Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Teaser Shots
Jack and Mugil were at GT Auto and made my day sending me some teasing pixs of the Shark. Here's a couple..
Cusco Smart Cross Wrench
Those of you with aftermarket rims and lug nuts will know that the stock tyre removal wrench that comes with the Sentra is useless and won't fit aftermarket lug nuts such as my Rays. One will have to buy an aftermarket wrench to accomodate the new lug nuts else sit by the side of the road and call your (pls insert appropriate) towing service/friend/spouse/anyone when you have a puncture. From their experiene competing in rallies, Cusco has come up with an innovative lug nut removal tool called the Smart Cross Wrench and boy does it work wonders. The cross wrench actually comes in one piece so that it can be conveniently stored anywhere in the car and will fit 12 hex 17mm, 19mm or 21mm sized lug nuts. Weight is only 0.9kg. I ordered my Cusco Smart Cross Wrench from IRS Japan which took just a couple days to arrive in a nice tube shipping packaging.
Picture below of the Smart Cross Wrench in its own pack. There is only one variant but here's the part number anyway - 00B 060 A. Available in any colour so long it's Cusco blue.
Removing the wrench from its packaging also reveal a freebie Cusco sticker. Cusco claims the cross wrench is 100% made in Japan.
Picture below of the Smart Cross Wrench in its own pack. There is only one variant but here's the part number anyway - 00B 060 A. Available in any colour so long it's Cusco blue.
Removing the wrench from its packaging also reveal a freebie Cusco sticker. Cusco claims the cross wrench is 100% made in Japan.
Disassemble the cross wrench by sliding the inner chromed shaft from it's blue coloured outer sleeve. Cusco claims material used is chromed molybdenum (steel I presumed). Dimensions are 400mm X 400mm. Torque capability is 450 Nm.
Below's a picture of the cross wrench with my Rays Engineering Duralumin lug nut which uses the 19mm socket. The chromed shaft should go all the way through the blue shaft to form a "+" instead of a "T" in the picture for more leverage. More details on using the cross wrench can be found @ Cusco's website on the Smart Cross Wrench. You can even watch a video of it courtesy of RallySportDirect.com here.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Grooming Job
The Shark after a polish and grooming job. Thanks Bro Jack for the c*ck tease! Needs less ride heigh, wider stance and more camber. Hellaflush Yo! Just kidding :)
It's also been a long while since I did some detailing DIY and some of my Autoglym stuff have run out necessitating the purchase of a new batch.
It's also been a long while since I did some detailing DIY and some of my Autoglym stuff have run out necessitating the purchase of a new batch.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Thermal Management Part 1
As mentioned previously a turbocharged engine produces lots and lots of heat. Managing this heat is critical if the engine and its ancillaries are to produce the expected power yet last a long time. I have implemented several thermal management/control solutions on the Shark. Let's begin with a turbo blanket. The turbo blanket is basically a cover for the turbine section of the snail and provide the means of reducing turbo lag and more importantly as a heat barrier/shield to protect engine components and other parts in close proximity to the turbo. I settled for a Design Engineering (DEI) Titanium Turbo Shield turbo blanket.
DEI states that the Titanium Turbo Shield is made from pulverized volcanic rock then strained into a fiber material, Titanium Turbo Shields can withstand direct heat up to 1800 F (982.222 Celsius) and 2500 F (1371.111 Celsius) radiant heat. This means retaining more heat in the turbine and less damaging underhood (underbonnet) heat. The result is a cooler air intake temperature and a boost in horsepower! DEI also claims that Titanium Turbo Shield is stronger and more durable than other turbo blankets or shields, Titanium Turbo Shields include a hi-temp rated silica insulation padding under the tight outer layer for extra added protection against extreme turbo-generated heat.
Due to the size of the EFR6258 I was initially worried bout fitment issues as the EFR is larger than many a Garrett T25/T28 sized snail. Luckily the fit was perfect. The DEI Titanium Turbo Shield turbo blanket T25/T28 application is the same size anyway as the larger T3 application with the only difference being the flange area. You can get the dimensions here. Picture below of my Turbo Shield Kit, part number #010149.
The difference between the kit and Turbo Shield only is the kit includes a downpipe wrap (in the middle of the turbo blanket in the picture above) made of similar material. I should have settled for just the Turbo Shield/blanket as my downpipe is already ceramic coated. Anybody interested in the downpipe wrap? Picture below of the turbo + turbo blanket installed.
Closer up. Pardon the quality. Space is a premium down there and a dark work shop does not help. Dunno why but it is pretty dark and always rains whenever I visit GT Auto. As you can see the turbine is quite near the SPAL radiator fan hence any form of heat shielding helps. Pictures of snails glowing red hot under hard use are not exaggerated.
I was initially interested in an inlet manifold thermal spacer/gasket kit from Outlaw Engineering in the US. However it looks like Outlaw went out of biz while I procrastinated. Luckily MotoIQ led me to Sikky Manufacturing with a similar product called the Thermalnator. Thermalnator is a high temperature shielding gasket which replaces the stock intake manifold gasket. The inlet manifold thermal spacer/gasket's cooling properties reduce heat by stopping metal to metal contact between the intake manifold and the engine block thus reducing the heat of the air entering your engine and robbing horsepower. Sikky claims that this will enable the engine to make up to 5% more power. The basic formula for this is for every 5 degrees F increase in intake air temp, air density is reduced by 1%. The denser the air is, the better the gain in horsepower. Average testing has shown an 25 degrees F drop and up to 35 degrees in some applications. And most importantly Sikky has a Thermalnator application for the QG16/18. Part number of the QG18 Thermalnator is TN_037. Price is also pretty decent at US$ 49.95 not including shipping. Picture below of the QG16/18DE Thermalnator inlet manifold thermal gasket and diagram fro service manual showing where it fits.
I would like to thank Bro Peter for helping to transport the Thermalnator back from the States to Bolehland. Thanks Bro for all the effort and patience in locating the gasket despite the hotel misplacing it. Toby has installed the Thermalnator but I've yet to take any piccies. Going to be super tough for a decent pix as the inlet manifold and gasket is at a place in the engine bay where the sun don't shine.
DEI states that the Titanium Turbo Shield is made from pulverized volcanic rock then strained into a fiber material, Titanium Turbo Shields can withstand direct heat up to 1800 F (982.222 Celsius) and 2500 F (1371.111 Celsius) radiant heat. This means retaining more heat in the turbine and less damaging underhood (underbonnet) heat. The result is a cooler air intake temperature and a boost in horsepower! DEI also claims that Titanium Turbo Shield is stronger and more durable than other turbo blankets or shields, Titanium Turbo Shields include a hi-temp rated silica insulation padding under the tight outer layer for extra added protection against extreme turbo-generated heat.
Due to the size of the EFR6258 I was initially worried bout fitment issues as the EFR is larger than many a Garrett T25/T28 sized snail. Luckily the fit was perfect. The DEI Titanium Turbo Shield turbo blanket T25/T28 application is the same size anyway as the larger T3 application with the only difference being the flange area. You can get the dimensions here. Picture below of my Turbo Shield Kit, part number #010149.
The difference between the kit and Turbo Shield only is the kit includes a downpipe wrap (in the middle of the turbo blanket in the picture above) made of similar material. I should have settled for just the Turbo Shield/blanket as my downpipe is already ceramic coated. Anybody interested in the downpipe wrap? Picture below of the turbo + turbo blanket installed.
Closer up. Pardon the quality. Space is a premium down there and a dark work shop does not help. Dunno why but it is pretty dark and always rains whenever I visit GT Auto. As you can see the turbine is quite near the SPAL radiator fan hence any form of heat shielding helps. Pictures of snails glowing red hot under hard use are not exaggerated.
I was initially interested in an inlet manifold thermal spacer/gasket kit from Outlaw Engineering in the US. However it looks like Outlaw went out of biz while I procrastinated. Luckily MotoIQ led me to Sikky Manufacturing with a similar product called the Thermalnator. Thermalnator is a high temperature shielding gasket which replaces the stock intake manifold gasket. The inlet manifold thermal spacer/gasket's cooling properties reduce heat by stopping metal to metal contact between the intake manifold and the engine block thus reducing the heat of the air entering your engine and robbing horsepower. Sikky claims that this will enable the engine to make up to 5% more power. The basic formula for this is for every 5 degrees F increase in intake air temp, air density is reduced by 1%. The denser the air is, the better the gain in horsepower. Average testing has shown an 25 degrees F drop and up to 35 degrees in some applications. And most importantly Sikky has a Thermalnator application for the QG16/18. Part number of the QG18 Thermalnator is TN_037. Price is also pretty decent at US$ 49.95 not including shipping. Picture below of the QG16/18DE Thermalnator inlet manifold thermal gasket and diagram fro service manual showing where it fits.
I would like to thank Bro Peter for helping to transport the Thermalnator back from the States to Bolehland. Thanks Bro for all the effort and patience in locating the gasket despite the hotel misplacing it. Toby has installed the Thermalnator but I've yet to take any piccies. Going to be super tough for a decent pix as the inlet manifold and gasket is at a place in the engine bay where the sun don't shine.
Monday, November 12, 2012
My Dyno Charts
Here are my official dyno charts. Toby managed to squeeze another couple horsies for the final run. All power quoted is at the wheels. You can do the engine power translation assuming about 10-15% transmission loss.
1.3 bar boost pressure with methanol/water injection activated. Fuel is pumped 97 RON.
Without. The AEM methanol/water injection is adding approximately 11ps at the wheels.
"Only" 1 bar boost.
As mentioned previously the stock COP ignition is fully maxed out at only 1.3 bar of boost. Spark plugs are Denso Iridium Power IK22 which is equivalent to NGK heat range 7 or 1 heat range colder than what I was using on my stock engine. My original goal was 1.5 bar boost but since I already hit my horsepower goals with "only" 1.3 bar this will more than suffice at this point :) Plan is to upgrade the ignition to CDI with the Autronic 500R being a strong contender since I'm on the Autronic SM4 ECU. Other options include M&W or Sparktech.
1.3 bar boost pressure with methanol/water injection activated. Fuel is pumped 97 RON.
Without. The AEM methanol/water injection is adding approximately 11ps at the wheels.
"Only" 1 bar boost.
As mentioned previously the stock COP ignition is fully maxed out at only 1.3 bar of boost. Spark plugs are Denso Iridium Power IK22 which is equivalent to NGK heat range 7 or 1 heat range colder than what I was using on my stock engine. My original goal was 1.5 bar boost but since I already hit my horsepower goals with "only" 1.3 bar this will more than suffice at this point :) Plan is to upgrade the ignition to CDI with the Autronic 500R being a strong contender since I'm on the Autronic SM4 ECU. Other options include M&W or Sparktech.
Oil Change Progress Part 8
There has been progress made but due to personal issues (me mom's health has taken a down turn) I have barely had time to follow up let alone visit GT Auto. Finally did so last weekend and here's a brief summary on the progress and some set backs which have or are in process of being rectified.
The Recaro SR4 seats have been fitted. Car spent a couple of weeks at the installer and came back for the worse cosmetically. There were approximately 10 different scratches/marks all round the Shark. The installer blamed Toby/GT Auto. My car has been @ GT Auto for more than 6 months at this point and never noticed any scratches whenever I visited to check out the Shark so I will not comment further. The installer volunteered to fix the scratches for me but would you go back? I said I will fix the scratches myself and send them the bill but they refused. Despite getting attractive pricing/discount on my seats I will not recommend the Recaro MY distributor/installer to anyone. If you need to get some Recaros have it installed elsewhere please.
This means the Shark had to have its second paint job in two months and was just out of the oven when I arrived @ the paint shop to take a look at it. All the badging and Mine's wing were removed for the paint job and will have to be reapplied/reinstalled once the polish work is done. After 5 years I have also decided to have my Mine's Multi Select rear wing re-clearcoated. The clear coat was starting to fade especially on the end plates.
I asked the boss - Ms Lim BB of Mega Spray (shop is practically next door to GT Auto) how much it would cost to paint all of the Shark together with Glasurit clear coat and was quoted 3K+. Am solely tempted to do this at a latter date. Took some opportunities to snap some pictures but please pardon the quality as it was pretty dark in the shop with a major thunderstorm impending. I also barely had any space to take better angle pictures.
Me dash. No gear indicator problem has been resolved.
The dash has been configured on the Shark to display the following:
The Recaro SR4s. Too much flash from my old camera.
Better but still not quite alright. No budget for SLR la :(
Took a pix also of the driver side but it got screwed up by noise. Better pixs later I guess. The SR4 is basically the same seat fitted to the JDM Honda Integra Type R DC5. Fabric material is Velour Black with JDM red stiching at the sides.
Picture below of the engine bay. Mishimoto radiator + two 12" SPAL fans have been fitted. Will do a write up on the SPAL fans later. There is lots more clearance between the snail and radiator/fans now. Me old battery also decided to retire after many months of lack of usage and got replaced with a Panasonic equivalent. Maintenance free of course. Upgraded Kelford cams have not been installed and will go in next year when I upgrade the ignition. What else is new from the picture? Hint, it's something blue.
Guess it yet? Here's the story. The Shark threw a fit at its mistreatment and refused to start when it was back @ GT Auto after the seat installation. Apparently it already refused to start at the seat installer's but no one told Toby. After some tedious of troubleshooting Toby found out the culprit to be my Tomei Type S fuel pressure regulator. Apparently the diaphgram failed. The Tomei has done < 150km mileage at this point hence Toby is suspecting a fake. More to follow on this. Troubleshooting also took longer because I initially wanted to save some moolah and did not fit a fuel pressure sensor hence me AIM MXL Strada Icon dash could not display fuel pressure. Bummer! Learned my lesson and I've asked Toby to fit a fuel pressure sensor. I have replaced the fpr with a Turbosmart FPR-800. Close up picture of the Turbosmart fpr. The ghetto fpr mount bracket is making itchy for a carbon or aluminium upgrade.
The Turbosmart FPR-800 gets its name because it can flow enough fuel to support 800hp. Base pressure adjustment range is 30-70 PSI. Part number of the blue is TS-0401-1001. Black (1002) is also available which I wanted but Toby says too much black in my engine bay :P
Just a few ends to tie up then it's homecoming time. I know I've mentioned this previously before and I've learned hence won't commit to a date but it will be soon. Can't believe it's been 8 months!
The Recaro SR4 seats have been fitted. Car spent a couple of weeks at the installer and came back for the worse cosmetically. There were approximately 10 different scratches/marks all round the Shark. The installer blamed Toby/GT Auto. My car has been @ GT Auto for more than 6 months at this point and never noticed any scratches whenever I visited to check out the Shark so I will not comment further. The installer volunteered to fix the scratches for me but would you go back? I said I will fix the scratches myself and send them the bill but they refused. Despite getting attractive pricing/discount on my seats I will not recommend the Recaro MY distributor/installer to anyone. If you need to get some Recaros have it installed elsewhere please.
This means the Shark had to have its second paint job in two months and was just out of the oven when I arrived @ the paint shop to take a look at it. All the badging and Mine's wing were removed for the paint job and will have to be reapplied/reinstalled once the polish work is done. After 5 years I have also decided to have my Mine's Multi Select rear wing re-clearcoated. The clear coat was starting to fade especially on the end plates.
I asked the boss - Ms Lim BB of Mega Spray (shop is practically next door to GT Auto) how much it would cost to paint all of the Shark together with Glasurit clear coat and was quoted 3K+. Am solely tempted to do this at a latter date. Took some opportunities to snap some pictures but please pardon the quality as it was pretty dark in the shop with a major thunderstorm impending. I also barely had any space to take better angle pictures.
Me dash. No gear indicator problem has been resolved.
Closer up. The Beng blue backlighting can be independently turned on and off. Sorry the flash mucked everything up.
The dash has been configured on the Shark to display the following:
- Vehicle speed
- RPM
- Gear indicator
- Turbo boost pressure
- AFR
- Oil pressure
- Water temperature
- Odometer/mileage
- Trip
- Battery voltage
- Clock
The Recaro SR4s. Too much flash from my old camera.
Better but still not quite alright. No budget for SLR la :(
Took a pix also of the driver side but it got screwed up by noise. Better pixs later I guess. The SR4 is basically the same seat fitted to the JDM Honda Integra Type R DC5. Fabric material is Velour Black with JDM red stiching at the sides.
Picture below of the engine bay. Mishimoto radiator + two 12" SPAL fans have been fitted. Will do a write up on the SPAL fans later. There is lots more clearance between the snail and radiator/fans now. Me old battery also decided to retire after many months of lack of usage and got replaced with a Panasonic equivalent. Maintenance free of course. Upgraded Kelford cams have not been installed and will go in next year when I upgrade the ignition. What else is new from the picture? Hint, it's something blue.
The Turbosmart FPR-800 gets its name because it can flow enough fuel to support 800hp. Base pressure adjustment range is 30-70 PSI. Part number of the blue is TS-0401-1001. Black (1002) is also available which I wanted but Toby says too much black in my engine bay :P
Just a few ends to tie up then it's homecoming time. I know I've mentioned this previously before and I've learned hence won't commit to a date but it will be soon. Can't believe it's been 8 months!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Wilwood Ultralite HPS 32 Vane Brake Rotor
Wilwood only just recently came up with a 310mm diameter, 28mm thick (12.2" X 1.1") brake rotor option so I decided to bite the bullet to cure the juddering problems which I have been experiencing with the Coleman Racing brake rotors. Ordered a pair of Wilwood Ultralite HPS 32 Vane brake rotors from Brian of Fastbrakes. Part number is 160-12206 in the diameter, thickness and bell mounting bolt circle configuration (8 x 7.00") I want. Cost is pretty reasonable @ USD495 for two brake rotors including shipment. Unfortunately I got royally taxed by our dear Customs :( Tax for automotive parts is 43%. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Pictures below of the brake rotor. The rotor was supposed to be zinc plated to prevent corrosion and rust on brake pad unswept areas before shipping to me but Brian forgot. Yes, forgot! Sigh... Got refunded the zinc plating cost though (USD90 for both rotors).
There are 6 slots per rotor. The vanes are straight unlike the directional Colemans making it possible to use the same rotor on left or right hand mounting configurations. Weight is 13.6 lbs (6.18kg) per rotor without centre aluminium mounting hat/bell and fasterners. Technical drawing below of the Wilwood Ultralite HPS 32 Vane brake rotor
Picture below shows the straight non-directional vanes. As the name says there are 32 vanes.
Closeup.
Compare the vanes with the directional Coleman Racing brake rotor here. More to follow when I can find some time to install the Wilwood brake rotors. Am also undecided if I should paint the unswept areas with DIY high temperature spray paint.
Pictures below of the brake rotor. The rotor was supposed to be zinc plated to prevent corrosion and rust on brake pad unswept areas before shipping to me but Brian forgot. Yes, forgot! Sigh... Got refunded the zinc plating cost though (USD90 for both rotors).
There are 6 slots per rotor. The vanes are straight unlike the directional Colemans making it possible to use the same rotor on left or right hand mounting configurations. Weight is 13.6 lbs (6.18kg) per rotor without centre aluminium mounting hat/bell and fasterners. Technical drawing below of the Wilwood Ultralite HPS 32 Vane brake rotor
Picture below shows the straight non-directional vanes. As the name says there are 32 vanes.
Closeup.
Compare the vanes with the directional Coleman Racing brake rotor here. More to follow when I can find some time to install the Wilwood brake rotors. Am also undecided if I should paint the unswept areas with DIY high temperature spray paint.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)