BlouZbee

iTrader: (7)

hello all, i have a bunch of money to do all the reliabilty mods to my 7. i have already done or purchased the following....DP, AST, Guages, all underhood hoses(coolant),coolant flush, oil change, trans and dif change, tire rotate/pressure.

im about to buy radiator and vac hoses, my question is should say the y-pipe and greddy 3 piece pipe kit be bought for reliabilty mods or later down the road for performance?

i read all info and search but any furthur input from members would be great.

thank you.

rynberg

Neither the Greddy pipes nor the Efini y-pipe really increase reliability significantly....some people have reported their boost raising nearly 1 psi from the Efini y-pipe.

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

The single biggest advantage of the Efini Y-pipe is the elimination of the rubber boot between the stock y-pipe and the plastic IC ducting to the intercooler. The Efini y-pipe bolts up to the replacement IC pipe passing to the intercooler. This is a much cleaner look and far more reliable than the rubber boot set up. The rubber boot fails frequently requiring regular replacement.

Larz

My rubber boot failed at 58K miles. I replaced both with couplers from hose techniques. They are much thicker, and I have had no problems with them. Also, they are much cheaper if reliability is all you're worried about.

VegasFD

My coupler cracked awhile back, and I ended up replacing it witha section of tracter trailor radiator hose as a quick fix. It's still there today. That stuff is indestructible.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Exactly. I have the bolted "efini" style pipe and I probably should have stuck with buying a few couplers. You can buy a lot of couplers for the price of the efini y-pipe.

Dave

BlouZbee

iTrader: (7)

Reliability is not my only concern its just my main concern, i plan on adding power but i want to do it safely. i think i will just stick with replacing to couplers, i dont like the idea of raising my boost beond stock without supporting mods. thoughts on the 3 piece greddy pipe kit for reliabilty?

fendamonky

iTrader: (6)

I am new to the Rotary scene, so go easy on me.. I have done alot of research and this is what I have come up with..

If you have a bunch of extra money laying around I should think you may want to look into getting a PFC w/ Commander.. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the DP and an Efini Y-pipe you should be pulling higher boost than stock (even more so if you finish out with an aftermarked MP and catback). I *believe* the stock ECU doesn't have a reliable fuel map for anything over 13psi. If you do your mods and your computer isn't mapped to compensate with fuel, you will pretty much destroy your engine.

My personal plan for reliability mods goes like: (if a '93 model, *ALL* recall's, have Mazda do that **** free) --> Radiator --> Boost gauge --> AST (either replace, or remove) --> Down Pipe --> Intake --> Apex'i PFC w/Commander --> Mid-pipe (high flow cat, or resonated) --> cat-back (lookin at the RB dual tip) --> SMIC --> Boost Controller --> R1/R2 oil coolers (if Touring model).. Granted.. I will probably save up an put all this stuff in at the same time (I am designating $3-4,000 towards reliability mods) so there won't really be much of a break between stock and bullet-proof.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

I'm not sure it would solely justify the cost of the efini 'Y' pipe, especially a "new" price. But if it does flow 1 psi better at a given load and rpm (as suggested in some threads), wouldn't it be easier on your turbos over time and tend to build boost quicker?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

More or less, I agree.

11psi is the max safe boost on the stock ecu. At 12psi the stock ECU hits fuel cut.

All reasonable reliability mods.

Not reliability mods. These are power mods.

Remember, a high flow cat vs. any kind of catless midpipe is a very big difference. Plus, this is not a reliability mod.

That's not a reliability mod. It's a power mod.

Yep, reliability mods in my book. The extra oil cooler is not terribly useful unless you're in a very hot climate or tracking the car.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

You sorta get two for one with the downpipe, as removing the failure prone pre-cat is for reliability, and the downpipe adds performance.
And since he's forgotten more than I know, I hesitate to disagree with degessman on the dual vs single cooler issue, but there is this:

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I'll agree that an extra oil cooler helps reduce temps in all conditions, not just track time. But IMHO it's a rather insignificant difference.

So if a buddy had an extra oil cooler I'd install it, but I wouldn't consider it the least bit necessary for a street-only FD that already has a bigger radiator installed.

Also worth noting is that installing a 2nd Gen thermoswitch forces temps down too when running a stock ECU.

Dave

POS7

Intake

can sorta be considered reliability/power mod if he's originally running the shitty stock filter + plastic inlet from the IC (not sure what that's called). Then he switches to a CAI with k&n filters. Drawing intake that's not as warm may be beneficial, especially if he's running that pos stock intercooler.

FC thermoswitch

Personally I see no need for it. I just cut in the rad fans via a/c switch.


Apex'i PFC w/Commander

Not really a power mod if you limit boost to stock levels?
helps you monitor different sensors, eg. knock, water temp, air temp
acts as a boost controller
if tuned (or even untuned), probably give you better a/f ratios over stock <-- not sure on this one.

IMO most of the stuff he listed could be considered reliability mods, with the exception of the MP, unless he decides to raise his boost.

juicyjosh

iTrader: (29)

I noticed a BIG difference in the amount of heat under the hood with the stock precat then going to the Efini y-pipe. I didn't measure the temperature difference with any type of tool, but I'd venture to say that you'd notice a difference.

A cooler FD engine bay is definately a more reliable engine bay.

This is my personal experience with the two pipes.

Josh