Power Mods for Track Use

[Dave B]

I know this is going to open up a huge can of worms but I am happy to get any and everyone's opinions. First let me set out my basic situation. BTW, I don't have access to any high ethanol fuels and E 50 tunes or whatever are not an option for me. I will also not be running in 100 F weather and should have cooling issues with a stock engine handled well with a C&R radiator and adequate hood venting. (I had no issue with heat management or limp mode with the hood vents and OEM rad on my 2020 on fast tracks with no engine mods).

I use the car on the street, for HPDE, and Ontario Time-Attack competition which means I do need to have some reliable power and really don't want stuff that only works for 1 lap. I am also somewhat limited in choices of engine mods due to the time-attack classing structure so I really want to deal with what works best for starters i.e. I am not replacing the turbo etc. OTOH, I am not looking to make 400 hp etc.

I am quite new to turbo setups so wondering what is the best way to make reliable power and keep IATs down. Tune? Downpipe? IC ? Magic sauce??? I do recognize the need for increase total cooling will be greater.

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[Dave B]

Hey Folks, 87 views and no suggestions? Do you have to do everything to make it work or do some mods have more effect than others? I know the Eventuri intake is supposedly effective enough that it needs a tune as well (but wow the price is pretty high). Do all of other mods need a tune to work well and alternatively, does a tune make any difference to a stock engine? I hear that the stock Hondata tune runs a bit too lean and creates a lot of heat, but what about others?

 

[fatherpain]

The tune will generate more heat. The C&R Racing radiator is a good start. Is that the race or street version?

Thinking a C&R Racing FMIC would be a nice add to maintain the power on tap.

 

[MadMage]

This page will give you estimates on what mods will produce how much power. Not much matters until yuo unlock the ECU and get a tune.
https://fk8.wiki/Tuning

 

[Eugene_Fk8]

get it overheat first, and add more powder after you did the cooling mods.

 

[BlueFalcon]

I made hp/tq figures in the high 380s to 390s on stock airbox, stock exhaust, DP/FP, C&R Intercooler with PRL charge pipes on a tune from DRob that was specifically tailored to linear power delivery with less "peaky" torque in the low/mid range for track use.

I know that some of that seems to fall outside of your to-do list above (or what you'd like to do) but he also offers remote tuning if you're unable to get to the shop. He will gladly tailor a tune to meet your needs on track. You might consider starting a conversation with him to find out more.

 

[Dave B]

get it overheat first, and add more powder after you did the cooling mods.

I have been quite pleased with the heat control with even just Trackspec vents on a stock engine. I plan to go to the more aggressive Race Louver vents as well as an improved radiator. On a fast track and mid 70s temp, ECT never went above 212 and would often sit around 206 according to LogR so I don't think I was losing too much power there although IATs were higher than I would like.

The tune will generate more heat. The C&R Racing radiator is a good start. Is that the race or street version?

Thinking a C&R Racing FMIC would be a nice add to maintain the power on tap.

I have heard from a few folks that the race radiator is actually still quite streetable. Even though I am Canadian, I store the car in the winter so likely the race radiator is the way to go. With that and the better hood venting, I think I will be able to look at power mods that just wouldn't work before.

Seems like a tune is the first thing to look at and potentially a better IC to help keep IATs down. I would be happy with about 350 at the wheels. Any more than that will most likely cause more cooling issues that even an C&R race radiator and good venting can't reliably fix. As I said before, I don't have access to high ethanol fuel but do have access to lots of 94 octane.

 

[AlphaDigital]

FBO and a tune will put you in that power range, especially on 94. I suggest if youre going to do downpipe and front pipe to either coat them, wrap them, or both, along with a turbo blanket to try and keep bay temps down.

 

[Dave B]

I might have thought that with the better cooling, a tune and new IC might be the cheapest and easiest way to go. I would be interested in how much power the tune alone can make without the full bolt ons. Certainly not maximal power but a reasonable compromise for the time-attack series I run.

I am aware that for the bolt ons to work, you need a tune anyway.

 

[BlueFalcon]

I might have thought that with the better cooling, a tune and new IC might be the cheapest and easiest way to go. I would be interested in how much power the tune alone can make without the full bolt ons. Certainly not maximal power but a reasonable compromise for the time-attack series I run.

I am aware that for the bolt ons to work, you need a tune anyway.

That's kind of the gist of what I was commenting on with my previous post- the idea that you don't need every bolt on available to see large gains with a tune optimized for a higher octane. Even the off-the-shelf tunes are known to make great power, but they are known to also not be optimized for what you'll be doing with the car. Just be sure to have it tuned to fit the use case, and you'll be much better off.

 

[AlphaDigital]

From what ive read I think OTS tunes generate more heat than custom ones? But I defer to @kefi and other tuners to verify that. Regardless, a custom tune is always better if not for the extra power, for the adjustability a tuner can make for you and the track youre on.

 

[Sam3]

I read and watched several articles and videos explaining how a bigger aftermarket intercooler actually makes heating worse because it blocks air going into the radiator. There's a thread here discussion it:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/thread...ng-a-bigger-ic-wont-combat-overheating.47505/

HPD went for the stock intercooler for the TC and redid the mounting of the radiator/intercooler (diagonal) for the TCR, and ended up having to remove the front crash bar in the process (illegal and dangerous for street cars).

 

[Dave B]

I read and watched several articles and videos explaining how a bigger aftermarket intercooler actually makes heating worse because it blocks air going into the radiator. There's a thread here discussion it:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/thread...ng-a-bigger-ic-wont-combat-overheating.47505/

HPD went for the stock intercooler for the TC and redid the mounting of the radiator/intercooler (diagonal) for the TCR, and ended up having to remove the front crash bar in the process (illegal and dangerous for street cars).

It only makes sense that an intercooler that cools more will heat up the air getting to the radiator making it cool less. I like the idea of keeping IATs down but would think that the only way to get anywhere with a bigger IC is to also have a better radiator as well. Also I don't think the factory TCR cars actually make a ton of power, so they may well be fine with an OEM intercooler.

 

[tripodog]

I know this is going to open up a huge can of worms but I am happy to get any and everyone's opinions. First let me set out my basic situation. BTW, I don't have access to any high ethanol fuels and E 50 tunes or whatever are not an option for me. I will also not be running in 100 F weather and should have cooling issues with a stock engine handled well with a C&R radiator and adequate hood venting. (I had no issue with heat management or limp mode with the hood vents and OEM rad on my 2020 on fast tracks with no engine mods).

I use the car on the street, for HPDE, and Ontario Time-Attack competition which means I do need to have some reliable power and really don't want stuff that only works for 1 lap. I am also somewhat limited in choices of engine mods due to the time-attack classing structure so I really want to deal with what works best for starters i.e. I am not replacing the turbo etc. OTOH, I am not looking to make 400 hp etc.

I am quite new to turbo setups so wondering what is the best way to make reliable power and keep IATs down. Tune? Downpipe? IC ? Magic sauce??? I do recognize the need for increase total cooling will be greater.

Weight reduction

 

[Dave B]

Weight reduction

Any suggestions other than wheels and brake rotors? I still need the car for street use.

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