My 12 second path...

[SM00TH976]

here's all the stuff i plan on buying when i get the 90 GSX.

$520 thermal 3" catback
$40 K&N airfilter
$315 profec b eccentric-motorsports.com
$70 turbo timer
$150 fuel pump
$548 O2/dp/cat from dsm-performance.com
$300 stage 3 ecu
$155 pocketlogger
$100 palm m105
$400 act 2600 clutch kit (rre)
$135 lightened stock flywheel rre
$400 clutch install (i will NOT be dropping my own tranny!)

$2,998 total
$2,598 if i hold off on the clutch install until i have to do it.

i know someone selling a big 16g for a decent price, so if i got the 16g with my fuel pump upgrade and only ran it at around 14psi, would i be alright for a while? i know i won't be able to max out the 16g, but later on i plan on getting bigger injectors and an afc. so would i benefit from running a 16g with those mods? or would i be better off sticking with the 14b until i get the injectors and afc? i think i might buy the 16g either way and hold off on installing it until i get the supporting mods if it would benefit me performance-wise.

oh yeah, will those mods without the 16g get me into the 12's? there's a mustang guy that lives next to me that's running 12.9's. gotta beat him, right?

 

[rdrkt]

You can drastically reduce costs by eliminating a few items. You wont need the TMO chip until you get a turbo that will make power above the stock rev limiter. Electronic boost controllers are a waste of money and silly if you are on a budget. Turbo timers are a total waste of money. Use synthetic oil and you will be good to go. Lightening a flywheel is dangerous and does not help the car rev up that much quicker just get it resurfaced. Do the clutch when you do all your other mods you will end up blowing it out after the first few passes at the track. I would only get an upgraded cat if you were POSTIVE you wouldn’t be able to get the car inspected without it. A test pipe is really cheap and it flows a lot better.

 

[NosLaser]

Good advice. I agree.

Regards,

 

[GRNDSM]

This is what we did my friend's 92 GSX:

BR catback $285
BR test pipe $50
BR ND fuel pump $200
VDO gauge $55
Gauge pod $20
Halman MBC $50
K&N filter $40

+most of the “free mods” from www.dsm.org

Total was $700.
Best ET was 12.7

As you can see you can spend much less to run 12’s…

Leon
RR

 

[SM00TH976]

who said i wanted to do any of this cheaply? i guess that's the general DSM mindframe.

i am WELL aware of all the MBC's out there. i want an EBC. i am very well educated on the differences in the two and i have already made my decision. thank you for the input though, that is why i posted this after all. that reminds me, i forgot to put a boost guage on the list.

so turbo timers are a total wate of money, eh? i don't feel too comfortable letting any kind of oil sit in a red hot turbo, synthetic or not, and i aslo don't want to wait around for everything to cool down to turn the car off.

so i will not be hitting any kind of fuel cut or boost cut running 14psi with a full 3" exhaust? that's half the reason i was getting the TMO, the other half was the two stage rev limiter. (actually i think it's technically a three stage)

i am still a little unsure of the flywheel and cat. i might drop them both. i feel much more inclined to keep the cat though.

anyone gonna tackle the 16g question?

 

[BoostinAWD]

I wish I was at sea level.

 

[SM00TH976]

yeah, so i should get better 1320 times then most, right? there's a track about 30 minutes away from here so i plan on spending a lot of time there.

 

[CBgst]

As for the 16g I would buy it and go ahead and put it on now. You can also run about 16-17psi on the stock injectors without hitting feul cut( well at least you can on a 2nd gen). The 16g should be more efficent than the 14b so it should pull a little harder at the same boost levels. If the price is good I would buy it anyway because it probably won't be there later. If your not conserned with name brands you could save some money on your exhaust by buying a 3" turbo back with o2 eliminator down pipe from RNR. Good luck you should be able to get that Mustang since your awd.

 

[ForcedNduckshn]

Hey....just to add some of my own personal experience....

Ive got a 1990 tsi, 2.5"dp,test pipe,3"CB,K*N and a ManualBC, the car gteched at 13.4 on 16psi, stock 130,000 mile 14b, with a stock MAS and sunoco 94 octane pump gas. Yes, u can DEFINITELY run 14 psi, 16psi is just as safe with some good pump gas. Any more boost than that, get a better fuel pump, and then see how much knock and timing you get with the pocket logger.

Also....as an alternative to the chip, I would suggest getting an Al-Blaha MAS or equivalent unit. (There are still guys that make them in case you heard they arent made anymore) I was in your postion, hitting fuel cut at 16-17psi in 3rd gear or higher. Although any wiseman (hehe) would tell me im an idiot, with the Al-Blaha MAS I tested my stock-intercooler and stock fuel system (not that your fuelsystem or intercooler matters with regards to fuel cut) car to 20 psi without fuel cut. The car was certainly leaning out, had around .80 on the o2 voltage, I didnt have a pocket logger on the car but Im sure there was considerable knock = less power and bad for engine! My idle did not suffer at all with the al blaha MAS either. I got mine for 50 bucks with a core charge.... think about it

good luck

 

[TurboSpoolinIns]

Don't be like all the uneducated and "upgrade" your turbo as a first thing on the list. It is easy to get the 14b into the 12s. Just do a little self porting, do free mods, get a fuel pump, 2.5 downpipe, manual boost controller, k&N, and some good runs and you should be good for 12.9. I've done just these simple things and have gone 13.5 at 105 with a crappy launch and missing 3rd gear. (in case you don't know, i'm sure i coulda trapped 106 and with a 1.8 60' launch, woulda easily been in a 12.90-12.99).

 

[EROK006]

Originally posted by BoostinAWD
I wish I was at sea level.

Yeah, I heard ya there. I have all that stuff plus a little more and I'm still in 13's

 

[ILOSE]

1G AWD's can hit 12's fairly easy and cheap. If you can half way drive.

I personally like EBC's much more than any MBC, if you are not concerned about price.

Turbo timers are convenience mods.

I say go ahead and get the tmo ecu. It cannot hurt anything. Of course there may be other mods that "could" be done before that but hey it's your money and car.

Clutch should come before the convience mods. What good is a car if a bad clutch won't allow you to drive it.

How far is greenville from charlotte? I could save you a bit on that clutch job. PM if your interested.

 

[SM00TH976]

it would be great to get a deal on a clutch install, but i think charlotte is like 3 or 4 hours away.