Winter Months
 

I feel bad for the people who have to put there FD's into storage because it gets cold enough to snow...here in Atlanta it doesn't.

Just thought I'd comment on my first few drives in 30 degree weather with my new set-up compared to last year’s set-up.

New mods: Hard pipes everywhere (open intake), SMIC, full non-seq (street port)...tuned 300rwhp @ 10psi

Last year's set-up: Pettit's Stage I or II thingy...Racing Beat Dual, dp, pullies, and intake...seq (stock port) tuned 300rwhp @ 12-13psi

The car pulls extremely hard!!! A definite BLAST to drive...after a number of pulls; 1st - 3rd in the city, I park at my house and pop the hood and the IC pipes and core are ice cold! Usually in the summer, the pipes are hot to the touch, and of course the car doesn't pull like a raping ape. So, I got to thinking...I want my car to pull like its 30 degrees outside all the time, solution: Zerobanger's WI/alcohol injection. My only worry is the stock ECU can't react fast enough and that could be harmful...sitting in traffic 90 degree plus outside, heat soaked, then once I get to speed and boost and the WI comes on-line and drops the intake charge temp drastically, I don't want to create a lean condition.

Any thoughts???

Awesome idea. Do it!!

I'd like to do it...but afraid the stock ECU won't see the change in temp quick enough and won't dump enough fuel to compensate for the cold air.

get an ntercooler sprayer from nitrous express... then while your sitting at a light between races give it a little spray to cool it down, you get get a good bottle life this way and keep your car from getting to hot without having to worry about freaking your ecu out.... thats what im doing anywas

I'm working on a sprayer unit right now ;)

So are you running WI with the sprayer?

Nah im not a fan of WI... I havent heard of it cooling temps and as far as i know you wont get any benefit unless your tuned for it. Just like using higher octane fuel.

Something about being tuned for something that could run out of water at any second just dosent rub me the right way ;)

sensors/leds...

also at the intake charges creep up, the timing gets retarded, so you lose power (victim of heat soak). I've seen on a dyno what a difference a sprayer makes...not bad, could be better if the actual charge temp gets lowered more. I've liked what I've read...

Disclaimer: This isn't first hand experience, only what I have read from what I believe to be qualified sources (not including a lot of posts on this forum).

XSTransAm: My understanding that the major benefits of Water Injection include: A) Water has about 6 time the heat disappating capabilities of Gasoline, and B) The steam from it evaporating acts as a cleaner, helping reduce damaging carbon buildups.

I used it (haven't picked up the car yet) for prevention, not for tuning. If my water pump breaks, run out, etc etc, I just lose prevention and don't gain a blown engine.

Thoughts?

I work at a company where we have a Dyno. Ive personally seen cars on the dyno make a run (granted these cars are WRX's not RX7's), then turn on water injection and make a run again. With the same tune they lost a couple of horsies. BUT with the WI running it gave them lower temps allowing them to be tuned much more agressivly just like if they were using higher octane fuel.

You don't have winter ;) . It's -15C here (high for today). I've driven at -5C and the car was amazing! Overpowered the tires every time I got into boost. Cold summer performance tires aren't very good - read ball bearings ;) .

The ECU has a intake air temp sensor, and uses it to adjust fuel I assume, so you adding water would lower that and increase fuel, just like if you left the car ideling in a warm garage, and then drove outside... within limits...
Also if you're worried about running out of water I'd be just as worried about running out of Gas :D
So you should take it easy figure out how much water you use / tank of gas and make sure you fill it liek gas.. and put an idiot light on the tank just like gas....

I'm against WI, because of the steam cleaning prperties of Water and how it affects the Apex Seals / Oil Injection

Is there anything that an FD owner has to be particularly careful about in cold weather? Like today its 5 degrees out... my current car tool longer than usual to start. I was wondering if there is a "too-cold" range for the FD.

doesnt water injection rust out your internals?

Water doesn't reach the internals.

it's mositure.. and it evaporate by the time they got in to the compression stage