[s-cars] Mihnea tuning thoughts / Frankenliner installed

[Krasusky Paul (WQQ2PXK)]

Well, after our weekend session of stupidity, thought I'd reflect a bit.

1st...  witnessed my intake air temps climb nearly sky high after only a few
WOT runs, hitting a high of 78C I believe.  Was running sans belly pan (long
story) for the tuning which didn't help.  Another K24 car with pan showed
maybe an 8-10C decreased IAT.  Interesting.  So much so that my pan went
back on late Sunday (thanks Marc... proved my Dzus clips were apparently
fubar and required pan to be ziptied for now).  That, and I *finally*
grafted in a Frankenliner OE IC vent...  only been meaning to for 2 years
now.  Should make at least some difference in prolonging the inevitable
soaky soak from that crappyass OE IC.  If it weren't for twins being next on
my list, FMIC would have been next.  Oh well.  No reason not to do liner
vent for now...  damn, $3 @ Homo Cheapo and about 45 minutes of no effort,
but with guaranteed results.  My kind of mod.

2nd...  power delivery thoughts.  Wow.  Finally had some open road time to
fully exploit the new found changes to my power band.  It is QUITE
different.  Much much much better...  power is very linear, boost threshold
has been lowered dramatically (like 2,700).  Gone is the transient throttle
'tip in' I used to have to do to the throttle (feed in throttle as revs
climb initially to avoid ping).  Bye bye.  Stuff the loud pedal and go.  And
tons more pull after 5,800, used to get rather flat up there nearing 6,200.
Esp. in 4th / 5th damn, car pulls like a muther up in that tach range now,
solidly to 7,200.  Not like RS2 pull, different, but satisfying nonetheless.
Pull in 6th is also silly @ a mere 4,000, no need to downshift.  Not just
gradual pull either, but hard pull immediately.  Pretty damn good for a puny
K24.

Overall, the new power band ironed out a number of flat spots contained in
the MTM 1+ set up, and seems to oh so sweetly match my gearing.  Esp. the
tight 4-5 ratioed gears.  Car is much more driveable, and retains all the
punch it had before, just without the binary feel to the MTM.

Prior to the session I would ask myself and others would also ask, "would
you pay the whatever-$$$ to go from one chip to Mihnea's chip?" (vs. paying
the $ to go from stock to Mihnea's or from 1+ to RS2, hybrid etc. to
Mihnea's).  I kept telling myself, naaa, I've got a chip, how much better
can it be?  I'd driven Lehman / TAP / IA chipped cars and figured MTM felt
best.  Not enough change could happen to justify the expense right?  

My new answer now???  When does Mihnea return so others with 1+ can feel the
difference...

*NO* affiliation, YMMV.  Just one fool's verrrrrrrrry happy opinion.
Dramatic difference, esp. on the highway.  When I feel something that's
good, I share.  So it is said so it is done...

-Paul