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Hey all, I'm back! Feels like I've asked this already - I'm drunk and thus don't remember - but things can change in over a year. I'm currently running Nitto Invo 245/35R19 93Y tyres and have since my last car. I think they're acceptably grippy in dry or wet for the price ($223 per tyre as per the current pricing at my local supplier) but they're coming across as quite soft and thus quick wearing which leads me to this thread. My (ideal) max spend per tyre is $250. Is there a better tyre for the price than the Invos? As said, the grip in dry and wet needs to be similar but a harder compound would be great. Uhhhh probably I can stretch to $275 each, but any more really isn't okay unless they last like twice as long (yeah, right). If this is an impossible/dumb request please say so, I'm not offended because I know this could be a stupid question in regards to price/limits/specifications. Uh, thanks for any info!

Yeah, okay! This is totally dependant on the driver. I'm not that type and though I honestly do kick it in the guts every now and again, I don't drive-it-like-I-stole-it on the reg. So much so that it takes the gearbox a few shakes to recognise I want to go hard and gets compliant (the literal growl from the air intake is a good indicator I've 'woke' it up) So no, no noises or failures. I knew the diff was a weak point before I went down this road (if you want to copy me, spend the extra on a LSD and some bigger brakes to complete the package - maybe a prop shaft if you're racing/dragging) but yeah, personally it's been acceptable. Sadly I'm not the perfect source of information here. I got one service done (every six months now per Mick's recommendation) before my regular mechanic of years pulled the pin. I'm now on a new mechanic who seems fastidious enough but the service was only recent so I'll see how I go. Initial signs point to okay, though. He only really noted that the air filter was pretty clean (no surprise there) and that the tyres were starting to wear despite them being just over a year old (Nitto Invos) but I think mechs like to point at tyres quickly because they show wear easily (or maybe they are just that soft - the tyres lol!) The car feels like this is about as much power as it can take before starting to push the stock components to the absolute limit. I like to think that this tune is what Ford should (and probably could) have done with the car, but didn't because of obvious reasons. Yes and no. As I said I don't race the car and it's primarily for overtakes, which when the car is ready and willing will fly past easily. But as I also said it takes a few goes to 'wake' the gearbox up and engine and really get going proper if it's not prepped from a previous lively drive or two. When it does it's amazing what such a small turbo can do and the cooler has been perfectly fine. In terms of 20 runs I've gotten nowhere near that - again sorry I'm not the guy to ask about such things - but it's absolutely miles ahead of the stock cooler. Is it right for drags as it feels like that's what you're asking? I honestly don't have an answer. In winter: maybe, but it might start to lag in the later half, in summer: almost probably not. Do I want more power? Yes, when the car's not ready for it (again that's my fault for not driving it hard all the time so it's not ready for action) but when it's singing I'm not really wanting more, because I can feel the limits of the tyres and turbo, and know how much more that will cost (including other parts like drivetrain, diff, new turbo, etc) and it feels like Mick understands that too. He knew what I wanted from this build and made it so and I have absolutely no qualms with his end result. It's exactly as I requested. Sorry I was so late to reply, obviously I dropped off this forum for too long and left you hanging for information so I sincerely apologise! In short, how you intend to use your car is entirely up to you. If you're honest and straightforward in your goals and intentions for your car to PitLane and Mick, they will legit try their best to cater to your request. But at the same time he will probably refuse to release the car to you if he's not totally satisfied with the result - this is an investment and he appreciates getting something right the first time. I respect that and haven't had any concerning issues with my car since the tune, which is all I can ask for when asking someone to push a vehicle to their limits with what they're given. How I drive my car will be different to others. You might be different, I cannot confirm, but Mick has a massive amount of experience (as does his team) and will be helpful in guiding you in the right direction to your power goals. If you want to track your car, or drag it, or use it as a daily, or all of the above, the crew there will try their hardest to accommodate your wishes, but don't be surprised if they end up recommending specs outside your expectations or finances. It's all for the benefit of you and your car, not your wallet. So please respect them, they do their best.

Welp, how'd I (I mean Mick) do...

If coming soon is by the end of the month, I'm in. Otherwise that's something-maybe in the next couple years.

Ahh... Well, I've no issue with him. Yet!

Well, it is a forum, they tend to have many different threads! I'm just browsing, seeing if there's anything interesting. Took me some backtracking, but you mean this thread yeah? Can only recall going in there once, twice tops. My guess is they're not around anymore? But I see you like to check what I check out, but that's to be expected when you're sleuthing.

Ha, mind linking me to this person's profile? I'm curious to see who you mistake me for.

Feelin' suspicious, you?

Evenin'

Of course, that's why I said:

Sounds like a good plan, plus if there's a crash or something and I can salvage the expensive bits, I can swap them over. That's a nice offer, and it would be nice (the fastest car I've driven is the folk's F6; never gave it the full beans but just that little extra - comparative - power was noticeable) but I won't be down there until the day things get done so it'll be a little late. Plus I don't want to impose myself on people who hardly know me; it feels like taking a car listed for sale for a drive and flogging it without the intention of buying (but of course it's the owner driving, not me). I personally feel that this is a good platform to start with. It has some parts that should hold up if future mods seem necessary, but the intercooler seems to be sticking in my craw after @masda74 mentioned the Stage 2 intercooler. Oddly, Process West lists the stepped Stage 1 and the regular Stage 2 intercooler kits as the same price, so I don't know what's going on there, and what separates the two technically. Maybe swapping the Stage 1 cooler to Stage 2? If it's going to do an even better job and only costs the difference between say, the PCMTEC and the SCT packages, then it might be worth thinking about. Just throwing it out there.

?

Well I'm interstate so any negotiations will be done down the wire, which is pretty informal and might seem rude. Speaking of, what happens to the bits that come off the car to be replaced? That old intercooler has to go somewhere, do they usually just sell it to wreckers or something? Might be a douche and ask to keep some bits is all. I don't know how much lead-time I'll need before making the booking, I'm hoping that a couple months advance will ensure getting a date that works for me (factoring travel and days off). As for what I want, I could say I just want to go faster, but in terms of what I'd actually need is another thing and over my head (which I already feel I am!). All this talk too of eventually wanting more power is worrying also, since I was hoping that this would be a case of doing things right the first time so I'm not spending more in the future. Again I have to press that I'm not going for big numbers. I don't have any car enthusiast mates to show off to (no offence intended) so it's just for me really. Help! Need more puff!

Hmm, okay. I'm still not sure which of the tune versions I'd rather then. I guess that'll have to be something I'll have to discuss with Pit Lane when I make the booking. I'll have to ask if it's an improved fuel pump too as opposed to a E85-specific one because yeah, otherwise I'll just be buying something I'll never use. Since it's a daily I suspect I will get used to the power quick - but that's a good thing because I don't want to get caught out by it unexpectedly one day. The sooner I'm comfortable and familiar with it the better personally. It's more that I find the current setup lacking - that it runs out of puff/pull too soon for my liking. I want a car that has more left in the tank (so to speak) when it comes to acceleration. Wheels are the stock G6E Turbo 245-35-19's (I think that's the right dimensions). I don't intend to change these since I'm going for the wolf-in-sheep's clothing look; as much as I'd like a complete exhaust system.

Thanks for the initial replies guys. So the SCT holds multiple tunes in a physical box, I guess for different fuels and if you want to reset everything or alter stuff on the fly, whilst HP Tuners and PCMTEC are one tune that cannot be changed without taking it back to Pit Lane for a reflash. Is that about right? Can you install more perimeters through the others while the SCT can only alter so much? Meaning when the tune is done, more can be preset via HP/PCMTEC than SCT or is it just a matter that you can alter less through the SCT controller after the tune is done? It says the install includes an E85-compatible fuel pump assembly but it would be safe to assume that means a new, better fuel pump that happens to be E85-compatible as well? Otherwise it might be pointless getting that since I only intend to run 98. @I love kittens you're not giving me much confidence mate! Sounds like I'm not going to have enough power to be happy with for the cost. Are the prices listed that unreasonable? For sake of convenience and knowing that the parts are new/backed by Pit Lane, I'd rather that route than scrounging around trying to source bargains from who-knows-where all over the country. @k31th what tyres instead would you recommend? To reiterate they're not for racing/drags but still need to hold their own - or as well as one can reasonably expect from tyres in that $250-300 price bracket. And I'm reading 280-to-low-300rwkw's, which is expected (bit of a variance in estimations but that's okay) but what about the torque side of the equation? The car's rated as 270kw/535Nm (at the motor, not wheels, I know) so the kw jump sounds right, but I think I'm right in thinking the Nm's will jump quite a bit more, yeah?