BeavisJem 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Hi guys been a while since posting on the forum, been building a mobile 24 track music studio :) Anyways i am very please with my rado at the moment, had a chip and 68mm pulley and boost return mod done by Darren 6 months ago. I do however feel my car is a bit sluggish, i know the weather has been hot and this might be a reason. I was driving my g/f new (old) MK2 GTI 8v and i must say it felt pretty quick. This instantly made me think somthing was not quite ticking along as is should on the rado. IT MAY JUST BE BECAUSE I AM USED TO IT But anywyas. We are about 28k miles from the last supercharger rebuild (might be this) although Darren cracked it open 6 months ago and repaced a couple of bearings and said it was about 60% towards needing a rebuild 6 months ago. Ecu pipe is 1 meter long and in good nick. Plugs and Leads cap and rotor are about a year old now (suppose they should be changed) I know the MFA isn;t too accurate but i rarely see about 20mpg driving around the city. Just want to get it running good. Get it serviced? where? SO........ If everything with the car is ok what would be the next progression in the performance area? What prices am i looking at? What gains? I know all gains are not garaunteed. FMIC? What will this help do? OIL Cooler? Flowed and Ported Head? Any other suggestions to this or anything above would be great. Cheers Beavisjem Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Beesting 0 Posted July 21, 2005 If you havent got an Oil cooler I would recommend this although this isnt a performance mod, but you will see a drop in oil temps which means longer life for your charger etc (I believe or anyway). Kits are aout £130 An FMIC is a good mod as the standard one get heatsinked very quickly. This lowers temps which means the air is more dense which helps. You want to keep the engine as cool as possble to keep it performing (this is probably the worst def of what an intercooler does but I know nothing so someone else will jump in with better def). I recommend having a read through old posts as intercooler been discussed lots. This costs from couple hundred pounds upwards!! One thing that always comes up is make sure your charger is in best condition it can be. Performance mods wont elongate (spelling) its life. I was looking at a toothed belt drive, although its expensive and not really a performance upgrade it will elimate belt slippage etc. (and it sounds cool!) Service wise a few good people on the forum (JMR, G-Werks etc) will give your car the treatment it deserves. There are a few things you can do your self, oil and filter change, K&N air filter, fuel filter etc. Probably hasnt helped but feels like a wrote a lot anyway!! (quantity not quality!) :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W3RKD 0 Posted July 21, 2005 ARR dont tell me your girlfriend has sold her pink fiat... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeavisJem 0 Posted July 22, 2005 Yep the fiat 126 has gone :( The engine decided to self desruct and blow a hole in the block between the water and oil ways. Want a donor car 8) She has seen the light and brough a VW 1987 Mk2 GTI 160000 miles, 6 months Tax and MOT For £300 :) Anyways Looks like a service is on the cards for the Rado *wallet starts to shiver* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neil VR6 0 Posted July 22, 2005 Assuming the engine and (ported?) charger are in good order my first port of call would definitely be an oil cooler. This will pave the way safely for future mods and ensure the reliability of the engine in the future. Next would be to free up the breathing by an exhaust, downpipe and ported manifold. Then sort the induction with a panel filter and funnel some cold air into the airbox by removing the carbon canister and splicing off a cold air feed form the brake duct. Then I'd go down the FMIC route and ensure the management and injectors up up to the increased fuelling required when running a bigger IC. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dubcharged 0 Posted July 22, 2005 As mentioned, make sure the car will be happy with more power, so an oil cooler will help. Most effective way of getting power from the G60 is from boost and cold air. Before you cank up the charger you'll need to ensure the extra work done is cooled effectively. So an FMIC is the 1st step. 2) Get the charger flowed. 3) Smaller pulley (65, 62mm) With the smaller pulley you'll make more boost so will need to upgrade your injectors to reds and swap your current SNS chip for the Red Injector chip. That should do it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neil VR6 0 Posted July 22, 2005 It's all very well increasing boost but if the engine, exhaust and induction are still restrictive the boost will just cause greater stress and boost pressure will increase. Engines that use boost more efficiently through the use of match porting and headwork can make very good power without the need to use a tiny pulley which will only serve to increase G Lader service intervals and put more stress on the engine. For me, a 65mm pulley would be the last thing I do. A FMIC is essential to making big power though, the Corrado one is pitiful! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dubcharged 0 Posted July 23, 2005 Going from a 68 to a 65 isnt that drastic on a flowed charger, as long as you change gears by 6200rpm you stay in the design limits of the charger. We've seen guys in the states running 52mm pulleys! Better flowing exhaust and inlet will help make more use of the boost. Totally agree with the FMIC issue, thats 1st on the list!! :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevemac 0 Posted July 23, 2005 I can fully recommend a well ported, big valve head - made a very big difference to my car . :mrgreen: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeavisJem 0 Posted July 24, 2005 cheers for the help guys. I have a supersprint back box and a through pipe for theb mid section, so the exhaust is a bit better. How much for new ex haust manifolds or cat bypass. Just had a word with Darren, going to get the Supercharger rebuilt and get better injectors and a couple of other things done. :) Thanks for all suggestions. Keep them coming for future refrence. Beavisjem Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neil VR6 0 Posted July 25, 2005 Keep us posted on the progress! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites