MyG37 - Rochester's new G

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^---- Awesome stuff John. I really like reading what you have to say about the FI parts. I still haven't quite gone through and looked at all the differences between your car and the other guys who have the drone, but I'm guessing this is a 6MT/Auto independent issue. If it's not, then I'll say "whew" and carry on...but either way, it's nice to see where you're going with everything and how you feel about it all.

I also like seeing you talk about a tune. Can't wait to hear the results from that, although I know it might be a while. I've got nothing but time; if nothing else, then nothing at all. O.o

Anyway...good luck to you and happy modding as always!

Haha... figured you'd like that, considering how you're waiting on FI parts. Nice to know someone else is reading these comments.

The perception that I somehow lost something low-end is what's making me think about getting tuned with more urgency than in the past. Well, perhaps urgency isn't the right word. Serious intent is better.

I still haven't identified a shop in my region, because there's no one in my location who can do the work. Buffalo maybe, or Toronto, but not Rochester. Not yet.

And the choice between which gets done first: tune or gears, that's a decision I won't be making until Spring 2016, which then dictates what happens in 2017. Kind of like my summer mod this year and next, between the clutch pedal and the STS.

RJM clutch is a must! The only regret I have about the RJM clutch I have is that I didn't do it sooner instead of driving the car for 4 years with the silly spring replacement. On the stock clutch with the RJM pedal launches and 1st-2nd shifts were much smoother without the random jerkiness that the stock pedal throws at you every so often. But I have gotten back the on/off switch now that I am on the sb stage 3.5 clutch, I can't imagine how bad it would be with the oem pedal.

I think you should consider tuning before switching the gears. A proper tune should make the delivery smoother and perhaps gain a few ponies throughout the entire curve as well.

Are you positive you have lost low end or could it be that the gain in the mid range is significant enough to make the low and high ends seem slower? I'm sure your MPG has dropped significantly since the right foot hits the floor so much more often now! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyHTX (Post 3906390)

You're killing me, man. Although jsolo's pedal spring was easily the best $20 that I ever spent on the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyHTX (Post 3906390)

I think you should consider tuning before switching the gears. A proper tune should make the delivery smoother and perhaps gain a few ponies throughout the entire curve as well.

Good advice. Did you swap diff gears in your 6MT?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyHTX (Post 3906390)

Are you positive you have lost low end or could it be that the gain in the mid range is significant enough to make the low and high ends seem slower?

I don't know. That's a very interesting way to look at it, and one that hadn't occurred to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyHTX (Post 3906390)

I'm sure your MPG has dropped significantly since the right foot hits the floor so much more often now! :)

Very likely. I am using a deeper throttle than I usually do. Can't seem to help it... that noise is so freaking rewarding when you rev up to the sweet spot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rochester (Post 3906396)

Good advice. Did you swap diff gears in your 6MT?

I have not switched my gears yet, but I have been researching what my options are. For me it would be the opposite of what most NA do as I would want longer 3.3 gears instead of shorter 4.08. The longer 3.3 gears would allow me to stay in gear (in boost) longer and also give me a higher mph per gear.

I spoke with OS Giken and they told me they have discontinued their LSD for the 3.3 open diff so I'm not sure if I will even be able to switch the pumpkins; I still need to look into if Cusco has any options. I may end up just switching the to the Superlock 1.5 way LSD with my 6mt pumpkin and leave the 3.69 gears as they are if I can't find something I want to do. Regardless it is a few months out, or maybe even next year, at the soonest as I have to reestablish my 'mod piggy bank'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyHTX (Post 3906411)

:eek3: Never thought about it like that. I love learning new things.

Really excellent review of your FI setup. Makes the anticipation for mine even more exciting.

Will be interesting to compare differences between my 2.25" FI catback, stock cats and stock intake with your 2.5" piping, RHFC's and intake. I have no plans to do either HFCs or intake at the moment.

4.08 gearing is in my future too, but likely down the road a couple years.

.
All around great read John. I enjoyed it your review. Some nice quotes in there that really boost my confidence in FI.

[/QUOTE] Sound is... amazing. Absolutely amazing. Particularly with strong throttle in the lower gears climbing through the higher revs. What an incredible noise; almost exotic, and sometimes more worthy than the car itself. [/QUOTE]

Then something a bit on the scary side....

[/QUOTE]And with that, there is a 6th gear highway drone whenever you even breath on the throttle. If you use cruise control, or keep your foot perfectly still at highway speed, it's fine. But as soon as you feather the throttle in 6th gear... nnnn-nnnn-nnnn.[/QUOTE]

Followed by the signature Rochester comments of pure truth and even the occasional nugget of wisdom. Yes Sir you need a tune btw.

[/QUOTE]And no matter how you assess it, I need a tune now. :p R2C Intakes, Resonated High-Flow Cats, 2.5" FI Catback w/18" resonators... I need a tune.

All in good time. Long plans are always better than doing everything at once.[/QUOTE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rochester (Post 3900693)

First hand wash of the year after clay & wax... and rims, and exhaust, and roof-wing. :p

It's been almost a week, and I'm really starting to appreciate how much the back end of the car has been improved. Like, dramatically improved.

With as much humility as I can muster (not much), I'm thinking this is freaking beautiful. At this moment with the car, I am in awe of how the rear section looks with this new exhaust. All along, I knew the looks would be better, but it was really the sound that I was focused on. Here I am six days later, realizing how much I appreciate how the exhaust *looks*.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/F...stalled_05.jpg

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/F...stalled_06.jpg

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/dat_azz.jpg

Sweet man, does it stay in the garage all day or do you lay on your back often ?? LMAO
Clean and Tight! Goddamn, front angled please

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rochester (Post 3906245)

It's been over 3 weeks since the catback was installed, and I've actually been driving the car quite a bit lately, almost every day. I knew from the get-go that there would be an adjustment, and it would take some time for my sensibilities to settle into the New Normal. And honestly, I'm not entirely there yet, but three weeks seems a good point to circle back and assess things.

Power delivery is... different. I'm convinced that low-end response has diminished a little bit. When I bury the throttle, it feels more like power is winding up, or taking longer to wind up. Top-end feels about the same, just noisy as heck. It's really mid-range that's a positive change. When shifting aggressively (5K to 6K) between 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the power feels more like it's still climbing between gears, rather than humping through the shifts. This is likely a 6MT perception, but I stand by it: mid-range has gotten noticeably more fun.

Sound is... amazing. Absolutely amazing. Particularly with strong throttle in the lower gears climbing through the higher revs. What an incredible noise; almost exotic, and sometimes more worthy than the car itself. However, you can't really "turn it off" per se. There's just no getting around it... the exhaust note is always on, with exception to maintaining a set speed.

And with that, there is a 6th gear highway drone whenever you even breath on the throttle. If you use cruise control, or keep your foot perfectly still at highway speed, it's fine. But as soon as you feather the throttle in 6th gear... nnnn-nnnn-nnnn.

And no matter how you assess it, I need a tune now. :p R2C Intakes, Resonated High-Flow Cats, 2.5" FI Catback w/18" resonators... I need a tune.

Last year I test drove the Jaguar F-Type S Coupe, and this year I finally understand why Jaguar offers two driver-selected options for the exhaust in that car. Because as amazing as Full-on Racecar Mode sounds and feels, you really don't want that 24/7.

And my last observation of the morning: I still haven't learned how to relax in the car again. Every single time I drive it, it's like I'm unnecessarily attacking the road and driving like a douchbag. I'm not at a place yet where I can just drive the car casually, like I do my wife's Honda. And truth be told, I'm not sure now that I ever can get to that point. Fortunately, I really really get off on driving aggressively; just me, the car and the road. And it took until I was over 50 years old before I learned how to not bother with other drivers. Mostly. :hsugh:

No regrets on the cats and catback. But I am still getting acclimated. I need a tune, and I want 4.083 rear gears. And I'm starting to think I want the RJM Performance clutch pedal assembly before I pursue a short-throw shifter.

All in good time. Long plans are always better than doing everything at once.

Your reviews are always a "must read" but this is pure gold! Your way of explaining your thought process during your daily drives are very engaging.
You would make a great writer for some of the better auto publications FWIW.
Glad you've found exhaust-note nirvana, giving all those waiting on their FI sets some nice piece of mind.

Now about the drill, PC and dishwasher..............

Some nice things said here today. Thanks. :thewave:

I finally got through to my mechanic, and am on his schedule for next Tuesday:

Replace the two exhaust gaskets at the cats with 2 new gaskets I bought from FI.
Replace the six 3/8" nuts & bolts on the exhaust with stainless steel parts, flanged and serrated. (Couldn't locate the eight 7/16" nuts & bolts in SS. Dammit.)
Install the Vert Cradle Braces that have been collecting dust for a while now.
Compress the rear springs and install the customized coil bushings that have also been collecting dust since January.
Go over the fitment of the new exhaust, tighten everything up, check for leaks.

After that, give it a week and get the car re-aligned.

Great review! I do hate that nnn-nnnn-nnn sound when holding a high gear and accelerating. It's not crazy annoying but as it gets hotter, it's starting to get louder.

Looking forward to the review on the vert braces. I've since added that to my upcoming mod list.

https://www.myg37.com/forums/private...plete-kit.html

Might be time to push up your timeline buddy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redfire32 (Post 3908188)

https://www.myg37.com/forums/private...plete-kit.html

Might be time to push up your timeline buddy.

Thanks for looking out, Redfire32. But I have to stick to my schedule, and this year's big mod already happened, so there's only room for a little mod this summer. (And while "big" and "little" are always relative, it's my schedule, so there's that. ;))

Vert Cradle Braces - Installed

I bought these over the winter, on advice from ModMe's Bracing Project:

https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...g-project.html

These are support bars between the engine cradle and the frame of the car. The AWD Sedan has a similar pair of braces. These here are designed for the Convertible. The point being, there is no such thing in the RWD Sedan.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/v...dle_braces.jpg

The general opinion was that they would bolt right up to the Sedan, but really it took installation to confirm that. And it's confirmed:

The Vert Cradle Braces are a direct, bolt-on mod for the Sedan. :NOD:

Zero issues, and torqued to spec. That's a superior (albeit more heavy) solution than the GT-Spec SubFrame Tie-Brace, and for $80 less.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/v..._braces_01.jpg

Also, contrary to first glance, there are zero clearance issues, too. It's all good.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/v..._braces_02.jpg

On the highway, I did notice more road feel on the floorboard. Very small, very slight amount of increased feedback there.

Still don't know if it's a handling mod, though. I need to get a little more aggressive with the car to assess that, and at the moment I'm being cautious with it, because I also had those polyurethane bushings installed at the top of my rear springs.

http://www.johnclare.com/pics/cars/s..._installed.jpg

As for that right-height adjustment... the car has to settle over the next few days before making a final assessment there. But in so far as installation went, I'll say this: I don't like how the Swift Springs aren't cut more even at the top. The end of the coil is an abrupt design. With hindsight, I should have notched some of the bushings to accommodate it.

However, the OEM top seat doesn't have a notch either, so maybe I'm making something out of nothing here.

:dunno: