So i decided to swing on by bandimere speedway tonight for their test and tune night. This was my first night at the track, and having no idea what i was doing I managed to get four runs in. It was hot as hell when i got there, and even when i left it was 75 degrees.

My times were:
14.163 @ 96.38
14.063 @ 97.42
13.730 @ 102.45
13.984 @ 101.04

are those times decent for the altitude and temperature? I ran with full interior.
Mods: K&N cone filter, MBC (17psi @ redline), and buschur dual exhaust.

I was getting kind of frustrated, I thought i would be doing mid 13's at least, even at bandimere. But i noticed that a lot of cars were running slower than i figured. My second run was against a stage 2 sti, and he was running low 14's all night. I saw an evo 9 mr run a 14.5, and a couple others running low 14's/high 13's. The fastest sti i saw ran a 12.8. Hell, i saw a 350z run low 15's.

My 60' times were usually around 1.9 - 2.0, so i can work on launching better. I can save a couple tenths that way.

Anyone else run at bandimere? Or elsewhere at high elevation? I'm guessing i'm running low 13's at sea level, anyone have a better guestimate?

08 Evo X

 

Oops, I thought you were stock. It's not bad for up here considering how heavy those things are. Believe me, there are modded VIIIs and IXs who have run worse with more mods. Good job!

I guess you didn't see me out there? It not only was warmer than normal, but there was a 17-20mph headwind. I was seeing 1.5-2mph slower traps as a result of the wind mainly, but my times were still in range thanks to slightly better 60's (was sticky when it first opened).

I have lots of info posted about runs at elevation compared with sea level, so take a look at my past threads.

 

I probably saw you there, what were your times? I saw quite a few IX's, but I didn't see that many run. Although i did get to see a IX vs IX race which was cool. (but the IX MR did a 14.5)

I'll take a look at your past threads to compare elevation times.

Did you see me? I was the only X running. (my car is blue) I saw a red X on the sidelines but it was stock and the owner was driving his mazdaspeed 6.

I'll be heading back next week after i make some changes. Hopefully i'll be in the low 13's when i fix my 60' times. All in all, i'm pretty happy with my car...considering i've only put about $800 into it so far.

 

Yes, I saw you run, and I saw a red X, but I guess he wasn't running. I saw your 14.1 @ 96, but not the 13s. I don't think the 102mph trap is too bad.

I ran 11.90 and 11.94 with some other 12.0s plus some botched runs on missed shifts. I was the only VIII MR - graphite grey and wingless (temporarily).

The Buschur exhaust is only about $600? Is it just a cat-back?

 

The buschur exhaust was about 800...and yes its a cat-back dual. It looks pretty much like the stock exhaust, which is what i wanted. Not a huge fan of fart canisters. Beyond that i've got a Home depot MBC, and a K&N cone filter...so technically I've spent $870.

I don't remember seeing your car, I saw a gray EVO with an excedy sticker on the side, but that was about it. I spent too much time chatting with the sti owners, they all came to say hi. None of the evo owners did though.

You going to go next week? last night was a lot of fun, i'm definetly going back next wednesday.

 

Yes, mine was the one with the Exedy sticker - graphite grey mr with no wing currently. Notice Exedy in the sig. I will be there Saturday for the import event and likely again next Wed.

Any reason you went with a homemade MBC instead of a nice one for $50-80? I imagine if you spend $800 on a cat-back, you wouldn't mind having a top quality MBC (or even EBC), yah?

 

Ok cool i did see your car. If I see you next week i'll be sure to swing by and say hi.

As for the home depot mbc...thats a long story.

when i got my boost gauge installed i got (what i thought was) a nice turboxs boost controller from trenz...but no matter which way i hooked it up my boost was still falling below 15psi at redline. I spent about two weeks trying to figure out what was wrong with my setup, until I finally decided to try out my home depot mbc from my mr2, and voilla...17psi at redline. Turns out i got the crappy turboxs boost controller with a needle-valve setup, not a ball and spring style. So it works for now, but i'll be replacing it soon. Haven't decided if i'm going to go with an electronic unit, or a mechanical one. I think an EBC is a waste at this point, the money's better spent on a intercooler or a flash-tune. I'll probably order a new mbc when i replace my intercooler and piping.

 

I don't think an FMIC would be any help at all at this point of your modding and boost levels. A good MBC would be easy to find/purchase, but I think IC pipes and a tune will be the most valuable mods next to finishing your exhaust.

We have specific Evo shops in the area. I would highly recommend NOT going to Trenz for anything related to your Evo. They are not an Evo shop, and the fact they'd sell you that MBC to begin with is a good indication of what they know about Evos.

We have good shops and tuners to use here locally, so be sure to stick with those. We also have 2 specific Evo sites for this area, so check those out.

 

Actually all the posts i've seen from the evo tuners talk about how much upgrading the intercooler helped. They were rather surprised, as was I. And i'd rather do the pipes and the IC at the same time. I suppose i could replace my cat with a high-flow instead, but most of the big tuners are saying the downpipe isn't really worth replacing. And i definitely need a tune, but i'd rather do it after i get the IC and a real intake, so i don't have to do it again. (mail in takes too long) Although i'm actually debating this right now, so if there is another reason to do the tune next i will. I saw Dynoflash's last video and an x with just a buschur exhaust and a tune was netting over 300 whp.

And trenz, while not an evo shop, had nothing to do with selling me the turboxs mbc, that was all my fault. I was just impatient, and they are right down the street. I prefer to just follow what ams/buschur are recommending, and do it myself.

 

On EvoTuners? Not that I've seen, and I'm the most active person there, but maybe you mean another site or just people who tune Evos? It may help a lot on the X - I haven't seen the data yet - but it was not a big help on VIIIs and IXs until running big boost. I didn't upgrade mine until after 3 years after many other mods, but it was a big help at 26+psi on E-85.

I concur with following the AMS/BR development plan, because they are finding what works best, so continue down that path for sure. It's ok to hold off on the tune if you plan to do an intake and IC stuff in the near future. Hopefully it doesn't require a mail-in flash, though.