Member Profile - Manaz

[Newbie GT]

Thanks for info Robert. Foes it affect current tune and or require a retune ?

[Manaz]

Thanks for info Robert. Foes it affect current tune and or require a retune ?

No impact on the tune - this is before the MAF, and it's the MAF that measures how much air is entering the engine. How the air gets there is largely not of a concern.

[owen]

Thanks for info Robert. Foes it affect current tune and or require a retune ?

No impact on the tune - this is before the MAF, and it's the MAF that measures how much air is entering the engine. How the air gets there is largely not of a concern.

Good post. The only time any sort of intake would make a big impact on your tune would be if you changed your intake/maf pipe diameter.

[bass_straitener]

A little misinformation with the last couple of posts.

A retune via a change in MAF scaling is required at anytime the volume of air moving past the MAF sensor is changed.

This could be via the use of a freer flowing filter in the form of a pod filter, increase in the intake diameter or both.

[Manaz]

bass_straitener: That's interesting, I thought the MAF scaling was based on the amount of air that could pass through the MAF (limited largely by the cross-sectional area of the MAF housing). Good to learn something new.

I changed the front O2 sensor (the air/fuel ratio sensor) on the weekend.

The process is fairy simple:

* Start with a cold engine/exhaust.
* Remove the airbox
* Remove the sensor connector (it sits right beside the airbox).
* Jack the car up (get it onto stands)
* Remove the right front wheel
* Drop the under-tray, and you'll get access to the sensor in the wheel arch
* Put a deep 22mm socket (or better yet if you can get one, a dedicated O2 sensor socket) over the end of it, and start swearing, because you've got bugger all room to move, and the thing's in tight. At this point, I used some WD40 on it to try loosen it a bit, and gently tapped on it with a hammer (tapped it sideways *gently*, to loosen it up). It came out pretty easy at that point.
* Grab your new sensor ($580 from a local dealer, or $130 delivered from the US courtesy of eBay - for the 4Gen 2.5L GT, this is the one you want: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DENSO-234-90 ... 1355995551). I hope you ordered it in advance
* Put anti-seize onto the thread of the sensor (being very careful not to get any on the tip of the sensor, as it can impact readings if you do).
* Install the sensor into the hole, and tighten.
* Connect the sensor wire to the connector.
* Put the airbox back in place
* Start car, clear any codes (I had codes from where I turned the ignition on without the MAF attached)
* Go for a drive, marveling at the difference a new sensor makes (and wondering how in hell's name Subaru justify charging $580 for this thing).

Before I changed the sensor, the car was incredibly sluggish (particularly in "I" mode) until it switched over from closed loop to open loop, and was using a lot of fuel (15L/100km or higher). The car is now much more responsive on partial throttle, the transition from closed to open look doesn't feel like an engine change (seriously, it was horrible before), and fuel usage on the current tank of fuel is already dropping (and I'm 200km into the tank, so changes are slow to register).

I've got a new tune revision to load, and will be doing some logging of the O2 sensor readings to be sure it's behaving itself. I'm also going to give the MAF a clean (I figure for the cost of a can of contact cleaner, I can't really lose too much here).

Next changes are likely going to be the turbo (I've had a stupidly good offer for ceramic coating the hot side of the VF52), and I suspect I have an exhaust leak (very strong smell of exhaust gas when the front passenger door is open), so I'm going to take the opportunity to install a new dump pipe. Now to decide which one to get...

[Manaz]

From the advice I've received, the Invidia dump is the best to suit the 5EAT post-FL GT Spec.B. So I'll be heading down that route.

Considering getting it ceramic coated along with the hot side of the turbo (much the same as Jackson did with his dump), as I figure the more heat I can keep in the exhaust, the less will be radiating into my gearbox (given how tight the dump is to the auto box).

I have brakes coming too...

[shav]

From the advice I've received, the Invidia dump is the best to suit the 5EAT post-FL GT Spec.B. So I'll be heading down that route.

Considering getting it ceramic coated along with the hot side of the turbo (much the same as Jackson did with his dump), as I figure the more heat I can keep in the exhaust, the less will be radiating into my gearbox (given how tight the dump is to the auto box).

I have brakes coming too...

Thats a good idea. I too am going to be running the Invidia dump. Alternatively you could heat wrap the dump around the cat or the entire dump to reduce the heat. Ceramic coating is nicer to look at though.

[Manaz]

Thats a good idea. I too am going to be running the Invidia dump. Alternatively you could heat wrap the dump around the cat or the entire dump to reduce the heat. Ceramic coating is nicer to look at though.

Ceramic coating is also maintenance-free, and it will give me more clearance between downpipe and gearbox than wrapping would - and as I understand it, things are already pretty tight under there...

[shav]

Thats a good idea. I too am going to be running the Invidia dump. Alternatively you could heat wrap the dump around the cat or the entire dump to reduce the heat. Ceramic coating is nicer to look at though.

Ceramic coating is also maintenance-free, and it will give me more clearance between downpipe and gearbox than wrapping would - and as I understand it, things are already pretty tight under there...

yeah thats what I hear too. Who are you getting yours done through and how much is it?

EDIT: Have you seen this stuff?
http://www.zircotec.com.au/zircoflex.htm

[Manaz]

Who are you getting yours done through and how much is it?

I looked at these guys for doing the hot-side of the turbo - they want $143 inc GST for that in their stock product, or $165 inc GST for their higher temp rated product (that also gives me more control of the colour). I haven't asked them for a quote on the downpipe yet, but I expect it will be more expensive due to more surface area.

PSR said they can get the downpipe coated for $350, but they haven't mentioned any detail of what product that's with.

EDIT: Have you seen this stuff?
http://www.zircotec.com.au/zircoflex.htm

Nope, I hadn't seen that. I'm not sure how well it'd work on an downpipe given the complex shape of it.

[alexeiwoody]

I'd ask a good performance exhaust shop to give you a quote for the dump. The specialists they send it to down here charge $30/foot of exhaust, inside and out.

Wrap will be fine in terms of fitment. There is plenty of room in there for wrap (assuming invidia didn't do something strange with their design).

Probably the biggest benefit to the heat retention is the longer lasting RHD cv boot. Everything else is hardly applicable, unless you're planning to track the lib...with the detail you're going into, it sometimes sounds like you are?

[Manaz]

I'd ask a good performance exhaust shop to give you a quote for the dump. The specialists they send it to down here charge $30/foot of exhaust, inside and out.

Wrap will be fine in terms of fitment. There is plenty of room in there for wrap (assuming invidia didn't do something strange with their design).

Probably the biggest benefit to the heat retention is the longer lasting RHD cv boot. Everything else is hardly applicable, unless you're planning to track the lib...with the detail you're going into, it sometimes sounds like you are?

Thanks I'll try an exhaust shop or two, as well as the guys down at Performance Coating.

As I understand it, the Invidia dump pipe on the auto get VERY close to the auto gearbox (the cat is up high on it, sitting almost vertically, not down near the end as it is on XForce dumps) - not quite touching, but by the time you add a layer of wrap, it'd be tighter than I'd be comfortable with, and I think over time you'd see frictional wear on the wrap.

See this thread for pics of one of the Invida dumps on an MY08 with the 5EAT: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=25306

Keeping the heat in the exhaust longer has two main benefits - exhaust gases will flow faster if they're hotter (as they have a larger volume, and have to fit down the same sized pipe), and as you noted, if you keep the heat inside the exhaust, then it won't be impacting things outside the exhaust. If I can achieve a drop in temps in the engine bay, that can only be a good thing for the TMIC, and heat is the enemy of other things like CV joint boots as you noted, as well as automatic gearboxes (what I may do is see how well the Zircotec product can be stuck to the gearbox next to the exhaust pipe, to keep temps in there even lower).

Tracking the car is something I would like to do semi-regularly. I missed last year's Marulan track day (organised by Rome) due to issues that came up at the last minute, but the plan is to do 2-3 track days this year, and yes, I'd like the car to cope as well as possible with that.

[shav]

I'd ask a good performance exhaust shop to give you a quote for the dump. The specialists they send it to down here charge $30/foot of exhaust, inside and out.

Wrap will be fine in terms of fitment. There is plenty of room in there for wrap (assuming invidia didn't do something strange with their design).

Probably the biggest benefit to the heat retention is the longer lasting RHD cv boot. Everything else is hardly applicable, unless you're planning to track the lib...with the detail you're going into, it sometimes sounds like you are?

Thanks I'll try an exhaust shop or two, as well as the guys down at Performance Coating.

As I understand it, the Invidia dump pipe on the auto get VERY close to the auto gearbox (the cat is up high on it, sitting almost vertically, not down near the end as it is on XForce dumps) - not quite touching, but by the time you add a layer of wrap, it'd be tighter than I'd be comfortable with, and I think over time you'd see frictional wear on the wrap.

See this thread for pics of one of the Invida dumps on an MY08 with the 5EAT: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=25306

Keeping the heat in the exhaust longer has two main benefits - exhaust gases will flow faster if they're hotter (as they have a larger volume, and have to fit down the same sized pipe), and as you noted, if you keep the heat inside the exhaust, then it won't be impacting things outside the exhaust. If I can achieve a drop in temps in the engine bay, that can only be a good thing for the TMIC, and heat is the enemy of other things like CV joint boots as you noted, as well as automatic gearboxes (what I may do is see how well the Zircotec product can be stuck to the gearbox next to the exhaust pipe, to keep temps in there even lower).

Tracking the car is something I would like to do semi-regularly. I missed last year's Marulan track day (organised by Rome) due to issues that came up at the last minute, but the plan is to do 2-3 track days this year, and yes, I'd like the car to cope as well as possible with that.

Thats a good idea Rob. Initially I was thinking zircotec wrapping the dump only with the self adhesive type of wrap, but never thought of wrapping the gearbox. As long as it stays on the gearbox and doesnt work itself loose or off, then I reckon that would be just as good as wrapping the dump and less wrap wastage.

[Manaz]

Thats a good idea Rob. Initially I was thinking zircotec wrapping the dump only with the self adhesive type of wrap, but never thought of wrapping the gearbox. As long as it stays on the gearbox and doesnt work itself loose or off, then I reckon that would be just as good as wrapping the dump and less wrap wastage.

I'd never wrap the gearbox entirely (or even close to it) - but if Zircotec product blocks heat in both directions, I wonder if a piece of it stuck to the side of the gearbox adjacent to the downpipe mightn't reflect heat from the exhaust away from the box.

[shav]

Thats a good idea Rob. Initially I was thinking zircotec wrapping the dump only with the self adhesive type of wrap, but never thought of wrapping the gearbox. As long as it stays on the gearbox and doesnt work itself loose or off, then I reckon that would be just as good as wrapping the dump and less wrap wastage.

I'd never wrap the gearbox entirely (or even close to it) - but if Zircotec product blocks heat in both directions, I wonder if a piece of it stuck to the side of the gearbox adjacent to the downpipe mightn't reflect heat from the exhaust away from the box.

no, I was never under the impression of wrapping the box entirely either. Just to the hot side of the box. But going by the other thread, senator mentioned it could cause an issue and be a detriment to the auto box. Protection of the box and cv boots are of the main concern here. Doing it well and inexpensive are also the issue.