Head-back stainless system and Abbey remap

[PeterH 14]

Morning everyone,

I've not posted on here for a while, since I had the valve springs changed a few months ago - but I've made some good progress on some of the modifications I wanted to make to the exhaust since then, so I thought I'd type up a quick update and share a few pics!!

Just before I sent it to Toyota, I had a Speedfactory UEL (catted) manifold fitted, and while it was incredibly shiny, it wasn't quite as loud as I wanted. It introduced a burble, but quite a muted one - so I wanted to allow the thing to breathe even better and be a little more vocal too.

I've wanted to maintain the two cats (seems more 'true to the car'); one of them is in the manifold, and the other in the front pipe and it took a bit of time for me to decide which brand to go for for the latter. In the end I chose a Berk front pipe as it seemed to capable of doing the job, and wasn't quite as expensive as some of the other alternatives. I then specified a Milltek system from there back (chrome tailpipes) and then all of that was sat in the garage for a good couple of months! (Just to summarise: Speedfactory UEL catted manifold, Milltek overpipe, Berk frontpipe, Milltek catback).

In the meantime, I was trying to decide whether the extra cost of a remap was worth the expense - after lots of reading on forums and other bits on the net, I decided the best option was to drive the extra distance to Abbey, get them to fit the system; as well as book it in for a remapping session while it was in the workshop.

This they did perfectly well - I've no complaints at all - and it was interesting to properly learn about the added functionality of the RaceRom features of the ECUtek setup while I was there...

 

The guys did an amazing job; Mark took me out in the car to demonstrate some of the features - the switchable maps, auto-blip on downshift, launch control and flat foot shifting. Being a fully integrated part of the existing ECU instead of an add-on means that the it fully ties in with the existing interface; using the cruise control stalk to flick between four different maps is AWESOME: MAP 1. Max power | MAP 2. Max power, decreased throttle response (for rubbish weather) | MAP 3. Max power with RaceRom features | MAP 4. Max power with RaceRom features, and pops-and-bangs on lift off

I've stuck mostly with map 1; the constant popping and banging of unburnt fuel in the exhaust isn't good for the system long term, and the cat in the Speedfactory manifold isn't covered under warranty - I've done it on occasion though, when the mood takes me... (which is an advantage with ECUtek; and being able to flick through the maps with the engine running - no stopping and starting to reset the system is required.)

So, the moment you've all being waiting for...

MTECH AUTOMOTIVE (power run; car completely standard - although I think it already had the Cosworth panel filter when I bought it):

ABBEY MOTORSPORT (its current setup; a full stainless system and remap):

Apologies for the inconsistency between rolling roads - to help me compare the two, I found this quote from the Dyno Dynamics website:

"In the UK we usually quote power and torque at the engine flywheel just like all manufacturers - a chassis dyno however measures the torque and power at the wheels, which is always a lower figure as some energy is lost in the driveline. This loss is different for different vehicles. The flywheel power quoted is therefore a calculated value - it is not directly measured. Some dynos will simply estimate this loss based on settings inputted by the operator - our Dyno Dynamics dyno operates in this way. Other dynos perform a ‘coast down’ measurement to try and measure the driveline loss. In theory coast down should provide a more accurate figure for more vehicles, but in reality both methods have their own issues."

So, my assumption is that the MTech reading is estimated Flywheel-power (based on the actual power-at-the wheels). The Dynapack reading itself is actually power-at-the-wheels. Adding 10 - 15% on to the latter value for an estimated Flywheel-power (to tie in with the MTech graph) gives something around 200 - 210bhp; a pretty big increase!!!! It's not all about the highest value though; the advantages of a remap is that the entire curve is optimised - and Mark at Abbey did a sound job of reducing that torque dip at around 4200rpm.

I'm so pleased with the results - the whole process was slightly more expensive than I would have liked, but knowing what I now know, I don't think I would have done it any other way. The sound the car makes now suits the 86 way more than it ever did; it's not too loud at motorway speeds, but it's got a special note when idling and accelerating aggressively - it's definitely flexing it's flat-four-pack muscles - what a beaut

Big shout out and massive thanks to Mark@Abbey M/S for the great work, and getting the most out of the car...

Comments are welcome of course; I'm open to suggestions on my interpretation of the dyno readouts - but I hope I haven't droned on too much. Hope you enjoyed the read...!

[Deacon 1357]

15 minutes ago, PeterH said:

Morning everyone,

I've not posted on here for a while, since I had the valve springs changed a few months ago - but I've made some good progress on some of the modifications I wanted to make to the exhaust since then, so I thought I'd type up a quick update and share a few pics!!

Just before I sent it to Toyota, I had a Speedfactory UEL (catted) manifold fitted, and while it was incredibly shiny, it wasn't quite as loud as I wanted. It introduced a burble, but quite a muted one - so I wanted to allow the thing to breathe even better and be a little more vocal too.

I've wanted to maintain the two cats (seems more 'true to the car'); one of them is in the manifold, and the other in the front pipe and it took a bit of time for me to decide which brand to go for for the latter. In the end I chose a Berk front pipe as it seemed to capable of doing the job, and wasn't quite as expensive as some of the other alternatives. I then specified a Milltek system from there back (chrome tailpipes) and then all of that was sat in the garage for a good couple of months! (Just to summarise: Speedfactory UEL catted manifold, Milltek overpipe, Berk frontpipe, Milltek catback).

In the meantime, I was trying to decide whether the extra cost of a remap was worth the expense - after lots of reading on forums and other bits on the net, I decided the best option was to drive the extra distance to Abbey, get them to fit the system; as well as book it in for a remapping session while it was in the workshop.

This they did perfectly well - I've no complaints at all - and it was interesting to properly learn about the added functionality of the RaceRom features of the ECUtek setup while I was there...

 

The guys did an amazing job; Mark took me out in the car to demonstrate some of the features - the switchable maps, auto-blip on downshift, launch control and flat foot shifting. Being a fully integrated part of the existing ECU instead of an add-on means that the it fully ties in with the existing interface; using the cruise control stalk to flick between four different maps is AWESOME: MAP 1. Max power | MAP 2. Max power, decreased throttle response (for rubbish weather) | MAP 3. Max power with RaceRom features | MAP 4. Max power with RaceRom features, and pops-and-bangs on lift off

I've stuck mostly with map 1; the constant popping and banging of unburnt fuel in the exhaust isn't good for the system long term, and the cat in the Speedfactory manifold isn't covered under warranty - I've done it on occasion though, when the mood takes me... (which is an advantage with ECUtek; and being able to flick through the maps with the engine running - no stopping and starting to reset the system is required.)

So, the moment you've all being waiting for...

MTECH AUTOMOTIVE (power run; car completely standard - although I think it already had the Cosworth panel filter when I bought it):

ABBEY MOTORSPORT (its current setup; a full stainless system and remap):

Apologies for the inconsistency between rolling roads - to help me compare the two, I found this quote from the Dyno Dynamics website:

"In the UK we usually quote power and torque at the engine flywheel just like all manufacturers - a chassis dyno however measures the torque and power at the wheels, which is always a lower figure as some energy is lost in the driveline. This loss is different for different vehicles. The flywheel power quoted is therefore a calculated value - it is not directly measured. Some dynos will simply estimate this loss based on settings inputted by the operator - our Dyno Dynamics dyno operates in this way. Other dynos perform a ‘coast down’ measurement to try and measure the driveline loss. In theory coast down should provide a more accurate figure for more vehicles, but in reality both methods have their own issues."

So, my assumption is that the MTech reading is estimated Flywheel-power (based on the actual power-at-the wheels). The Dynapack reading itself is actually power-at-the-wheels. Adding 10 - 15% on to the latter value for an estimated Flywheel-power (to tie in with the MTech graph) gives something around 200 - 210bhp; a pretty big increase!!!! It's not all about the highest value though; the advantages of a remap is that the entire curve is optimised - and Mark at Abbey did a sound job of reducing that torque dip at around 4200rpm.

I'm so pleased with the results - the whole process was slightly more expensive than I would have liked, but knowing what I now know, I don't think I would have done it any other way. The sound the car makes now suits the 86 way more than it ever did; it's not too loud at motorway speeds, but it's got a special note when idling and accelerating aggressively - it's definitely flexing it's flat-four-pack muscles - what a beaut

Big shout out and massive thanks to Mark@Abbey M/S for the great work, and getting the most out of the car...

Comments are welcome of course; I'm open to suggestions on my interpretation of the dyno readouts - but I hope I haven't droned on too much. Hope you enjoyed the read...!

Looks like good gains. One thing to just keep an eye on - with use (and heat) the 'glue' keeping the manifold cat in place can fail and the cat then exits the manifold usually getting stuck around the overpipe. That's what happened with my catted Uel so just something to keep an eye on (along with the usual Miltek cracking obviously!) 

[PeterH 14]

Oh. My. God. That picture is terrifying! Which manifold is that, and what was the outcome? Worse case scenario for mine - it looks as though if the cat failed, that the straight 6 inch section of the manifold (with the cat in it) could be chopped out and welded back in place with a new cat. Not ideal, i know, but a possibility... I'll definitely be bearing that mind!

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

[Deacon 1357]

1 hour ago, PeterH said:

Oh. My. God. That picture is terrifying! Which manifold is that, and what was the outcome? Worse case scenario for mine - it looks as though if the cat failed, that the straight 6 inch section of the manifold (with the cat in it) could be chopped out and welded back in place with a new cat. Not ideal, i know, but a possibility... I'll definitely be bearing that mind!

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
 

It was a JDL Uel with cat. I had the cat section chopped out and the manifold made non catted. 

[PeterH 14]

That's bad luck... I was under the impression that the JDL ones were pretty highly rated!!

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

[Deacon 1357]

1 hour ago, PeterH said:

That's bad luck... I was under the impression that the JDL ones were pretty highly rated!!

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
 

It's just the heat sadly. 

[Lauren 2259]

Looks good. What was the torque output at the correct scale in lb/ft? Just to be accurate you have power measured at the hubs, not at the wheels. Not a massive difference but it is an extra variable. The Milltek sounds great I bet. Loved mine. But wouldn't have another after four of them cracked. Unfortunately the welding on them is poor, but I suppose at least you get a new exhaust every 20K miles or so. 

 

[Kodename47 446]

On 12/23/2019 at 7:42 PM, Lauren said:

What was the torque output at the correct scale in lb/ft?

Divide by the FD ratio (4.1)