Autocross Build 1996 TSi AWD - Restore/Autocross

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #43 - 6/27/2020 - First 1/4 Mile Runs on the HX35

First two passes on the Holset HX35 Setup and E85. Definitely lots left on the table but I am super happy with how the car performed. The 1-2 shift has proven especially difficult for me over the years. Looking at the logs, the car spent roughly 2.5 seconds re-building boost between my slow shifts. Even with my lack of ability, the car exceeded my expectations.

 

[llxkevinxll]

What kind of spool are you expecting from the HX35? I would figure it would get a little worse than the 20g. I guess the twin scroll helps.

I was thinking the same thing. I imagine that turbo is still going to have some lag. Either way, build looks awesome. Keep up the good work.

These comments were awhile back but I did put together a comparison of the two turbos in excel by parsing the dyno graphs. You can see how much more responsive the car is on the Holset. Especially with E85, but there is still a gain with an apples to apples pump gas comparison. Same tuner, same dyno, same motor/intake manifold/cams etc. Just a different exhaust manifold and turbo. Is this the go-to, super competitive Autox turbo setup? Absolutely not. But if you want a car you can use at an autocross event and be somewhat competitive and then freight train people on the highway on the way home, this is the setup for you.

 

[AWD-Tony]

Good job Kevin!! Nice launch too. Are you using nlts?

 

[llxkevinxll]

Good job Kevin!! Nice launch too. Are you using nlts?

Thanks! I am definitely a bit hesitant with launching this car. I'm certainly not a drag racing pro haha. I do have NLTS setup and have used it 2-3-4 on the 20g but haven't used it yet on this setup. I am sure it will cut a good chunk of time off once I get comfortable with that again. It certainly helped on the old setup.

 

[AWD-Tony]

I hear yah. Those are the easy gears . I try to slip it a little for the 1-2 shift. What helped me was driving the streets with rev limit and nlts turned down just to get comfortable with it. Those are good numbers man. I’m no pro either but I’d be proud of it

 

[llxkevinxll]

I hear yah. Those are the easy gears . I try to slip it a little for the 1-2 shift. What helped me was driving the streets with rev limit and nlts turned down just to get comfortable with it. Those are good numbers man. I’m no pro either but I’d be proud of it

O definitely. I am more than happy. Car has exceeded what I imagined when I bought it almost a decade ago. I appreciate the tips and encouragement.

 

[silvreclips]

@llxkevinxll did you plot boost pressure vs rpm to compare the turbo spool on E85 vs 93? You made a good amount of torque more on E even during spool up. Is this because the car make boost quicker, or that your running more timing during spool?

 

[llxkevinxll]

@llxkevinxll did you plot boost pressure vs rpm to compare the turbo spool on E85 vs 93? You made a good amount of torque more on E even during spool up. Is this because the car make boost quicker, or that your running more timing during spool?

The spool is similar. Roughly 4600 rpm for 20psi in 2nd gear, (not the best gear for measuring "spool" but it was where I spend most of my time). The power is made up in timing that the car would tolerate on the Holset that it wouldn't with the smaller Mitsu style housing.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #44 - 10/4/2021 - Engine Failure (again), rebuild, and "retirement".

Been a long time since I have updated this thread. And a lot has happened in that gap.

Long story short, August of 2020, I was coming through the finish line at an autocross event for my final run and the car started breaking up. Before I could get out of it, there was a clang and the car shut off. Our best guess was a coilpack failure led to fuel build up in #3 and it bent so bad it knocked the cylinder wall out. (It still started and ran after this shockingly, but made a bit (a lot) of noise). I replaced that engine with the long block from my 1G, but it never seemed to run right. Upon taking that engine apart to re-ring and replace bearings, two pistons had ring lands cracked in half. Which explained why the catch can was filling so quickly and the car was not running right. The Talon now has a third engine, purchased from Ricky at Rix Racing. It has a 6 bolt bottom end with Eagle H-beams and JE 8.5:1 pistons, with a 2g head up top with Crower valve train, Crower 272s, and Ferrea valves, along with an Evo 3 Intake Manifold. Turbo setup has remained the same.

Possibly the most unfortunate part of this, was I finished 17/160 at that event, with many of the top 10 cars being slick tire, open wheel racers or dedicated track cars. The car was working, I just needed time to refine the suspension settings and my driving. The announcer even commented on how you "never see DSMs in that good of shape anymore, they are all on jack stands", which then immediately doomed the Talon to another engine failure. The capabilities of this car, and all DSMs, is undeniable.



The car feels really good on the new head/IM/cams. Much better than it ever did on the old engine, and that is without pushing it hard. I also have a mountain of parts to keep the car going for a long time. That being said, the Talon has proven to be down more than running, as is expected with any car making 200+ hp/L, but this has led to me lacking a lot of seat time to get my skill where I would like it to be. The car is also still not ready for any road race duty with the current cooling/safety situation, and driving the car to events farther than an hour away becomes a chore with solid/poly mounts throughout the car, no sound deadening, no balance shafts, no cruise, etc etc. That all being said, I did end up picking up a car to focus on using for Autocross and Track events, a 2022 Camaro SS 1LE. This car is ready to roll from the factory for what I want to do. Other than a catch can (to combat direct injection induced valve coking) the car won't be modified in any way for the foreseeable future.

I come from a GM family, and was raised by my GM tech father, so the car choice was a no brainer. This car will actually by the 4th Camaro currently in our stable. On top of wanting a car to race, I ordered this car specifically to match my father's 1980 Z28 that he ordered new 42 years ago. A car he still owns, and races, to this day.

The Talon has taught me everything I know about working on and maintaining cars, tuning, etc. And I will continue to cherish (and drive) this car. There is still more to do, the interior being high up on that list (seats/harnesses/roll bar). But it will serve a different purpose going forward for sure.

 

[AWD-Tony]

It’s the announcers fault . They always seem to be a jinx whenever they’re announcing games. Awesome you got a Camaro to match your fathers. His car looks to be in great shape

 

[llxkevinxll]

It’s the announcers fault . They always seem to be a jinx whenever they’re announcing games. Awesome you got a Camaro to match your fathers. His car looks to be in great shape

Ya his is in excellent condition. No winters and meticulously maintained (and modified) over the last 4 decades and ~55k miles.

(Are you seeing the theme?)

 

[AWD-Tony]

Oh yeah I see it. Red on black Camaros, mechanical sound and beautifully kept cars

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #45 - 4/25/2022 - Oil Cooler Install

I have been sitting on this ExtremePsi oil cooler kit for about four and a half years and finally got motivated to get it on the car. I definitely have a cooling issue in this car when the ambient temps start climbing. I blame the poor airflow of the 2Ga Talon front bumper and the lack of factory ducting to get any usable air up to the radiator. I am hoping this helps keep temperatures down but I will for sure need to get the radiator more air.

I have been driving the Talon quite a bit this spring. Playing around in ECMLink and dialing it in on the new engine using the old tune as a base. It has been a fun learning experience and the tune is pretty soft for now. I will look to turn it back up in the near future. In that time I did do my first track day in the Camaro! Something I might try in the future in the Talon but even after 10+ years of working on it, it still isn't quite ready for that. So I will continue plugging away on things I want to improve or change on the Talon (alignment, re-tune, radiator airlow improvement, seats/harnesses/roll bar, built driveline if I feel the need/break this trans that has held up for the past decade I have had it and I am sure many hard years before that. The Talon will be a work in progress forever I am sure haha.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #46 - 5/27/2022 - Fuel Pump Rewire Update

I had been experiencing intermittent issues with the fuel pump not working. Turned out to be a burned connector. So I took the opportunity to rework the entire fuel pump rewire setup. New Sheridan Engineer connector kit and re-routed wiring with a new relay.









Took the opportunity to remove the rear half of the interior (what was left of it) and tape up the exposed looms with fabric electrical tape to clean up the look as I do not intend to reinstall the back half of the interior.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #47 - 8/12/2022 - Return to Autocross

After nearly 2 years since the last time I ran this car and lost the engine, the Talon has made it to another autocross event, competed, and driven home. Big accomplishment for this car. The car continues to be in the best/most reliable shape it has ever been with the Rix Racing 6 bolt. Couldn't be happier. The HX35 will never be the perfect autocross turbo, even with the Morrison TS T3 setup, but the car is still relatively competitive on the small courses like this one. And again, it survived, that was the goal.

 

[chrisman287]

Looks great! Gives me hope for mine

 

[llxkevinxll]

Looks great! Gives me hope for mine

Thanks!

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #48 - 12/11/2022 - Shifter assembly rebuild/Lighting update

Compiled parts from a few different vendors and have a freshly rebuilt shifter assembly both interior and trans side.








Also swapped exterior and interior bulbs for LED.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #49 - 12/4/2023 - Interior Trim Refresh/Haltech First Start

Finally took care of a few interior trim issues that have been lingering for years.

A-Pillar trim piece has had a hole in it for the previously installed gauge pod.



Driver side mirror trim has been missing a section. New one looks great.



The window defrost vents were faded and cracked. Have been sitting on New Old Stock replacements for years and finally committed to installing them.



On top of the interior work, I am in the process of swapping the car over to running on a Haltech Elite 1500 with the Evo 4-8 Plug and Play adapter. Will for sure update as that process continues.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #50 - 3/16/2026 - Another Engine Failure

First drive of the spring in 2024 and the car had a bit of an issue after the first high rpm pull. Something happened on decel leading to the damage seen below. Unsure if it was an oil contamination issue, part failure, or what.

I had a fully stock ~150k mile split thrust 7 bolt that I dropped in to get the car running again. Rebuilt a Small 16g to use instead of the Holset for this stock engine.

I was able to spend the summer of 2025 learning the Haltech system and enjoying a much more street-friendly engine/turbo combo.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #51 - 3/16/2025 - Throttle body rebuild and electronics upgrades.

I had been using the 1G TB that came with the car when I bought it years ago. I had noticed the Haltech was showing some weird long term fuel trim behavior at idle. I am assuming the FIAV or worn out seals in the TB were the culprit. Rebuilt the TB and did a FIAV block off to see if that cleans up the idle fuel trims.

I also grabbed a complement of new, more modern sensors to integrate into the Haltech. Rife IAT, Rife Fuel Pressure, Syltech Oil Temp/Pressure combo and a Haltech CAN wideband to replace the Innovate MTX-L.

 

[llxkevinxll]

UPDATE #52 - 3/22/2026 - Haltech IC7 Install

Installed a Haltech IC7 digit dash with the Mako Motorsports 2G DSM dash mount. Install and fitment was excellent. The combination of the Evo3 OFH (single pressure sender port) and Haltech ECU (no factory boost gauge operation, intermittent tach operation), and swapping LED bulbs in without resistor burned a few traces for the indicators etc. My factory 2G cluster was 50% useless in the car, plus more data with fewer gauges pushed me towards the digital dash.