I was thinking about doing this mod and called a reputable speed shop and asked their opinion. BTW they sell Steeda economy plates.

I was told that since I am N/A they don't recommend the plates unless I have 3:73 or lower gears. The plates don't really benefit you until you are around 4000 rpms and above. He also said that you actually lose alittle low end torque and it is noticable driving around at half throttle.

I am not disputing what the guy had to say, I was just wondering if anyone wanted to jump in here with comments. Remember 3:55 gears and N/A please~

 

When I did have my 3:55 ,I enjoyed the upper RPM pep.I never felt a loss down low,I had Dougs 93 race tune//...

 

I also agree. I thought I felt it up in the upper rpm's but never felt like I lost anything down low. However, a dyno may disagree with me. And I have 3:31 gears. It's an easy swap back and forth either way. And for what's it's worth Brent @ Brenspeed told me at his fall dyno day that he thought they helped his auto trans cars more than the manuals for what ever reason.
Scott

 

Hey! Rich just did this mod last week! I don't think I lost any real noticeable Torque on the low end but I did notice a little ump at about 2800 RPM I've got a auto and the 3.31 factory gears Its a cheap easy mod! and you know you want to do it!.... and by the way Steeda installs these on their N/A Q335

 

I've had them on an auto and now my Manual...in the auto i had 3.73's...my manual has 3.55's. I did not notice any loss in low end that was worth switching them back to stock. I did notice more pull through the rpm range...at around 3000rpm and on. Also...gives the exhaust a little deeper growl as well as intake. To me...car revs faster to redline.

 

hmmm, sounds like they are worth it!!!

 

Before I installed them I saw a few people's before and after dyno charts that showed no loss in low end torque but there was always an improvement over 4000 rpm. The gain isn't huge, but it's an inexpensive and easy mod that you can do yourself. Just DON'T, I repeat DON'T drop a 10 mm socket like I did. I never found it. Turns out it went through that hole in the back of the valley. So even though I didn't find it, the clutch DID.
It wasn't pretty.

 

Ouch! That sounds like a pretty expensive noise...

 

dont go buy the plates.

pull the manifold, pull your plates out, and remove the butterflies. leave the rails but just turn the rails out so the flat part is parallel with the airflow. you will get the same exact effect except you will have more money in your pocket.

I did it myself, and it works perfectly.

 

No offense but I'm not going to bother doing that when I can get a free tune from Brenspeed (when and if) I buy the plates since I already run their tune.

 

Buy the plates they are worth the money.... When you see all of that stuff you are taking out of the intake path you'll be glad you did. I agree with everyone else... no noticable loss at low RPM and the high RPM you will feel it.

 

The caked on oil at 20K or so miles was alarming, that reason alone would be worth removing them. Did anybody else notice a pool of oil in the intake manifold while removing it?

 

I did mine with just 3,000 on the motor and I* was shocked.Car has 5,000 miles on it now and I pulled the intake to find more oil build up on the TB.Maybe because I don't drive the car much I get oil foamage?5,000 miles in 2 years of ownership

 

you didn't happen to take any pictures of the oil build up did you?

 

There have been a number of people with the oil-induction issue... The best solution is to install an oil/air separator, like the one made by Stef's, in the vacuum line between the driver's side valve cover and the intake manifold. Total cost, including fittings and hose can be as little as $150. Steeda and a couple of others offer in-line solutions, however they are tiny little things, with virtually no reservoir capacity, and you will be constantly emptying the thing. The Stef's can is a 1-quart can, and can be emptied on a less-frequent basis.

Seriously, there's no down-side to this mod. The can keeps the PCV circuit fully active (no emissions issues), and keeps the intake clean. When I did mine, I cut the angled fitting off the valve cover side of the stock hose, and mated some 5/8" braided hose to it, and it fits like a glove, with the can bolted to the CAI heat-shield.

 

Dave I'm thinking about adding the oil separator too! The Steeda is small but if one is under the hood a lot like myself emptying it is no big deal, $60.00 verses $150.00.

 

Dave,
I just ordered breathers and some vac caps. I am going to delete the PCV system all together. I had the Moroso catch can and couldn't find a spot to put it in my engine bay.

Another thing that's great about this mod, especially on a boosted motor, is that it keeps the octane constant. Oil (blowby) induced into the engine decreases octane which could lead to detonation.

 

i was thinking about getting the plates too, but brenspeed's website kind of scared me a bit. it pretty much states what graypny said..... recommended for 3.73 and up, loss of low end torque. plus it said that it gains only about 5 rwhp in the upper rpms. the downside/cost/benefits didn't seem worth it.

interesting that no one here has reported any loss in low rpm torque and that people can feel the extra 5 hp. maybe gotta think of putting this one back on the list...

 

I think I know what speed shop you're talking about, too. They always try and sell people on the gears at the same time.

However, that's bullcrap. You could have a stock air box, pull out the butterflies, and find tons of top end horses. PM me if you're interested in a super deal on some.

CR
Tillman Speed, Inc.
www.TillmanSpeed.com
610-497-5776

 

I had them on for several months, and decided to take them off a couple weeks ago. I spend so much more of my time in the lower RPMs commuting that I didn't see the need for a couple extra horses at higher RPM. And I don't have any dyno sheets to prove it, and can't guarantee there was a low rpm torque loss, but the car is more drivable at lower rpm with the stock plates than it was with the deletes. Too much of a surge right before 3000. Almost felt like turbo lag. I've had Doug's tunes the whole time, now I'm running the 91 Torque and love it.

If I were going to be at the dragstrip every weekend then I could see the benefit, but I'm not, so drivability is the goal for me. Not top end power that I almost never use.