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6 minute(s) of a 127 minute read
6-6-2012
6-6-2012
Tial 44m EWG (MV-R) and Grimmspeed Up-pipe w/ dump tube
Install was a huge pain in my opinion. I'd suggest getting a non-bell mouth catless down pipe once going this route by the way. I have an invidia catless, and the one bellmouth bolt is impossible to tighten with the EWG in place. The v-band clamps make the EWG very tough to get on with the down pipe on. Nice catch-22.
Regardless, awesome part. I can now control boost again - easily. Running with a 1 bar spring combo. Very happy with it. Construction quality was excellent. I had to file down the dump pipe v-band connection though - the flange was a bit too wide for the Tial waste gate (was designed for a turbosmart or something else). Not a huge deal as long as you are careful.
I want to run some lines to the coolant jets before the next track day, but don't think I will get around to it.
Feel free to shoot me a pm if you want to talk about the install.
Pictures of parts. Can see the excellent construction quality in everything, even the IWG bracket.
Brake lines, fluid, and pads
Signed up for a track day and ordered some brake upgrades from Kronos. Parts came in quickly and everything was there.
I thought when I started that I would just bleed all the fluid from the lines, and it would make changing the pads easier as well as prevent a mess when I do the lines. Don't do this. After rounding off two of the brake line fittings, I gave up and went to fill the system up with the Motul. I knew I'd be cutting it close, as the total system volume is ~500mL according to the factory service manual. I was very disappointed to see the brake fluid push out air bubbles well past half way through the bottle of fluid. Ended up just picking up some cheap Dot 4 from walmart for the mean time.
Lessons learned:
-Brake lines can be terrible. Have a reflare kit and the correct flare wrenches on hand. We found vice grips to be of more use than the correct sized flare wrench.
-Don't drain the system. Just accept that you'll make a bit of a mess changing the lines. This will prevent having to run a bottle or two of cheap fluid through to chase out air bubbles.
We did end up getting the lines on and a better bleed - after the track day. Everything held up well at the track day though at least.
Even the stock pads feel fantastic with the Motul and the stainless lines. Excited to see how much it helps on the track with the DS2500s back in.
PittPDE at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (First Track Day!)
What a great experience. I had spent the previous 12 hours sleeping (the 30 hours before that were straight to finish the brake work and transition from night to day shift) and was feeling pretty good. The brake bleed probably wasn't as nice as it should have been. Had a great time.
The day consists of 4x25 minute track sessions with an instructor in your car with you, as well as 2x20 minute classroom ordeals. It's non-competitive, and you signal to people behind you to pass as needed. Track is nice and open - very friendly to learn on in my opinion. Great experience for anybody.
Learned a few things:
-It's much harder than you'd expect. I had a humble head going in, but a much more humble head coming out.
-While daily driven cars are welcome, leave all the daily crap at home. Nice pile 'o junk on the side of the false grid for the day due to my luggage.
-It's expensive. The $200/day fee for the instructor and track time is the cheaper of it. Tires, brakes, engine... Gets expensive fast. Well worth it regardless
-On the expensive note, there are some modifications to do to save money in the long run. Brake ducts, a KNS BBK, and track wheels have been added to the list.
-Need to bring a spare 5g container of gas. I had to leave the last session early due to my gas light. I topped it off before getting to the track. 4-6mpg estimated. Ha.
To put it in perspective, I will throw up some pictures of my Ferodo DS2500 pads. These were brand new when I went. Bedded them in (not as well as I should have most likely) on the way there on the highway. I'm going to lightly sand the surface evenly and angle off the chunked up areas and run them again June 15th. Depending on wear, the BBK may be sooner around the corner than planned (cheaper, thicker pads of the same quality).
More in the photobucket album in case you really like beat up brake pad p0rn.
