98 Eclipse GST Spyder : Mods on a budget

[Redspyder98]

Hi,
First off I searched !!!
Second, I am posting this for a friend that really doesn't know how to start modifying his car. I got alot of knowledge in mods that are for normally aspirated cars but not really any experience of anything in FI except for nitrous applications. Now with all that said I need your help to gain more knowledge on a 2g eclipse. What is the limit of the stock T25 turbo ? What does a BOV, MBC do ? Fuel pump limit ? Basicly my friend wants to acquire the Apexi AVCR unit but I am afraid he can use his money elsewhere on what might help him more. His intention is to be able to boost as stock and with a turn of a button be able to change this. Will the AVCR provide that for him ? What else does he need ? I never played around any turbo setup so please enlighen me on it's functionning and how easily is it to modify. All I got to play with is NA !

 

[VRMAN]

1. Limit for the T-25 is about 270hp and that turbo is too small anyway.

2. BOV will be needed to hold more than 18psi boost on the 2G plastic one. But you shouldn't be boosting that much on a T25 anyways, An MBC will allow your buddy to manually raise or lower his boost on the T25. You really need intake/exhaust first before you raise the boost.

3. The AVCR is a very expensive and **NOT** new-user friendly piece. He is better off with a TurboXS Dual Stage or GReddy Profec B.

4.Fuel pump can be rewired to be more effiecent. After he really gets modding then he can up it to a 190lph pump, stock is 100lph I believe.

 

[hellotbone]

I think he needs goals first but if you follow the tuning guide on the site here as I did the mods are done in the correct stages and you have a pretty quick car in the end. I sent you a PM for your location Im in the GTA newmarket/Aurora area if you want some info.

Honestly the biggest gain on my car bar none was installing the 14B but you can get bigger too.

Right now I have done

Upper Intercooler pipes
1G Blow off valve
K&N FIPK
Dejontool 2.5" intake
14B turbo ported and 02 Housing ported
Fuel pump 190L
2.5" turbo back exhaust with crappy canadian tire muffles 65 bucks and free cat high flow.

This is my winter car I did all the mods as cheap as I could

I also made my own Manual boost controller to raise boost. The T25 was the last thing to be changed out and IMO the biggest restriction in my car bar none.

 

[Redspyder98]

Howdy,
I come from Ottawa actually orleans to be exact. My first questions about those cars is that does an intake other then a higher flowing filter like a K&N really makes a big difference ? Ive seen 0.5hp in so many other applications when a arm was used like my 3000gt N/A. Other then that I guess the exhaust makes alot of sense but can I boost the performance without touching it ? Or maybe a cutout or just a test pipe would be beneficial for now. If I was to remain with the stock T25 turbo for now and maybe get a 1g BOV + TurboXS MBC + Autometer boost gauge + A/F gauge + test pipe what would I look up to as in hp gain ? What is the power limit of a stock fuel pump setup not rewired ? rewired ? Will I be close to the pump limit ? How easy with the boost gauge and MBC is to adjust the boost and go back to stock boost when wanted ? How far off can he up the boost on the T25 stock setup?

 

[Redspyder98]

I've read on dual stage MBC and it looks pretty promising. If he can switch the boost between two settings like 12psi low and 15psi high it would be great. Is the stock boost 12psi ? And is it safe to boost a stock setup to 15psi and what are the gains if everything is good? How far can a stock application can be boosted ?

 

[hellotbone]

I would have to honestly say from my personal experience that HONESTLY now that unless you do Boost control/Exhaust/Intake/IC pipes and of course gauges that you will notice almost no differance just by raising the boost. The AF gauge forget it waste of money. The test pipe is ok but really you have to remove all the restrictions to get any real benefit.

I would have to say the best thing for him to do would be take it and get a good tuneup new plugs wires everything then start to mod slowly in stages follow the tuning guide on the site I did to stage one anyways when I was Noob* at it (still am) and got a nice street car out of it.

He can learn alot from here and have a fast car see if you can meet up with some people in your area to learn from.

 

[Larry L]

It was written in Sport Compact magazine in an issue related to 1G & 2G modifications that the first thing to do when modifing a DSM is the Timing Belt...You put all you efforts into the boosting system, and bolt ons then your timing belt snaps... And then you need a whole motor. So do yourself a favor and change the timing belt.

From there the simple bolt ons are the key. K&N FIPK or other quality filter, Min 2 1/2 down pipe. Off road pipe, and Exaust. There is a restriction in the BOV dump tube that is easily cut, and another on the upper intercooler piping below the fuse box (drivers side), and the stock bov leaks at 15psi So a after market UIC, and BOV is necessary(the 1G bov is cheap and can holp 19psi).. A manual boost controller is adequite for his application. The greddy Profec is also a good choice. OH, And suppliment that with a boost controller (a must). From there a high performance clutch is necessary. For a upgrade on a budget the 14b (1G) turbo is great. And can be had for around $100.00. I picked mine up for $50.00 from a buddy of mine who upgraded to a EVO 16G. Use a 190lpm-255lpm fuel pump and you can boost to 16 psi safely on the ECU's stock fuel maps...However, be careful because the stock intercooler will heat soak and become an issue after multiple runs.

The 14b can then be taken to any turbo shop and converted to a 16G or you can purchase another if you wish...But with a 16G a FMIC is MANDITORY, and don't boost over 16psi till you get injectors, EGT, and S-AFC...Yes the stock ECU and 255lpm fuel pump "CAN" supply the 16g with adequate fuel up to 16psi...18 on 104 octane race gas. Another cheap way to upgrade is to port your eaust manifold, O2 housing, and Turbo exaust housing... The bit costs $25.00, but requires a Die Grinder and Compressor.
Roadraceengineering.com, and vfaq.com have many, many examples on how to do all of the above...Even the timing belt, and porting.

The Spyder is a funny beast. The weight of the GSX with the drive train of the GS-T. They are usually a little slower than the hard tops, but with some modifications can be really quick.. When I first started I ran a 15.7 @ 86 mph with massive wheel spin. Now I'm at a 13.9 @ 103. Trust me these modifications alone will not feel that fast. But once the car begins to come together you will notice one hell of a difference.

Your going to see your greatest improvements with the turbo, and intercooler upgrades. Go slow...One piece at a time...Check EBAY.com fro good deals on alot of your parts. And goodluck.

-Larry

 

[Redspyder98]

The car is really low mileage and doesn't need the timing belt for another 20k.

So my best bet if I understand correctly is to follow the guide on this site since it seems pretty precise ! This is unlike most of the guides I have seen really but it is cool !

 

[hellotbone]

Like the guide says though try to skimp where you can you can have a very fast car for cheap $$$ if you know where to find the parts! or make your own or install stuff yourself IE 14B

 

[Larry L]

Tbone is right...Lots of vroom for little bling.. And keep in mind that he and I both run upgraded turbos TDO5H's on just a fuel pump. The key is to keep the boost below 16psi. This with the upgrade path on this web site will hook you up fat. But be advised we weigh as much as a AWD and are FWD. So we will not be as fast as a hard top with equivelant modifications. Also like I wrote before look at roadraceengineering.com for porting instructions, and many other informative information. Good luck

-Larry