Engine and Tune
 

So car is at about 56K, never been tuned, basic catback exhaust, HFC's and CAI.

Seems like car is not as "zippy" as it was(although my track times continue to go down lol). Besides the basic concepts and parts, I really don't know much about servicing an engine. Was looking for some good advice on what you would do if you were me at that mileage etc. Car is 80% track usage, hopefully by next summer will be a track only car.

Here's what I am thinking of doing, please feel free to expand or say "nope that's dumb waste of money", "as long as you are doing this, you might as well do ...".
1. Spark Plugs.
2. Clean all air intakes, manifold, suction line, K&N's, anything else?
3. ECU TEK (need to fix syncro rev) and get a basic tune.
4. ???

Never dynode car, no idea what whp is currently. What would you do next and why? All thanks in advance!

Don't forget to clean the MAFs.

What you and Chuckie have said. That should do it. With a tune from a dyno. You can change a few things. Also with a dyno sheet. You should be able to tell how tired the motor is. And it gives you a base line for later on. ;) As for the Z not feeling as "zippy". That could be you being so used to it.

Maybe an oil analysis next time you change the oil?

I cleaned my K&N's and MAF's, re- oiled and found 14Kw atw .... after I realised the filters had not been serviced for over 2 years ......

A compression test and a leak down test would tell you if the motor is on the way out.

Thanks guys. I think some of it is that I am used to it, I am getting pretty decent at driving and pushing it, the times are starting to come in range of what I want, still 2-3 seconds off where I need to be but getting there. But I have really never done any engine service/inside cleaning etc. I want to get the ECU tek fix for the FD/SRM, but want to have everything in order before I go Dyno and tune it.

I have thought about doing PPE headers, but not sure the cost+weight is justified vs a new set of tires lol. bang for buck the 5-10 HP that headers might bring is not worth it at this time, I just want to make sure it's on par ~300 rWhp, anything over that is just bonus imo.

This is a very real possibility, I clean my filters and re oil once or twice a year, but I have never cleaned the MAFs. TY.

What tires are you using currently?

FWIW, I have considered a major upgrade to my Z, but now I'm leaning towards an M4 instead.

Dead RS-3's that need to be changed. M4 is a fast car, much faster than the M3 from what I have seen.

If you are going to sink some real money into it, I would go NA build. I think also a single turbo build could work decently. Either one, there are two main factors you will have to deal with 1. Weight reduction. 2. Aero and cooling. Neither of which is cheap. In the long run though, running a German car at the track, ee gads, it probably costs more.

When you clean and reoil your K&N's. Don't over oil them. If you do. You'll have a mess inside the CAI, all the way to the throttle bodies. And your MAF's will be coated too. Just lightly spray the outside of them.

I might be guilty of this :icon14:

I learned that lesson long ago. :icon17:

my basic car care package is filters, Id recommend changing over to a dry filter media on your CAI, clean MAFS with CRC electrical contact cleaner vs the designated crc MAF cleaaner. We realized it left a residue on the contacts once it dried. The electrical contact cleaner does not. Inspect throttle bodies and clean as needed. Make sure you disconnect the battery when servicing these or idle while issues could come about. Whatever oil your running, get a UOA, see if your good there. I always do a fuel injection cleaner every 7-10k depending on habits. The best ones Ive used is BG, amsoil, and good ol lucas "deep clean injector"...redline is also pretty good, has allot of PEA the detergent agent in chevron techron. Spark plugs is next, I recommend a plug with a silver core and electrode for best thermal conductivity and electrical. Brisk racing makes the absolute best plug on the market, hands down. Other than a compression test/leak down, Id get a tune....some guys replace their up stream 02's after a couple years of hard track time. The VHR is such an amazing motor one you get the oil cooling under control

Thanks guys, car is in the shop at Corner3. All of the above being done. Will do oil test in a few weeks since I just did an Oil change. Car is going to be Etuned by Specialty Z after service. TY for the input.

I'm running Bridgestone RE-71Rs, which I'm quite happy with and will likely continue with in an M4, until something better ultimately comes around (in the tire world, this means every year practically).

The key to controlling costs in an M car is to keep the consumables affordable. So I'm looking at a configuration with the standard iron brakes, rather than carbon ceramic rotors that cost $10k and need to be replaced every 500 track miles. As soon as an AP Racing BBK is available for the M4, I'll switch out to that -- the performance can't be beat, and the rotors/pads are cheap.

There's still the question of when I'll get the M4. Soon, if I decide to go that way. But I just ordered a new set of Carbotech XP10s and Stoptech rotors, so that will give me a little wiggle room.

Tires right now are out of control. Hankook sold out to tire rack and now bridgestone is undercutting them on price. Hankook can rot in hell as far as I am concerned. The tire business is so sh1tty and shady, I don't even want to give any of them my money currently.

I like the strategy on the brakes. I have switched to stop techs and hawk DTC's. happy with both, but the DTC's are very, very, very harsh. Buddy is trying out the Endless ME-20 on a different setup so we are comparing notes.

I am not a fan of the Carbotechs. I think the number of track days you get for the price you pay is not worth it. I like them initially, but they fall off fast. Endless pads are twice the price and last 3 times as long, they perform all the way down to the metal.

I am impressed with the Stop tech rotors so far, but the Hawk DTC's have already started eating them up.

Can't go wrong with AP!

Try a set of Blanks and Me-20's imo. People balk at the price of a set of Endless pads, but in my own experience, they are worth every penny and actually cheaper to run over time.

[

QUOTE=ban25;3323819]I'm running Bridgestone RE-71Rs, which I'm quite happy with and will likely continue with in an M4, until something better ultimately comes around (in the tire world, this means every year practically).

The key to controlling costs in an M car is to keep the consumables affordable. So I'm looking at a configuration with the standard iron brakes, rather than carbon ceramic rotors that cost $10k and need to be replaced every 500 track miles. As soon as an AP Racing BBK is available for the M4, I'll switch out to that -- the performance can't be beat, and the rotors/pads are cheap.

There's still the question of when I'll get the M4. Soon, if I decide to go that way. But I just ordered a new set of Carbotech XP10s and Stoptech rotors, so that will give me a little wiggle room.[/QUOTE]

Just an update:

So I bought this car with 22K, and it is now approaching 60K miles. It has been tracked no less than 2 days a month since. I would say 80% of the miles I have put on it are either driving to the track or at the track. I travel for work a lot so even though the car is a DD it is rarely driven over 15 miles when I am at home.

Had the plugs changed, mafs and TB's cleaned and did the compression and leak down per recommendations, here's the results from Corner 3 Garage:

Compression: Cyl1 196 PSI, Cyl2 210 PSI,Cyl3 210 PSI, Cyl 4 215 PSI, Cyl5 215 PSI, Cyl6 214 PSI.

Leak Down: Cyl1 92 (8%), Cyl2 93 (7%),Cyl3 96 (4%), Cyl 4 95 (5%), Cyl5 96(4%), Cyl6 95 (5%).


Car is currently being E-tuned by Specialty Z, so will run it on the dyno after that is done! Will be happy with anything over 305, I only have CAI's and HFC's so I think that's a fair target.