poughkeepsie, New York
Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
GReddy 3pc Intercooler Pipe kit
High Flow Cat
GReddy Type RS BOV
GReddy Profec B Spec II
HKS Twin Power Ignition
HKS Twin Power Harness
Mangacore Spark Wires
NKG Platinum Spark Plugs
Koyo Radiator
GReddy Boost Gauge
GReddy Temp Gauge

this is my list as of now, what do you think MADDSLOW?
Are you experiencing any creep/spike right now?

The only real power gainer you're adding would be the HFC. I have a straight midpipe, so I don't know much about the HFCs... but I think some people have been safe running HFC without using standalones. Personally, I'd take the HFC off the list until I could afford the standalone, but thats just my opinion. With my mods listed, I don't run a Twin Power, so again, it isn't something you NEED at the moment. Everything else looks good(except for the NKG plugs, never heard of them)
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:29 AM
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Originally Posted by BlowenByTwins
We did a test at the shop of Denso and Walbro pumps and we had 3 BRAND NEW!!! Walbro pumps fail out of i think 5 or so and not 1 Denso.
After how much use? What shop was this?
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:45 AM
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I've used Walboro pumps in several of my cars; and 2 in my FD. Never had an issue. Of course, by now some dipshit is probably selling garbage replicas on Ebay that people don't realize aren't the real thing.
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:46 AM
  #20  
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Most people have told me im just over boosting with my current mods, so i need at the very least a Boost Controller to keep the boost to the safe limit of 10 psi.
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 12:53 AM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
Most people have told me im just over boosting with my current mods, so i need at the very least a Boost Controller to keep the boost to the safe limit of 10 psi.

Do you have a boost gauge? If not, get one. A large percentage of FD owners don't know their *** from a swimming pool and will have you running in circles.

You SHOULDN'T be overboosting with your mods... and if you are it shouldn't be by much.

In some cases (not all) even a Profec can't control the boost if your wastegate isn't holding it. You can port the wastegate to help...

Look for the old guys on here... there's lots of knowledge to be had. The search function is great too.
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 01:19 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Hitokiri_Gensai
Most people have told me im just over boosting with my current mods, so i need at the very least a Boost Controller to keep the boost to the safe limit of 10 psi.
What if a lot of people told you that running cooking oil in your gas tank made your FD gain 50 hp?

Before you just go blow a wad of money on mods, why don't you do some research to find out exactly what mods do what and if they're really necessary in your case? Otherwise, you'll not only be wasting money, you'll be coming back on here wondering what's causing a problem without the faintest idea why because you just chucked a bunch of parts onto your car with no idea what each one does and how it affects your car. Just a suggestion...
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 08:20 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by jdhuegel1
Look for the old guys on here... there's lots of knowledge to be had.
I'm not "old", and I thought I gave him a pretty decent idea of what to do...
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 10:28 AM
  #24  
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From: DFW
Originally Posted by MADDSLOW
After how much use? What shop was this?
after a few months use, and it was at gotham racing
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Old Aug 13, 2007 | 10:30 AM
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now we've had pumps that lasted a year before they died and some that never failed, but it could be a quality control problem on the manufactures side, but i just belive that Denso are better
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