I know you were talking about trying to inprove the airflow into the turbos. You thought that box had a larger and better transition from the air filter area into the MAF. You were also thinking of running without the mass air flow sensors to maximize flow. Wasn't sure if you went that route or not.

I know Sam sent me a MAFless tune to try out. It seems they think they have it dialed in again and needed to test on different production dates. I have to still do that for him and his guys. Ugh, where did the summer go? lol

 

86merc I ran a MAFless file from Sam for a while, it ran pretty good However there is a MAF file we did on my car that runs the best so I ended up keeping that one loaded in.

You are correct I did want to mess around with getting better flow into the turbos I just haven't had the time. On the VTG cars we would expect better mid range and slightly better top. The top end will still have limitations from high turbine inlet pressure (backpressure) but it should improve because you will be at more open vane positions dropping your pumping work which ultimately would drop your residual EGR as well. In the midrange we aren't too clamped on the vanes so the pumping work isn't bad but airflow is pretty high so you would see the gain of less delta pressure across your inlets. Then you start thinking well...the midrange we are already capping it to keep cylinder pressure in check (torque limiting to 700ftlbs) and you say...eh I'll wait til I build the engine to mess with it I say if you want the last little bit do it for sure...but if like most people the owner is really busy then wait right? You know how this goes

 

Thank you sir

 

I totally hear that. I have learned from my past experiences that sometimes that last 10% or less is more work and money that it is worth. haha I already know we have to limit cylinder pressure to keep the rods happy. I also decided to do the catless 3" to 2.5" to keep drone away and my ears happy. So I was curious if you followed through and found it worth the effort or not.

I know Sam and crew were back re-working the MAFless tune as well. I don't mind helping test some. But the car runs so well with the MAF tune I have a feeling I'll be back to it as you did.

And I want to build a motor something bad. But don't want the downtime. Or spend the money. haha

But great to hear your car is running well and no ill effects with the E85. And of course you are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing

 

Been a while since I have posted an update, figured now would be a good time as the season starts back up.

I have owned my car since February 2016, bought it completely stock with the majority updating and upgrading starting in May 2016. All 6 years the car has run e85 most of the time, Protomotive 63.5 VTGs for 5 years out of the 6, and tuned 100% of the time by Sam. In summary 700-800hp+ range for the 6 years, for a total ~20k miles while modified. I wanted to mention this for a few reasons: I know a lot of members are always looking for long term examples of e85 use, mine would be a good data point. I never let the e85 sit in the tank (want to avoid corrosion and water issues)...if I'm not gonna drive it frequent, then I switch to gasoline. I also use good oil Amsoil and change it once per year. As far as the engines lasting long term while tuned, again I would say mine is a good data point. Good maintenance, good fuel, don't beat the **** out of it, and the keystone piece a great tuner that also knows when to put the brakes on your constant drive to squeeze out the last drop . In my case Sam has filled that spot since day 1, the car running as good as it does for the setup and as long as it has given my tune pushes, its really a testiment to him bringing my whole setup together. Sam being praised by his customers online is nothing new, but I felt the need to continue to reinforce that given his awesome service over the years.

Now for the not so fun part.....spark plug change, compression check, fuel filter, clean MAFs, inspect turbos, grease VTG linkage, etc. As everyone knows it not a fun job, but it was time. Compression on all 6 cylinders was excellent with max deviation of 2.5% and an engine average of 216psi in a cold garage (hasn't run since Nov). Inspected the turbos, they look as they did when I pulled them out of the box 5 years ago. Spark plug wear rate was ~ .00175" / 1k miles at my power level. All the coils were in excellent shape, I use the "fat" BERU coils Sam recommended to me.

Below are some pics of my pain










So whats next? Well I'm getting old and the catless smell bothers me from time to time. So I'll probably do something there not sure yet cause I'm not interested in signing up for less performance LOL. I'll eventually switch to wastegate turbos and eventually I'll refresh the engine with proper upgrades for a reliable 1k hp. But for now I'm just driving it as is and enjoying it, no rush, I collect parts over time to update the car. Hope everyone is getting their rides ready for the season. Enjoy!

 

Your engine looks clean!!

 

Hey buddy, nice to see an update here. Good on you for tackling the plugs on the beast. I just changed the plugs today on my wife's Q7 and I don't want to admit how many hours it took, lol, but it was way more satisfying than handing over the money to the dealer.