Gaaahh!!! Fuel cut q's

[duren03msp]

i have one main question for everyone and anyone.

Is there anything i can use to get rid of my fuel cut??? I have a turbosmart fcd but havent messed with it since it was preset from the previous owner. I understand fuel cut is a safety feature for our cars but damn is it obnoxious. I also understand the ssafc and ssftc have built in fcd's but heard they dont really work, same as an external fcd like i have. I am a ways away from having the money to start to accumulate parts for my build. I plan to eventually get a haltech but for the meantime what are my best options? I am only running 8-9psi. Should i just get a ebc and set to 5-6psi?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[hornsfan10609]

You can't turn down boost with an EBC, are you sure it is fuel cut and not hesitation? SSAFC does work, I have never hit fuel cut once since installing it 2 years ago. FCDs don't work

 

[duren03msp]

We'll I am on the fence. Trying to decide if it's fuel or boost cut. It's not a hesitation. Once I hit max boost of like 9psi sometimes it is fine but a lot of the time once it hits that psi range it feels like I just got into a head on collision. It cuts so hard and so abruptly my knees slam the dash and I almost get whiplash. It's very violent.

 

[hornsfan10609]

Yeah that's fuel cut, you will need to run lower boost or get an AFC/standalone. It really cuts out the ignition but for some reason everyone calls it fuel cut, these cars don't have a 'boost cut' function.

 

[duren03msp]

ok. so question now is why do some people say that the ssafc and ssftc fcd's dont work??? are the just trying to run too much boost?

 

[duren03msp]

Anybody have any thoughts on why some still experience fuel cut with ssafc/ ssftc?

 

[Valk]

Really don't hear of people having any problems with the ssafc units in mildly modified msps.. only time i've hit that fuel cut was in cold weather with a faulty WGA that would spike 12psi in the dead of winter lol. basically, if you don't already have an afc or some tunable ecu, the only safe thing to do is remove the boost controller until you do.
haltech is pretty overkill unless you have really big plans. you can get a used afc around here for under $300 most of the time. i think mine was $225 some years ago.

 

[duren03msp]

well I plan for a built motor and transmission, gt3071r, full 3 inch exhaust, etc etc. you get the point. hoping for around 350whp summer driven daily car at the end of it. my point to get across I guess now is, is it even possible to make those numbers SAFELY with a SS PIGGYBACK??? as brianmp5t says - a full standalone is never overkill because of the tuning options are endless. in all respect I would prefer a SS just for ease of installation and cost but if I need a standalone I need a standalone.

let me know your thoughts...

 

[protege3690]

youre right its never overkill, but it is costly, especially if you dont know how to tune it. the ssafc has a 2bar map sensor so youll be limited to about 16ish psi max on it. the ssftc which j_naoto uses has a 3 bar map sensor which will allow u up to 28ish psi iirc. plus itll let you adjust timing as well. a ssftc will probably be your better choice especially if you aiming for high boost. but with a gt30 at 12-14psi i dont see why that wouldnt put u near or at your power goals.

 

[duren03msp]

question, why do some members say they cannot get the ssftc to work correctly??? I would prefer to have timing retard option. just wondering why people have some problems..

 

[hornsfan10609]

Look at the post date on the threads of people that had issues, it was probably at least 8-10 years ago. I don't think you should be worried about installing an AFC, I don't know where you read that they don't work but that is not true. If you are really going to drop $5-7k building your MSP then yeah go ahead and buy a standalone.

 

[duren03msp]

if I didn't have to build it to make a significant amount of power I definitely wouldn't but you always hear about rods snapping in our cars and if I am already going to have the motor out of the car to replace rods I may as well do the rest of it so I don't have to tear into it over and over replacing parts.

 

[duren03msp]

I am just not satisfied with the power of the msp right now. an evo or sti would be perfect but I cannot afford one of those considering the evo 8 and sti's still go for around 15-20k stock or lightly modded. so building my msp IMO is the best route right now. I COULD be like some people out there and bolt on a huge turbo and a controller and go romp around town, sooner or later blow a rod and send metal shavings through all the passages scoring all the bearings, cams, crank, turbo, and everything else. then NEED a rebuild. I like to be the well prepared portion of the "tuners". like I've stated before I do not want it to be a full gutted out race car. I want a sleeper. IMO sleepers are 300hp+ cars.

 

[hornsfan10609]

I wanted a high hp MSP until I drove one, lightweight, 300+hp FWD cars simply do not get traction below 3rd gear on street tires; it's physics. After a few years of driving it I realized I am happy with the power a mildly modded MSP makes with the amount of money I have into it and I don't see spending more than the car itself will likely ever be worth again trying to make it faster. The sad truth is, even with 300hp it still is FAR from the fastest car you will pull up next to on the street. The Protege was never meant to be a super high hp street racer like most people want, there are better platforms out there for that.

 

[duren03msp]

I do agree. it was never made for what most people want. but with 300hp on street/slick tires like some good nittos or alike would get decent traction. it would stil spin but not nearly like an all season. and from a roll with the right setup the power to weight ratio would be a lot of fun.i guess my BIGGEST thing is that I always hit "fuel" cut. if I didn't have that issue maybe i'd be a bit more satisfied since I could actually see its potential as it sits now.

 

[protege3690]

I do agree. it was never made for what most people want. but with 300hp on street/slick tires like some good nittos or alike would get decent traction. it would stil spin but not nearly like an all season. and from a roll with the right setup the power to weight ratio would be a lot of fun.i guess my BIGGEST thing is that I always hit "fuel" cut. if I didn't have that issue maybe i'd be a bit more satisfied since I could actually see its potential as it sits now.

but you are mainly hitting fuel cut due to the crappy stock tune. get it properly tuned and itll be a completely different machine

 

[hornsfan10609]

My car spins the tires plenty with barely 200hp, I don't see how nittos will hook up any better than my BFGs.

 

[duren03msp]

either way, I don't have the money to buy a stock evo or sti.... even a plain wrx. even then I would want to build it which just the car alone without parts/ tune would cost way more than building my msp. I have to deal with what I have. plus with a built setup I could easily run a smaller amount of boost for the street and with a push of a button bump it up if I want to go to the track or go really crazy and buy a set of front wheels and tires with MT soft sidewall slicks, run lower tire pressure and get them nice and sticky to hook up at the strip. either way having a built setup IMO is ideal so you can run whatever boost is necessary for what youre doing and not worry about a blown rod everytime you get over 8psi. its the adjustability of the setup I will have is what will make it what I want it. truth is..... you shouldn't be racing or going insane on the streets anyways so why would I want the boost set way high for normal everyday driving??? thing is with any setup you can make it what you want with some time and effort. the msp is a great car for street driving, autox, or course, etc. which is plenty for me. i understand its not great for the strip or anything which is fine because a quarter mile time is on the low end of my interests.

PLUS, for the wheelspin.... a lightweight 300hp RWD car will have wheelspin regardless on street tires just as the 300hp fwd cars will. just get the correct tune and ems to limit the boost you can make in certain gears so you don't spin ridiculous and crank it up in the gears you wont spin in. getting it setup is everything. yes it will cost $$$ but will it be worth it in the long run??? absolutely. sure i can go with a muscle car or something rwd and make huge power #'s easily, but will it ever corner fast enough or be nimble enough to keep up with a PROPERLY tuned protg? no. not without heavy modification to suspension which is big bucks.

ALL IN ALL IT WILL COST LESS THAN A EVO, WRX OR STI AND WILL KEEP UP OR BEAT THEM AROUND A ROAD COURSE.

 

[hornsfan10609]

RWD cars have better traction and spin less than FWD cars, that is a fact.

 

[duren03msp]

only because some of the torque is absorbed through the drivetrain on its way all the way back to the rear wheels as a fwd car has short distance for the torque to travel so in turn will spin. with a fwd car as long as youre not launching or going crazy in 1st and 2nd gear with that amount of power you shouldnt have many issues with spinning in 3rd 4th or 5th gears.