Gen4 VF52 upgrade + supporting mods
#1
Posted 24 April 2015 - 10:11 PM
11/2008 GT Spec.B Liberty
6 speed manual
The car is specifically street, I won't be taking it to the track or drags any time soon(except maybe an amateur track day just to have a feel of what i can get out of it) and I just wanna spend some time and money making it even more fun that it already is, while staying reliable and keeping noise to a minimum
I'll be doing all the work myself, with the help of my dad who's conveniently a mechanic
CURRENT ENGINE/DRIVE MODS:
Gfb bov
High flow foam air filter
resonator replaced with hks funnel
MRT 3" TBE
MRT XB tune
Cobb short shifter
(Had positive shift kit and front and rear shift bushes installed, but they made some very loud and annoying noises, which is not on when all you wanna do is hear the sweet sweet rumble of the exhaust)
FUTURE PLANS:
VF52 TURBO (if second hand, worth reconditioning?)
Mishimoto intercooler
Cobb 3 port boost solenoid
Turbo blanket and heat shield
Silicone turbo inlet and maf hose
Fuel pump upgrade?
autometer boost gauge AU3607 mechanical/analogue (simply because they are cool) (also want to install a dimmer on a relay with the headlights to match the dash brightness day and night)
Dyno? Retune from somewhere that does ECUtek (so I don't have to unlock it and frankly I think it works perfectly as it is) but preferably not MRT... $$$
Also runs extremely rich, like my lovely chrome tips turn black within a couple of days, I know this is for safety, but surely we could lean it out a bit more and still keep it out of any danger zones
I've based my choices on bigger turbo = bigger lag, so I'm aiming to minimise the spool time to be hopefully the same (or better) than it is now after the upgrade, and also keep it boosting safely and reliably
CURRENT SUSPENSION/HANDLING:
stock springs and shocks
Whiteline adjustable sway bars on lowest settings
20mm rear
24mm front (from memory)
STI front strut brace
Very worn S001 215/45 tyres
FUTURE PLANS:
(tyres are coming from tax return so all this will be completed at the same time early july)
Whiteline anti-lift kit (dependant on noise increase)
Stiffen existing rear sway bar? Front?
Sti springs (currently on their way)
S001 tyres 215 or 225 (depends what's cheaper)
I literally have been up all night, many nights just researching and researching every tiny detail about every part I've mentioned and I know they all have pros and cons so I'd like some advice from people who have tried them before
Any and all help it's appreciated
#2
Posted 24 April 2015 - 10:14 PM
You'll need a set of avo HD rsb mounts - really.
All those mods are great, but personally I'd just do the pump, eg DW65c, 3port and optionally the vf52 with a 3" dump pipe: with a ThrottleHappy tune.
The tune with its 3 stage SI drive controlled boost levels is the most important upgrade imho.
And put the savings into Shockworks coil overs, decent tyres and pads.
Shockworks are so good stock sways will suffice: more savings.
Liberty has fairly limited suspension travel so better handling on the limit comes from allowing the chassis to breath with excellent dampers promoting control. If you're in Melb you can sample my car with all these basic mods
http://forum.liberty...hp?f=10&t=20939
In my stockpile is a PW TMIC, AVO 400S, EL headers, injectors etc, yet the car is really nice with the current mod list so I'm in no rush to do more upgrades just yet
#3
Posted 24 April 2015 - 10:33 PM
The VF52 should bolt straight up to the custom mrt 3" dump
Which also has the 3 stage map (was done when I bought the car, would love to feel the difference in the stock si drive modes haha)
Coilovers are not even in question right now haha, have some pretty gnarly driveways in my daily routes, plus I like the way my spine sits
Currently already have the sway bars installed
I'm in newcastle man, haha but thanks for the offer! Appreciated
Had the car on a really twisty road between here and sydney, and it handled beautifully on near bald tyres and stock springs so I don't think I'll need to go for coils any time soon
I'll see how it goes after new tyres and springs and ALK
#4
Posted 24 April 2015 - 10:36 PM
Cost?
I haven't really considered any aftermarket turbos as of yet
#5
Posted 24 April 2015 - 11:10 PM
Aftermarket turbos support higher flow so eg the avo in this instance would add 20ish kw at the same boost and be capable of safely topping out at 24psi with a new STi block or built motor.
The trick is to play it safe with the ej255 unless you want to go built
A noted Qld tuner had his at 180 atw at 12psi, vf52 & e85.
#6
Posted 24 April 2015 - 11:25 PM
I don't plan on doing any internal upgrades as of yet, so I'll be keeping it around 16-18 psi
but if I come into a large sum of money sometime in the near future...
But damn 24psi sounds like a whole lot of fun haha
#7
Posted 25 April 2015 - 07:14 AM
Msr has achieved 200atw with vf52 and supporting mods on a Lib.
But my pref is to err on the side of caution until a plan b is in place
I have to add that the coilovers I have are far superior to any strut new or used in terms of bump travel, comfort, control and safety. 5 up with luggage, cobbled speed bumps, braking bumps, all taken in stride. They're not really noticeable until they're swallowing up bumps keeping the car composed. They define the car.
#8
Posted 25 April 2015 - 08:04 AM
My VF46 tune doesn't drop off until after 5200rpm, and even then it only loses 20kw atw till redline.
I understand VF52 is easy because it's bolt on but I don't understand spending like $1k on a turbo that nets you ~20-25kw atw with slightly more lag?
I'd be upgrading to something a bit fancier which has a broader power band "under the curve" power is far more beneficial unless you own a drag car
MY07 GT spec B
#9
Posted 25 April 2015 - 08:46 AM
I'm waiting till I have an oil cooler, oil temp and pressure gauge, wrap and shield the headers, and prepare fuel lines and fpr for the billet rails and tgv deletes also in the stash.
Most of that is unnecessary but I love overkill.
You might want to consider an afr sensor bung on your dump before it's installed as well.
The plx afr is one my tuner recommends for reliability and accuracy.
And DIY or avo HD rsb mounts are essential.
For monitoring ECU parameters, I recommend the btssm app with its BT obdii plug or tactrix via USB otg. Being SSM based its a lot more useful that Torque. But Torque is better than nothing at all.
#10
Posted 25 April 2015 - 09:01 AM
But obviously the simplicity of bolting on a bigger turbo is attractive
What would be involved in converting an aftermarket turbo?
Where does the afr sensor go to?(as in, from the dump to...) Sorry if thats a stupid question, does it replace a stock afr or does it communicate separately with a flashed ecu, or does it simply tell you the ratio
I wouldn't mind heavy duty links, but whiteline only sold adjustable ones for my car, which was a waste of money imo because I wouldn't need to adjust them
#11
Posted 25 April 2015 - 09:03 AM
Similar to the boost solenoid?
#12
Posted 25 April 2015 - 04:03 PM
Eg avo 380 and 400lgt, Blouch 380 Xt, six star speed, BNR, tomei, kinagawa and kando are various options
The afr gauge is for more accurate tuning as the stock narrowband afr isn't very accurate towards the richer end below stoich
Your rear swaybar mounts will snap off without reinforcement. Research this, it's a seperate issue to links etc.
#13
Posted 27 April 2015 - 07:52 AM
I'm going to call a few places and enquire about cost etc for aftermarket turbos
A place called GCG specialises in Garrett and I can expect to pay over $2000
So a with the wideband AFR, it's just to help tune the car and not really beneficial other than that? (I feel like I'm imagining it wrong, I'm seeing it as just a gauge that tells you the ratio, but does it replace a stock part to communicate with the ecu?)
I would really like to run a little less rich than what it is now, because I think it's way over the top at the moment, black exhausts within a couple.of days
#14
Posted 27 April 2015 - 08:15 AM
The safer tune will err on the rich, not lean, side.
The afr helps the tuner to fine tune the air fuel ratio.
And allows the driver to spot issues via the gauge.
I'd advise getting the cars handling, braking & tune etc sorted, before blowing your budget on 2k turbos. You'll love it with a good tune for example
Did you look at the bolt on offerings from the mfgs I listed? Gcg don't really have a bolt-on upgrade for your car... That I could see.
For ultimate performance, full custom V band is the way to go. For the ej255, bolt-on is the realistic option.
#15
Posted 27 April 2015 - 08:25 AM
#16
Posted 27 April 2015 - 08:27 AM
Have you read Jacksons profile?
His journey from bolt-on mods to the next level...
A few grand to stage three, tens of thousands to where he's about to be. A good workshop/tuner and a great plan.
http://forum.liberty...a2840bcc6df8656
#17
Posted 27 April 2015 - 08:38 AM
I shall check it out now
#18
Posted 27 April 2015 - 08:50 AM
Start here:
https://www.google.c...sn.au mrt tunes
#19
Posted 27 April 2015 - 09:03 AM
Their downfall is they have a very high price and it's about 2 hours from my place
Edit: and their generic tunes are something to definitely stay away from, I'm lucky I got away before I did any real damage
No more recommendation
#20
Posted 27 April 2015 - 10:58 AM
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