bcl

My STi is 1260kg. My wifes STi is 1463kg. I think the latest ones are around 1500kg. As for the original issue re Territory, I looked into a Territory awd transplant 5 years ago into my BA, but it wouldn't fit, plus I'd have to change to a auto, which I didn't want to do. FG may be different. From a post of mine in December 2005 "They actually did all the 4WD R&D with 2 BA sedans, in outback testing & in Norway(or Sweden, can't remember).... so it can be done." Like many things it's a matter of how much money and patience you have. Brian

I’ve always been one for improving ignitions systems. I even ran a MSD & Mallory coil on my XB V8 back in the 70’s and swore by it. I currently run a CDI on my STi that is set up to rev to 8000rpm. I looked into CDI options a few years ago with my big motor on the Ford. That engine spins to around 7200 pretty regularly, and still makes good (over 600rwkw) power at that rpm without falling over, WITH standard coils. To take development forward, I then read various M&W manuals, got pricing options, and reviewed HKS multi-spark options. I also contacted MSD in the US about their “Stacker” product, and sent them a Ford wiring diagram for assessment, and they concluded that it could work and not interfere with the Ford canbus. I decided I did not want to be the guinea pig. I asked Tunehouse to get data on the ignition voltage at different rpms for that Ford engine, how well the voltage was holding, and potential gains to be had with upgrading. The conclusion was that the stock system worked very well, (better than I expected) and that it was probably not worth the effort and cost when I was chasing extra power. So I did not pursue it. Having not pursued it you cannot rule out that it could be beneficial. On my STi the engine is noticeably very smooth above 5000, partly because it is well built motor, and because of the CDI. That is the car feels much better, of course in conjunction with a good tune. With a multi-spark discharge and/or better spark at higher rpm you can also run bigger spark plug gaps, or alternatively not reduce the plug gap if that was what you were doing previously. In a daily driver situation I doubt that the better coil will give you much benefit, and as Spiro stated it is better targeted at high rpm application, but then you really need CDI to get the most out of it. If you are changing coils for reliability reasons then that is a valid reason. In this case if you want to check the new coil attributes it would be best to do a voltage analysis, check before/after drivability, fuel consumption and dyno assess the change. Then compare that with what the manufacturer has claimed. Good luck, Brian

The COBRA (and APS) kit were at their peak from 2003 to 2006. The power level you are after is now not considered a big power upgrade. There are many more component options around today to get your desired power levels and suit your requirements at a lower cost level. Not sure why you’d go with BTA as a choice in Sydney. They would rank below Autotech, C&V and Tunehouse, who have far more experience in Sydney (and these are our forum advertisers that we support), and who have been tuning our Ford turbo cars for 7 years now. IMO, you’re much better staying in your own state, for continuing support, and there are competent tuners in Qld. IMO, for your requirements, tuning capability and good customer service are more important than which IC, exhaust, or plenum you may chose, for which you have many options, and a good workshop should be able to give you the advice you need. Even a full 4” exhaust is overkill for what you require, although quite often once we get used to a power level you tend to want more. Don’t ignore suspension and brakes, and be more careful in the wet. Brian

Not always guaranteed. The Sydney servo at Rozelle was out of E85 for a couple of days last week. Not good if you are almost empty when you reach the servo! Brian

That's a very good first post. Another quick F6. Time should come down a bit more yet. Brian

BA with Alcons are 355 front & 330 rear. From memory there is a 375mm option, but you'll need 19" wheels and spare. BF has DBA slotted ... I think factory size. Alcons definitely pull up better. Brian

Great looking car; enjoy. Shame about the old car, but you have to move on. What do you find are the main differences over the BF? Brian

No problems here: Alcons 6/4 on the BA F6; Factory Brembo 6/4 on the BF F6; plenty of stops at over 130mph (210+ kph) at the track, and kept straight every time. Brian

Its not just the time. My time depends on traction. Ive done multiple 132mph passes on the stock ZF box, and very few guys have exceeded 130mph passes, and probably around 50 passes all up. I always find mph is a good indication of power level, especially in the ZF as you are still in 4th gear going over the line. 4th gear has around 144mph capability at around 6000rpm. I had expected my ZF to break, because other guys had reported failures at lower power levels. If shift pressures are adjusted too hard through the tune it could contribute to box failure, especially input shaft that cops the brunt of the shift. As a precaution 2 years ago I bought a spare set of modified ZF parts, Kevlar clutch discs, plates, pistons and input shaft from F6 Tornado (Greg), but never had to use them. So based on my experience, if you are going to race with the standard box and have in excess of say 380rwkw I would suggest you get the box serviced with new oil, pan replaced, and tell your tuner you dont want settings that are too hard. I just got my car back 2 days ago after rebuilt motor and slightly bigger turbo in stock position, and now with rebuilt ZF (including converter), etc, organized through Tunehouse. After the current run-in tune well push towards 500rwkw and see what mph I can do; hopefully around 135mph. As luck would have it, getting car back usually brings on the rain! After driving my STi for the last 3 months Id forgotten just how careful you have to be with these Fords. Even on mild run-in tune and bugger all boost it is very quick and torque convertor works very well. Brian

Over 500rwkw on street tyres or MTs the more power you have the slower your time is likely to be because of wheelspin, OR you don't make it to the finish line because you have broken something. On the Toyo in my second half track I stopped wheel spinning and went from 91mph half track to 138mph full track.... that was fun. Brian

Yes I ran a 138mph pass and an 11.9 pass on some 100% street legal Toyo tyres, stock 6-speed manual with 3.73 diff and full weight. After that I tried some MT's but still way too much wheel spin at the power level around 600rwkw. Brian

Most of the aftermarket ones are high mount applications directed towards bigger turbos, generally dual entry exhaust housing, external wastegates, custom dump pipes, and custom inlet.... and chasing in excess of 400rwkw. Brian

What "street tyres". Most guys run on MTs, which are technically not street legal, although we refer to them as street tyres, because they are not slicks. Brian

Standard head is pretty good, and should flow around 1000HP without much trouble. That means that unless you are chasing really big power, there is no bang for buck. If you are already doing a rebuild a small tidy up can never hurt, but I could not quantify the benefits. If anyone has any data I'd be happy to hear about it. Unlike an na car in a turbo car you really on boost to get the air into the cylinder. What power are you chasing? Brian

How long will it last: probably not long --- input shafts are prone to snapping, and if you do some thread mining you'll come across some other problems. Not sure how many guys are running around 500rwkw with modified boxes. I'm considering it as one of my projects for sometime this year. Brian

Good to see people having a go, although it looks similar to others. Have you done tests with it? Just remember site rules; no pm'ing people about it or sales related activity about it until advertiser status is in order. Brian

He did pretty well to dig this up. Haven't heard from Robin for a long time. Someone like GCG could give a price for this sort of upgrade. Brian

Spiro, keep persevering and it’s a matter of time. The big powered manuals with big weight cause major stresses. I did a number of “gentle” passes with 2.0+ 60 foot times, which are enough to survive passes, and as you say run a mph. The only hard launch I’ve done resulted in sheared flywheel bolts and damaged clutch. With slicks that you are now using you will add another level of stress to the drivetrain, so the strategy is that when something breaks you should move to something stronger to find the next weakness in the drivetrain. With a good launch and slicks you should be able to do a sub 1.8, and I’d expect to see a 10 with that. Good luck; it’s quite a journey. Brian

Overloaded and excessive speed. 19yo P-plater. Very tragic, and many families impacted. The authorities may go on about high powered cars, but even na cars can do 140-160 speeds. It's every parents wish that their child gets through that 19-22 age period unscathed, and often you don't know who is driving your children home. Brian

Gragraaa, By all means do your own research and publish results, but note that general sales through this forum require advertiser status. Plenum prices are usually around the $1500 mark, and around $1000 2nd hand. Good luck with your testing. Brian

From a recent post of mine on this topic: Looking up some old graphs, for comparative purposes for the tuning of my cars: 638rwkw Nov07 with C16 ... tune I ran a 138mph at wsid on street tyres ... then various other mods to improve overall efficiency 614rwkw Feb08 with 98 BP Ultimate 637rwkw Jul08 with 100ron shell Same dyno, so wheel slip and other variations bypassed. It comes down to the efficiency of the vehicle setup, and having dyno equipment to measure combustion efficiency. You can make good power with 98, but it just doesn't feel anywhere near as good as the 100 that Shell withdrew from the market. For daily driving it's more realistic to detune somewhat, due to 98 fuel variability , rather than risk your motor. I would not want to push a 98 tune anywhere near the limit on the street just for bragging rights. In any event most reputable tuners will tune to a power level, then turn the power back to have a buffer, as they do not want to be responsible for blown engines. Dyno figures can vary all over the place, strap down, wheelslip problems, etc; so there's no point trying to argue about what I made on other dynos, and it's academic for me anyway. Also I place more emphasis on my mph at the track at full weight to validate the power, and's the right place to use/test the power. Brian

Is the car back in Sydney for tuning, or being tuned in Qld? Brian

Another journey begins, to another level. Should be interesting to see what eventuates and how you tackle the issues in front of you. Good luck Spiro. Brian

Spiro, I doubt much work has been done on increasing power issues on the upper side of 600rwkw; say 1000HP at crank. Post compressor; intercooler restriction, piping size, throttle body, plenum size & runner size and head flow capability & cams all come into the equation.... then there's the exhaust. Then there's block rigidity and reliability. It would be good, if you could measure reliability, the extra power generated per pound increase in boost, and see how much the increase reduces with boost increase, and when you hit the limit. Brian

pm sent!