Hi,

I have a 98R Turbo 2000 with panel filter and full exhaust. It produced 263, 230 on the rollers last running about 1.1 bar. Everything else is standard.

I'm thinking about having an Apexi Power FC fitted, which obviously costs quite a bit of cash. My questions are as follows:

• What power increase am i likely to see given that its a standard turbo (TD04?)
• What, if any reduction in fuel will there be? not bothered about town driving, i just do quite long journeys and would be nice to save some cash to pay for it!!!!
• Would the standard clutch take the increase in power?
• Should i just forget it and buy an Apexi AVCR so i can set a low boost for cruising?

Thanks!
Nicky

 

for the 97/98 model the apexi is the best per pound ecu to get.
You should just get 300bhp with a good setup.
You will get better fuel economy after a remap, upto 30mpg.
Standard clutch should be ok.
Wait a while to get the Avcr

Ps I might be changing my apexi fc, which is the same year and model as your car, so PM me if you're interested.

Regards

Andy

 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, i will if i come into some cash, but will likely have to wait until i've saved some!!!

I get about 27mpg now on a quiet run sitting around 70mph. 300 bhp would be very nice indeed.... No doubt will involve a trip to AndyF ....

 

You are highly unlikely to get to 300bhp with a TD04, although I think it has been done once on a project thread - if it wasn't it was close 290ish.

You are almost certain to get 270-280bhp, with similar lbft.

My MY00 achieved 273/273 on the TD04 with exhaust/filter mods and an Ecutek Tek3 remap set to 1.25bar. Fuel consumption didn't change for the worse, pretty sure its exactly the same.

 

hmmm interesting....

What i'd like to avoid is paying over 750 for a small increase in power, that being the case i'd prob save up and put a bigger turbo on at the same time, however that would prob mean new clutch aswell ?

 

Your clutch may well be ok, its the gearbox that is the weak link especially if you go over 320lbft torque.

I think the gearbox for your year is even more suspect.

I have been considering swapping to a bigger turbo/fuel pump and another remap, but for my kind of driving not really much point - mainly town driving - as the boost will come in later, and I don't rev the guts off cars.

Your torque level is quite low though, its not only bhp that will be better from a remap, it'll be miles better all round.

 

It's not just about peak power mate; that's only one of the perks of a good map and more relevant for bragging rights at the pub. The BIGGEST perk is drivability; put another way, you'll have more power and torque over the entire rev range, which will make the car much nicer to drive. Fuel economy (given no increase in led-footed-ness ) will also improve, and the car will run optimally for your mods.

I would budget for a replacement clutch, they do let go quite often after a hike in power/torque.

If you go for a bigger turbo, you'll need to spend more on supporting mods and there will be detriments to the car's responsiveness etc... (although not significant if you go for the right spec) Also, the issue of gearbox longevity becomes more of a worry!

Ns04

 

Hi,

Thanks again for the info, i'll see if i can budget for a remap, i might have to go down the route of ordering it from Japan and having AndyF install it as its close to 1k for supply and fit....

Hear what you're saying about the gearbox, its not great selecting 1st these days and sometimes hard from 2nd to 3rd.... on its last legs ????

Cheers
Nicky

 

Have you considered the simtec mate? from what I understand the apexi`s are getting hard to get hold of now and the simtec is now used by pretty much all of the top mappers

 

apexi is still available from most of the mappers on here, cracking bit of kit IMHO

 

Maybe just tired synchros??

Worth having a chat with David at APi. Gearbox work doesn't come cheap and the last thing you won't to do is have an upgrade only for the box to fail and have the car of the road whilst you save for a replacement.

Any upgrades in torque will soon expose any gearbox weaknesses.

Ns04

 

Hi,

Thanks again. I also have a whirring noise which is probably the transmission as it is there when i push the clutch in. Dont get me wrong its not loud but i could swear its louder than it used to be!!

Its only done 60K miles

Cheers
Nicky

 

Have you checked your gearbox oil levels? When was it last replaced and with what brand and viscosity?

The transmission in classics does whine a bit, shouldn't be too loud though!

Ns04

 

Hi,

I replaced it all 3 months ago with 75-90 synthetic (i think as i dont have the bottle to hand) including the rear diff. Its not a loud whine just a whine/whirr you can hear as you are cruising at slow speeds....

I think i might have overfilled it (the gearbox) a touch, but i didnt think that would cause anything out of the ordinary....

 

Hi,

So, have been doing a bit of digging. What are the main differences between the Apexi PFC and the Simtek (apart from the 200 quid in price!!)

From what i've gathered, the Simtek is MAF'less, you can have launch control and antilag (not too fussed about that tho). The Simtek can have 2 maps? Does that mean you have a quiet and a silly map and you can switch between them ?

Do both ecu's use the oem boost solenoid or are they supplied with the kit?

Cheers
Nicky