Well, I was finally able to get away from school long enough to go pick up my car from Forged Performance. My install was essentially Forged's "stage 3" Greddy TT package, which includes the Greddy TT kit / FMIC (obviously), a Walbro 225 lph fuel pump, an HKS SSQV blow-off valve, NGK 1 step colder plugs, a UTEC, an HKS EVC VI boost controller, and the CJM fuel return system. For good measure, I also decided to add a Greddy turbo timer, a Greddy Evo TT exhaust (modified to remove the 50mm bottlenecks), a Competition Clutch Stage 4 clutch and light-weight flywheel combo, and an Altered Atmosphere wastegate dump and downpipe kit.
On high boost, the car put down 386whp at 8.8psi on the Forged's "Heartbreaker" DD dyno. This is the fastest car I've ever driven, so I'm very happy with what it puts down (for right now at least
). On the road, all I can say is its fukcing awesome. The car pulls like hell and gets into boost in no time at all. The air fuel ratio is very consistent, and the car drives about as smooth as sex without a condom. I'm really happy with the Evo TT, as it gives the car a deeper, more muscular sound. As a quick aside, the welds where they took out the 50mm bottleneck was are as close to perfect as it gets. The open dumps are another matter altogether. I've never been in a car with them, but for the guys who have them, I see what all the fuss is about now because the sound borders on unreal when the wastegate's start to vent. Sharif also did a sweet job of mounting the boost controller, which also holds boost very well and is pretty intuitive to operate.
I also feel like I should make a special note about the clutch and flywheel package, because I don't think many people have it, and this info will hopefully come in handy for people in the future. We decided to go with Competition Clutch's "stage 4" clutch and lightweight flywheel. For people who want a more aggressive clutch and flywheel package, but don't necessarily want to shell out the money for a 2- or 3-plate carbon Exedy or Carbonetic clutch, this is the setup to go with. First off, for the price, it's head and shoulders above the JWT clutch/flywheel, which is basically a Fidanza flywheel and stock clutch. With the new lightened flywheel (about 15ish lbs, if I recall correctly) the throttle response is significantly better and the engine drops revs noticeably faster.
The clutch itself is 6-puck piece, and while having a more aggressive feel and engagement than stock, is very streetable, and extremely smooth once you get adjusted to it. I was a little unsure about the whole thing before I actually drove the car, simply because I wasn't able to pull up anything about it through searching this site. However, after having driven the car in Atlanta's rush hour traffic, and in the mountains near Clemson, I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to step up from stock, but still wanting to keep day to day drivability.
My actual experience at Forged was awesome too. Pricing was extremely fair, and I was always kept abreast of any developments with the car. Sandy and Ashley were always very pleasant with me, despite me frequent calling
. Sharif was also a extremely gracious host, and he and Sandy stayed extra late so I could pick up my car. Having the car all cleaned up for me and with a full tank of gas was also a nice touch.
To conclude, the car feels like an entirely new animal and I couldn't be happier. I'm still getting used to walking away from the car with the motor still running though....
pics to come in the morning or whenever I wake up