Small update - and some new parts

So i went for a drive today, drove the same mountain when i first got the Evo and boy does it feel different.
It's hard to say out of everything that has been done so far which has been the best as it could simply be a combination of all.

So just to clear this up, it accelerates better everywhere, it brakes much better, it goes exactly where you point it and it just seems to do it which much less effort.
It's really the car that i expected from the start, possibly better. Actually yes, if i had got into it straight off the bat like it is now i would be really impressed. So there you have it.

I don't even mind how it sounds. The exhaust doesn't make huge noise but there is a lot of induction noise now i have the Perrin filter and the MR blow off valve makes a lot of noise and these 2 drown out the noise from the fuel pump and the road noise isn't bad at all with no soundproofing/insulation.

What i do have to remedy is the heat coming through the floor from the exhaust front pipe. It's bloody hot. I mean you couldn't drive it in bare feet when you're giving it some, you would get burnt!

So this is actually ok as i was considering wrapping the front pipe to get some better flow and reduce heat anyway. I just wasnt aware it would come through the floor so bad.
So i'm searching for some titanium exhaust wrap now to fix this.

Speaking of exhausts, i've purchased a full exhaust that's only been trial fitted, so brand new, and got it cheap. Comes with Invidia dump, 3.5" front pipe, 3.5" in to 3" out 100 cel cat and 3" cat back all in stainless steel. It's a lot of exhaust for my car but if anything it will flow extremely well and will be future proof. So will do an update when it's time to install.

Other things i have waiting are Deatsch Works DW200, Grimmspeed 3 port & a Turbosmart actuator.
So i figure if it's getting tuned, i want the most out of it. Initally i'll run it on pump 98Ron and then we'll consider eflex.

I also mentioned i couldnt hear the engine very well in the Lakeside meet so i've bought a shift-i shift light to go on the dash or in the cluster.

I really want to do the suspension before getting anymore power out of it as i think i will get huge gains from the suspension or at least 2 seconds a lap. I dont thnk i'll get that from the extra power. And the alignment stock is not great for the track as it needs more camber. Max at the front stock is about 1.5deg and 3.5deg would be much better.

The other thing i keep forgetting is to switch the IC sprays on auto. So what i'll do is relocate this switch to the empty panle where the stereo used to be and I'll also put a switch in to turn the airbags off for track use. Getting the pas airbag out is a pita from what i've read, also it leaves a hole in the dash as the top part is part of the airbag. Anyway it's probably a little overkill removing these so a switch will be good.

Considering the safety of myself and this car, i purchased a 2kg extinguisher and it fits under the front seat no problem.
I also fitted a rear tow hook.

Intercooler spray pump relocation & replace engine fan

We managed to relocate the IC spray pump to the spare spot in the rear washer bottle & Rob was able to tap into the loom to use the rear washer spray wiring for the trigger.
Rob also programmed the IC spray logic for me so it actually does something now when the switch is set to Auto.

So i deleted the stock bottle that i relocated to the boot as at this point its not needed. If 4L is not enough on the track for the sprints, Rob will change some of the logic to suit. He'll also be logging data from the car so we can make a decision whether it's worthwhile getting a bigger spray bottle.
*Update 20/03/2015 the washer bottle is big enough for my use in sprints / TA. I'm on track for 6 laps, 1 warm up, 4 hot laps & 1 warm down. I wasnt using much water at all at first. So i cleaned all my sprays & repositioned them. Then when hitting the manual spray, there just wasnt enough water pressure to spray much. What I'd done is used 5mm water lines. This is too big for the pump. You must use 4mm for the pump to supply enough pressure.

There's been another job i've been meaning to do for awhile now and that's to replace the stock engine fan with something lighter & still flows as well. I chose the Zirgo ZFB14 as this flows better than the stock one at 2175CFM & up to 3000CFM.

The stock fan weighs 4.1kg & the Zirgo weighs 1.2kg so another great weight saving up front.

We used 30mm flat washers with a 30mm felt washer up against the radiator to eliminate and damage caused through vibration. Rob rewired the factory controller and we tested operation to make sure it's in pull mode, through the ECU.

Once the radiator is refitted, coolant topped up we ran the car to hot and just switched the AC on and the fan works no problem.

Another job done & getting closer to that 100kg weight loss mark!

Get safe - preparing to race

The Evo in stock form can go fast enough to cause yourself some serious hurt if you have a spill on the track. So knowing that i'll be tracking this car as often as i can so i need to get safe now. I also have a strong background in rescue & safety and my wife is a senior clinical nurse so getting all the gear before going to the track goes without saying.

In my quest to save weight & combining that with safety, i ordered a Sparco Pro 2000. The factory seats are ok on the street but far from anything special for track duties. The pas seat will be removed so no need to upgrade at this stage.
Fitted it up today and it feels great. I definitely wont be using this for daily duties though as it's a real pita to get in and out. It's easy enough to fit it in before i head to the track so that's what I'll do.
In Qld the 6 point harness is far from legal so i can use the OEM seat belt to the track and fit the 6 point when i get there.

Here's a full list of what i bought;
3 layer Nomex fia race suit
Race boots
Nomex socks
Nomex balaclava
Nomex gloves
Hans device
Bell helmet
Schroth 6 point harness
Sparco Pro 2000
Alloy side mounts for seat
Steel fabricated seat base mount.

Also the other thing I mentioned earlier is that the tyres on this car are not capable on the track. So I've bought a set a 255/40/17 Federal FZ201's in a soft compound. I'm told these will last roughly 5 to 6 hard laps before going off. Considering the street sprints will be over 5 laps including 1 warm up, this is perfect.

The other thing to consider is when going up in size it's a must to go up in wheel size. 9" is perfect for the tyre size so i bought a set of Rota Fighters in a 17x9 +35.
They came in Black which i thought was a little boring so they got a lick of paint.

Evo IX - IC spray bottle delete, adapt rear washer bottle to IC spray bottle & pod filter install

Ok so a couple of new developments. I've had a Perrin foam filter and maf adaptor sitting waiting for me to install. I had delayed this as i was seriously considering making a sealed airbox for it.
Then speaking with guys in the know, a sealed airbox isn't needed at speed with a good cold air feed. So i had debated for awhile on the best way to get a lot of air to the air filter.
The simplest by far is to feed it up from the front bar but the IC spray bottle is in the way. I was considering deleting this anyway so it made sense to make this happen.

I went searching for a semi rigid duct i could use for the feed. I came up with 150mm aluminium rangehood ducting from Bunnings. It was cheap at only $30 for a metre which expanded to 3m if i needed it.

It's super light also so that's a bonus and it can be moulded to fit also.

 I grabbed some 30mm x3mm aluminium strap to make a bracket for the maf. I didnt record any measurements but you can see from the pics that the pieces are roughly 130mm & then i bent & drilled. It's solid as and the air filter can be removed without removing the maf.

Rob from R.E.engineered Evolution Performance is on board and we're going to do some development with this car. Rob suggested to me, rather than deleting the IC spray system, why dont we make better use of what we've already got. So as it turns out the ADM Evo IX's loom includes wiring for the rear window wiper that it never got. It also has a blank in the rear washer bottle so we're going to relocate the IC spray pump to that position and tap into the loom for the trigger. Rob is also going to re-program the IC spray logic so it actually works.

A quick note, the rear washer bottle is 4L so will check if this is enough. Considering this car's focus is the street sprints in time attack & were only doing 5 laps so i might be ok.

So while i had the front bar off i rerouted the water line to the drivers side and then feed it up through the guard and into the drivers kick panel where the washer line runs currently.

 I used some irrigation tube as it's solid, to feed through the rubber grommet in the bulk head.

Rob and i will finish this set up this weekend but i thought i could use a back up plan in case 4L isnt enough. So i mounted the stock bottle in the boot.

I just used some 40mm x3mm aluminium strap, no problem. Nice central location, very secure & easy to fill.

Will figure out the wiring this weekend but will be easy to change between bottles if needed as all the plumbing & wiring is right there.