Project - Rum Runner

A sign of things yet to come????

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Alright, a lot of things have happened since I last posted on this thread. We're expecting our first baby boy and we moved into a 2 bedroom apt till my wife finishes school then we'll start looking for a house. Well, on to the good stuff.

I finally got around to installing the header. I ended up choosing the OBX 4-1 just because it was in better shape cosmetically.

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Well, I decided to put ITB's on my Protege. They are Haybusa ITBs which measure at 42mm.

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I'll be controlling them with a Haltech E6x.

I'm going to see if I can mount the ITBs without separating them. This means that they wont' have a straight shot into the combustion chamber but I can live with that for now. I'm hoping I can cut the manifold at a point where the runners would match up pretty well with the location of the ITBs. I'll use silicone couplers to hold them in place for now.

I'm thinking of using a vacuum block to get vacuum back to the brake booster and to any other sensors that may need vacuum. I'm also either going to use the IAC sensor that came with the ITBs or modify the Mazda one to fit.

I'm planning on installing the Haltech first so I can learn how to tune it and then do more research before I start cutting up manifolds.
 
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Looks good man once were done with the r & d on yours then well do this on mine. Lmk when ur ready to start
 
LOL! Let's make sure I can get this going on my car without blowing it up. I think it's possible to do just need to take my time with it. I'm planning on documenting as much as I can so if it provides some noticeable horsepower, I can write up a how-to. Only time will tell.
 
Are u sure u r ready for the nightmare of itbs on a daily driven car?

Why would they be a nightmare? Represent a far better form of induction then our manifold/throttle body. They wont achieve the same peak hp figure that a properly tuned manifold would but compared out our manifold? Massive Improvement. Unless ive over looked something.

Tuning might be an issue yes but once thats taken care of will be a fun little engine :)
 
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Itbs have been known to need retuned for any pressure drop. Atmospheric or even humidity has been known to cause problems.

There is also figuring out runner length and such for proper power band.

U will be tuning these forever, and then go 100 ft up or down in elevation and run completely different.

There is no compensation for this unless u have several different maps ready to load, and I would suggest something a little more complex than the ems u have or are looking into...
 
Itbs have been known to need retuned for any pressure drop. Atmospheric or even humidity has been known to cause problems.

There is also figuring out runner length and such for proper power band.

U will be tuning these forever, and then go 100 ft up or down in elevation and run completely different.

There is no compensation for this unless u have several different maps ready to load, and I would suggest something a little more complex than the ems u have or are looking into...

Depends where he lives, as the e6x AFAIK does not allow you to tune via TPS with MAP ajustments.

Newer (E8+) ECUs tuning ITBs is alot simpler for this very reason, retunes become a thing of the past. Thats providing that the ITB system you get has MAP sensors built into the manifold. (Such as the 4age black top manifolds)
 
I live in San Antonio, TX so humidity is usually pretty constant. I figured I would have at least 2-3 different maps because of the extreme changes in temperature (from Hell hot, to nice, to pretty chilly). No MAP sensors on the manifold so I still have to read up on the E6X to see about tuning. If I end up having to go with an E8 I'd have to wait until my wife graduates from school and gets her career job before I can even think of buying one.
 
AztecCypher, you can tune the car by TPS alone but youll just have to be wary of the fact that the ECU wont be ajusting to the conditions (other then whats specified for the other sensors such as water temp etc.). Remember without a MAF the ECU wont know what temperature the intake charge is so wont be able to ajust maps. Double check this though as my information in regards to the E6X maybe incorrect or I misinterpreted :) I don't believe so but I hope I am :)

Im not sure how far along in the process you are but i know that the 4age ITBs (silvertops) will fit out cars with an adapter plate (They do not however have a MAP sensor as they used MAF), the blacktops come with a MAP sensor which makes life easier. Might save you some trouble with splitting the throttles up etc. (Not sure about the cost comparison if your doing the work yourself :))

What you could do to overcome the MAP problem is tune a little rich and install a in car computer for switching between MAPs (and for tunes), fix your own temp gauge somewhere and flip between the maps. Alternatively make a box to cover the ITBs (make sure its got an appropriate volume) and attach the MAF to the inlet or something? Might work. (Kinda defeats the purpose somewhat though :))
 
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This is all news to me!

Guess I'm out of the loop lol.

If what u say is true, then by all means go for it!

I will get on doing some research, but I am still willing to bet they would be a ppita in the mountains of colorado!

And I didn't mean to come off as a dick, but I was just trying to watch out for ya!
 
I hear ya. I know tuning can be a pain at higher elevations. I just broke my end link tab on my coilover so I'm a bit bummed. Nothing some welding can't fix but this tells me that there's something not setup right on my suspension now.
 
Ya'll ever want to take a sledge hammer to the car and say to hell with it.... Alright enough b!&@#ing, going to have a cigar and a drink and fix that coilover week after next. Going to be out of town for work for 2 weeks.
 
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