[s-cars] Which SB2 and Black FMIC for the other SB2? (A "bit x 100" too long, sorry, but I'd reallly like your input)

[Vincent Fregeac]

Hi S-nuts, 

Today, the S-Bitch spirit is gone (closed deal) although her body still lay
in my driveway. In fact, I really hope the new owner will discover that the
hot stalling/low compression problem was so easy to fix it was stupid for me
to sell it. Since it's not mine anymore, may be the audigods will uncurse
her.

But, to show the car, I had to start it again, smell the interior again,
feel the leather again, listen to the music of the engine revving again
(even with totally unbalanced compression even when cold, it still felt like
music to me) and, even if I have been doing so every 2-3 weeks for the past
12 months to keep the engine from rusting, since now she's gone, at least
her spirit, the experience definitely convinced me I need another one and no
current Audi can replace this one (Who disagree, just raise your hand and
then fear the audigods).

So, at first, I was considering Harold's as the only one available I'd like
to own. BTW, if anyone knows it, email me. I really trust Harold in his
description but I just learned how one can become sentimental - and biased -
about his S-car, or forget details he has learn to live with (BTDT today). I
wouldn't want to make him drive 2-3 hrs to hear me say no at then end.
Harold's car is my reasonable, not too expensive choice (In fact, that's
Harold's car that convinced me to get another urS although my bank account
had no plan for another car until next summer).

But of course, I'm a crazy canuck and an unreasonable, much more expensive,
choice jumped into my face, thanks to Jamu. Jamu, just hope my bank account
won't curse you and the 4 generations to come.

You know what Harold's car has in her heart, and it has all what I would
expect from the perfect, reasonably upgraded, setup, except for the 6 speed
but the other one doesn't have it either. Since you know Harold's, let's
talk about the other one, since it's apparently not on the S-list, and in
case you convince me not to buy it as a daily driver my bank account will
pray for you and the 4 generations to come ;-)

The other potential SB2 is quite a departure from the stock, stealth,
silver, preacher-car (Yeap, a friend nicknamed the S-Bitch the "preacher
car"), S-Bitch. Note that the B in SB2 is _not_ for Bitch, I don't want to
piss off the audigods again and get another cursed S-car. In fact, one of my
friends even suggested an exorcist before I drive any SB2 home, just in
case, but I digress. So, the other SB2, black on black, breaths through a
huge cone filter with heat shield, GT3071, Apikol FMIC, stock AAN (no 5d
valve job or matched/polished ports or fancy pistons/rods), RS2 EM, and Gen.
1 Stromung, is sparked by 034 coils and feeded with green top injectors,
with a Stage 3+ pacemaker. She rides on anthracite 18" RS4 replicas in
summer and bronze (!?!) stock 16 Avus in winter, her more or less tasteful
shoes being supported by blue H&R and Bilsteins, whipped by a SPEC Stage 3+
clutch and tamed down by Big Reds. Sad but no 6 speeds. Can't have it all.
I'm not sure if HID or not but that's an easy/cheap one. Everything not
upgraded has less than 80Kmiles (!!!, will run Carfax to be sure it's not
too good...), but the price is somewhat according to it.

That's the mouth watering stuff, but here's the concerning stuff. The head
gasket has been redone less than 50 miles ago because of 2 intake valves
bent by a slipped T-Belt, but no dent on the pistons (I have seen the
pictures of the bottom end, head off). The current owner bought the car not
running (ECU fried and one cylinder no compression), made it run not
sparring his time but keeping it on the cheap (repaired ECU, head gasket, 2
used valves from a spare head but not head job AFAIK) and barely drove it.
He apparently bought it not knowing if to make money on repairs or as a
keeper and finally decided his bank account won't like him if he keeps it.
He will drive 400 miles forth and back to show it to me so the HG job will
have at least "some" mileage to show it has been done properly. Also, the
thread about the head job is available on the net and apparently he really
not spared his time when fixing the head/valve problem. One thing that
concerns me is he first torqued the bolt with oil (with re-torque after
warm-up) drove it for a few miles (a few WOT pass to make sure there was no
miss at full pressure) then, when learning the wet torque (w/ oil) is
totally different than the dry torque (w/ Molly) removed the studs one by
one to torque and re-torque them with Molly. People on the forum said it's
OK but I'd like the S-list input on this.

So, that's the other choice. A lot of mouth watering stuff but the too
recent HG/valve job kind of scares me.

Now, here comes the black FMIC topic:

	If you think a black FMIC is futile, just skip the next part.

If I get this kind of "unreasonable" car, she won't probably lean toward the
stealth style of the S-Bitch. I'm thinking about a uniform, All-Black look
(remember the New Zealand rugby team), like a
black-on-black-on-black-on-black-on-black-and-may-be-on-black SB2, i.e.
having also chrome mouldings, windows, taillights and may be BBK, blackened
or smoked (with reasonable tinting on windows, and halogen bulbs in
taillights, I'm not suicidal). But then, there's the full bling aluminium
FMIC showing through the lower bumper. Black-on-black x5/6 is definitely not
stealth but the shinny Apikol FMIC showing off through the bumper of an
All-Black SB2 is definitely too much for me.

So, I was wondering, what about a flat black FMIC? I don't see any problem
painting it except for the heat exchanger part, since paint doesn't exactly
improve heat exchange. Would improved emissive heat exchange (because of the
flat black color) negate the conductive loss caused by the additional paint
coat? Not sure. In fact, I don't think so. So, I was thinking about black
anodizing. Since that's what they are doing on electronic radiator, it
shouldn't be too bad for heat exchange. But what about chipping? Probably a
thicker coat would do, but it may affect heat exchange and it may skyrocket
the price of anodizing. Or may be the Apikol FMIC is so much overdesigned
for a less than 400hp setup that I don't have to care about heat exchange
and one or two coat of paint won't make any difference. I know I could do a
before-after temperature measurement, but if I don't like the after result,
I don't see how I can strip the paint between the fins (High pressure
solvant cleaning may be, but that's not something easy to find).

The car will probably see some track time, but it will only be occasional
for the next 2 years since I'm not experienced enough to master such a setup
on a track and I'd rather learn with my 318is until I really feel I've
nothing left to learn from a low power car (Previous track experience has
been almost only ice and snow so I've still a lot to learn on asphalt). On
the other end, I've smoked the brakes on quite a few rented or borrowed
cars, to give you an idea of my "reasonable" daily driving style.
(S-Festers, don't be scary, I've never smoked brakes on a test drive, just
when I was _not_ testing the car limits). This is just to give you an idea
of the task the FMIC will have to handle. Not that much, but still some.

So, the real questions are:

- Does anyone with a really happer-sized setup and an Apikol FMIC can tell
me if it's as happersized as the size of the heat exchanger suggests so 1 or
2 paint coats don't really matter as long as I stay with a standard GT3071
setup?

Or, does the owner of the black beast I saw once or twice at the S-Fest can
chime in and tell me what difference it made in intake temperature when he
blackened his FMIC? IIRC, the black beast has a flat black FMIC, as well as
the only black headlight reflector I've seen on a urS (the front part only
of course, and quite good looking although I may not go that far on the
black slope).

Or may be it is as simple as the Apikol FMIC can be mounted deep enough that
the lower bumper grill, with some dremeling, can still fit in front of the
FMIC.

Any idea will do, I just don't like the idea of the FMIC showing off that
much.

I know it's a bit soon to ask the question since I didn't even have a look
at the car but I really don't like the idea of a menacing aluminium FMIC
through the bumper. Too much bling for me (But black-on-black power 5 is OK,
don't ask;-). And I don't like the LLTek bumper, except with LLTek side
skirts to match the bottom profile of the front bumper, but then the rear
bumper doesn't match the side skirts profile and my bank account has already
cursed me for the next 4 generations... at least, until I find a matching
rear bumper and the curse is good for a millennium, so don't even suggest
it.

So, I would like to have an idea about blackening an FMIC before I ask the
unreasonable choice's owner to make a 2-3 hrs trip to show me his car. And
if anyone knows a car in NH that seems to match the description of my
unreasonable choice, please email me.






Vincent feeling like the Buridan's ass F.