4722 replies to this topic

[VXT Tim]

Crikey, pushed it upto 4000 RPM this evening... WOW, once that turbo spools my instant (nervous) reaction is to take my foot off the accelerator as it seems mental.

Can we have some in car footage?

I've said it a few times but the power you are aiming at is totally mental in a vx

[Nev]

Tim, I'm deliberately avoiding WOT (wide open throttle) as this is when the fueling/mapping demand is greatest and most likely to cause detonation. Once the car is mapped correctly I will be able to hammer it upto 8000+ revs and take some footage. Apprently recent tests have showne that the turbo should be able to blow all the way to around 8000 or even 8250 RPM without running out of puff. To be honest, I find the noise is probably more of a sensory overload. I now have to wear ear plugs if I go above 3000 revs or want to drive for more than 10 minutes. The combination of exhaust noise, turbo noise, and bypass valve noise and the solid lifter clatter mounts up to proper deafening levels. I can see people looking in their mirrors to see what the noise is coming from when I drive (which is a good thing as it stops them doing stupid pulling out mistakes). On the weekend when I didn't have my bulkhead panel inserted, I got out of the car at the petrol station and was amazed to see smoke come out of the cabin when I opened the door! It was just exhaust fumes and oil vapour but startled me a bit. In short it is no longer a 'comfy' car.

Edited by Nev, 09 May 2011 - 01:00 PM.

[VXT Tim]

I fully appreciate that Nev, I was actually interested in how it sounded, the characteristics of the engine off boost and as it is just about to spool (I assume it does well before you were lifting at 4k) No worries though just curious

[Nev]

Okies, I will try and mount my camera in there and take some footage, though I noticed that the last time I approached the exhaust with it, the sound distorted. Should be a fun experiment anyway.

[Nev]

Today was a bit a benchmark day. I woke up early (6.00 am), went down to the garage, changed the oil and drove 25 a wonderfull miles into work at 7.00 AM. The roof was down, the pace was just an average of about 30 to 60 MPH on open A-roads, reasonable traffic, but it was so enjoyable to drive the car in just an ordinary situation . The brakes are very much improved now that I've swapped the rear pads and losened the slave pistons, the car is happy and safe to rev to 4000 which is plenty for tootleing around upto 100 leptons. As a special bonus, it seems that my suspected leaking slave cylinder has slowly remedied itself. I think what has happened is that the rubber seal has slowly rubbed away the uneven/rust metal and thus created a decent hermetic seal at last. It's not often a problem on a car simply solves itself I have however agreed with Steve that I will return the gearbox to him for a final inspection and reshim of the LSD just to be sure that it is seated firmly in the gearbox casing. We've agreed that I need to do this prior to taking the car to a dyno for a remap as the stress of going to 8000 revs with 450 ft/lb of torque would hammer it and might cause problems. Until then however, I shall continue to drive the car and bed everything in.

[VXT Tim]

Wake up, change oil, then drive to work . Sometimes I struggle to get dressed properly before I fall into the car!!!

[Cookies220]

Great work Nev Really pleased for you. Aren't you worried all that heat is gonna melt your clam Aye you going to go down the route of cutting vast holes in the clam / high lift boot lid etc etc

[Nev]

Yep, you are right, heat may indeed become an issue once it's mapped. I have anticipated this and so far I have: 1/ Hand made some Nimbus heat shielding to siphon heat up from the turbo area out of the mesh in the top of the clam. 2/ Wrapped the exhaust. 3/ Wrapped the exhaust manifold. 4/ Hand made a small heat shield around the turbine housing of the turbo. 5/ Wrapped all water/oil/electrical pipework within a 1 foot radius of the turbo. 6/ Moved the airbox to make space for a huge oil cooler in the left ear if needed. 7/ Uprated front radiator + new water pump. 8/ The turbo has big bore water pipes. Even the wastegate is water cooled ! Future possible mods will be: 1/ Once the floorpan is installed, cut slits in with downward pointing flaps to direct air running under the car up at the turbo. 2/ Run flexible ducting to bring air from the left turbo ear and point it at the turbo. 3/ Install an oil cooler if required. 4/ Eliminate the boot, cut holes in the rear of the clam to siphon engine bay air out (this will be a last resort). 5/ Remove the bulkhead inspection pannel when I know Im going to drive hard. This allows loads of air to escape from the turbo area back into the cabin (which is a low pressure zone), and also has the added benefit of being an extra massive heater for the passengers ! I am currently running without the rear floorpan on at the moment and temps are fine, though clearly the engine is not being pushed anywhere near hard.

Edited by Nev, 10 May 2011 - 09:43 AM.

[VXT Tim]

Fastback, so many benefits.

[Nev]

Do you mean like the Sweedish 'Badster' Tim? Would that help cooling? I am moderately keen (though not adamant) to try and keep the car looking OEM externally at the moment. This makes insurance easier but also I have a 'phase 2' project at the back of my mind - to completely aero the car up with new bodywork and widen its track so it can take super wide wheels (around the 335 width at the rear).

[VXT Tim]

Do you mean like the Sweedish 'Badster' Tim? Would that help cooling?

Yes Nev, the way I understand it, rather than the air falling over the drop off and stalling with the fastback the air hugs the bodywork right to the spoiler and off the back.
By hugging the fastback the air draws air out of the engine bay through the slats just as fast as it is passing over it.

I am no aerodynamicist and am sure someone can confirm or most probably correct my over simplistic take on the matter.

It makes sense in my head anyway.


The space it would free up as well would've surely helped out earlier on in your build as well.

[rob999]

Dead chuffed for you Nev, just in time for Summer too

[garyk220]

Future possible mods will be:...

4/ Eliminate the boot, cut holes in the rear of the clam to siphon engine bay air out (this will be a last resort).

Nev. You can get a similar effect by keeping the boot and cutting vents in the lower bumper area. This will help draw cool air around the bottom of the engine bay and turbo area and around the exhabust back box. There are a few photos of my vents in my user gallery.

I hacked out the boot in mine for similar reasons, but it makes the car very compromised, so have bonded the boot section back in but kept the lower vents. An added bonus, if you cut the lower trailing section of the wheel arch liner, is you can also purge air pressure and heat from the rear wheel arches and brkaes also.

The bigger volume of air available with the boot removed will definitely help if your car is stationary or slow moving, but for most (other than full on race) applications I reckon you'd be fine retaining the boot and adding lower vents.

Edited by garyk220, 10 May 2011 - 11:17 AM.

[spuk87]

Do you mean like the Sweedish 'Badster' Tim? Would that help cooling?

Yes Nev, the way I understand it, rather than the air falling over the drop off and stalling with the fastback the air hugs the bodywork right to the spoiler and off the back.
By hugging the fastback the air draws air out of the engine bay through the slats just as fast as it is passing over it.

Yeah something like that. Also helps reduce drag and reduce rear end lift AFAIK.

[Nev]

Thanks for the ideas and good wishes guys.

[Nev]

Well, I've bitten the bullet and booked the car in for mapping at Courtenay's on the 16th June. Jon has cleared up the issue with the fuel pump - basically the Sytec pump in tank won't be man enough, so it will be demoted to being the lifter pump to a swirl pot with a new more powerful pump delivering to the fuel rail. Nev.

Edited by Nev, 11 May 2011 - 11:56 AM.

[techieboy]

Well, that trip should nicely run the engine in.

[Nev]

Also, the gearbox is coming out on Fri night for Steve to inspect/reshim the Quaif differential on Sat morning. This will give me the opportunity to put a new slave cylinder in at the same time. Hopefully that will be last time I ever need to think about the gearbox.... until my clutch starts slipping *gulp* The only other outstanding task will be to install a swirl pot and big power fuel pump in. I have never installed any fuel lines before, can anyone give me some usefull advice on connector types and how to swage connectors onto the existing pipes ?

[TheRealVXed]

Do you mean like the Sweedish 'Badster' Tim? Would that help cooling?

Yes Nev, the way I understand it, rather than the air falling over the drop off and stalling with the fastback the air hugs the bodywork right to the spoiler and off the back.
By hugging the fastback the air draws air out of the engine bay through the slats just as fast as it is passing over it.

Yeah something like that. Also helps reduce drag and reduce rear end lift AFAIK.

It creates a clean line of air over the front of the car and then down the back. The cut off turret design as current, creates a back flow behind the rear screen, forcing down in to the engine area and reducing air flow over the engine if this is what you are trying to achieve. The fast back shape as the exile or badster doesn't actually suck the air from the bay but combines with the air forced in through the other passages (side vents etc) to create one directional air flow over the outside of the car. To try and maintain the same theory in the engine bay creating vents in the back would certainly help. Obviously there are many more factors in there and you will always end up with back flows but to create a pathway front to back would certainly help. Also the badster look will allow for you to use a small spoiler to counteract rear lift effectively as the clean air is maintained along the profile of the car.the ideal is to have the hot gasses from the engine bay at the back actually exit under the car with a slash ended pipe i.e. In the rear splitter pipe angled from back at the bottom to front at the top if you see what I mean and then the slash matching the end of the pipe to the horizontal plane of the underside of the car. The slash angle to pipe shouldn't be less than 45 degrees for best results. This will create a sucking action on the pipe aiding air flow through the bay. only 2 one either side should be needed as you don't want to have greater suction here than the force out of the boot lid if you go for the fastback as you will create mini back flows at the slats increasing drag.

Edited by VXed, 11 May 2011 - 12:47 PM.

[Darcini]

From a cooling point of view, I've had no apparent increase in normal running temps with mine with the fastback fitted, the only thing I have noticed is that temps seem to climb quicker now when stuck in traffic. Makes sense really as the heat coming straight up from the chimney has a harder route out through the louvres than through the oem mesh, obviously without a flow of air as the car is stationary the heat has nowhere to go but straight up.