I have been lurking for a long time and almost didn't pull the trigger, but WTH, 25k on the meter, 10 years on it, and finally enough time to do it. It won't be a track car but could be for a weekend or 2. It will have a bit less power than my truck (stage 3 F-250 612/1010) to save the transmission, and the goal is about 450-500whp and 380-400wtq, but with 40% of the mass!

Last week I just started buying stuff and now it is starting to show up: 850cc injectors, a turbo-back hi flow (catted) Invidia exhaust, dual BB TF06-18KX turbo, and a few other goodies to bring it all together. I am guessing I will need a bigger fuel pump, wideband 02, 3 port boost control (manual maybe?), and perhaps a larger intercooler if needed (22 x 12 x 4 - didn't make it on the truck), but to be honest, the intercooler is probably good enough for street use, especially if I ran a mister to it. I have a larger intake from my pile of truck parts that could be fit to the turbo if needed as well. The Tactrix is already here, but since there are no tuners within a 1,000 miles, I will need to add a few more pieces to allow for a remote tune or a self-tune, assuming I can piece all of the hints scattered across the web.

I realize that many have already moved on from this model to newer cars, but there should be a lot of good information available if one knows where to look. So, If anyone has some good advice on tried, tested, and in use mods that actually work, please chime in. If someone has ROM files that I could review from a similar build , please send them or post in this file for a 55580005 ECU 2010 Evo MR SST USDM.

I read a number of the how-to threads and they were great, except there were gaps in some areas, such as how to load the Mode 23 functions. As it turns out, and I could be wrong, the data has already been included in the latest XML files. Of course, I spent a day scratching my head wondering why EcuFlash kept crashing when I added the 05-23 code, or the latest and easiest way to enable the function was as simple as using the ]!

 

Thos injectors aren't big enough to make 450whp+ with that turbo as it will need E85 to hit those numbers.

Also, you're going to need clutches for the trans at that power level.

 

We don't have E85 in Canada, that is why I went for the smaller injectors. It is quite probable the power will be a bit lower than targeted and depending on how it turns out, I might go bigger at a late date. Stochastically it should work, but losses may not get it much over 400-420 whp. IIRC, the stock fuel system is good for about 400 bhp on pump gas, but needs more flow for higher HP, especially with ethanol. The clutches have always been on my mind, and I don't want to rebuild the transmission unless I have to; I did that with my truck as a precaution when the TqC broke, figuring since the tranny was coming off regardless, why not upgrade to a race transmission. But what I wasn't counting on was, 2 billet 800+hp TqC breaking before I got one that has lasted over 5 years now! With judicious use I suspect the SST will hold up reasonably well. Obviously I could trash the clutches in short order in the lower gears playing street light racer.

I guess I should have said my goal was to base my results on the grin on my face when I max out the TPS, call it my "grin-o-meter". Anyone that has driven my truck and puts the TPS to the floor always steps out with a big grin on his/her face!

 

The 18k is gonna make about 400whp on MR on pump gas. The injectors will be fine. The clutches will be at about the limit.

 

Clutches will be just fine with the 18k if it gets tuned properly

 

At around 400-420whp, sure.

 

It is apart! Many of the bolts and nuts were easy, but were way over the expected torque to remove. I was surprised at how restrictive and awkward it was to reach some of the fasteners! Now on to the tough ones, there were a number of bolts that took over 200 lb-ft to crack loose even after a day or 2 of penetrating oil. Of course there were 2 bolts that took the better part of an afternoon to finally reach and crack them loose. The 2nd last one was the drivers side down-pipe where I finally flipped the turbo upside down and used a 4 lb hammer on the wrench to crack the nut. I gave up on the driver's turbo mount that requires a special tool and just pried it out of the way.

The Invidia catted down-pipe still needs another bung welded in for the wide-band 02. It looks great, but I will have to come up with a wiring protection plan for the catted 02 bung since there are no shields or cable hangers. As well, the rear hanger of the catted down-pipe will require some work to make it attach to the stock hanger (bolt on versus angled very short rod). For a $500 forward section, I would have expected a better attachment point from Invidia. By comparison, the Mirage Power (GodSnow) Cat-back dual exhaust ($300) fit perfectly and is very nice! I am extremely happy with it as I took a chance on that purchase.

Tomorrow the turbo and exhaust should be operational with the wide-band sensor installed. As well, I will probably service the SST dual clutch while the drains and fill points are accessible. I am still waiting on the GrimmSpeed boost controller and AEM boost gauge, but I should be able to start logging to come up with a tune that should work with turbo now. I want to get a good base file before the 850 injectors go in.

 

If your going to do anything other than street driving or 1/4 mile racing, you will need to upgrade the SST cooling. Yes you do need a bigger fuel pump for that turbo & goals.

 

Even street driving, a heated/cooled sump like the SSP or dodson (I lean towards the dodson, very nice piece) should absolutely be on the list.

 

Sometimes when things look like they will be simple, they aren't! All of the fancy braided line in the kit was almost useless as the original lines work better and give a cleaner install. The braided oil supply with banjos was the only improvement. Now, how did the oil drain pipe get stretched so much, or was it put in under tension? What a PITA to get the turbo wedged back into the attachment points. Today I saw the Autometer video with similar issues. A new drain hose would have been the best piece to include in the turbo install kit! I am doing this alone, so when I needed a 3rd or 4th hand it made life difficult! It took over 2 hrs to finally get on the first bolt. It took less time to get the second one in, after prying the holes close together. Of course this all happens after helping my neighbour. His chainsaw would not start and he needed me to cut down 3 tree branches at the top end of his ladder - he is afraid of heights, but I am using his hoist.

So today I am running behind as life sometimes throws a curve your way. Today I was all set to weld the bung on the down-pipe, but my TIG decided it would throw a code, so no welder until it gets fixed. Off to the light-duty MIG, no SS wire, the regulator has to be swapped out, and I only have argon. Call a few shops, but get "next week maybe." Drive into the city to get some SS wire and come back. The MIG and Argon was borderline bad, so I practiced a bit. Let's just say this weld was probably the worst one I have done! I tigged a full exhaust for my truck that looked great, but I have a problem with a 1" bung.

Note the compressor housing, Specifically the lack of bevel for the larger compressor wheel. This is the ceramic Ball Bearing turbo. The KX spins significantly easier than stock with the finger test (not a true test, but it make you feel good to spin it).



Note the turbine size difference. A larger STS turbine can actually spool a larger compressor wheel quicker.



Next project to get in the way today - trench a friend's yard with a Ditch-Witch for an electrical run and fix his automatic entry gate controller. A few bolts here and a few bolts there and finally, the bottom is all installed (less the plastic), with the new exhaust in place. All of the shields are in place and I am hoping to never have to reach for those bolts again! Did I say his Kubota tractor quit and needs the battery charged, but it is too far away to run power to it.

Tomorrow, all I need is 2 hours or less! I hope....

Here is the exhaust from the bottom. Shiny! Wideband bung is on the drivers side literally right under the front U-joint at about the 10 O clock position. The lead is run through the access for the drain on the driver's floorboard. After the photo was taken I added a wire support and heat-shield for the CAT O2.



This is how the turbo is set up. You can insert/remove the studs (square tops) so you can remove or install the manifold without having to free up the turbo! I ended up using only 2 studs and 2 bolts for convenience. This came in handy when I dropped a few nuts that required a search that included removing the manifold to find them. It also made it much easier to secure the O2 housing and turbo brackets.




Sounds good, a bit quieter than expected, and no codes so far.

 

Pictures added to the previous post. You can see where I welded the bung for the Wideband O2 just before the pipe sweeps up to the engine bay.

 

Oooof, I thought you meant mhi18k this whole time...

 

Both turbos have the same wheels and similar specifications. I opted for the Kinugawa because I wanted the ceramic ball-bearings for the faster initial spool. The Subaru crowd, Aussies, and a few other Evo Xs have had good results and longevity, plus it was nice to get the price break on it with shipping to me in Canada.

 

A few things to mention:

1.) STS is the Kinugawa technology name for the turbine design only, not the compressor.
2.) You cannot spin a journal bearing turbo by hand and get any representation of its performance because that type of bearing doesn't work without oil pressure.
3.) Please tell me that O2 sensor wire isn't going to be the LOWEST thing hanging under the car.
4.) What "square top" studs are you referring to?
5.) Make sure you use OEM manifold to turbo bolts and OEM belleville washers (in pairs correctly oriented - 8 total). Otherwise you WILL have issues.

 

1. Yes, STS turbine side only.
2.Yes, a finger spin isn't a "true test'; however, I have used both bearing types on the same spec turbo on my truck, and there is a very noticeable spool advantage to the ceramic BB. One thing that did come up in testing and street/comp use was the BB turbo did have a higher failure rate during longevity testing. some may have been overspun or stalled due to no BOVs or wastegates in these particular applications.
3.Remember when I said Invidia had a few design flaws in the catted down-pipe, well this was one of them, no O2 wire hanger/heat shield.Yes, many have removed this O2 sensor, but the pipe was designed for the sensor to be installed As I said above, the photo was taken before I made one. The wire sits pretty close to the original position.
4. The studs have a slim 7mm square top for a small wrench or a sharp edged 12pt socket. As you may have seen, other manufacturers use different methods, or nothing.


5. Of course, the OEM spring washers are to be used/reused for this application. This isn't my first vehicular rodeo.

Now onto other things; It is too bad I waited so long to do this as many of the links, photos, and videos and long gone! It has been a bit of a treasure hunt trying to find all of the bits a pieces in the tuning section. Some files have been superseded or updated, which is great, but some of the how-to portions of the discussion relate to the first file or process, not the updated one.