Hiboost

iTrader: (9)

If you are limited to no boost changes or increases then you should be able to get MUCH more aggressive with the pieces that you can change.

Usually when I tune the Evo X's a good chunk of the HP gains are from changing the boost curve and it's definitely the easiest HP you can get. The difference from 22 psi tapering to 13 psi versus 25 psi tapering to 18 psi is significant.

Still there is no reason you can't dial the car in for consistant 11.3-11.5 AFR's, more aggressive timing, and more aggressive MIVEC if you are limiting the tune to a lower "stock" boost table. Obviously you would have to tune on the dyno to establish what is safe on pump gas, but easily 2-3* of timing could be dialed in if you are running 3-5 psi less boost. MIVEC changes on the stock turbo are mostly going to give you a wider power band by spooling the turbo a good 300 rpm's sooner but you can tweak another 5-10 HP if you spend another hour dialing in the perfect intake and exhaust settings based on the your specific car with is specific set of mods.

Hopefully you can find someone that can really dial in the car, there should be no reason you barely made any gains over the stock setup.

getsideways

iTrader: (18)

People at the national level are running smaller diameter wastegate outlets on the downpipe to force boost change which is perfectly legal which on your divorced DP would be very easy to do, Some will preload the actuator another turn or two which isnt legal but cant really prove its been done.

Im glad i dont do serious autox i hate all the games you have to play to be competitive at a high level.

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

Once you get an Accessport device you can get it Protuned to whatever you want. You're not stuck at just 24psi. The Accessport device just makes it easier to switch maps, monitor boost, afr, knock, etc.

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

At the end of the day though for the STU class, power isn't the biggest factor. It's being limited to the 245 width tires, weight, and handling. The Evo VIII-IX and STi's average around 3100 to 3250lbs, where as the X I've only seen get to around mid 3300's. Get the weight down to as low as you can, get AST 5200's or Ohlins, and get either Dunlop Star specs or Hankook RS3's and work on getting the car to do what you need it to.

Trying seeing if you can find Geoff Clark or Brandon Ranvek, this past year's STU National Champion and 3rd place finisher for more set up advice.

Construct

iTrader: (4)

If the FQ-360 has a bigger/different turbo then you can't draw any comparisons based on boost pressure alone. A bigger turbo will typically be more efficient and therefore put out colder, more dense air. So 10.3psi from a bigger turbo can actually be more air and allow more aggressive timing than 10.3+1.5 psi from your smaller turbo. If the FQ-360 has additional changes that increase airflow (cams, porting, etc) then the boost numbers will be even less comparable.

Remember, boost is just a measure of pressure. What really matters is the mass of air entering the engine and the temperature of the air.

If you're feeling better low-end grunt, then you're right on track. Given your relatively high baseline power measurements, I'm not convinced there's a whole lot more to be gained. Your best bet, though, is to talk to one of the reputable tune-by-email tuners on this forum and get their input. They'll be able to let you know whether or not they can squeeze any more power out of your tune.


You may be reaching the point of diminishing returns. An extra 20WHP isn't actually going to make that much of a difference on the autocross track. Do you have your alignment sorted out? Have you looked into suspension mods? You'll reap far more benefits on the suspension side of things than you're going to gain by pushing the tune to the limit at this point.

BluEvo210

It's the standard turbocharger. They don't replace the turbo unless you pay for an FQ-400.

My alignment has more camber in the front than in the rear, and zero toe. I thought about looking into some camber plates to make it more adjustable, but I think the first alignment left some room for improvement. Who does good alignments in the Florida panhandle?

I have a Whiteline adjustable rear swaybar, and it noticeably affected the ride. This car is a daily driver, first and foremost, so going any stiffer sounds like a bad idea to me. I might be interested in some adjustable dampers, but does anybody sell that for the Evo X?

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

If you're a GSR on the stock struts, then going to a AST or Ohlins coilover is actually a improvement on ride feel (to me at least, I'm on Ohlins). The dampers are valved so much better that they can handle the increase in spring rates. (We're talking about high quality stuff here not cheap coilovers). I think a lot of people who buy coilovers don't set it up right and it feels harsh or stiff. If you set up the rebound, compression, align, and corner balance it the car will feel amazing.

As far as alignment goes, if you're not nearing -3 camber front and -1.7 rear then you're probably not set up enough.

Mark Daddio's alignment set up in his National Championship winning RS was like -2.5 degrees in front with 1/8inch toe-out, -1.7 degrees rear with 0 toe.
Andy Lieber runs -2.8 negative camber in front, not sure on his rear. Both guys have won multiple National Championships though.

simulatedwood

I am Right @ 280hp and 280 tq on a mustang dyno, on a Evo X STU tune with unaltered boost table, 285 is a good tune for pump gas. If you are looking for more, switch over to e85, great gains to be had by doing this. Toothy (Brandon Ranveck) and I use the same tuner, switched Brandon over to e85 (this on all stock fuel system) and he gained some really nice torque numbers on the bottom end and faster spool. This is what you really want on the anyways in Auto-x with a heavier car.

BluEvo210

You mean a smaller pipe for the wastegate? Or something like a washer inserted to obstruct the flow?

I can relate. I'm willing to make certain sacrifices and spend a certain amount of money, but this car is a daily driver first and foremost. Keeping the stock boost tables doesn't bother me, since I'm pretty sure that makes a difference in the life of the engine. (I'm the kind of guy that has to try a car for 5 or 10 years to decided if I like it or not.) If I start seeing national-level games at my region, I won't play along. Spending $3000+ on coilovers may make sense for competition purposes, but the stock suspension is already on the stiff side for my taste, and I have to keep it where I can ride coworkers in my car...more than once. For that matter, I might even have a girlfriend one day...

I may never compete at the National level, but at my local region my car did get Fastest Time of the Day at the Dec 11th event.

...Just not with me driving.

It may have been a fluke, resulting from cold pavement where my Treadwear 300 tires weren't a disadvantage. Regardless, I'm trying to do what I can that won't interfere with my car being a daily driver. Whatever won't make it ride any rougher, or wear out my engine prematurely.

I hope I get a job before my current tires wear out! I'd love to have stickier tires one day, and be competitive in warm weather.

Construct

iTrader: (4)

Well, at least you discovered that driver skill, not the car, is the single biggest variable in your performance before dropping a lot of money on the car.

If you want to compete, then your spending priorities should be (roughly):

1. Attending events
2. Good tires
3. Alignment
4. Suspension
5. Power

When it comes to AutoX times, your returns diminish very quickly as you move down that list. Going to as many events as possible is key. More importantly, befriend the fast drivers and have them ride along and drive your car every once in a while.

Consider picking up a GoPro or other camera so you can record and review your runs.

BluEvo210

In fact, that's what I've told myself since 1997, when I was autcrossing a 1.4L Datsun wagon.
I also brought it up when I was at an event in Wilmington, my Evo was still stock, and I was faster than the Evo X that was running in Street Modified with huge tires. Tuned driver > tuned car.


I agree, but variable number 5 was the only one I hadn't addressed when I started this thread. It's also the easiest for many tuners. Electronic tuning is now less of a mystery to me, and I think I want to plug in my laptop to my ECU and see what the shop did.

...and when I figure out how to stamp a signature on my posts it will include:
"Autocross: It's not for tuners that use boost as a crutch."

BluEvo210

Still looking for clarification on how to do this...whether it's a washer or other restriction inserted in the pipe, or actually a smaller pipe.

My divorced and transformable downpipe is leaking at the "transformable" part. Not at the flange, but at the bottom of the wastegate pipe where it's clamped in place. A muffler shop listened with a stethoscope and determined it's leaking at a gap on one side of the clamp. Tightening the clamp helped, but I'm still getting stinky exhaust fumes in the cabin.

When this leak is fixed (possibly by welding), the solution will be very final. So, if I'm going to restrict the wastegate outlet, I'll have that done at the same time. Probably this coming Friday or Saturday.

BluEvo210

I think I posted this in the right place. I'm getting fairly helpful answers here.

When I talk to someone about it in person (in the South), I hear "Is anyone checking the cars' software?", "How would you get caught?" and, "Everyone is probably cheating."

F***ing NASCAR mentality...

Construct

iTrader: (4)

Obstructing the wastegate outlet would require some creativity. Obstruction in the pipe, smaller pipe in the wastegate segment, etc. would all accomplish the same thing. The problem is that it's going to require some trial-and-error to find the sweet spot for your setup. If you obstruct it too much (an easy line to cross) then you're going to run into serious boost creep problems if you ever build boost in higher gears. Obstruct it too little and you probably won't notice much at all.

You won't find any guidelines on how much to obstruct the outlet on the internet. I'm willing to bet that the number of people who have tried this trick on an Evo X is very, very small. Furthermore, they probably spent a lot of time tweaking, measuring, etc in order to gain their edge, and they're not likely to share the secret formula.

Honestly, I'd steer clear of the obstructed wastegate trick unless you're willing to go through several cycles of fabrication, assembly, testing, disassembly, and tweaking. The additional boost isn't going to make that much of a difference at an AutoX.

ViciousLSD

iTrader: (2)

I think you can just use a sleeve with holes or 'half pipe' you can adjust or turn the whole thing to 'tune'