Lucifer gets new Turbo setup!

[mikemounlio]

Advancedynamix Aside for going back to a normal exhaust what can i do o make my fender exhaust work better? I tried adding a neck down on the inside once and it helped to hold the boost much better and you said back pressure is bad. So do i need back pressure or not?

Should i go back to my normal exhaust or make the fender exit work better?

I have a friend/pro welder at work that is opening his own exhaust shop he said he will build all my stuff for the price of materials. He just wants to get his work out there and my car would be a good start for him. He welds very good! So it would be a major step up from what i have now.

[mikemounlio]

Another question i have is- How bad is the stock exhaust mani? I could have him build me a log style manifold! It would really help me out with my to big of a turbo (i think)

[Advancedynamix]

I didn't say back pressure is bad. I said back pressure and more boost is bad. As I understood it, you mentioned controlling the boost creep with back pressure and then turning the boost up. That's a time bomb waiting to explode.
The stock b6t manifold is a much better design than a log manifold. Just have a qualified welder put an external wastegate flange in where the O2 hole (and cracks) are now. This is a job that should be done by someone who is experienced with welding cast iron and cast steel parts. With an external wastegate, you would be fine with a VJ11/14 hybrid. The IHI RHB5 turbos are some of the most reliable turbos ever made, but they don't handle over boosting and surging very well (basically, people who don't I understand turbo systems destroy them, not hard use).

[Advancedynamix]

I'll restate what I mentioned when you first started this project. A properly tuned, good running, stock b6t will be faster than all these parts you're throwing together. I've built and raced a lot of turbo cars, I've got plenty of experience when it comes to setting them up and I've got a shelf full of trick turbochargers and tubing and I'm a certified welder, but my track car used a stock b6t. That says something about that engine.
A well built B6t Festiva will be almost boring to drive. They don't have crazy TQ steer, or wheelspin, they are quiet, and the boost comes on so smooth that it's hard to tell it's a turbo engine. These are all signs of a balanced package, a drivers car. To comprehend that this vehicle has 3 times the TQ that it rolled off the assembly line with, yet feels more refined and easy to drive.... Mind blowing.
If you take the time to appreciate a well balanced car, and focus on honing in your driving skill, you'll never go back to your search for dramatic uncontrolled and poorly tuned power. There is no substitute for dancing a car on the absolute limit. A well built b6t Festiva is a rare kind of package that makes this level of driving seem effortless. It disturbs me to see so many cars that are so close to this level of automotive Nirvana not being set up to their full potential. I miss my B6t car.

[Sleeper]

I'll restate what I mentioned when you first started this project. A properly tuned, good running, stock b6t will be faster than all these parts you're throwing together. I've built and raced a lot of turbo cars, I've got plenty of experience when it comes to setting them up and I've got a shelf full of trick turbochargers and tubing and I'm a certified welder, but my track car used a stock b6t. That says something about that engine.
A well built B6t Festiva will be almost boring to drive. They don't have crazy TQ steer, or wheelspin, they are quiet, and the boost comes on so smooth that it's hard to tell it's a turbo engine. These are all signs of a balanced package, a drivers car. To comprehend that this vehicle has 3 times the TQ that it rolled off the assembly line with, yet feels more refined and easy to drive.... Mind blowing.
If you take the time to appreciate a well balanced car, and focus on honing in your driving skill, you'll never go back to your search for dramatic uncontrolled and poorly tuned power. There is no substitute for dancing a car on the absolute limit. A well built b6t Festiva is a rare kind of package that makes this level of driving seem effortless. It disturbs me to see so many cars that are so close to this level of automotive Nirvana not being set up to their full potential. I miss my B6t car.

Thanks Charlie for this post... I have always felt this way about a b6t festiva swap... but is really nice to hear from someone who has done a bone stock b6t swap and loves it. When I source my car and parts I plan on doing exactly what you did with your b6t festy

[mikemounlio]

Advancedynamix I fully understand where you are coming from. However Lucifer was bought with a crappy setup! I knew it buying it. I bought it as a good starting point. If i cant get it to act the way i want it to i will switch over to stock stuff. However i want to try everything i can before i switch back to stock. I want it to stay unique and goofy. If it just wont work then i will switch back to what i know can work.

I will talk to our welder and see if he wants to just weld up my old manifold from my other motor for an external wastegate. That will fix my boost creep and might just fix a bunch of my other problems.

[mikemounlio]

Advancedynamix im sure you understand where im coming from! I hope at least. in your opinion (aside from going back to stock) what should i do?

I get that the stock setup is good. I wanted a bit more power then stock tho. I will be building britstiva with a bpt so i think taking Lucifer back stock or say gt2554 might not be a bad idea. It needs quick spool for autocross anyways.

Lets here your thought good or bad.

[Advancedynamix]

I have a gt2554R, and a manifold to use it. It collected dust while I collected trophies with my vj14. I have a b6t with forged internals and an 800 dollar custom worked crank that also collected dust while a stock b6t was my weapon of choice.
I didn't swap any of those parts on because it isn't a matter of Turbo, or stronger internals. It's a matter of building an entire package that is as user friendly as the stock setup. This means a redesigned intake manifold, different cam profiles and a really good engine management system. I have all that stuff now too, but still hesitate to use it.
On thanksgiving weekend of 2013 I ran Tweak with a GTX b6t engine, vj11/14 hybrid, an un baffled 2.5" exhaust, gforce ECU and 18psi of boost. The car was putting down 210hp and 208ftlbs of TQ. It felt really fast. It was not really fast though. I was consistently 3 seconds a lap off my pace and I blew that turbo up (it was a fresh rebuild by a reputable shop in town) and then blew holes in 2 pistons. That weekend discouraged me and I went almost a year without driving the car. I hate working on my car during a race weekend and thats all I did that weekend and went home empty handed with a broken car. I went back to the Thanksgiving event in 2014 with a junk yard fresh stock b6t on a stock tune and dominated the entire weekend. I set new fastest laps with the stock b6t. That engine is still in the car and has crossed the country twice as well as many more track days and daily driver duties by myself and the current owner. I'm pretty sold on the stock B6t. Tweak has been kicking ass and taking names while a lot of big HP builds collect dust in the garage. Driving them is more fun than looking at a big pile of parts.
Your car only needs some easy fixes to make it right. Now that you have a g series and your front support strengthened you are very close to having a real performance car. To me, the flashy attention getting stuff is goofy on these cars. Maybe that's because I consider the Festiva to be a serious machine. I've passed Ferraris being driven by professionals on a race track in one, if that's not a serious track car than I don't know what is. I can't do that in my Porsche, if that tells you anything.

[Fecomatter]

Charlie I was talking to someone about how you liked the Festiva better than your Porsche and they said you were crazy lol.

[mikemounlio]

I have a gt2554R, and a manifold to use it. It collected dust while I collected trophies with my vj14. I have a b6t with forged internals and an 800 dollar custom worked crank that also collected dust while a stock b6t was my weapon of choice.
I didn't swap any of those parts on because it isn't a matter of Turbo, or stronger internals. It's a matter of building an entire package that is as user friendly as the stock setup. This means a redesigned intake manifold, different cam profiles and a really good engine management system. I have all that stuff now too, but still hesitate to use it.
On thanksgiving weekend of 2013 I ran Tweak with a GTX b6t engine, vj11/14 hybrid, an un baffled 2.5" exhaust, gforce ECU and 18psi of boost. The car was putting down 210hp and 208ftlbs of TQ. It felt really fast. It was not really fast though. I was consistently 3 seconds a lap off my pace and I blew that turbo up (it was a fresh rebuild by a reputable shop in town) and then blew holes in 2 pistons. That weekend discouraged me and I went almost a year without driving the car. I hate working on my car during a race weekend and thats all I did that weekend and went home empty handed with a broken car. I went back to the Thanksgiving event in 2014 with a junk yard fresh stock b6t on a stock tune and dominated the entire weekend. I set new fastest laps with the stock b6t. That engine is still in the car and has crossed the country twice as well as many more track days and daily driver duties by myself and the current owner. I'm pretty sold on the stock B6t. Tweak has been kicking ass and taking names while a lot of big HP builds collect dust in the garage. Driving them is more fun than looking at a big pile of parts.
Your car only needs some easy fixes to make it right. Now that you have a g series and your front support strengthened you are very close to having a real performance car. To me, the flashy attention getting stuff is goofy on these cars. Maybe that's because I consider the Festiva to be a serious machine. I've passed Ferraris being driven by professionals on a race track in one, if that's not a serious track car than I don't know what is. I can't do that in my Porsche, if that tells you anything.

SO SELL ME THE GT2554! I will put it on and go back to stock style exhaust and call it quits...

[Advancedynamix]

The 2554r is a sweet unit for a b6t for sure, but it's a waste with that US intake manifold and stock cams.

[Advancedynamix]

Charlie I was talking to someone about how you liked the Festiva better than your Porsche and they said you were crazy lol.

They've never driven a dialed in B6t Festiva on hot sticky race rubber. It's beyond addictive. I daily my Cayman on NT01 tires, and brag about my Festiva. Lots of people think I'm nutty, but I am just a driver. The Cayman doesn't hold a corner like a Festy, that's a fact.

[festyfreak39]

The 2554r is a sweet unit for a b6t for sure, but it's a waste with that US intake manifold and stock cams.

Hmn... just as you said that I have a set of hks 264 cams with minimal overlap a jdm intake manifold and a t25 turbo

[festyfreak39]

Also do you have pics on how the turbo and manifold and wastegate ended up with the t25 turbo Mike?

[Advancedynamix]

Thanks Charlie for this post... I have always felt this way about a b6t festiva swap... but is really nice to hear from someone who has done a bone stock b6t swap and loves it. When I source my car and parts I plan on doing exactly what you did with your b6t festy

When you get it together and dialed it in, take the time to appriciate the car. I'll admit that when I first drove mine I thought something was wrong with it. I've built a lot of small FWD turbo cars and Tweak felt so slow and boring. It wasn't until I blew past a couple of Roush mustang's as they raced up a freeway on ramp that it started to set in. A few months later I took the car to the road coarse and that's when my automotive mindset would change forever. They call it "Madness". I think it's a higher level of concous automotive thought. Lol