MS6 upgrades - Tried a few, wanted to share

[speedyM]

I enjoy reading the forum. Everyone here is great and very knowledgeable. Thanks for all good info.
Ive always wanted to contribute, so here is my experience with a few upgrades I tried out on my MS6 and where I ended up in the end. Here is the list: CPE CAI, ETS TMIC, Unichip, Denso ITV22, and Forge BPV.

-I love the CAI but filter gets dirty very quickly, especially during winter months. It also gets wet. The pre-filter only helps so much. The openings in the wheel well tend to contribute a bit. Cleaning filter is a pain. I ended up taking my CAI off recently and installing COBB SRI.

-ETS TMIC is great. Dont think of it is a performance boost. It really does not make much difference over the stock TMIC when it is cool outside. However, when it gets hot in summer months, you will be happy to have one of these. Also, if you do a lot of highway driving, it virtually eliminates heat soak issues.

-Denso ITV22. Unless you are planning to run much higher boost over stock, stick with stock plugs. I had these in for a while together with Unichip and without it. I did not like how my engine ran. It was somewhat on a rougher side. It also ran richer. I recently put my stock plugs back in and the engine is running very smooth. If you do go with these plugs get a custom tune.

-Forge BPV. No need for this guy either. I had an ODB-II reader in my car a while ago and measured consistently 16-19psi boost without any issues using stock BPV. So, it holds up pretty well. I did not notice much difference with Forge BPV installed, with exception of additional noise. I think our stock BPV is pretty good, unless you plan to be pushing past 20psi, which I believe you can on this car.

-Unichip. Nice hardware. What I like most about it is that you dont mess with you stock CPU tune directly. Maps are not bad at all but if you really want to take advantage of the setup, you need to do a custom tune.

So, what is on my car right now:
-Cobb SRI and ETS TMIC. The setup seems to work well. Spooling is quick and I dont have any Fuel cut type issues that some are talking about. (By the way, I did have that issue when the car was stock). I did notice one thing since I got SRI installed. My idle is not stable when coasting. It varies between 700-900rpm until I get down below 20mph and stop. It then stabilizes around 650rpm. I am assuming it is something to do with Cobb SRI, as I did not have this issue before. Yes, I did clean my MAF. So, if anyone had similar experience, let me know how to fix it.

What I would really like to do next is to get my Denso ITV22 plugs in, Forge BPV and get the car custom tuned. I dont have any Unichip tuners for 100 miles around my area, so I definitely have a problem. It is ironic but I do have plenty of Cobb AP tuners practically next door. So, if anyone is interested in a Unichip kit, let me know and make an offer. I will have to buy Cobb AP to get a custom tune, so I appreciate if anyone shares with me where I can get a good deal.

 

[Evolved]

Nice write-up.

I've heard people go back and forth with the ITV22's on a mostly stock car. I have the Cobb SRI+TIP combo with ITV22's and I have zero issues (no tune, either).

 

[coyfish]

Get a hydroshield for your intake filter. Not only does it give you peace of mind (hydrolock) but it keeps a lot of the dirt off.

 

[Mistersix]

you dont really need a custom tune to run the bpv and spark plugs. a tune is good for any setup but not neccesary for mild setup. the cars ecu can adjust for these.

since theres no tuners for the unichip around you, ditch that and get an ap. leave the stock plugs in and if your happy with the stock bpv, sell the forge. more capital for an ap.
then just run a simple ots map like 93+sf stage one. that will really help the car out alot.

but first if your having idle problems. you should get that fixed before doing anything else.

if you think its the cobb intake. just reinstall the stock airbox and see if the problem persist. if the intake is properly installed it shouldnt give you any problems. just an extra kick in the pants and all those lovely turbo noises.

 

[speedyM]

you dont really need a custom tune to run the bpv and spark plugs. a tune is good for any setup but not neccesary for mild setup. the cars ecu can adjust for these.

since theres no tuners for the unichip around you, ditch that and get an ap. leave the stock plugs in and if your happy with the stock bpv, sell the forge. more capital for an ap.
then just run a simple ots map like 93+sf stage one. that will really help the car out alot.

but first if your having idle problems. you should get that fixed before doing anything else.

if you think its the cobb intake. just reinstall the stock airbox and see if the problem persist. if the intake is properly installed it shouldnt give you any problems. just an extra kick in the pants and all those lovely turbo noises.

thanks for the suggestion. I think I will have to try the stock air box. I did not have the idle situation happening when I had my CPE CAI on the car though.
So, Cobb tune does make a big difference then?

 

[speedyM]

Get a hydroshield for your intake filter. Not only does it give you peace of mind (hydrolock) but it keeps a lot of the dirt off.

I had the hydroshield on it. Michigan is pretty rough in winter, so even this did not help. When I took off the filter a couple of weeks ago and pulled off the hydroshield, the whole side of the filter was soaked. I wonder if that somehow contributed to my idle issue in the end. I am assuming that the car ran pretty rich to compensate. Don't know.

 

[tunersteve]

Where are you located in MI?

I had an MS CAI and had a similar issue, even with the hydroshield. I think in cold damp environments, it's inevitable.

 

[speedyM]

Where are you located in MI?

I had an MS CAI and had a similar issue, even with the hydroshield. I think in cold damp environments, it's inevitable.

I am near Detroit, about one hour West of it.
Cobb SRI fixes that problem for good. But I am thinking about the large whole that's left on the driver's side where the mounting bracket for stock box use to be. If the CAI filter had all that stuff on it, some of the same stuff will probably end up in the engine compartment. May not be a bad idea to close it up.

 

[tunersteve]

I'm now running the Cobb SRI in place of my MS CAI. Much happier with the car now too. The slats on the inner fender on the drivers side is the culprit, you can cover it with duct tape or aluminum flashing if you want to protect the filter, at the sake of raising the intake temps a few degrees.

 

[batou079]

aye nice writeup... definitly know now that i dont want colder plugs since i wont be tuning.

the bpv issues tends to be an ongoing debate... personally mine DID physically leak, it was rumored as a common problem, but for the stock ones that didnt leak then you might as well stay stock right?

and the CAI, yes... not recommended for damp environments. I live in Calif, so i have steve's old MSCAI now and love it. We had a crazy two weeks of storm when i bought it, so i had to seal off the wheel well vents despite also having the hydroshield. definitly saw higher intake temps. When rains stopped, i bout a universal heal shield, and angled it backwards to help keep water from being thrown directly at the filter. so now i can run without fender vents seals up, not have to worry about water directly splashed onto the filter and get the benefit of free flowing are from behind the filter still... colder intake temps again! Wooo.

 

[speedyM]

aye nice writeup... definitly know now that i dont want colder plugs since i wont be tuning.

the bpv issues tends to be an ongoing debate... personally mine DID physically leak, it was rumored as a common problem, but for the stock ones that didnt leak then you might as well stay stock right?

and the CAI, yes... not recommended for damp environments. I live in Calif, so i have steve's old MSCAI now and love it. We had a crazy two weeks of storm when i bought it, so i had to seal off the wheel well vents despite also having the hydroshield. definitly saw higher intake temps. When rains stopped, i bout a universal heal shield, and angled it backwards to help keep water from being thrown directly at the filter. so now i can run without fender vents seals up, not have to worry about water directly splashed onto the filter and get the benefit of free flowing are from behind the filter still... colder intake temps again! Wooo.

Nice setup. I did like my CAI a little better than SRI, whenever the filter was dry You are lucky to have Cali weather on your side.

 

[speedyM]

I figured out the Idle surge issue I was having. You won't believe it guys. It was a turbulence inside the engine compartment effecting MAF readings. SRI has a MAF pretty close to the filter. When I went from CAI to SRI I did not reinstall any of the original parts in the wheel well. I think that the turbulence inside the wheel weel (pretty common thing) must have been effecting air flow inside the engine compartment, since there is nothing in between the two. As long as I was moving, the MAF was not getting accurate readings. So, I put my old prefilter from my CAI onto my SRI. Not a perfect fit but covered about 95% of the filter. I figured this should restrict things a bit. Idle is perfect from this point on. My engine runs incredibly smooth through the entire band. So, if anyone is having idle surge issues with Cobb SRI, especially if you just went from CAI, try out what I did before swapping out TB, and other parts.
Next thing I will do is put my stock air resonator inside the wheel well. Then possibly the original bracket for the air box and close out the hole. I will see if this changes the air flow a bit.
Here is another question. If there is so much turbulence inside the wheel well, what does it do for CAI air flow? The MAF is pretty far away from the filter this time but I am sure the airflow gets pretty tricky. It would be interesting to close up the opening in the wheel well, then open them up and then compare LTFTs in both cases. I bet results will be interesting.

 

[m4tic]

i disagree with your TMIC point.... the stock tmic has a 3psi+ pressure drop... the factory turbo is already at the limit pushing 18~19 psi just to hit 15.6psi pressure in the intake manifold, its already blowing hot boost air for little return in pressure. aftermarket TMICs have a drastically decreased boost penalty, and the manifold pressure is largely equal to turbo output. you can run stock boost and really save your turbo, or bump boost pressure up to 18~19psi and the turbo is running at factory speeds but with much more pressure in the cylinders..and along with the lower boost air temps, this equals more power (also CFMs are somewhere in that equation, but the stock turbo is meh in that dept)

 

[amilliems6]

we should have these write ups more often

 

[Mistersix]

we should have these write ups more often

hmm, am i sensing a lil sarcasm? or is it just me?

 

[amilliems6]

hmm, am i sensing a lil sarcasm? or is it just me?

no im being serious
because instead of noobs coming in and making a thread asking "which intake is the best" or "do you think TMIC is a good mod".. these types of threads could actually help people and prevent others from making pointless threads. No offense to those that have because i have done the same but just saying that this is a good idea

 

[tunersteve]

no im being serious
because instead of noobs coming in and making a thread asking "which intake is the best" or "do you think TMIC is a good mod".. these types of threads could actually help people and prevent others from making pointless threads. No offense to those that have because i have done the same but just saying that this is a good idea

I agree. As a mod, I see more and more threads started without a few minutes of poking around and/or searching the forums for answers. It does get annoying after a while.

 

[ajv915]

I agree. As a mod, I see more and more threads started without a few minutes of poking around and/or searching the forums for answers. It does get annoying after a while.

I always try to search before I post a question, but what I find frustrating is when I find a recommended part, but the post is 2 or 3 years old. Now, I know that a whole lot might not have happened in those 2 or 3 years, but there is a chance it has and some of that info might be a bit stale. This could be true with vendor part numbers or even companies themselves and especially prices.
I realize that it would be a huge undertaking to keep all those things up to date for all the info out there.

Just an observation.

 

[amilliems6]

I agree. As a mod, I see more and more threads started without a few minutes of poking around and/or searching the forums for answers. It does get annoying after a while.

exactly my point

 

[speedyM]

Here is a question for you guys. I am looking at my Unichip setup and getting a little anxious to put it back in. I am concerned how it will like my Cobb SRI. The map I have in the unit is for CPE CAI. It would seem fine theoretically but theoretical knowledge by itself is a little dangerous.

What do you guys think?