VR4 mods - worthwhile?

[jack_crowley]

Hello everyone,
I' want a little more power and better handling from my EC5A Galant vr4, after doing a little research I've come up with a list of mods for my VR4. A lot of the prices are estimates.

Gizzmo MS-IBC - $300
ceramic coated turbo back exhaust - $2000
new ecu + tuning - $800
hard piping kit - $850
600x250x76mm intercooler - $600
Evo X OEM bov - $250
swaybar front (whiteline) - $210
swaybar rear (whiteline) - $250
coilovers from ebay - $1200
fuel pump - $300
HD clutch - $500
injectors - $500
lifters - $300
timing belt and gaskets - $300
labour for lifters, waterbelt and timing belt - $1000
kkr 280 x 2 - $400
custom mounting plate for kkr 280 x 2 - $500

the total for all of this would be at least $10510

I'm looking to get around 250awkw

Any cheaper options for this kind of power? are any of the prices way off?
Are ceramic coated exhausts worthwhile? I want a nice, deep exhaust note, and haven't found anything I like the sound of yet.

[Gly]

Gizzmo MS-IBC - $300 (wouldnt bother if you going full standalone ecu)
ceramic coated turbo back exhaust - $2000 (y bother with ceramnic coating??)
new ecu + tuning - $800 (yeah right, full ecu and a proper tune closer to the $4000 mark)
hard piping kit - $850 (i would exect the intercooler to be included for this price)
600x250x76mm intercooler - $600 (as above)
Evo X OEM bov - $250 (personally i would go with a hks ssqv for that money or a synaspe)
swaybar front (whiteline) - $210
swaybar rear (whiteline) - $250
coilovers from ebay - $1200 (depends on what your buying exactly)
fuel pump - $300 ($200ish for a walbro, or get TRE does the job just as well and a few $$ cheaper)
HD clutch - $500 (more like $700-800 for just a clutch kit, add a few more for a flywell, dont forget labour, 8hours worth )
injectors - $500
lifters - $300
timing belt and gaskets - $300
labour for lifters, waterbelt and timing belt - $1000
kkr 280 x 2 - $400
custom mounting plate for kkr 280 x 2 - $500

the total for all of this would be at least $10510

also custom water and oil lines for new turbos,
relocating the oil filter is also required, and id invest in extra oil cooling.
with all the mods, the exhaust would be hit and miss, and would have to be custom(ised)

[jack_crowley]

also custom water and oil lines for new turbos,
relocating the oil filter is also required, and id invest in extra oil cooling.
with all the mods, the exhaust would be hit and miss, and would have to be custom(ised)

Is a reliable 250awkw daily driver VR4 possible without new turbos to save a bit of money in that case?

[Gly]

no max power on stock-ish turbos is about 220kw atw,

HD clutch, customized/rebuilt turbos, full exhaust, hard pipes & custom intake and box, cooler, full autronic ecu, manual conversion still looking at the best part of $8000-$10000

the autronic would not work correctly with the cars invec's trans so had to be converted to manual

[ILLEGAL]

if your after a "little" more power.. id get a boost gauge and manual boost controller a 3" exhaust from the cat back. a hi flowing cat converter. for handling id get the spring compressed or swap them for some lowered springs. thats all you will need.

if you worded your original post wrong and you actually want lots more power then my game plan would be a new single turbo.. anything from a TD05 20G all the way upto a T51r.. my personal choices would be.. TD05 with the 20G wheel in it. this would be a nice turbo for hi boost starting at around 3500rpm. then there's the GT30 and 35 or if a Garrett GT35/40 this would be the ideal turbo in my opinion.. it would be abit laggy (4200-5000rpm) but once on boost will pay off all the way to the red line!

ofcause to get the most from the turbo (turbos) you will need to feed the engine more fuel. this is where a re-flashed factory ecu or a standalone ecu comes into play. if you go with a full standalone ecu then you can go real big with your injector choice.

my list would look like this. if money wasnt a issue.

GT35/40 running 15psi
custom exhaust manifolds
custom plenum with throttle on other side of engine bay (or modified factory item)
standalone ECU.. Power FC, Autronic, Haltec, Link. theres a good choice out there now.
wideband o2 sensor and guage
600-800cc injectors
walbro intank fuel pump to feed surge tank
fuel surge tank with a big external fuel pump
adjustable fuel pressure regulator
new shiny front mount intercooler with 2.5" pipes
at this point the cams ability to swallow more air will be a restriction and the engines strength will be questionable.

after that initial setup is going well and more power is needed (yeh right!) then just give the engine a tuff rebuild (forged this billet that) and have the cams re profiled so you can crank more boost out of the turbo and the engine can digest it. turbo should be good for 20-30psi.

im not saying this is the best way to go about things.. it just my opinion. thanks.

[Nick Mann]

That's 330 plus bhp at the wheels. No chance on standard tubs. Although in the UK we tend to get 10 or 20% lower figures than in NZ, so it is more difficult for us to get certain numbers! Not sure how you compare in Australia though.

Good luck in getting there, I will be interested to see your journey. I'm already intrigued by your idea for a ceramic coated exhaust.

[Barney]

I'm already intrigued by your idea for a ceramic coated exhaust.

Nick, UK info here