I posted on the newbie forum. Wanted to post here as well. Warrtalon pointed me here. I am pretty excited to get a tune for my evo. I moved here from California last summer. I have an Evo IX MR with a DP and high flow cat. Ready to do more. Glad to meet all of you.
Anyway, to answer your questions from EvoM, I do think it's important to get a cat-back. Starting at the turbo and going backwards really doesn't do anything. It's best to start at the end and work forward. Right now, the DP and HFC probably aren't making more than 5whp over the stock exhaust, just so you know. You can go ahead and get tuned now, if you want, but I would suggest tweaking the tune when you add the cat-back to be sure everything is still good. In fact, what I think you should do is get an MBC, cat-back, and Walbro 255 fuel pump, then get a nice custom flash from our local tuner Justin whenever you're ready.
In the meantime, you should just get a BASE flash for a lower cost to cover you for now, then add those parts and get a custom tune. However, Justin is great and will work out a deal with you to figure out what works best for you and what makes sense in terms of payment. He's already the best price you'll find anywhere, so I guarantee that won't be a hindrance.
Hopefully, he'll see this thread, but if not, send him a PM - his username is JustDSM.
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I figured that I wasn't getting a ton more power with the current setup, but I did notice some increased drivability at the low end. I figured that setup with tune would be ok for now. I just need a shop that can put a tune on the car for me. Sounds like Justin does great work from what I have read on this forum. I think a flash will still make a difference at the moment. Once I get the rest of the exhaust I can have the tune updated. Either way I want to take my car to Justin and see what he can do with it as is. I wasn't planning to go the Tactrix route and do it myself. I trust people that do this for a living better than myself. I do run 93 octane from the Petro Stop down on Parker. That should allow my tune to be fairly decent on my current mods. What kind of power do you think I can make with my current mods? I also have a drop in filter.
Well, yes, no doubt a tune will help a LOT right now and at any point in the modding process. If you were 100% stock, it would help, so the mods or lack of mods is not an issue. I was just saying not to expect much in terms of power from the DP/HFC themselves. The flash will make way more power than those 2 combined and for a lower price, so you came to the right place.
I don't like to bench dyno and give guesstimates, but I would expect a 20-30whp/wtq gain from where you are now. When you do the cat-back, mbc, fuel pump, and custom tune, I would expect around 70whp over stock.
Using 93 is cool, but ONLY if you can get 93 everywhere you go. You do not want to have a 93oct tune and then have to put in 91 in an emergency. If you do, be sure not to boost until you can remedy the situation.
As for EcuFlash, I still think it's a good idea to get the cable and software, because it's not just for tuning yourself. It's also good just for having control of your car so that you can have multiple maps (stock, tuned/91oct, tuned/93oct, tuned w/100oct, etc.). That way, you still get tuned by a pro, but you can easily swap in a new map in like 30 seconds. I personally do not even bother tuning myself, but I have 4 maps: street, drag, auto-x, road racing. I switch octanes and maps before/after each race event, and it works perfectly. I also am able to change my launch limiter and rev limiter whenever necessary - easy as pie.
So, would you recommend I start running 91? I don't plan on ever traveling with the car, but I do hear what you are saying. I guess with EcuFlash I could have a 91 and 93 map just like an AP would allow me to do. It might take awhile to get the 93 out of the system so that I can get a 91 tune comfortably. For now, I think I will just see what Justin would charge to put a baseline tune on the car with 93 octane. Then in the future I will get the software and have a 91 tune done so I can switch maps if need be. However, if you think I should just run 91 I can switch. You are far more knowledgeable than I. Am I only looking at 5whp diff or so between the two? Do you know what Justin charges for the base tune?
93 is definitely better as long as it's true 93 and not diluted and/or not actually 91 in a 93 label. However, if you have only ONE place to get fuel, then that's a risk if you run low while on the other side of town or while in the Springs or wherever. Unless you honestly never are outside a 20-mile radius of that gas station, then it's something to consider.
I would expect $50-75 for just an up-front base flash with no custom tuning.
With a base flash does he just throw on map that he has lying around for the IX or does he take my stock map and just conservatively tweak it. I like the idea of a custom tune, even with my current minimal mods. How much more money would you expect that to cost?
He gives you a base map built for a IX with those light mods on 91oct at this altitude. It's not just a base map for any car with any mods. It's the same thing as taking your stock map and tweaking it a little.
So, it sounds like my best bet for now is a 91 base map. Then once I have my exhaust finished go the custom tune route. With the base map does Justin do any data logging to ensure that it is not producing any knock and that the AFRs are solid or have they been used and tested enough that they are trusted? I assume base flashes are a little more on the conservative side. Even with my custom flash, I would like it to be a little conservative in case I get some bad fuel. Also, what happens with this kind of tune if I take the car back to sea level? Will it hurt the car? Obviously I would want to retune if I was going to be there permanently, but what about just passing through? Thanks again for all of your help. When I get back from my business trip later this month I am going to be ready to go. I just need to get in touch with Justin.
Base maps are always more conservative, since they have to account for the unknown. Justin will do some quick logging if the base flash is done in person, but not if it's done remotely (eflash).
Yes, you can take that tune to sea level and be ok, but you'd want to get retuned for sure.
Thanks for putting up with my questions. I am relatively new to the Evo community. I had a S2000 when I lived at sea level, but that wouldn't get the job done up here at altitude. What level of boost can be achieved with a flash using the stock boost control system? Do I have to remove the restrictor pill like Vishnu and Cobb recommend from the boost solenoid?
The cat back I am looking at is the Tanabe Medallion Touring. It is supposed to be fairly quiet. What are your thoughts? I know you run a Buschur, and have the Megan for sale. I will be running the HFC so that helps I am sure.
The flash can't raise boost, which is why those people remove the restrictor pill, but doing so gives you fairly erratic boost that spikes uncontrollably. It's not so high that it's dangerous, but it's not a smooth, controllable boost curve. I just recommend an MBC to have full control at all times.
Tanabe certainly isn't one of of the top choices. I'm not even sure where you would get a suggestion for one in the Evo Community unless it was just from random searching maybe? There are quiet exhausts available, but quiet means weak. You would be spending a lot of money to make a little power. If you want to stay quiet, that's what the HFC is for. An HFC also is an expensive part that yields very little power. The best way to stay very quiet and still make power without wasting money is to just slap in a test pipe on the stock exhaust. It makes you look and sound stock while picking up 10-15whp for $80. Conversely, a $400-600 cat-back +$200 HFC will MAYBE make that much power, not appear stock, and be louder than stock. It's something you just have to decide.
In terms of Buschur, they have quiet options that work very well, too. I happen to run the loudest option, but you can choose the quiet Magnaflow muffler, the HFC, or both. Buschur isn't the only option - I'm just letting you know that they have more than just the super-light, very powerful, very loud option.
What are your recommendations for the cat back? I don't mind loud, I just don't want it to be obnoxious. I think keeping the HFC will keep that in check. I just want to find a good reasonably priced system. Do I get better bang for my buck at this point with the rest of the exhaust or a MBC?
Well, an MBC is only $85, so it's better bang for the buck than any exhaust component except a test pipe. However, the backpressure caused by the cat-back makes the MBC less useful. The Buschur cat-back with Magnaflow muffler would be very quiet along with your HFC, but if you already have an HFC, then the BR won't mate, because it's a slip-fit design. A Megan cat-back is a good choice if you don't mind the big 5" tip, and it will fit perfectly without costing much.
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