Ok,STi7,full exhaust,pump,Ecutek.Now the car is achieving the boost targets(well almost) it really flies. Pat and I estimated about 340 BHP and 315+ lbs/ft.I had originally planned to go fmic and bigger turbo.I've decided that I'm not going to go as far as changing the turbo(probably change the car in a years time).
I have the fmic sitting in the garage.It will cost me about £500 to have it fitted and mapped,I would of course also lose a few hundred on selling the fmic.The question is since I'm not going to go for the turbo is it really worth me going to the fuss and bother(and expense) of fitting the fmic.Will I really gain anything?
ps car NEVER goes on track

Hi

A guy I know fitted a FMIC to his Impreza with the standard turbo and it was actually slower than before, the turbo couldnt really fill it it seems (if you know what I mean). The advantage of having it would mainly be increased reliability and steady air temp at higher speeds, but I think it's a big waste of time and money for an uncertain result...

I have an HKS one sitting in my garage and its going on next week then a bigger turbo when I can afford the remap!.

I have an MY00 and considered selling and buying a new car but I would just want to modify that so I saved the cash and modded my MY00 instead.


Jake

Hey Deep,

Howz it going ?
What is max boost (well held) you are getting in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears ?

Cheers,
Ray

Claudius,was that a STi and was it after a remap?
Jake,I see where you are coming from but I just d'ont fancy getting into turbos.Its quite a lot of fuss and bother.
Ray,hows things? In gear 4/5/6 I'm holding 1.45 bar but this falls to about 1.35 bar by 5.5krpm.(Pat thinks this is an actuator problem)In the lower gears(due to the lack of load?) I'm only holding about 1.35bar.This does'nt tell the full story,the responsiveness is amazing.In gear 4 upwards I can get 1 bar boost below 3k rpm and 1.45 bar by 3400rpm.The feel of the torque is amazing. I'm going to change the actuator at some point so I can hold the 1.45 bar up to about 6.5krpm.I'm also toying with fitting an EBC so I can achieve the 1.45bar in 2nd and 3rd gear,I'm not sure how this will work with the Ecutek though.
Once the actuator is sorted I really think I'll be 350+ BHP(320 lbs/ft) and very little lag due to the oem turbo.This is why I'm not sure if its worth me fussing with the fmic

Deep, surely with the right turbo and remap then the benefits will be huge. Why not unlock the investment you have made in the FMIC.

Why are new turbos hassle? apart from the remap which you would need anyway with the FMIC.


Jake

No, neither. It was on a MY98 with a TD04.

I agree with the above: either fit FMIC AND bigger turbo and remap it or sell the FMIC.
If you fit the FMIC, you may not lose power with your STI turbo, but I expect the benefits to be minimal and only available at significant speeds, so either if you speed on the motorway (which I know you dont ;)) or on a track. It's basically wasted money. Bite the bullet with the bigger turbo or get rid of the FMIC while it's still something you can sell (before they come out with a bigger, better, less pressure drop, more flow newer shinier version. IMHO of course :)

Save up buy a new turbo and then fit both together!!!!

I would fit the intercooler. I fitted one to my STI 5 with standard turbo, and once remapped(link) it was definately quicker. Gained a lot of timing.

I may fit a hybrid turbo later but am happy with the car the way it is.

Deep
The car sounds like it is really well setup currently mate.
If you do have serious thoughts of replacing in the not too distant future , I would perhaps stick rather than twist!

Is it the HKS one?
I could well be interested mate as the Type R wouldnt suffer so much on the standard VF28

I think the TD04 is too small for a FMIC, but the VFs are big enough to benefit, even if you do get a little more lag and it is a little.

Jake,when I say they are hassle I mean that like all tuning mods they always take some work.Not many medium stage mods are just fit and drive.Every mod seems to have three knock on effects that need to be sorted,which is fine when you are in the mood for it.The extra lag I would get is also not welcome.In essence I have decided not to upgrade the turbo so need to know whether the fmic itself will give me enough of a power lift to be able to feel on the road.Claudius feels no,Loyld disagrees.Clauds mate had a small turbo and no remap to take advantage so perhaps a little misleading?
Loyld,was the car already mapped with the Link to the max and then the fmic fitting allowed more tuning?

Sorry,did'nt see the last two posts.
Rob,its the APS one but made specifically for the bugeye.
John,could you guesstimate the gain? Would it purely be from more advance?

No worries mate

Gains are difficult to guesstimate because of rolling road figures being very sensitive to intercooler airflow. It makes it a lot safer to run higher boost, but only if the turbo can cope.

Deep get it fitted, you will/should be able to run more timing/less fuel at the higher revs plus hold more boost due to lower charge temperatures

I didnt see in the first post that we are talking about an STI.

I agree it will be a little better, but I dont think it will be £1000 better. You get about 7 bhp per degree of advance IIRC, and better cooling, especially at higher speeds.

How much will you guys be able to advance the ignition anyway, John / Rob, without taking chances for the engine? And what sort of power and torque increase are we talking here?

Right,I'm going to get it fitted.I'll lose hundreds selling it anyway.Thanks for all the input guys.

Deep. By the way my car was fitted with the link before the intercooler was fitted, then I had another remap to advance the timing.

Cheers m8