The 32-Year-Old Modification Virgin

[tvxfgolzzfekf]

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

 

[k31th]

as good as mick is known to do

[JETURBO]

Picture perfect mate 

[DannItDan]

On 16/05/2019 at 9:34 PM, tvxfgolzzfekf said:

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

 

Hey tvxfgolzzfekf, how have you gone now that you’ve had this power level since almost a year ago? 
 

have you found that you’re starting to break things and needing to chase noises and failures around the car (eg diff bushes, drive shaft, wheel bearings, ZF box playing up? Etc...)?

 

have you found the car is handling the power perfectly fine, you’ve had it serviced again by your regular mechanic and found nothing too badly worn or broken?

 

have you found you’re over the power level now and want more? Does the PW 1 stepped cooler get heat soaked quickly or is it good for 20 WOT runs within an hour? 
 

 

id love to hear a review of what the cars like and all about it now that you’ve had it for a year like this... I’m planning to do all similar to you, and just want to hear recent experience.  

 

thanks in advance! 

[tvxfgolzzfekf]

On 13/04/2020 at 8:21 AM, DannItDan said:

Hey tvxfgolzzfekf, how have you gone now that you’ve had this power level since almost a year ago?

Yeah, okay!

 

On 13/04/2020 at 8:21 AM, DannItDan said:

have you found that you’re starting to break things and needing to chase noises and failures around the car (eg diff bushes, drive shaft, wheel bearings, ZF box playing up? Etc...)?

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.

 

On 13/04/2020 at 8:21 AM, DannItDan said:

have you found the car is handling the power perfectly fine, you’ve had it serviced again by your regular mechanic and found nothing too badly worn or broken?

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.

 

On 13/04/2020 at 8:21 AM, DannItDan said:

have you found you’re over the power level now and want more? Does the PW 1 stepped cooler get heat soaked quickly or is it good for 20 WOT runs within an hour?

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.

 

On 13/04/2020 at 8:21 AM, DannItDan said:

id love to hear a review of what the cars like and all about it now that you’ve had it for a year like this... I’m planning to do all similar to you, and just want to hear recent experience.  

 

thanks in advance! 

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.