- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
aye! This is why I post here. Saved my bacon. Its disputed amongst the MR2 group but from my reading this morning it appears that YES wrapping the downpipe will overcook stainless downpipes potentially causing them to fail sooner.
The main (most logical) reason I read being
1. Can cause too much heat on the downpipe - even if its only 200 degrees more, that is still 200 degrees hotter than it would be if it wasnt wrapped - basically just accelerating the chances of failure.
2. Uneven wrapping will cause uneven heat dissipation which will lead to hot spots and extra and unnecessary stressed of the downpipe material.
3. If not in regular use the wrap has the potential to hold moisture in, against the downpipe, causing corrosion.
Welp... guess Ill just wrap everything around it instead and maybe use some of the spare aluminium sheet that I have to make some more shielding.
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
Would it be a bad idea to wrap this stuff around the turbine housing? I see some guys using "Socks" on them - or would it be too hot for fiberglass? I guess Im just really nervous because the stock downpipe had plenty of heat shielding, and this new stuff all looks very open and dangerous.
Wrapping the turbo is a decent idea in principal, but for the truly marginal gains I personally wouldn't do it.
Wrapping adjacent elements in (reflective) insulation and using more aluminum heat shielding is a good idea, definitely do that.
The aftermarket stuff is stainless, which insulates better than regular steel. Plus it's all shiny, so it emits less radiative heat. I wouldn't get too worried about it as long as you still have the firewall heat shield in place.
Wrapping adjacent elements in (reflective) insulation and using more aluminum heat shielding is a good idea, definitely do that.
The aftermarket stuff is stainless, which insulates better than regular steel. Plus it's all shiny, so it emits less radiative heat. I wouldn't get too worried about it as long as you still have the firewall heat shield in place.
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
Got the engine back in the bay and started it yesterday. Fired right up on first attempt. That is such an awesome feeling after all that work.
I went for a short drive around the block, but haven't boosted it yet. Need to get the rear tires realigned because I had to disassemble most of the rear suspension to do the drop.
There was a slight oil leak at the pump when I first started it up, but after the short drive it seemed to stop. Probably just the oil pump gasket needing to set or something?? I didnt see any drops of oil on the floor this morning. Ill look again tonight. Also I have a very loud and obnoxious vibration against the firewall between 2000 - 3000rpm - I will need to hunt that down and kill it before I driveagain, because the car sounds like crap with it.
I also need to fill the Air to Water Intercooler again, and that takes a little bit of time to bleed all the bubbles out.
Another side note. I did a crap job of deleting the sunroof. A couple welds cracked and it all went to hell. Ill be fixing that properly (With Black2NA's input) over the next few weeks. No more plastidip. The stuff looks good, but its to vulnerable to damage IMO.
Ive also decided that Im going to take some steps towards weight reduction. Try and lighten this car down 3lb's at a time.
Things from this last build that helped remove weight
- Cast iron downpipe and catalytic converter - im guess close to 40lbs removed there alone. But replaced with aftermarket DP - so total 32lb's removed?
- Rear cabin firewall carpet - Its thick and packed with heavy insulation. Unnecessay for this car - 15lb's
- A couple unessecary cast iron brackets, bolts and braces from the engine that werent doing anything. 5-8lbs
- Trunk carpeting - nobody ever sees it anyways - 10 lbs
- Removed the MK1 seats and modified the MK2 seats to fit (forgot to mention that before - hehe) They are much more comfortable, and lighter in weight- 5lbs each
So already Ive removed close to 80lb's from the car. Every little bit will make a difference on a 2000lb car. Thats almost a 5% weight reduction.
Other places to address
- Rims - these Motegi MR7's are 20lb's each
- Battery maybe couple drop 15lbs with a lightweight battery
- Exhaust piping between downpipe and muffler
- sound deadening material in cabin - some guys report up to 15lbs weight drop.
- Me. I need to go an a diet. Could afford to lose 20lbs.
I went for a short drive around the block, but haven't boosted it yet. Need to get the rear tires realigned because I had to disassemble most of the rear suspension to do the drop.
There was a slight oil leak at the pump when I first started it up, but after the short drive it seemed to stop. Probably just the oil pump gasket needing to set or something?? I didnt see any drops of oil on the floor this morning. Ill look again tonight. Also I have a very loud and obnoxious vibration against the firewall between 2000 - 3000rpm - I will need to hunt that down and kill it before I driveagain, because the car sounds like crap with it.
I also need to fill the Air to Water Intercooler again, and that takes a little bit of time to bleed all the bubbles out.
Another side note. I did a crap job of deleting the sunroof. A couple welds cracked and it all went to hell. Ill be fixing that properly (With Black2NA's input) over the next few weeks. No more plastidip. The stuff looks good, but its to vulnerable to damage IMO.
Ive also decided that Im going to take some steps towards weight reduction. Try and lighten this car down 3lb's at a time.
Things from this last build that helped remove weight
- Cast iron downpipe and catalytic converter - im guess close to 40lbs removed there alone. But replaced with aftermarket DP - so total 32lb's removed?
- Rear cabin firewall carpet - Its thick and packed with heavy insulation. Unnecessay for this car - 15lb's
- A couple unessecary cast iron brackets, bolts and braces from the engine that werent doing anything. 5-8lbs
- Trunk carpeting - nobody ever sees it anyways - 10 lbs
- Removed the MK1 seats and modified the MK2 seats to fit (forgot to mention that before - hehe) They are much more comfortable, and lighter in weight- 5lbs each
So already Ive removed close to 80lb's from the car. Every little bit will make a difference on a 2000lb car. Thats almost a 5% weight reduction.
Other places to address
- Rims - these Motegi MR7's are 20lb's each
- Battery maybe couple drop 15lbs with a lightweight battery
- Exhaust piping between downpipe and muffler
- sound deadening material in cabin - some guys report up to 15lbs weight drop.
- Me. I need to go an a diet. Could afford to lose 20lbs.
being a toy its a great idea to lose weight. i honestly dont reccomend going with a lightweight battery the risk of getting stranded is lame! and the weight over the front wheels is NOT a bad thing! and easy way to drop weight is to go to 15"wheels 15X7 205/50/15 starspecs or do 15X8 225/45/15 RS3's probly lose 10-12lbs each of unsprung weight. and you dropped quite a bit of weight going with a new DP. gonna be a little rocket! your gonna love the CT20B!
If it were my car I'd aim for a staggered tire setup, 15x7s in the front with 205/50/15 StarSpecs, and 16x8s in the back with 225/50/16 StarSpecs, or something along those lines.
Last edited:
only problem i have with a double staggered set up on a MKI is that tires are becoming slim in 16's that dont rub everything. which is why i would leave it on a 15" rim size. and i think with mostly street driving fuzzy would be more then ok with 205 starspecs at his power level and if he wants crazy grip he can Go MS3's!
So... what you're saying is... 205 star specs up front and 225 RS3s on the back? :awe:
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
One thing you guys dont know about, but I unfortunately found out about, is that NON of those tires are available in canada (at least thru the 6 different retailers I checked). Yes, you can buy them from Tirerack.com but the import/duty costs will DOUBLE the costs. Yes DOUBLE. One guy I talked to said he shipped in $200 tires and the import fees came out to $200 EACH. FUUuuu.
BUT! I may have a solution. My parents live in Arizona 1/2 of the year. Im thinking Ill get tire rack to ship a new set of rims and tires to them and then get my rents to tuck them quietly in the back of the trailer and presto!
Im liking the 15x7 C1M's for the Miata with +30offset. Then maybe Star Specs as RS3's are unavailable that size.
16" rims dont look too bad on the car either. I might be able to squeeze 225/50/16 in the rear, but the front would def rub. Maybe its time to put on fender flares in the back? :awe:
I need to do something. Cuz im just sliding around out there
BUT! I may have a solution. My parents live in Arizona 1/2 of the year. Im thinking Ill get tire rack to ship a new set of rims and tires to them and then get my rents to tuck them quietly in the back of the trailer and presto!
Im liking the 15x7 C1M's for the Miata with +30offset. Then maybe Star Specs as RS3's are unavailable that size.
16" rims dont look too bad on the car either. I might be able to squeeze 225/50/16 in the rear, but the front would def rub. Maybe its time to put on fender flares in the back? :awe:
I need to do something. Cuz im just sliding around out there
Last edited:
You can get the C1 (not C1M) in 15x8 and stuff RS3s on there, that's my setup. The C1M is a spec Miata specialty wheel and thus is limited to 15x7.
However, StarSpecs are probably better for a street car because they will wear better and probably grip better in the rain.
However, StarSpecs are probably better for a street car because they will wear better and probably grip better in the rain.
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
jlee
Lifer
- Sep 12, 2001
- 48,518
- 223
- 106
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
I live near Edmonton, Alberta.
Im tempted to put on the stock rims with 6" rubber to see how it performs. Who knows, maybe its better because there'll be more pressure per inch of contact? :awe: Or itll just be a smoke machine.
Im tempted to put on the stock rims with 6" rubber to see how it performs. Who knows, maybe its better because there'll be more pressure per inch of contact? :awe: Or itll just be a smoke machine.
Last edited:
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
Forgot to take photos during welding. I placed a new patch over the sunroof hole, punched holes every 1/2" along the edge of the patch, then filled in the holes with welds to make spot welds. A tip from Black2NA. This is WAY more solid that what I had done before.
Also used paint this time. Looks a little cleaner than Plastidip.
Also used paint this time. Looks a little cleaner than Plastidip.
Last edited:
manimal
Lifer
- Mar 30, 2007
- 13,559
- 8
- 0
dammit you're making me seem so far behind.
Looks good!
same and same!
Looks much better than the dip did!
One thing I hate about ATG is everyone lives all over the place. I cant just come by and drool on your cars
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
A long overdue update. I find it VERY difficult to get motivated to work on my car when it looks like this outside.
In October I upgraded the water lines on the Air to Water Intercooler to 1" thickness from 5/8".
Also installed a larger Mustang Cobra heat exchanger in the front.
I had to hire a guy to do some aluminium welding so that the spouts on the heat ex-changer were 1" and came out the sides instead of out the front.
The water pump was also upgraded to a Sherwood Aqua Tiger. Water flow will not be an issue. I didnt have a chance to see how much of difference it really made, but I am certain that it will keep the intercooler temps down WAY better. Need to install fans on the Heat exchanger yet.
Another project I completed was installing the much more comfortable MK2 seats.
Had to remove the mounts from the rails on the MK1 seats then weld them onto the rails of the MK2 seats.
All in all, really easy to do, just time consuming, and involves nervous welding inside the car.
In October I upgraded the water lines on the Air to Water Intercooler to 1" thickness from 5/8".
Also installed a larger Mustang Cobra heat exchanger in the front.
I had to hire a guy to do some aluminium welding so that the spouts on the heat ex-changer were 1" and came out the sides instead of out the front.
The water pump was also upgraded to a Sherwood Aqua Tiger. Water flow will not be an issue. I didnt have a chance to see how much of difference it really made, but I am certain that it will keep the intercooler temps down WAY better. Need to install fans on the Heat exchanger yet.
Another project I completed was installing the much more comfortable MK2 seats.
Had to remove the mounts from the rails on the MK1 seats then weld them onto the rails of the MK2 seats.
All in all, really easy to do, just time consuming, and involves nervous welding inside the car.
Last edited:
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
Also, I took and finished up the interior of the sunroof patch. Put primer on it and then plastered it with the same rubber undercoating I used on the floorboards.
I actually really like the way it ended up looking (pictures dont do it justice), So much so that I used the same stuff throughout the rest of the cabin to give it a flat black look.
I wont be putting most of the carpet or plastics back in because I like the look of it.
After looking at these photos I can see a few places it needs to be touched up.
Still not really certain what all I can be doing with the car at the moment. Mostly just shopping for rims/wheels. I think I have narrowed down my options to nearly exactly what Black2NA suggested a few months back 15x7 et30 rims with 205/50/15 rubber. I currently have +42 offset, so with +30 it will give me about 3/4" more poke, which IMO will look better.
Its hard to think of things and keep motivated when you can not drive the car at all.
In the meantime the silver MR2 has been picking up some of the slack.
I actually really like the way it ended up looking (pictures dont do it justice), So much so that I used the same stuff throughout the rest of the cabin to give it a flat black look.
I wont be putting most of the carpet or plastics back in because I like the look of it.
After looking at these photos I can see a few places it needs to be touched up.
Still not really certain what all I can be doing with the car at the moment. Mostly just shopping for rims/wheels. I think I have narrowed down my options to nearly exactly what Black2NA suggested a few months back 15x7 et30 rims with 205/50/15 rubber. I currently have +42 offset, so with +30 it will give me about 3/4" more poke, which IMO will look better.
Its hard to think of things and keep motivated when you can not drive the car at all.
In the meantime the silver MR2 has been picking up some of the slack.
Last edited:
YAY!!!! MKI winter duty! also on the C1M's dont go for the grey try and get the silver ones JCH has silver ones they look way better
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
I am planning on more surgery for the MK1.5
First thing I want to do is install a side vent on the drivers side of the car. In this side vent I would mount the air filter. The possible benefits from this would be cooler air being taken in, as well as more intake noise for that added PSSSSSS!
Right now, there is the fuel cap in the way, so that would need to be relocated.
The fellow below just moved the fill location behind the side vent.
But im thinking the car would look sleeker without the filler cap on the side. I want to move it, possibly, up behind the c-pillar.
Im not thinking this will be incredible hard to do. Below the green is the already in place fuel neck. The blue is how I would extend it.
What I need are tips on exactly how to do this. I am thinking that i can remove the stock fuel neck and vent without too much trouble. After that I can cut it before it bends towards the fuel cap, and then just extend both vent line and fuel neck with some rubber hose. Would I need fuel specific hose for this?
First thing I want to do is install a side vent on the drivers side of the car. In this side vent I would mount the air filter. The possible benefits from this would be cooler air being taken in, as well as more intake noise for that added PSSSSSS!
Right now, there is the fuel cap in the way, so that would need to be relocated.
The fellow below just moved the fill location behind the side vent.
But im thinking the car would look sleeker without the filler cap on the side. I want to move it, possibly, up behind the c-pillar.
Im not thinking this will be incredible hard to do. Below the green is the already in place fuel neck. The blue is how I would extend it.
What I need are tips on exactly how to do this. I am thinking that i can remove the stock fuel neck and vent without too much trouble. After that I can cut it before it bends towards the fuel cap, and then just extend both vent line and fuel neck with some rubber hose. Would I need fuel specific hose for this?
Last edited:
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 20K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter