Yea that is pretty cool to see. I do like the sequential power curve below 4.5k, the non seq seems a bit flat to me. Good data, thanks!

 

The one thing I tell everyone eyeing a FD is simple. Your enemy is HEAT. Heat will make it a PITA to pin down problems because they only surface when the engine is at operating temperature. Cracked vacuum hoses and solenoids can look fine when at ambient temperature, but cracks and failures appear with a hot engine. Dale Clark has a fantastic thread on testing/diagnosing turbo control issues. Generally speaking, silicone vacuum hose and relocating the solenoid rack are your best bet for a trouble-free system. It was one of the first things I did when building my 20B FC with factory Cosmo twins. The operating logic is identical to a FD, just a few things are slightly repositioned as I later learned when translating the vacuum diagram. Since 20B Cosmo parts can be rather difficult to find, I built my own solenoid rack using GM EGR solenoids (common as dirt...lol) on some M6 threaded rod and mounted it on the inner fender to 'balance' out opposite the upgraded fuse box. That was the easy part. The hard part was keeping 50ft of vacuum line secured properly and making it presentable.

Speaking from my own experience, there is nothing quite like the response of sequential twins on a FD. Well, there is one thing: 3 rotors feeding sequential twins. Last time I took Project OldTree out for a drive, boost came on at 1200rpm.

 

Can't beat a rotary

 

a turbo LS fd...with like 650whp lol. He is going TT now for 1000whp

 

I didn't come from an Evo, but I do still own my ( consistently broken) 2011 STI making mid 500's on e85. Having never owned a RWD vehicle, and making my first RWD also a RHD import, was an interesting learning curve. These things definitely hook on launches upward of 5000 rpm like an AWD vehicle, but I find the FD to be much more agile and nimble than my bulky STi.

 

After owning an evo 9 for almost ten years before my FD, I'll say its completely worth it. The evo offers practical performance, something you can appreciate and not really have to worry about. The FD is like dating a really hot stripper with a drug problem where as the evo is more likely to cook you dinner and give you a foot massage. From what your explaining your usage will be, I'd say pull that trigger so your evo can find a new home, and you can get on the road to happiness!