Ok guys... I've been thinking about possibly taking my car to the "next level".

Here is all the important info on the car:

1987 RX-7 TII
52k original miles (original motor, but in good shape)
Apexi Super AFC
HKS F-CON (normal chip in it right now, but I have the sport turbo chip for it as well)
HKS EVC-EZ (set to run @ 10psi)
FD Fuel Pump
Racing Beat FCD
Racing Beat Downpipe
High-Flow Cat
HKS Cat-Back
K&N FIPK (Cone)

Car has dynoed as high as 218.7 and as low as 207 @ rear wheels with this setup. (207 was WAY rich)

Currently I have a "weird" issue with the car... kinda seems like a rich mis-fire... but could be detonation. I'm going to pull the fuel injectors pretty soon and find out :-) While I have them out I was planning on upgrading to 720cc secondaries.

My goal is to have about ~280 rwhp, without going crazy on the car. I want air conditioning and I want to legally pass emisssions. (Seriously, I don't like smelling my own car) Also I HATE (and I mean, seriously HATE) turbo lag, it sucks! (So I want as little lag as possible)

From the research that I've done it looks like the HKS Sport Turbo would be about what I'm looking for: emissions legal, and it doesn't require anything "crazy" be done to the car. The problem with the sport turbo kit is that it is about $3000 without the intercooler.

I've found that the HKS Sport Turbo is a TO4E Turbo... so I went to Turbonetic's web site and found that they have TO4E turbo's for ~$750, and for an additional $550 I can go ceramic / ball bearing.... which I would probably do. The problem with that is that I need a turbo setup that will fit in the stock location and without having to relocate the airpump. Some how HKS has managed to get a manifold / turbo that fits in there. (It looks like HKS uses an internal wastegate) Does anyone know if you can retain the factory air pump with a regular T04E?

Also, if I were to "go big" I know that I would also need an intercooler, and all the intercoolers that I have found require that the radiator support needs to be cut away. Does anyone know what IC requires the least modification to the car?

Another consideration is fuel, will I be able to support ~280hp with 550cc primarys and 720cc secondaries? I'm thinking that I could probably pull it off if I purchased a boost dependant FPR. (anyone know for sure?)

Ok, so I think you guys can kinda see where I'm going here... I want a street legal (yes, LEGAL) car with as little lag as possible, making ~280hp, and I want to keep the car as close to "factory" as possible. My car is in good condition and I don't really like the idea of cutting on it or doing anything "tramatic" to it.

Any ideas / suggestions / ect... is welcome

Thanks,

 

Correct me if I'm wrong people, but the OEM turbo & intercooler can support 280HP. That's at about 10-12PSI which is all you want to push with the stock setup.

Didn't see any gagues in that list. Do you have any way to tell if your running lean, air/fuel ratios, exhaust temp, coolant temp?

 

gee, I guess Brian got sick of everyone else passing him by? LOL Just kidding, Brian.

OK, as far as fuel supply, check this link. http://www.rx7.com/cgi-local/2ndgencalc.cgi If it doesn't work, go to www.rx7.com and go to 2nd gen catalog, fuel mods, and then fuel calculator.

According to their site, stock primaries, and 720cc secondaries are only good for 212 HP. However, you're running the FCON, so your suty cycle can run up as high as (I think) 80%. In this case, you're good for 292. Bear in mind that this is FLYWHEEL HP.

I ran those same injectors in my car less than a year ago, with the FCON with a hybrid turbo consisting of the 89+ rear section and a 60-1 HiFi comp wheel. My fuel pump was rewired to a constant 12V. According to my A/F gauge, I never ran lean. YMMV. Pulling your injectors and having them cleaned is definitely a good idea.

As far as your intercooler concerns go, I don't believe that you HAVE to use a front mount (other than peace of mind and efficiency). For example, BDC uses a top mount with his 60-1 HiFi setup. I would think that you could simply clock the comp housing so that it points up like the stock one does, and run your stock intercooler. You'll still be limited to about 10 psi, however, 10 psi from a full TO4E will provided a bit more power than the same from your stock unit.

Also, if you use your stock mount, there will be NO cutting involved, which seems to be one of your concerns.

Another "hidden" cost will be the fact that you will need a custom DP if you go with a full turbo upgrade. (Unless you get the HKS unit, which MIGHT be able to utilize the stock one.

I hope this helps, Brian. Are you planning on doing the work, or turning it over to Charlie? If you decide to DIY, I'd be more than happy to give you a hand. Just let me know. Also, if you have any other ideas you need to bounce around, give me a call or shoot me an email.

Later,

reese

 

brian, i see you have the fipk cone intake. i was thinking about buying that. i was wondering if you can give me a little info about it. does it come with a cold air box? and was there a noticable power gain? cuz i am now thinking about a HKS Powerflow.

 

No, you really don't want to push that kind of power through the stock setup. I believe that it MIGHT could do 280hp @ the motor, but that is an absolute max. The 280hp I was refering to was at the wheels. I'm currently a little over 200 @ wheels, (~250 at the motor).

I'm currently running 10psi, and I won't go higher until I have a better I/C to handle it.

Gauges- I have an air / fuel, and I have a boost gauge. Tuning will be done on the dyno with a wideband O2.... I don't have a coolant temp gauge because the 86-88 temp gauges don't have the resistor. (So you can tell if the temps start getting hot)

Take care,

 

Ok for the Turbo if you only want to push 280 go with k2rd upgraded turbo. This turbo has an upgraded compressor and other stuff and its perfect for what you want.

You should upgrade your intercooler to a larger top mount or a small front mount. If you dont want to relocate anything then a top mount would be best for you even though its not as good as a front mount

Since you already have a fuel computer you can go with the 720 secondaries just dont run too much boost.

Get a high flow cat from bonez.

You should also upgrade your manifold to an fd one to help with the flow. Although this requires some cutting i believe (never done it myself)

I think these mods should get you up to 280 horsepower

 

Reese- Thanks for the input and the offer for help. I'm honestly not sure what the plan is right now... for now I think I'm just going to get my injector situation figured out, and then tune the car properly for it's present setup. We'll see what happens big turbo wise a little later. The KEY is that I would have to figure out a way of doing it with very little lag, as it is I hate the lag that it has now.....

Yelow RX-7- The biggest difference between the K&N FIPK and every other cone filter on the market is that you get mounting brackets for it which actually secure it in place. There no shielding or anything like that... just a filter and mounting brackets. As far as increased horsepower... to be honest with you I've never been able to "feel" an air filter on any car... you need bigger and better mods to start "feeling" something. I wouldn't get the HKS Powerflow... from what I've seen it filters almost nothing.... that and the fact that you are supposed to REPLACE their filters as opposed to cleaning them. Basically IMHO the HKS Powerflow is junk... you are much better off with something with a K&N type filter.


fc3sracer- Thanks, that is another possiblity... just going with a hybrid factory turbo, the only thing that concerns me with that is increased lag over stock. With the factory one, I don't believe that you can change the exhaust housing size and you can't go with ball bearings. (Two things that I was thinking (hoping?) would at least HELP keep the turbo lag to near stock levels)

Thanks again for everyone's input,