Yes - the sound is incredible!!!

 

The cool mornings have had me feeling more of the impact that the MREV, Headers & Cats made. Really nice above 4000 rpm and I know it will get better with colder temps and a TS reflash.

I do feel a lack of motivation below 2500 rpm, but I'm not so sure it's a loss compared to OEM. Regardless, I'd like to be able to get above 2500 a little faster. I hope the NISMO flywheel will do it, but if not then the CF driveshaft or gears will be next.

I'd like heads, etc., but I think that will be far enough away that a reflash for current mods will be worth it.

Any speculation on what the noticeable differences/requirements would be between the VQ running with the higher-compression NISMO heads (12.1:1?) and the slightly lower high-compression heads from Cosworth (11.3:1?). The only car I've had running 12 or higher was a '55 Bel Air with a carb'd 468ci big-block, so my experience in a modern application is limited. Main concerns are longevity in high heat (100 degree summer days) and fuel requirements, as 91-93 seems to be the high around here without the aide of octane boosters.

 

I run at 12.4:1 now..on a combo of 101 and 91 pump...love it!!!

 

For that kind of bux, it seems you could do a M45 engine swap!

 

Project cars and $$$$ are not measureable the same way. If I was just driving and wanted speed and bang for the buck the car would have been boosted and juiced and done.

Building an all motor beast that beats the boosted spec and still a daily driver is just bragging rights at it's best man. Especially when it's a sleeper!

Rick

 

No doubt, but CAN you do it? If you build a boosted motor that is reliable, you have to do all the things you would do to a N/A motor right? Rods, pistons, cams, crank etc. Seems to me, (I have no experience in this area) that N/A is way more expensive than FI?

 

You can boost without internal work, but you're limited. I think a turbo application running low boost would still be faster than my NA plans, but it's not all about that for me.

For various reasons, a turbo kit isn't a great option for me. Likewise, a NA build will stand up better to the heat out here and performance remains much more constant year-round. Also, I love the sound of a built 6 ripping it up!

 

Yes you can do it...read my SIG

YES - it's more expensive...but that's not MY concern. To build a TT or SC car you don't HAVE to build up the motor. There are things you can do to make it MORE...but not mandatory.

Look at it this way - for what, $10K you can either TT or SC a car, that covers either scenario out of the box installed and tuned. You get roughly mid 300's to low 400's in HP without modding the motor. Build the motor and your looking at 500's and higher.

NA - you can reach low 400's. Squeeze and high compression motor, and the compression just LOVES the spray and another 150 - 200 HP is easy. That initial 400++ is really reliable too. The spray, if tuned correctly, is as well.

Rick

 

OK, let's throw another "monkey wrench" into the mix: Down here we prolly average 85-90 degrees year round. I know on an FI car you lose a LOT of power as intake air temp goes up. How bout' the N/A "built" motor?

 

In my testing, I have tuned the car in the middle - about 85 degrees - is SoCal - we get that as a average most of the time. When it's really hot, the car suffers a little, not too much though, when it's cold - it flies!!!

Rick

 

+1 on the heat issue. While it impacts a NA car as well, the hit doesn't seem nearly as large as when you have to run lower boost levels on a turbo. My '97 GSX was good for 21psi/17psi (hi/low) in the winter, 17psi/14psi (OEM boost) safely in the summer. That's a great difference in safe/usable power from our two seasons.

On my NA cars in the past, as well as the G, it feels like maybe a 25HP loss at most, from winter to summer. While the GSX was a monster, it truly sucked going from 350HP in the winter to around 275HP in the summer.

If it was colder here, I'd be much more likely to go FI. But being that I wanted a balanced build resulting in a great all-arounder that exceeds OEM specs, an NA build really does fit the bill much better.

I've missed the howl, whistle and whoosh of a big turbo, but the menacing, mechanical buzzsaw scream of a built 6 has always seemed a good remedy for that.

On a related note: I noticed that the Cosworth forged pistons got a spot in Sport Compact Car's New Parts section. Maybe they'll start getting some play around here and some reviews will follow. They really look to be some fine slugs. The Cosworth heads are still a front-runner for me so far. The only reason for me to go NISMO or another is to get a complete package instead of picking and choosing everything needed. But that lower compression (compared to NISMO) really has my attention.

 

Have you dyno'd your current setup? looks impressive, i'm curious