Question Of The Month
Q First of all, love your magazine. Keep up the good work. I got my '02 RSX-S about six months ago and so far the only mod I got is the V-2 intake, but I'm planning to mod my car with either a Jackson Racing race header, HKS Hi Power exhaust, Hondata K-Pro and Jackson Racing supercharger Race version; or keeping it NA with a Toda Race header, Fujisubo Power Getter exhaust and the Toda N2 engine kit. Can you guys tell me the difference in power between the two plans? Please give me any suggestion you guys have on my plan. I really want to take my car to the next level. I'm looking for producing about 280hp and atleast 200 lb-ft at the wheel. What's my best route?
Brian Wong
Via the Internet
A That's always a tough call between boost and NA. The K20 in the RSX has so much potential as we and other magazines proved in the RSX Challenge a little while back. As for raw pedal-to-the-metal power, you can refer to Nads' car as a perfect example because he's running the Toda engine kit with all the goodies slapped on. His setup was good for 258hp and 198 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. The only gripe, if you can even call it that, is that the car pings if he doesn't run very high-octane gas because of the high compression. That's not such a bad thing, but those gas receipts can add up pretty quickly (They sure do! - JN). From what we've heard, he can floor it in third gear and still smoke the tires. That's power for an old man-mobile (Haha! Wait a minute... - JN). Also, his setup is not smog-legal as his header eliminates the catalytic converter. Something like that might not concern you, but it's always good to keep in mind. One of the other challengers in the RSX event had a Jackson Racing supercharger and it made just over 230hp. Though that's 50 off your goal, you get immediate response from the charger and refrain from tearing apart your motor. If you keep things tidy, you'll even be able to pass smog. Clean air is always good.
Q Super Street people, I need help. I have an '05 Nissan 350Z and have installed the GReddy twin-turbo kit. However, I'm experiencing mild detonation at low rpm during mid to full throttle. I have had the car tuned and was recommended to have the timing retarded about two degrees. I contacted GReddy tech support and after discussing my issue I discovered that the e-manage allows me to manipulate the fuel and boost only. Then I contacted Technosquare Inc. in Torrance but they don't have a re-flash for '05 models. I guess they can't crack the software yet. I have been waiting two months now for them to do something, but they keep giving me lame excuses. HKS does have an ECU that I can't recall the name of at this moment, but it's way too expensive-about $3,000. So my question is, do you know of anyone that can re-flash my ECU? Please help. My car is a daily driver and I'm not convinced that the use of colder spark plugs will solve my problem.
Gerard Abadjian
Via the Internet
A If you think you're detonating, that's a bad sign. We hate to ask this question, but what kind of gas are you using? If you're going for the cheapo low-octane stuff then it's time to step it up. If you're already using 91-octane then think about throwing in half a tank of 100 or even some octane booster. This would be a quick fix for your detonation problem. As for the GReddy e-manage, what you heard was only partially correct. Yes, the base unit only allows for adjustments to the fuel maps, but you can purchase an optional harness to control the ignition through a 16x16 map. With these tools, an experienced tuner will be able to fix your detonation problem in no time. The HKS unit you're referring to is the F-Con V Pro. It's a more in-depth engine management system and well worth the cost. It's a lot less than the $3,000 (about $1,400) you were expecting to spend. Another option is to go with a universal AEM EMS system. It's also a very advanced tuning system. Both can be installed as piggy-back units or standalones if you wire them correctly. However, in an attempt to save you money, we'd say to maximize your e-manage with all the optional harnesses, mainly because you already have the unit and it's less expensive to add on to it than to buy a new one. Plus, the optional features will give you a wider tuning range and will more than likely fix any issues you're having right now. Who knows, you might even drive away from the dyno a few horsepower richer. Now wouldn't that be nice for a change?
Q Hey Super Street. I currently have an '02 WRX and have an HKS SSQV, intake and Hi-Power exhaust. I am looking into purchasing a downpipe and up-pipe and I'm a number puncher so the gain is what matters the most to me. I know whenever any company claims they dyno-tested their merchandise it is set under a specific set of variables. What variables should I consider when picking out a downpipe. I already noticed that downpipes without catalytics have a tendency to make 3-4hp more than catted ones, but what variables should I consider when choosing a up-pipe and downpipe that will be installed on a daily driver and track runner?
Jerry Turner
Florida
A When it comes to downpipes it's hard to say which one you should buy. Really, there are only so many designs that companies can utilize so they're usually similar. The horsepower numbers that manufacturers give out are really hard to base your decision on, mainly because of all the different types of dynos out there and the factors that go into a dyno session. Manufacturer A could have tested their product on a colder day with a lower-mileage car on a higher-reading dyno than Manufacturer B did and so on. So try to eliminate the advertised horsepower number from your decision making process, even though that's not as easy as it sounds. Taking that into consideration, you should look at the quality of whichever unit you're planning on buying: whether or not they used high-grade steel with quality welds. Remember that these are going to bolt onto the turbo, which gets extremely hot. The last thing you want to deal with is a cracked downpipe or up-pipe.