Time for "the" upgrade!
if im honest, the vf34 isn't brilliant value for money, the vf35 is prob the better value, due to it being readily available second hand, however if your going new then its prob one of the better value
Would choose something else?
The whole idea is to have as much "spare room" as possible allowing for longer lasting parts and eventually another upgrade.
Comfort is another issue, I want to maintain the level I have now, and as such I am also looking at an upgraded clutch, quickshift and so on.....
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From: The Terry Crews of moderation. P P P P P P POWER!!
Ta mate.
Part two coming soon. I've just gone to an FMIC, with some rather good results out of the little ole VF35 (particularly with respect to torque). It should be noted that this is on a classic though, where the STi 8 intercooler is not as attractive an option at this level of tune as it is with the new age WRXs as Simon pointed out

Ns04
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tbh i've gone the whole hog, and the front mount does make a difference on a vf34, and i dont find it slower spooling than the 35.
the 34 is the roller bearing version of the 35, but a larger exhaust housing to produce more peak power. the larger housing mean the spools down, but the roller bearing compensates for this.
on the road i was hitting 1.4 bar at 3.1k revs, although this was admitedly just watching the defi till it went no higher.
the 34 is the roller bearing version of the 35, but a larger exhaust housing to produce more peak power. the larger housing mean the spools down, but the roller bearing compensates for this.
on the road i was hitting 1.4 bar at 3.1k revs, although this was admitedly just watching the defi till it went no higher.
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From: The Terry Crews of moderation. P P P P P P POWER!!
tbh i've gone the whole hog, and the front mount does make a difference on a vf34, and i dont find it slower spooling than the 35.
the 34 is the roller bearing version of the 35, but a larger exhaust housing to produce more peak power. the larger housing mean the spools down, but the roller bearing compensates for this.
on the road i was hitting 1.4 bar at 3.1k revs, although this was admitedly just watching the defi till it went no higher.
the 34 is the roller bearing version of the 35, but a larger exhaust housing to produce more peak power. the larger housing mean the spools down, but the roller bearing compensates for this.
on the road i was hitting 1.4 bar at 3.1k revs, although this was admitedly just watching the defi till it went no higher.
Ns04
IMO, the problem with FMIC's on new ages is that you almost invariably need to lose the front bar (big metal box thingy) that sits underneath the bumper... Probably not good from a crash protection point of view, and also at least my car felt more skittish once I put a FMIC on.
I know that some kits come with their own bar, but IMO they don't look anywhere near as sturdy as the OEM item.
Also, the STI pinks are 505cc (at least for the bug and blob eye UK STI specs), not 550cc (Which I also thought until Bob Rawle set me straight).
I know that some kits come with their own bar, but IMO they don't look anywhere near as sturdy as the OEM item.
Also, the STI pinks are 505cc (at least for the bug and blob eye UK STI specs), not 550cc (Which I also thought until Bob Rawle set me straight).
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From: The Terry Crews of moderation. P P P P P P POWER!!
IMO, the problem with FMIC's on new ages is that you almost invariably need to lose the front bar (big metal box thingy) that sits underneath the bumper... Probably not good from a crash protection point of view, and also at least my car felt more skittish once I put a FMIC on.
I know that some kits come with their own bar, but IMO they don't look anywhere near as sturdy as the OEM item.
Also, the STI pinks are 505cc (at least for the bug and blob eye UK STI specs), not 550cc (Which I also thought until Bob Rawle set me straight).
I know that some kits come with their own bar, but IMO they don't look anywhere near as sturdy as the OEM item.
Also, the STI pinks are 505cc (at least for the bug and blob eye UK STI specs), not 550cc (Which I also thought until Bob Rawle set me straight).
For a classic though, it's most definately worth it. I'll be posting my experiences in this respect very shortly.
ns04
i still don't get this compulsion to say you can acheive x amount of power using the top mount. you can get the same using no untercooler at all, for a few seconds anyway.
i know a car running 450bhp/480ftlb, its running an uprated top mount, and suffers big time from heat isssues. the owner doesn't want to change it due to it being a 22b and cutting original bumpers is a big no no.
what intercooler you have makes no difference on trying to make a peak figure, its how it affects things on hot days that is the issue.
and there is no comparision between a front and top mount, the front mount always wins, you can't alter the laws of physiscs
i know a car running 450bhp/480ftlb, its running an uprated top mount, and suffers big time from heat isssues. the owner doesn't want to change it due to it being a 22b and cutting original bumpers is a big no no.
what intercooler you have makes no difference on trying to make a peak figure, its how it affects things on hot days that is the issue.
and there is no comparision between a front and top mount, the front mount always wins, you can't alter the laws of physiscs
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From: Slowly rebuilding the kit of bits into a car...
FWIW someone I know well got a big-name TMIC (cheap) and it was fine on the rollers.... but out on the road the turbo cooked it ! Swapped back to STI TMIC and the car was fine, and made the same HP. TMIC sold soon after !
HTH
DunxC
P.S. Mine has an FMIC and it's better in hot weather ! (2002 STI)
HTH
DunxC
P.S. Mine has an FMIC and it's better in hot weather ! (2002 STI)
I don't plan on using it, but if I have to, I'd like it to work as intended 
I suppose you could create separate custom crash bar, but I wouldn't trust myself (or most other companies) to produce one that was as good as standard (even if it looked it, it wouldnt' have been tested).
Don't get me wrong, the FMIC I have has served me well, but I just don't feel safe with it, especially as the wife drives the car more than me anyway... I don't mind so much for myself, but if I were to injure someone else due to me wanting a couple of extra bhp or whatever, I think I'd feel really quite guilty for quite some time, if you see what I mean
As NS04 says, at low levels of tune and for a street car, a FMIC makes comparably less sense than on a classic, IMO.

I suppose you could create separate custom crash bar, but I wouldn't trust myself (or most other companies) to produce one that was as good as standard (even if it looked it, it wouldnt' have been tested).
Don't get me wrong, the FMIC I have has served me well, but I just don't feel safe with it, especially as the wife drives the car more than me anyway... I don't mind so much for myself, but if I were to injure someone else due to me wanting a couple of extra bhp or whatever, I think I'd feel really quite guilty for quite some time, if you see what I mean

As NS04 says, at low levels of tune and for a street car, a FMIC makes comparably less sense than on a classic, IMO.




, a huge improvement on the old td04. would def recomend one



