10 psi on almost stock MSP question

[PeglegMSP]

I'm running 10 psi with a K&N drop-in air filter and a gutted cat. It seems to run fine.

I was wondering if any of you guys have any input into this setup as far as potential problems that I might encounter.

P.S. I'm new at this forum and don't know all the acronyms, so please go easy on the acronyms And I'm old enough to be your Daddy! But like Japanese cars.

 

[MSpeed2397]

Well first off...it will run fine, I don't think that's the problem. It's just if you don't drive it right, it could potentially snap a rod and ruin your block which obviously is no fun. To be able to drive the car like you would want to you need supporting mods. These mods will prevent disaster from striking.

Edit: By the way, you did something good by gutting the cat to free up the exhaust, but that's not going to do it...the backpressure is an issue that you may run into (which is no good for turbo cars)

 

[210_ZOOM]

check out these sites for some good products.

www.protegegarage.com
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[vxfilmer1000]

Before you run 10psi, I would atleast get exhaust, cai, and a FMIC.


But who knows every car is diffrent. You could blow your motor on stock boost or it could hold 17 psi.

 

[Matrix]

P.S. I'm new at this forum and don't know all the acronyms, so please go easy on the acronyms

FMIC = front mount intercooler. (thumb)

Although an upgraded side-mount (less expensive) would also do the trick if you plan to keep boost levels around 10psi.

My 2 cents: For 10 psi or less, I'd do a full exhaust (or at least a 2.5" downpipe), Injen intake, colder plugs, and an upgraded intercooler (side mount or front mount).

 

[jmv]

all those things listed, plus EMS (engine management) can't hurt either. I don't plan on upping the boost at all till i have the car tuned for it. The stock computer on the cars is pretty awful. Sometimes it'll run good, sometimes it'll be really off, and you don't want to be boosting 10 psi when its being odd, because the rods in our motors are notoriously weak.

When the cars first came out and people were in the 'testing' stage of seeing what they could do, lots of people blew them up because they put on boost controllers and upped the boost before doing anything else. 10 psi can be pretty safe, but only if you've got the mods to support it.

 

[PeglegMSP]

Thanks for the info!

Well I guess Im going to be a guinea pig, as far as my mods are concerned. The car was really kind of boring to drive at the stock 7 psi. Its a whole lot funner with 10 psi. Sooo Ill just wait it out and maybe post a follow up in a few months to let yall know how she holds up. It seems to breath fine with the mods I have, and I dont like loud exhaust so I plan on leaving the exhaust pretty much stock. I dont know how much noice a CAI will produce so any info regarding that would be helpful. The SMIC may be my next mod, it seems to produce a lot of bang for the buck. (How am I doing the acronyms? Pretty good for an old guy.)

 

[Ehawley]

Well I guess Im going to be a guinea pig, as far as my mods are concerned. The car was really kind of boring to drive at the stock 7 psi. Its a whole lot funner with 10 psi. Sooo Ill just wait it out and maybe post a follow up in a few months to let yall know how she holds up. It seems to breath fine with the mods I have, and I dont like loud exhaust so I plan on leaving the exhaust pretty much stock. I dont know how much noice a CAI will produce so any info regarding that would be helpful. The SMIC may be my next mod, it seems to produce a lot of bang for the buck. (How am I doing the acronyms? Pretty good for an old guy.)

SMIC doesn't really give you any more bang, just makes boom less likely when you up the boost. 10 psi on stock set up is really playing with fire IMHO. When it goes, it will go big and expensive. You are a little safer without a Fuel Cut Defencer, as the ECU will kick in fuel cut if you begin to get too much air.

 

[mazdaspeedwerx]

my car holds p great with 15psi . I run at the local track about once a month and have had no problems with my car. I only have a 3" exhaust a boost controller cai and a blow off valve. I think the msp a a faily well built car. as with all cars there are exceptions. the thing about modding cars is you have to expect to blow your engine and have many other problems along the way. if it breaks make it better.

 

[Bakum]

A CAI(Cold Air Intake) won't make a whole lot of noise, you'll be able to hear the turbo spool and the stock BPV(Bypass Valve) blow off/recirculate.

I am thinking about upping the boost to, but there is multiple threads including this one that STRONGLY recommends supporting mods before even thinking about it. Good Luck with the car.

 

[FlyinMSP]

I think it's a bad idea to boost 10 psi with the stock intercooler. A CAI alone will not help much either. Keep in mind that the more pressure the turbo generates, the more hot the air gets, as it's more compressed (gas physics here). If you don't take that extra heat away, it will go straight into your combustion chamber and it will cause detonation. That is for sure. May not be serious enough to blow the engine but it will not help it. You need at least a SMIC (side-mounted intercooler). The stock intercooler barely gets the job done (depending on outside temp) at stock boost. Any extra boost over stock setup makes the system inefficient (again depending on outside temp).

That's the theory, In practice, some people seem to run fine at 10 psi with nothing more than a drop-in filter. But others have blown their engine being 100% stock! You should be warned that this is risky.

At least check your plugs every now and then for signs of detonation. It's by finding some detonation that I dialed down my boost back to stock level.

 

[210_ZOOM]

i dyno'd my car w/ smic, cai, and intake mani from a 626 i hit 196whp (wheel horse power) on stock boost. I think the SMIC is well worth the upgrade. I could feel the increase in HP the second i put it on. Real easy install too. Have fun and welcome to the boards.

 

[MSP608]

Well I guess Im going to be a guinea pig, as far as my mods are concerned. The car was really kind of boring to drive at the stock 7 psi. Its a whole lot funner with 10 psi. Sooo Ill just wait it out and maybe post a follow up in a few months to let yall know how she holds up. It seems to breath fine with the mods I have, and I dont like loud exhaust so I plan on leaving the exhaust pretty much stock. I dont know how much noice a CAI will produce so any info regarding that would be helpful. The SMIC may be my next mod, it seems to produce a lot of bang for the buck. (How am I doing the acronyms? Pretty good for an old guy.)

with a CAI youll laugh for a week after unleashing the turkey. the 'turkey' is compressor surge which is air being forced back into the turbo everytime you let off the gas. its really bad for your turbo too. think about it like this, your turbine (exhaust side) is spinning one way and the compressor spins with it. when you hear the turkey that means air is pushing on the compressor the opposite direction that it wants to go.....sorry, had to say that since most people on here dont truely know what compressor surge is. and if you dont believe me, take the vacuum line off your stock bpv, plug it with a bolt then rev your engine up. youll hear the turkey just a little more than usually but its the same thing.

 

[MSP608]

FMIC = front mount intercooler. (thumb)

Although an upgraded side-mount (less expensive) would also do the trick if you plan to keep boost levels around 10psi.

My 2 cents: For 10 psi or less, I'd do a full exhaust (or at least a 2.5" downpipe), Injen intake, colder plugs, and an upgraded intercooler (side mount or front mount).

what exactly do colder plugs do. i mean ive got intake/exhaust/front mount. would it help me at 10 psi?

 

[Matrix]

with a CAI youll laugh for a week after unleashing the turkey. the 'turkey' is compressor surge which is air being forced back into the turbo everytime you let off the gas. its really bad for your turbo too. think about it like this, your turbine (exhaust side) is spinning one way and the compressor spins with it. when you hear the turkey that means air is pushing on the compressor the opposite direction that it wants to go.....sorry, had to say that since most people on here dont truely know what compressor surge is. and if you dont believe me, take the vacuum line off your stock bpv, plug it with a bolt then rev your engine up. youll hear the turkey just a little more than usually but its the same thing.

What the...?
Hey, you are mistaken. The "turkey" is the sound made by the bypass valve releasing pressure from the intake tract in between shifts (or whenever there's a vacuum in the intake manifold) to prevent air pressure from backing up and damaging the turbo.

 

[Matrix]

what exactly do colder plugs do. i mean ive got intake/exhaust/front mount. would it help me at 10 psi?

Here's pretty much everything you'll need to know about colder plugs on the MSP and in general.

 

[MSP608]

What the...?
Hey, you are mistaken. The "turkey" is the sound made by the bypass valve releasing pressure from the intake tract in between shifts (or whenever there's a vacuum in the intake manifold) to prevent air pressure from backing up and damaging the turbo.

go outside to your car right now, unplug the vacuum line to your bpv and rev it see what happens

 

[Notorious_V.I.C]

Get the Apexr1 downpipe, or the GHL Full Dp it can hook up straight to you stock exhaust if you like. Also You may want to invest in the Forge BOV (Blow off valve), the stock BPV (By-pass valve) does not hold boost very well, it tends to leak. An upgraded SMIC is a good start.
Here is a list of things you may want to look into to keep her running long and keep having fun;

1) Upgraded SMIC or FMIC
2)Full downpipe from either (Apexr1.com) or a GHL Full downpipe which can be found at (Apexr1.com) too.
3) Check out an intake for the car Injen, AEM, and or Tubro Hoses
4) One of the best things as for engine management which doesn't cost much is the DSM AFC. (Its an Air Fuel Controller) There is a section on how it improved the car even at stock boost and can do wonders at higher boost)
5) Samco Silicone Hot Pipe (*************.com)

Just depends on how much you would like to spend. And seems like to me you just want to ahve fun with the car and not really go over the top.

 

[gboromsp]

What color is your car, and where did you buy it?? I see your from NC, and you registered on the forum in June. Just seeing if its my old car or not.

I'm running 10 psi with a K&N drop-in air filter and a gutted cat. It seems to run fine.

I was wondering if any of you guys have any input into this setup as far as potential problems that I might encounter.

P.S. I'm new at this forum and don't know all the acronyms, so please go easy on the acronyms And I'm old enough to be your Daddy! But like Japanese cars.

 

[Notorious_V.I.C]

what exactly do colder plugs do. i mean ive got intake/exhaust/front mount. would it help me at 10 psi?

helps prevent detonation and is supposed to help the car run a tiny bit safer when your boost higher then stock..