time + money = to SAFC or FMIC?

[WazR32GTSt]

i have an R32gtst with 3" exhaust from the turbo, high-flow panel filter in the airbox, CAI, and bleed valve to about 11psi. but, its an auto

in 2 weeks i finish my exams and have time free...

and i have about $500-600 to spend...

now comes my dilemma... i'm thinking either 1 of 2 options:

1) i was thinking of getting a 2nd hand SAFC and dyno tune to get the fuel mixtures right as i know i am running rich with the stock ECU. but woud it also be a good idea to put in a transmission cooler to ensure the like of my auto 'box? than i would mount a 2nd hand motorbike radiator fan behind the stock 'cooler to help cool-down after use (and the CAI+fog lights are partially blocking the airflow anyway).

2) my other thought was to get a 2nd hand jza80 supra FMIC intercooler (has inlet and outlet on same side) and mount this. i could sell my old cooler to get some money back, and use the stock pipes but with a bit of extensions to reach the supra front-mount. this option would probably be cheaper and better for protection, although its an rb20 and has a lower comp ratio so less prone to detonation...

So my question is to those who have been there and done that. What option do they think is the best bang for buck. can the SAFC be done all up for $500 - 600?? this was the option i was leaning to but i'm not sure of the gains i will get... i've read posts of uo tp 60rwkw gain after tuning! but are my mods too minimal for any gain?

any help would be great or even a suggestion of an even better option that i didn't think of...

Cheers,

Warren.

[qikr33]

hey mate i have got a safc on my r33.I know i am getting some extra power from it but no where near 60kw.Maybe 5-10 kw .The car hasnt been dyno tuned but i have mucked around with the settings and got some help from the people here.I would be trying to get a second hand fmic.I picked my safc up for 200 second hand so thats why i bought it.I dont think its worth spending 600 .A power fc is 1500 i know its a little more than twice the price but honestly worth waiting for.I still have to get power fc and fmic but for now just have water sprayers and safc and am doing ok fast car in winter but a lot slower in summer cos iof fmic.

[JimX]

You probably won't get 60rwkw out of an S-AFC. The reason that guy got an extra 60kw was because the engine was running really badly beforehand. The usual amount of extra power is 15-30rwkw from a car that is running ok before the tune. If you're only getting 5-10, the tuner hasn't done a very good job.

A front-mount on its own probably won't give you much extra power at all, especially with the stock ECU compensating for the extra air by adding even more fuel in. When I got my car it had a small front-mount already, and pre it was around 150rwkw @11psi. After tuning the S-AFC it was around 166. I think I could have gotten those figures or almost as much with the stock intercooler.

After that I got a bigger FMIC and upped the boost, and then got 215rwkw @15psi, but it was leaning out due to lack of fuel.

Have a read of the "13.4s quarter mile from a stockish R33" thread, you might find you don't need to buy either of those things to get a nice power upgrade.

Btw, who do you think is going to buy your old factory cooler?

[Guest RedLineGTR]

maybe with a safc and a nice FMIC u might get 40rwkw or so with a realy good tune

[WazR32GTSt]

thanks for the relies

- i don't expect to get 60rwkw i was just putting up that there are gains to be had...

- who's gunna by my old 'cooler? some idiot with an older turbo car without any cooler?? let's hope so

- the $600 i have put aside includes what i would be paying for a dyno tune to get things perfect...

- as my car is an auto i won't be able to get a powerFC...

if i put on a FMIC won't it just richen things up even more?

plus with a SAFC i can re-tune as i do more things...

am i on the right track here? others let me know what you think...

[bbenny]

well i have both an aftermarket FMIC and an SAFCII and i have to say the SAFC gave the biggest noticable gains... my car wasnt running too bad, but i gained alot of midrange by tuning the SAFC.

But i would have to say that a front mount will allow for further modification. you can wind the boost up knowing its a bit safer for your engine.

get all your bolt on mechanical work done before fine tuning electronics. besides if you change anything again you will have to retune the SAFC again... more $$

[MJ]

Hey guys while we are on the topic here im at the same situation as Waz. I got a r33 gtst with 3" turbo back exhaust, pod, bleed valve to 10psi.

Now my next two mods will be the S-AFC and front mount. I was just wondering if i got the S-AFC fitted and tuned before i got the frount mount, would i have to get it re-tuned again afterwards by the workshop? Or is it not nessecary? or could i even tune it myself?

Cheers,

Matt

[rbs13]

need it tuned again..

[Busky2k]

Get an SAFC without hesitation. I got 20rwkw from my one. A supra FMIC (if you wanna call it that) isnt that much better than stock. Just save your dosh and get a proper FMIC later.

[pushead]

Go with the SAFC warz. I gained 15rwkw from it along. Read my BMT Dyno Tune thread in Vic. Your mods are exactly same as mine, auto, 3" turbo back zorst, hiflow panel filter.. set to 11 psi. You are looking at $350 for safc blue screen and about $120 - $150 for the apexi unit tune + dyno and don't count on 60rwkw just safc that is, if your car is in good condition

[evil_homer]

do the fmic first then engine management after, less tuning $$. Its the safest upgrade and you can up the boost just that little bit more too. And if its an R32, can't the ECU be remapped later on for a reasonable price compared to the SAFC?

[DCIEVE]

tuning an safc shouldnt cost more than 100bucks, so your looking at around 400 for a secong hand one tuned if you install yourself (easy)

the front mount doesnt give you much more power untill the car is tuned to make the most of it. even if you plan on doing powerfc down the track its quite easy to sell an safc for the same price you bought it for

[WazR32GTSt]

heaps of info here people... thanks!

i don't plan on doing too much more for the car after this... after all i'm applying for more uni courses next year after this degree and will probably be a student for a few more years (no dosh in other words )

hmmm i'm thinking an SAFC is the way to go...

i'm not worried about detonation as its an rb20 which has a lower compression ratio to the rb25's (in the r33) and so can take boost a little better...

now my next dilemma...

1) who has an SAFC that they want to sell?? c'mon, you know you want to upgrade to a powerFC!!

2) and also what should i look at paying for a second-hand SAFC?

[JimX]

Second hand S-AFC is worth around $300-350. Those that sell them for $200 are gypping themselves, because you can easily get 300-350 if you wait for the right buyer.

[Steve]

I would suggest two things,

First get a decent front mount. I dont think detonation would be a huge problem with the 8.5:1 CR, although a bad tune, or one close to the edge will cause detonation if you get a bad batch of fuel, a hot day, plugs are getting long in the tooth, etc all could cause detonation. This is even more likely if you start tweaking your AF ratios, and alot more likely if you dont have a front mount, or you dont adjust your ignition timing to match.

The R32 can be boosted a bit higher than the R33, even with stock turbo. Just fitting a stock cooler will allow you to do this pretty safely.

Another reason for a good front mount, you turbo wont like boosting with the stock cooler, they have a pretty huge pressure drop at higher rpm, and dont really cool the charge air a whole lot.

Lastly, I would suggest you look into getting your stock ecu remapped, it will allow you to not only do fuel but also ignition which is very important.

A fuel computer is a bit of a band aid IMHO. I am not saying they are a bad thing, just esp as you have an R32, get it remapped as you will have MUCH better results.

I believe BMT do remaps in Melb? Have heard some good comments about their (Dr Drifts) work with the R32 ECU.

You also need to be ready to start considering an upgraded fuel pump around this stage.

Just my 0.02 anyways.

EDIT: and dont worry with a supra cooler, get a decent aftermarket one, or a GTR one if you find one cheap enough.

[JimX]

Oh crap! I missed the whole thing about this being an R32. In that case, forget the S-AFC Do as Steve said and get it reprogrammed. Costs around $500 I think.

[DCIEVE]

i have a five dial if your interested

[WazR32GTSt]

a five dial???

i believe pauline hanson once said (before she went to jail for being a racist f***) "please explain"

[skylineakt]

Man you are getting mix reation here. Reading this thread has made me confused! hehe

I was on the same boat as you with my car, but my car is a R33.

The thing is I have been told that Skyline runs really rich so a/f would be the way to go to get a better tuning.

As with the fmic, you are already runing 11psi do you want to go even further even if you have a fmic with the ceramic turbo?

And as suggested the supra fmic is not much better than the stock so maybe you should save up a bit more and get a better fmic.

But I know if you have the money there now, you would want to spend it. So I say go the SAFC or save a little bit more get a better fmic and retune your ecu.

As my car is auto too, I decide with the e-manage. But still haven't gotten it install yet due to $$

[DCIEVE]

five dial air flow convertor