January - 2010 So with the winter in full swing and knowing my misses was due to go back to work in the new year I had a choice of if to go for OEM fuel hoses from a Blobeye or go Parallel rails.
As I knew the turbo intake pipe would be easy to get to once the manifold came off I thought also about changing that too.
I then thought about changing the air filter on my CAIK to a Green cone version. Whilst on that I toyed with a few other ideas.
After a week of calculating the sums up I went for the following mods.
Lateral Performance turbo intake pipe.
Lateral Performance thermal spacers
RCM manifold bolts as they spacers would increase the height on the heads by 11mm.
Braided fuel lines
Parallel rail mod
Throttle body coolant delete
DV Delete
Catch Can
With the help of Mike during me working nights and his days off we managed to do the car over a few days. Wasn't easy as the rain and cold took it's toll on us but a few trips to the local garage for Monster energy drinks and couple of trips to the local pub sorted that out.
Scogsy came over to help with the Catch Can pipe work and fitting.
Job complete. Just needed another remap.........
I also decided to get my Prodrive bumper and fog lights sprayed. So spoke with Norm and took the bumper over to him. Turn around was 4 days so very good. The finish was bloody good.
SO fitted that one Saturday afternoon. Looked great. (Photos are somewhere).
February 2010 - Booked the car in with JGM once more. I wanted to do something different as I was finding it pricey using NF Octane booster.
So placed an order for some methanol.
Did a couple of runs on neat V power off boost. Then took the car over to JGM for a remap.
Car made 411.5bhp & 375lbft so pretty good even on a TMIC. But sadly was told my clutch was slipping on the rollers so needed a new clutch. Bugger!!
Car was fine for a week until one day on the M3 motorway not giving it any beans the engine light came up. Took it easy until I got home to check the fault code. And thought delete it but take it easy. This deleted the code but the following day the car kept cutting out and hunting on idle.
After some helpful advice on here and SN I took the car over to Simon -JGM. No problems showing on AFR etc so was a little baffled.
Car ran like this for the whole of Feb so was not happy.
March 2010 - With the latter still being an issue I had to do something as it was drinking fuel like George Best and Olly Reed at your local. So purchased a New Lambda sensor pre turbo and new MAF. Not cheap!!! Also changed the gaskets to heads to manifold as myself and Mike did bend them a little by wearing them as glasses after a few pints of Stella during the manifold off stage.
Took the car over to Simon and again everything was fine on the readings but the car kept cutting out still. Simon advised that it was likely to be the ECU not being able to ready the air intake and then being forced out but the DV delete via the cone filter quick enough confusing the ECU making the car run funnng by compensating etc. So that was food for thought.
April 2010 - With above still causing me bother I went for the another ECU. But what?
Simtek
Solaris/Syvecs
With this I had to think about if this was the case a new clutch was a must and would I stick with the TMIC?
A few things went through my mind. A) Costs B) Costs C) How much and where? lol
Made a few inquiries and managed to get hold of a Helix Clutch with updated clamp on the Organic set up for everyday use. Mike and a good friend of his managed to pop the clutch in whilst I was on nights and Mike managed to knock himself out in the process. Tit.
I decided to ditch the TMIC in favour for a Hybrid FMIC. This proved to be a mission upon a mission.
Good bit of kit but what **** instructions. Mike came over to give me a hand with the bumper (one of the hardest things I've had to do is cut it up for the FMIC) I was being me and being a girl so I couldn't watch.
After looking at the instructions we couldn't work it out. Spoke to Bandit who kindly offered to be a gent and give me a hand fitting the pipe work. Again following the instructions we couldn't work it out.
I was getting to the stage of where it was looking like I wasn't going to have enough time to bed the clutch in ready for a new ECU remap with JGM.
I tried contacting Harvey who I purchased the kit from but sadly he was ill at the time so couldn't assist.
I post up on SN and some bloke kindly sent me a email off his own back with pictures of the pipes and where THEY SHOULD go. Mike popped over after work and we managed to fit it in around 2 hrs!!! Unreal.
So bumper on.......clutch needing to be bedded in and jobs a good'n!!
May 2010 - Knowing the car was due a map I had a few things to resolve in a short space of time with work and family.
So off boost managed to bed the clutch in with almost 156miles of A road driving off boost with the FMIC .
Then when to see JGM for a remap on a SIMTEC ECU. The reason was not hard. Price was a factor but also I think the Syvecs would have been an over kill for my use of the car.
Like anyone who has done work to there car. Spent a lot of money you go to the Rollers with a result in your head.
I asked Simon if I could have the following fitted
Anti Lag
Launch Control
Switchable MAP settings 95ron/97ron.
After a few moments of me looking at the screen at SRR thinking GREAT results!! The car kept going for more runs and the results were going up and up and up!!!
I managed to leave SRR with 453.0bhp & 386lbft!!!! Was shocked!
On the test drive with JGM I was suprised how much better the car felt on the Simtek ECU over a EcuTek ECU. Whilst doing a few spirited runs Simon said to me leave it in 3rd and come off the pedal........he then lent over to switch my Anti Lag on.........HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. We both sounded like little kids for a few moments.
I'd like to thank all those that have helped me get to the stage of where I am. Without these people I wouldn't be where I am now with the car. Also thanks to these people that I have managed to spent time with my kids too rather than spending all my time in the garage under a car etc.
So Thanks again guys.
BIG BIG thanks to Mike (WRX Mike) . He has been a tit and fringe over the last couple of years. So thanks again mate.
So is this the final chapter? Hmmmmmmm hard to say? I want to do a few other things to the car but at the moment I have exhausted my passions for the time being and with getting Married next year I need to think ahead.
Thanks for reading.
Me,The Gimp aka Steve
TBC......................
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