genXgts
Enthusiast
Time to share my thoughts after 500 miles on new tires and exhaust mods.
Bald OEM from 97 MXX3's had various chunks of rubber missing, after much debate went with Kumho Ecsta V700s all around, $1350 Cdn installed and balanced out the door (about $880 US, best delivered price to MI, $700 from tirerack).
These things stick, bottom line. What was once a wheel hopping smoking diaster on full throttle rollons in first gear, and a half shaft stressing debacle on a full throttle slam into 2nd is now nary a chirp, 100% grab with no warmup, no joke.
Even on an attempt to break them lose from a roll, as in let off and snap to WOT they still do not break, it's insane. No more losing to lower Hp cars off the hop and playing catch up, it's over. If anything I should be able to snag a few carlengths off unsuspecting 4.10 equipped monsters around town and hopefully fiend them off until the run out of gear is my hopes. Unitrax could be next stop.
Downside, the wheelwells sound like the Maytag at full spin, only you added $50.00 in change and not clothes. So far not one chip, it's all contained in the wells, but is scary sounding. My sills are far from perfect, and could use a shot of paint anyways, if long term damage occurs, I'll paint them, period. You are more aware of gravel on the roads, although was always concerned on Mxx tires as well, so not much has changed in that regards.
Pulled the rims and had to use a flathead to yank out some rocks that had literally imbedded into the rubber they are that sticky, and I have yet to smoke them up and get them hot. Even during normal driving the confidence in the corners is flat out awesome, can fling this thing into the twisties like a go kart, oversteer comes on predictably and not the dreaded switch from under to over that tends to have pics posted at wreckedexotic.com. Keep in mind my previous experience is 7 year old bald Mxx3 tires so your mileage may vary, pun intended.
Next up exhaust, mothballed my OEM system end to end, and bolted up OEM 98+ shorties and Roe Ovals 3 inch with the precat welded section. Jethot coated everthing to the rear muffler section, including OEM resonatoers. Left the rear OEM muffler from the new system in place, in hopes of dyno isolating the header and cat gain and then continue with dropping the rear **** and then getting a gain off that alone. I know, opposite conventional wisdom, was looking to keep volume levels decent, and the note is not much changed with keeping that rear **** in place. That thing is headed for scrap metal bin as my 421 stock dyno was reduced to 418 yesterday at our VCA dyno day (in attendance with several Vipers that hit within a horse or 2 of last years readings for reference). Was my car making less power, not dyno variation, smoothing, humidity or any other variable. Not good, thank the lord I won the longest drive to dyno day and had some Ultra 94 coupons to cruise home on to console my letdown! Thanks Nabil!
Bottom line I think the rear **** is restrictive enough that my increased airflow up to the rear **** is now hurting power by now backpeddling more air back upstream. Will drop it out and X pipe the portion and see what will happen then. I don't think the noise level will be too bothersome....
Ran heat shields on the headers thanks to Chuck numerous posts of cars catching on fire, even with coated headers. Did drop the side sill insulation that melted the adhesive and was laying crooked on the cat on the drivers side and yellowed up my sill godd on that side. It was toast, in multiple pieces, resembling charred spareribs gone bad. I scuffed the inside of the sills and painted them with POR15, a high heat barrier that radiates heat off the paint and does much more than a simple high heat paint that allows the heat to go thru without discoloring. The carpeting up to the sill and plastic trim piece is now the same temp as the rest of the cockpit, you would not know the pipes even run thru there, what an improvement. Even after shutoff and heat soak at fan on temps, nothing. The sill still does get hot, but can lay your hand on the sill anywhere and leave it on, it's hot, but not scalding hot, plan on getting one of those laser temp guns and doing some testing.
This post is getting too long so I'll stop there, met some new faces yesterday and convoyed up to TO and back with 1badbite, which was a blast. Back to his place for a few beers and burgers and I was on my way, a great day all in all, just not too keen on the drop $3000, skin my knuckles and lose 3 hp affair. Told the guys a bad day at the dyno is better than a good day at work.
And finally was not able to eclipse last years record top end of 280 km/hr (175 ish) on the way to dyno day as I brought a female co-passenger along and did not wish to subject her to my stupidity. Had to make do with 220 km/hr a few times, sooooo much safer!!!
Bald OEM from 97 MXX3's had various chunks of rubber missing, after much debate went with Kumho Ecsta V700s all around, $1350 Cdn installed and balanced out the door (about $880 US, best delivered price to MI, $700 from tirerack).
These things stick, bottom line. What was once a wheel hopping smoking diaster on full throttle rollons in first gear, and a half shaft stressing debacle on a full throttle slam into 2nd is now nary a chirp, 100% grab with no warmup, no joke.
Even on an attempt to break them lose from a roll, as in let off and snap to WOT they still do not break, it's insane. No more losing to lower Hp cars off the hop and playing catch up, it's over. If anything I should be able to snag a few carlengths off unsuspecting 4.10 equipped monsters around town and hopefully fiend them off until the run out of gear is my hopes. Unitrax could be next stop.
Downside, the wheelwells sound like the Maytag at full spin, only you added $50.00 in change and not clothes. So far not one chip, it's all contained in the wells, but is scary sounding. My sills are far from perfect, and could use a shot of paint anyways, if long term damage occurs, I'll paint them, period. You are more aware of gravel on the roads, although was always concerned on Mxx tires as well, so not much has changed in that regards.
Pulled the rims and had to use a flathead to yank out some rocks that had literally imbedded into the rubber they are that sticky, and I have yet to smoke them up and get them hot. Even during normal driving the confidence in the corners is flat out awesome, can fling this thing into the twisties like a go kart, oversteer comes on predictably and not the dreaded switch from under to over that tends to have pics posted at wreckedexotic.com. Keep in mind my previous experience is 7 year old bald Mxx3 tires so your mileage may vary, pun intended.
Next up exhaust, mothballed my OEM system end to end, and bolted up OEM 98+ shorties and Roe Ovals 3 inch with the precat welded section. Jethot coated everthing to the rear muffler section, including OEM resonatoers. Left the rear OEM muffler from the new system in place, in hopes of dyno isolating the header and cat gain and then continue with dropping the rear **** and then getting a gain off that alone. I know, opposite conventional wisdom, was looking to keep volume levels decent, and the note is not much changed with keeping that rear **** in place. That thing is headed for scrap metal bin as my 421 stock dyno was reduced to 418 yesterday at our VCA dyno day (in attendance with several Vipers that hit within a horse or 2 of last years readings for reference). Was my car making less power, not dyno variation, smoothing, humidity or any other variable. Not good, thank the lord I won the longest drive to dyno day and had some Ultra 94 coupons to cruise home on to console my letdown! Thanks Nabil!
Bottom line I think the rear **** is restrictive enough that my increased airflow up to the rear **** is now hurting power by now backpeddling more air back upstream. Will drop it out and X pipe the portion and see what will happen then. I don't think the noise level will be too bothersome....
Ran heat shields on the headers thanks to Chuck numerous posts of cars catching on fire, even with coated headers. Did drop the side sill insulation that melted the adhesive and was laying crooked on the cat on the drivers side and yellowed up my sill godd on that side. It was toast, in multiple pieces, resembling charred spareribs gone bad. I scuffed the inside of the sills and painted them with POR15, a high heat barrier that radiates heat off the paint and does much more than a simple high heat paint that allows the heat to go thru without discoloring. The carpeting up to the sill and plastic trim piece is now the same temp as the rest of the cockpit, you would not know the pipes even run thru there, what an improvement. Even after shutoff and heat soak at fan on temps, nothing. The sill still does get hot, but can lay your hand on the sill anywhere and leave it on, it's hot, but not scalding hot, plan on getting one of those laser temp guns and doing some testing.
This post is getting too long so I'll stop there, met some new faces yesterday and convoyed up to TO and back with 1badbite, which was a blast. Back to his place for a few beers and burgers and I was on my way, a great day all in all, just not too keen on the drop $3000, skin my knuckles and lose 3 hp affair. Told the guys a bad day at the dyno is better than a good day at work.
And finally was not able to eclipse last years record top end of 280 km/hr (175 ish) on the way to dyno day as I brought a female co-passenger along and did not wish to subject her to my stupidity. Had to make do with 220 km/hr a few times, sooooo much safer!!!
