Lauren 2259 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Not wishing to throw a spanner in the works, but copies are rarely as good as the original. Obviously it's dependent upon materials used etc, but if it's significantly cheaper than the original, there may be a reason. 1 JamesP1991 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kodename47 446 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 To be fair the usual issue with Turbo kit copies is one of 2 things, poor quality turbo and manifold strength. You know that the turbo in this kit is good, it's just whether the manifold holds up especially seeing as the turbo is mounted high up. That being said, SBD's defence was that it was made in the same location as the GReddy, therefore the quality shouldn't be any difference.James, what other cooling mods have you got on the way? A turbo mounted there will give you a fair amount extra heat under the bonnet.It's also worth considering that if you're looking for more than 250bhp then the shorter FD will make the car more of a handfull. It'll make the 1st few gears fairly useless in anything worse than dry roads. Considering you'll be looking at similar low end torque to what I have, I wouldn't dream of a sorter FD in my car unless I put on daft wide wheels 1 Lauren reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Not wishing to throw a spanner in the works, but copies are rarely as good as the original. Obviously it's dependent upon materials used etc, but if it's significantly cheaper than the original, there may be a reason. Absolutely Lauren, and if I didn't have total faith in the kit I would not have wasted my money on it. This wasn't a simple spur of the moment purchase. I have been speaking to Chris from Speed by Design for around 4 weeks now. His responses were brilliant and he gave me as much material and images as I requested. Any questions or issues I had regarding the quality he answered and it has made me feel totally at ease surrounding the kits quality. He also allowed me to join the owners group on Facebook for the kit, which has over 327 members from the States, Europe and Australia. I was able to ask numerous questions and get a feel for the feedback that was given, and pretty much all have been running for 2 years with no issues whatsoever. The kit over the past 2 years has been improved a lot, with a tweaked manifold design, new MAF pipe, new wastegate spring and a Garrett GT3076R turbo upgrade available now. I am happy to share my experience with everyone on this forum, and any problems I have with this solution I will be sharing on here, but Chris has confirmed that there is a 1 year warranty on ALL kits sold, so if I do have any issues whatsoever he is happy to cover them 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 To be fair the usual issue with Turbo kit copies is one of 2 things, poor quality turbo and manifold strength. You know that the turbo in this kit is good, it's just whether the manifold holds up especially seeing as the turbo is mounted high up. That being said, SBD's defence was that it was made in the same location as the GReddy, therefore the quality shouldn't be any difference. James, what other cooling mods have you got on the way? A turbo mounted there will give you a fair amount extra heat under the bonnet. It's also worth considering that if you're looking for more than 250bhp then the shorter FD will make the car more of a handfull. It'll make the 1st few gears fairly useless in anything worse than dry roads. Considering you'll be looking at similar low end torque to what I have, I wouldn't dream of a sorter FD in my car unless I put on daft wide wheels In regards to the manifold design, Chris has changed the joints for a dual layer joint design after some early minor issues. This upgrade happened before I ordered, but apart from that he has reported no big issues yet from long term owners that are 2+ years into ownership. In terms of cooling mods, I will be ordering a Kate Cool oil cooler after a couple of months once funds are available, this is designed to fit perfectly with the SBD kit and is a reasonable price, so it is a no brainer for me. At the start of next year I will probably look to replace the radiator too for a more efficient one over stock. I need to do my research for them though. October/November time I am going to upgrade the brakes to Stoptech pads and discs with new fluid, and also fitting 235 section soft compound rubber at the rear. I need to look into tyres that have a good longevity/grip compromise. 250-260 at the wheels is what I will aim for, I am going to keep boost conservative and treat her gently until I get the oil cooler fitted. I don't have the luxury of doing everything in one go as I lack the funds, so as long as I am sensible and look after the car it should be fine doing it in the stages I have planned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Got confirmation this morning from Chris though that my kit was dispatched last Friday, so looking forward to it all arriving 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedbean 151 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 so looking forward to it all arriving :Me too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Me too Haha you must be itching to get hold of my old manifold by now mate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedbean 151 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 I was really tempted to fit the front and over pipe yesterday but I held off so I can do it all at once. Cant wait for some noiseeeeeeeeeeeee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 I was really tempted to fit the front and over pipe yesterday but I held off so I can do it all at once. Cant wait for some noiseeeeeeeeeeeee Won't be long now fella, it's finally on its way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 I am about to buy my oil either tonight or tomorrow ready for the full oil change, does anyone recommend anything in particular for turbo setups? Or just stick with the stock 0W20?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Yipee! Box number 1! I'll have a route around in the box now and post some more photos later 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 7, 2015 Box 2 with the snail arrived today I am a crap photographer but here are a few other pictures from the kit so far, I haven't yet unpacked the BOV or the manifold yet! 3 adamj29, Keethos and Lee reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 10, 2015 So a slight change of plan, I am no longer able to install the kit myself with the assistance of the person I wanted. Luckily however a Subaru mechanic round the corner from me is charging £500 to do the complete install privately, which due to my impatience I happily accepted. So 22nd of this month it is all going to come together 3 Tweedbean, Keethos and Mark-in-Stoke reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Full write up and review will be coming at the weekend, as I'm just waiting for my map to be sent, but in the meantime, here is a little preview of what I've been up to these past few days: 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedbean 151 Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Looking good, any plans to get this on a dyno to see what increase there's been? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Will wait for it to be custom mapped first I reckon. With my exhaust configuration and with 98 RON fuel, on the standard 7psi and a custom map I should see around 250-260 at the wheels. With 10-12 psi 290 at the wheels should be within reach I would imagine, but I'm not aiming for massive numbers. Once I have custom mapped it next month I'll sniff out a local dyno to me and see what it says Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Good to see you got it fitted James.Did you do it yourself in the end? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Cheers Nige, got a guy round the corner who's a Subaru mechanic to do it privately in the end. Was the easiest solution as I've been manic at work recently. He's done a fantastic job, completed it within 8 hours and that included fitting the oil pan and doing an oil change. Left the map sensor out to do a leak test and it started on the button. Just waiting on the tuner in the states who develops maps for this kit to send me over my basemap and I'll take her on the first test drive. Maps will be done through Ecutek and I have the programming kit ready to upload it when it's ready. Car is just teasing me right now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted July 22, 2015 Are you going to get Adrianto fine tune it?? I'm sure he'd like another kit under his belt? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 23, 2015 Yep hopefully so Nige! Going to drive it on the basemap for a few weeks, get used to the power delivery, give me some time to save up the pennies and then book the car in I think Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 27, 2015 Just a quick update.. After much swearing over the weekend, and a P0107 fault code, I went out at 10.30pm last night, uploaded a revised basemap that was sent over by John Visconti, and the car ran fine with no problems. He requested a log from me showing the idle and cruise figures, so after I let the car run for 5 minutes, I took it for a short 5-10 minute drive logging the car stationary and when cruising and sent it over to him last night. The ECU was still learning the new map on the drive so the idle and throttle application was a bit choppy to begin with, but by the end the car was pretty spot on. Just waiting to get his approval today that the figures looked good and I am free to drive normally for the rest of the week. I will also do some more aggressive driving on boost, which will probably mean some WOT logs that need to be sent over to John later on in the week, just to make sure the car is behaving itself A full write up and pictures will be updated later on, I didn't have a chance over the weekend as I was too busy mapping and sorting out issues! 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kodename47 446 Report post Posted July 27, 2015 It's a JV tune??There are ways to speed up the accelerator dead spot, just stamp on the pedal 5-10 times before you fire it up. If you're still getting "lag" it's just that the fuel trims are a bit high. 1 JamesP1991 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 27, 2015 It's a JV tune?? There are ways to speed up the accelerator dead spot, just stamp on the pedal 5-10 times before you fire it up. If you're still getting "lag" it's just that the fuel trims are a bit high. Sure is! Chris Riggs from Speed By Design recommended him. He has a lot of experience with the SBD turbo kits and offers custom mapping for them so thought it was a no brainer to work with him to get a good basemap on the car. I did slam on the pedal 2-3 times before start up as I knew about the dead spot before, but I guess a few more are needed to totally sort it out Apart from that though, everything appears to be running fine, and I am just waiting on his email today to confirm the idle and cruise logs that I sent are spot on, or if the map needs a bit more tweaking. We will see Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted July 27, 2015 Is he tweaking a UK map or an American map and is there that much of a difference? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesP1991 222 Report post Posted July 27, 2015 Is he tweaking a UK map or an American map and is there that much of a difference? I mentioned about the fuel quality I will be using (98 RON) and the difference between the US (C ROM) and European (D ROM) Ecutek formats, and John said not to worry about it and he had it all covered so I am guessing he has modified it to be perfectly fine in UK cars. He's done a great job so far with me and the slight issue I had on the first map he rectified right away 1 Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
