FTO Drivers Club, Western Australia

RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

I'll fit them in due course and do one of my back-to-back Home Dyno runs to test 'em.

Bought from Unique Autosports. http://www.uniqueautosports.com.au

They have a big end of FY sale on today... so I got them for $400. About 1/3 off. Bewdy! Smile

Can't say exactly what the difference will be to torque/power yet. But if anyone else was after one, today is a good day price-wise...

- Rich

Leigh · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 51

hey rich had a chance to get these fitted yet?
I was considering these, but I was iffing between this and a whole extractor set up. but now I have the cash, just interested to see what you gains you get. Wink

RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

I'm interested too... but I haven't got 'em on yet!! Just too damn busy, hehe.

I'm driving in the MC individual comp next weekend, and would love to have them on by then. After that, I'm taking a break for a month - no MC's - as I kind of overdid it the last two months. Karen's had to put up with it every weekend for a month, plus I've eaten up all my r-comps. Shocked

- Rich

ellusion · Joined: 21 Aug 2003 Posts: 80

How are the pipes going? I'm interested in the extractor -front pipe setup.

RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

Well, after a pretty stressful month (this'n'that!), I'm finally back on the FTO performance bandwagon. Smile

The Y-pipe (or downpipe) is on, and resulted in a good whack of extra torque between 5500 to 7500rpm.

But it was noisy in terms of hissing 'bees in a can' sound on throttle off between 3200 and 4000rpm. I wrapped the flex joints in header wrap, and that cleared up most of the hissing noise.

I've had a major service done too, so it's now time to trot off to the 'real' dyno. Which is why I'm organising an FTO Drivers Club dyno day real soon!! The more the merrier!

- Rich

PS. Major service involved:

- Injector clean.
- Valve clearances adjusted.
- New plugs.

So it runs like a dream now!!! Very Happy

ellusion · Joined: 21 Aug 2003 Posts: 80

I'm up for a dyno day too!! Should be good.

pevans · Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 23 Location: Perth

Rich

I'm another one that would love to know your thoughts and results on the exhaust pipes you just bought.

Plus whats your thoughts on the Cold air induction kit that Unique also offer. Would you be brave enough to compare it to the results of your own air induction kit. ?? For $395 it appears a resonable good deal considering i'd have to spend atleast $250 for a odyssey battery to install you mods..

Looking forward to your dyno results. Whats a standard FTO GPX good for at the wheels ??

ellusion · Joined: 21 Aug 2003 Posts: 80

From what i've read an average GPX would get about 80-90kw ATW. However Richard's FTO is getting about 108kw (146HP) ATW which is very impressive. This figure was before the new front piping..

RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

> From what i've read an average GPX would get about 80-90kw ATW

Nah, that's way underestimating it. My induction system didn't raise the top end power by more than a couple of kilowatts. The old dyno result I got was 161bhp, on a dyno that read 13% above everyone else's in Perth (due to "corrections" and the way it was cobbled together, apparently). If you calculate that back, my car was running totally stock at around 143bhp, before anything got done to it at all. It just runs well, I guess!

The best thing you can do for an FTO is just service the heck out of the car! Those engines run really nicely when pampered.

Stuff like ultrasonic injector clean, good quality air filter, new plugs, valve clearances adjusted, good oil, new fuel filter...

If you're at 100,000km and still have the original fuel filter inline, start rethinking your maintenance schedule if you want a zippier car... Smile

> Plus whats your thoughts on the Cold air induction kit that Unique also offer.

My personal thoughts on these various options?

- I never liked the upper stock intake pipe. A ninety degree turn at the throttle body is obviously a "get around the battery" design from the factory engineers. The best engineering solution I could come up with was to stop trying to get around the battery! After I'd opened up the area around the throttle body, that design seemed to fit quite well. Putting a pod on the end of the stock pipe (or a similarly shaped replacement) is still doing the 90-degree turn. Of course, you could combine a battery relocation, custom fabricated pipe AND a pod/barrier assembly! Razz

- Odyssey battery is expensive, yes. My old battery was 4 years old, and I hated the idea of my car not starting one morning, so it was on my "replace real soon" list. I wasn't going to go for another battery with little breather holes in the filler plugs, as battery acid was getting out while throwing the car around on motorkhana courses. When I sized it all up, I could kill two birds with one stone and get a sleek, small, sealed replacement battery. It cost a bit, but I probably won't be buying another one for a very long time. And I'll be keeping the FTO for ages, hehe.

- I'd already bought a K&N panel filter. Repositioning the airbox instead of replacing it meant I would just keep on using it.

That's all I can think of for now.

wildfaye29 · Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 69

Rich, is urs a tip or manual? 140bhp at the wheels is respectable!

Sam
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RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

It's a manual.

And however hard it goes for an FTO, Leigh's always seems to go harder! Smile

Guess it must be this pure West Aussie air, hehe.

- Rich

Leigh · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 51

well thats cos I put it on a strict diet and exersise regime... unlike myself Razz

ellusion · Joined: 21 Aug 2003 Posts: 80

Stock at 143hp... its all to do with the servicing then! Can't wait til my second major service in about 2 months.

pevans · Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 23 Location: Perth

Thanks for the info Rich and the rest of you gents..

Seeing how your Induction system is'nt commerically for sale, guess i'll probably give Uniques kit a go.

Might see you all at Motoplex.... Wink

RichardH · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 804

Would you like me to develop it for sale? It's a serious question... I'm not looking to try and make a living selling bits of pipe, but it's something that might make other FTO owners quite happy! Smile

It doesn't have to be a big commercial venture... we could just get our s**t together enough to make duplicates of the fabricated parts, get the requisite rubber joiners and fit it on more cars.

If anyone's interested, just shout! Smile

...but don't forget, the smaller or relocated battery is the prerequisite here.

- Rich