18gs + Aquamist + Pipe + Flash = big fun
#1
18gs + Aquamist + Pipe + Flash = big fun
I picked up my car on Saturday from EPL and I am one happy camper. Here is a brief summary of what I had done to my stock 2003 X50 with 14k miles. I was going to wade into the upgrades, but given that I am 100 miles from Tony quickly became comfortable with his expertise, decided to do it all at once.
Here's what I did:
K24/18g upgrade
New Diverter Valves
72lb Injectors & 5 Bar FPR
Europipe Stage II Quiet
Aquamist HFS6
EPL Flash
GT2 Slave delete
Clutch Masters Stage II
My overall comment is WOW!! What a difference. It is a different car and as Tony said "until you get used to the increased power make sure you are pointed straight down the road before mashing your foot to the floor."
Though it's all new to me, here are my initial impressions:
1.) All power components and flash are great -- it brings that uncontrollable smile to my face every time I push down on the accellerator. It is a lot more power, not a little and it pulls harder earlier so you feel the turbo kick significantly sooner. See attached before and after dynos. Though some point out that the dyno may be reading high on the baseline (stock X50), it is the same dyno/conditions before and after, so I picked up ~ 150hp & 185lb torque at the wheels.
2.) GT2 Slave delete surpised me on how much effort it takes to depress the clutch on first sampling, but I am used to it already and the increased pressure is now a non-factor. The increased control and feel on engagement are well worth it IMHO. I really disliked the stock engagement and felt it required more attention than it should to get going smoothly. I am getting an intermittent whine from the PS pump that we are still sorting out, but that's fixable and I will enjoy the increased feel on clutch enagement.
3.) Europipe Stage II Quiet is quiet and maybe too quiet for some, but I did not want a loud car. I also heard that the Europipe was the only one with an "exotic" car sound, and there is some of that, but really not a lot. At idle it is very close to stock. At WOT, it is louder and has more growl, but it is not loud. It was also a lot of $$ and I went for it because I had drone fear, but with 4-5 hours behind the wheel, I think I could have been happy with other less expensive pipes (e.g., Milltek). I am not sure if the sound will change as it breaks in, so if it does, I will repost. Right now I like it a lot, but feel like I spent a lot of money on it and probably didn't need to. Very personal thing.
4.) Clutch. Clearly more grab, but too early to judge as I am still breaking it in. It was more of a "might as well do it now" decision as I felt the increased power would cook the stock clutch pretty quickly.
5.) Tuner. Great to work with. Top quality, very knowledgeable and good communication skills. I have a lot of trust that he can tune these engines to get the potential out of them without putting your engine in danger.
Thanks to everyone on this board for all the informative posts that got me through this process. The Slave delete in particular was a late ad and I am very pleased that I did it while the car was apart.
Here's what I did:
K24/18g upgrade
New Diverter Valves
72lb Injectors & 5 Bar FPR
Europipe Stage II Quiet
Aquamist HFS6
EPL Flash
GT2 Slave delete
Clutch Masters Stage II
My overall comment is WOW!! What a difference. It is a different car and as Tony said "until you get used to the increased power make sure you are pointed straight down the road before mashing your foot to the floor."
Though it's all new to me, here are my initial impressions:
1.) All power components and flash are great -- it brings that uncontrollable smile to my face every time I push down on the accellerator. It is a lot more power, not a little and it pulls harder earlier so you feel the turbo kick significantly sooner. See attached before and after dynos. Though some point out that the dyno may be reading high on the baseline (stock X50), it is the same dyno/conditions before and after, so I picked up ~ 150hp & 185lb torque at the wheels.
2.) GT2 Slave delete surpised me on how much effort it takes to depress the clutch on first sampling, but I am used to it already and the increased pressure is now a non-factor. The increased control and feel on engagement are well worth it IMHO. I really disliked the stock engagement and felt it required more attention than it should to get going smoothly. I am getting an intermittent whine from the PS pump that we are still sorting out, but that's fixable and I will enjoy the increased feel on clutch enagement.
3.) Europipe Stage II Quiet is quiet and maybe too quiet for some, but I did not want a loud car. I also heard that the Europipe was the only one with an "exotic" car sound, and there is some of that, but really not a lot. At idle it is very close to stock. At WOT, it is louder and has more growl, but it is not loud. It was also a lot of $$ and I went for it because I had drone fear, but with 4-5 hours behind the wheel, I think I could have been happy with other less expensive pipes (e.g., Milltek). I am not sure if the sound will change as it breaks in, so if it does, I will repost. Right now I like it a lot, but feel like I spent a lot of money on it and probably didn't need to. Very personal thing.
4.) Clutch. Clearly more grab, but too early to judge as I am still breaking it in. It was more of a "might as well do it now" decision as I felt the increased power would cook the stock clutch pretty quickly.
5.) Tuner. Great to work with. Top quality, very knowledgeable and good communication skills. I have a lot of trust that he can tune these engines to get the potential out of them without putting your engine in danger.
Thanks to everyone on this board for all the informative posts that got me through this process. The Slave delete in particular was a late ad and I am very pleased that I did it while the car was apart.
#6
Very Nice. I think upgraded turbos is a "need to see to believe" on these cars. They certainly can remain reliable. Tony is a real standup guy who has built a well deserved reputation.
Is that AWHP? I can believe 150HP gain. I think the dyno needs to be adjusted though. No way a stock X50 makes 410+ all wheel HP.
Is that AWHP? I can believe 150HP gain. I think the dyno needs to be adjusted though. No way a stock X50 makes 410+ all wheel HP.
Last edited by Turbo Fanatic; 11-24-2009 at 02:18 AM.
#7
Little more, but nearly identical curves, just a smidge higher...
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#12
My waste gates are maxxed out, so I am running 1.3, but I will see 1.4 in the cooler weather.
#13
Let's see. Catching up on questions:
1. My car is a 6 speed, so I don't know what the tips can handle
2. Boost with Meth = 1.3-1.4, 0.9-1.0 meth off
3. HP was AWHP
4. YES! 18g's put out, and if you are running X50 already, the upgrade is a no brainer from a value perspective
1. My car is a 6 speed, so I don't know what the tips can handle
2. Boost with Meth = 1.3-1.4, 0.9-1.0 meth off
3. HP was AWHP
4. YES! 18g's put out, and if you are running X50 already, the upgrade is a no brainer from a value perspective
#15
Up until about 3550 - 3600 you appear to lose a bit of power then it appears to pull like a freight train to about 4800 RPM's. Picking my car up tomorrow, similar setup, no meth for now, Proto tune, EVOMS headers, Speedtech Crossflow Exhaust, 60 lb injectors. Can't wait.