Here's Your Chance - Solicited Advice

[lookforjoe]

You said earlier you swapped the fuel pressure reg - I'm curious what you replaced, as there is no external FPR on a '99, it's part of the sending unit.....

I think which crank you use depends on your goals. The lighter crank isn't necessarily better, I stayed with the heavier crank, but longer rods. Solid lifter/6mm valve stem head is definitely better.

As has been said, anything in the TD04HL family will have similar (early) spool and fall off. Not ideal for higher output & longevity.

[850wagonT5]

You said earlier you swapped the fuel pressure reg - I'm curious what you replaced, as there is no external FPR on a '99, it's part of the sending unit.....

I think which crank you use depends on your goals. The lighter crank isn't necessarily better, I stayed with the heavier crank, but longer rods. Solid lifter/6mm valve stem head is definitely better.

As has been said, anything in the TD04HL family will have similar (early) spool and fall off. Not ideal for higher output & longevity.

I always wondered this...the small FPR looking thing without anything attached to it; is that just a place holder to fill the hole in the rail?

[jschaefer7406]

I always wondered this...the small FPR looking thing without anything attached to it; is that just a place holder to fill the hole in the rail?

That's a damper to even the pressure fluctuations when the injectors fire .

Joe

[georgeleedom]

Correct. The small FPR looking thing in the fuel rail is the damper. The FPR is about 12" forward of the fuel filter in front of the right rear tire. It has a fitting that presses into the main fuel line. On one end is the vacuum fitting to control the diaphram and the other is the return line back to the pump. I replaced it with a 4 bar FPR from a late 90's Dodge. Except for the SAE/Metric thing, it's pretty much a direct fit. Since I was getting too much fuel I went back to the stock 3 bar FPR prior to the fateful run.

[georgeleedom]

I've been getting a lot of diverse feedback on pistons. The shop that's doing the build is trying to steer me toward ceramic pistons with teflon skirts - any experience out there?

[wizzard_al]

Ceramic coating on the piston crown to prevent the heat from going into the piston, and the teflon coating to give lower friction on the piston skirts. Both are the hot thing to do now, but how good are they? My machinist who works with big horsepower drag engines and the like doesn't think much of them. Seems to think they are more hype than the real thing. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. With modern pistons, the skirts are very short, so friction is already reduced, and thinner rings also help out to reduce friction. (RN engines have thinner rings. early white blocks had 1.5, 1.75, 3.0 mm rings, newer engines had 1.2, 1.5, 2.0 mm rings; top, second and oil ring.) I think where the ceramic coating helps is if you are running lean, and want to avoid detonation, or ruining your pistons, or you have a sustained high speed run, where heat builds up. I think it would work very well on an engine that is marginal in its cooling, but the white block has decent cooling, so I don't know that it will help that much. For racing, I'd consider it seriously, and I'd also ceramic coat the comnbustion chamber, including the tops of the valves, and the exhaust port, and even inside the exhaust manifold to keep the heat in the exhaust to be better utilized in the turbo.

Ask him if this is a fad, or can he show real world gains from doing either or both.

[850wagonT5]

I've been getting a lot of diverse feedback on pistons. The shop that's doing the build is trying to steer me toward ceramic pistons with teflon skirts - any experience out there?

They want your money. Ignore them.

I've seen plenty of 300-400whp cars on here, I cant think of any of them who had aftermarket pistons. We're trying to help you, but it sounds like you're really being steered in the wrong direction by this "shop".

I can't seem to think of a bigger waste of money than aftermarket ceramic-coated pistons. I think you need to do some searching and reading on different setups in here.

[CBoosT5]

15psi on a tired 1994 2.3L with 120psi cylinder compression warm. Stock head/block, unknown miles. You should see it at 21-22psi, it's quite a bit more entertaining than this...but I happened to record this earlier today and thought it was fitting. Walked a 2011 Shelby GT500 last night...owner said it had exhaust only, and he had trouble hooking up. We rolled on from 0-80 and I had him by 3/4 of a car when we had to brake. He wondered "wtf I had in that Volvo". They are said to run 12.9 @ 114, 540hp/500tq I think...3940 lbs curb weight. I can normally walk cars that trap about 110-111 when my boost is up (~20+psi)...I think the only reason I caught this guy was that he wasn't that great at launching. Still, he had until 80mph to get by me...FWIW. Just gives you an idea of 1/4 and, therefore, 0-100 performance. Anyway....vid:

...gonna be significantly tougher to get that kind of top end with an 18T, the hot side is just small.

Really, you walked a 500whp mustang.. My buddy from a dig in his 3XX whp subie, just raced a 2011 v6 mustang with exhaust and chip making around 350whp and got spanked by like 3 cars. I dont no your build or what you did, but there is no way. If somehow in gods creating your volvo is just that crazy, especially with Look at me, I think I am witty, I would drive to where you live and shake your hand.

especially with auto tragic.**

[Jardim]

I raced a stock STi with my 850T5-A at the time from a 40 roll, he didnt walk away from me, he pulled by a half car between 80-100. Using 4WD cars as comparasion is nothing.

FWD cars once they stop spinning just pull pull pull.

Shelby GT500 does not have 500whp. Shelby/Ford advertises it as 540hp but last time ive seen one dynoed they get around 400-420 to the wheels.

I raced a stock STi with my 850T5-A at the time from a 40 roll, he didnt walk away from me, he pulled by a half car between 80-100. Using 4WD cars as comparasion is nothing.

FWD cars once they stop spinning just pull pull pull.

the mustang had around 350whp just from exhaust and chip? not doubting you but those figures are a little hard to belive when they produce 300 to the crank stock.

Shelby GT500 does not have 500whp. Shelby/Ford advertises it as 540hp but last time ive seen one dynoed they get around 400-420 to the wheels.

Sorry for double post in one post, time for a new less buggy computer.

[CBoosT5]

your probablly right about whp. but as for the subie and mustang. I know both numbers are 100% correct. and no offence, although a volvo keeping up with an sti is pretty boss.. is nothing compared to a gt500.. i understand the 850t5wagons car is gutted black tune etc.. but im doubting it.. your telling me the volvo was not spinning from a dig like the mustang was?! A gt500 is still putting down significantlly better numbers, and has like 10inch wide tires. so im sure he spun less to be honest. and the only reason i brought up my friends legacy gt, is because from a dig, with no wheel spin w/ launch control on.. the stupid v6 mustang still held its own. traction control works really well in new mustangs i guess..

its even proven in his other video on youtube, him racing a modded mazdaspeed 3.. ummm with the mods it has it makes maybe 300hp?! But for the record im glad the volvo got the win!

[Jardim]

If you noticed on the description of the video (50-90 pull), thats at 15 psi on E85 with a T3/T4 which according to marty is 300whp.

The event with the mustang he was running 21-22 psi according to the post with the 50-90 pull. With E85 thats a powerhouse and a half.

[CBoosT5]

Well the number and weight, makes sense now.. I just wish there was solid proof. Good kill.

[Jardim]

His thread (because....race car) is going to get pretty hot in the coming weeks. Can honestly say im exicted to see an automatic build.

[850wagonT5]

Really, you walked a 500whp mustang.. My buddy from a dig in his 3XX whp subie, just raced a 2011 v6 mustang with exhaust and chip making around 350whp and got spanked by like 3 cars. I dont no your build or what you did, but there is no way. If somehow in gods creating your volvo is just that crazy, especially with Look at me, I think I am witty, I would drive to where you live and shake your hand.

especially with auto tragic.**

Tell your buddy to sell the Subaru and give up racing.

I absolutely RAPED my friend's '11 V6 Mustang (Bama tune, 4.10's, full exhaust, decat) by buslengths on the highway. Absolutely no contest.

As for the GT500...if you're fixated on just horsepower, you have a lot to learn. That GT500 is just a hair shy of a 4,000 lb curb weight. That makes my car 1,000 lbs lighter. A little wheelspin off the line for the GT500 (street start, roughly 10 to 80mph, twice) was enough to put him behind me and he just didn't have the top end pull to reel me in.

With a VERY good trap speed of 114, you can bet it's probably closer to 110 with a crappy driver on the street. And that's easily striking distance for me.

Not sure what else to tell you...going by the numbers alone, it's not that hard to believe really. I've seen stranger wins in my time. And an auto means I never miss a shift.

2,950 lbs curb weight, 350 crank = 8.4 lbs/hp

3,950 lbs curb weight, 540 crank = 7.3 lbs/hp

...it really isn't that far off. Throw some wheel spin or a short shift into the mix and it goes either way.

His thread (because....race car) is going to get pretty hot in the coming weeks. Can honestly say im exicted to see an automatic build.

Thanks! Though, I'm not sure I'd call it a build really. Just replacing my tired block with a (hopefully) less tired stock block, adding an intercooler, and taking another ~100 lbs off the car. Oh, and the fluid coolers. But nothing extreme really. I'm honestly a little afraid, because I think I'm going to finally be at the point where I'm going to the you-pull-it yards on a monthly basis to buy transmissions. And that sorta bums me out. lol.

[mdlimy]

how about this, you guys take your jibber jabber to your own thread and stop clogging up this mans thread with your big penis egos, theres a racing thread just for this kind of stuff.