dmichaels

I purchased an SCT tuner with BAMA software over the winter and have had it combined with a Steeda CAI since installing. I held off on tuning for 4 years, and finally, after adding aero late last year, decided I needed more power since my top end speed was suffering.

I got the "performance" and the "race" tunes loaded in my SCT, and I've had the car out for 4 track days at 3 different venues over the past 2 months, so I feel I have a reasonable amount of seat time to write up a short review

First, the "race" tune is absolutely the right one for track time. It's a little rough on the street with a more "on/off" throttle response, but the engine braking is heavy and lift throttle to rotate the car is much more effective than stock and more effective than the performance tune. I'm very pleased with this

Power - I did a little comparison of 50-115 or so accels at NYST from when my car was stock compared with now, and I was achieving 115mph about 1/2 second faster, even with the aero (so it wasn't a true apples to apples comparison). So definitely more power that has a noticeable effect at the track. I'd also say that the general feel of the car is that there is a lot more power available through the entire RPM range, and it rev's very freely up to 7200 RPM, where I had the limiter set. At Watkins Glen this past week, I had it up to redline in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear and it pulls hard and has zero issues. I probably run the car harder for longer periods of time than just about anyone else out there, and after about 7 hours of track time, basically of which is between 4500-7200 RPM, the car is running fantastic

Summary - very happy so far. I held off as long as I could tuning, and I'm glad I finally bit the bullet and went for it.

Worth noting - I installed a 3 quart Accusump with the pressure sensor set to 30psi due to the high cornering forces I pull now. I would not run tuning without this, as I'm seeing ~6000 rpm at 1.4-1.5 g's at a couple of the tracks I go to. The accusump provides about 6-10 seconds of oil pressure if I lose pressure in these high g corners, so it's a must for my driving when I have tuning that runs leaner than stock and is putting more stress on the engine

Video footage of the recent outing is in my Watkins Glen thread in this forum section for anyone who wants to see how I push the car.

dmichaels

P.S. In no way am I affiliated with BAMA or any product for that matter. I run parts that I research and determine to satisfy my needs

kylerohde

Great review and I continue to be jealous of all the track time you get. Someday...

Mr. V

I'm not familiar with what an accusump is. Could you tell me more about it?

dmichaels

Sounds like you should just go sign up! You'll be addicted in minutes I think

dmichaels

Sure - Accusump produces an accumulator which holds a volume of oil at pressure, and if a low oil pressure situation happens with the car, then a valve opens and releases the pressurized oil in the accumulator. The system pipes into an oil filter sandwich plate and the engine oil pump, under normal operation, pumps oil into the accusump while the car is running. Then the pressurized oil is held until it's required.

In very high g corning, there is a higher probability of losing oil pressure as a result of the oil in the oil pan building up on one side and the pickup sucking air. If/when this happens, the engine can have a catastrophic failure at high RPM. So with a pre-pressurized volume of oil, this issue is mitigated for a short time, which generally is all that is required.

It's a slick system and is quite common in the track/racing world. It's kind of a poor man's dry sump

Mr. V

Thank you so much! That's a great explanation. I appreciate it

5.M0NSTER

Hey Derek, good writeup, thanks! Did you ever try the CAI with Steeda tune, or did you go directly to Bama?

I worry about pushing hard in corners, I "only" see 1.2g or so, and think about it every time I'm on throttle, but I definitely have some corners where I'm >1g and >5000 RPM. No sump (yet). Hoping the Boss oil pan with baffles which the Track Packs come with is sufficient for me with no slicks and no aero.

Bert

https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/...101&within=100

TheReaper

If you want to go faster give Jon Lund a call.

kylerohde

Oh I've done a Porsche Club Driving School and a couple HPDE's...just can't afford to have a track/weekend car. Mustang has 120k miles and is my DD so can't really race her too hard.

dmichaels

Ahh, gotcha. Well a few are better than none!

MRGTX

Awesome and invaluable primary source information...thanks for passing this along!

How is your car holding up to all of this track time? MT-82 still kicking?

Other than the Accusump which durability type mods would you recommend for people thinking about track days in the future?

I know my Brembo pack '11 will need an oil cooler...is the OEM '13+ cooler a good one?

Thanks again for the info.

dmichaels

overall, very very well. Only issues worth noting are two blown rear drivers side axle seals over 4 years, and a clutch that failed (pressure plate). All covered under warranty.

The coolant temps will creep up pretty high on me, but blasting the heat in the cabin cures that every time for me

ive had no issues with the track pack aka boss oil cooler, but an external cooler is on my near term to do list

i swapped tranny fluid to Redline recently and it's improved shifting. I have none of the lockout at high RPM that a lot if earlier Boss guys had. I've also swapped rear diff fluid for redline and it's held up very well. A rear diff cooler and transmission cooler are on my to do list too though

generally I've just changed fluids regularly and have had no durability issues. I continue to be impressed by the car!!

trackpack13gt

What's your opinion on this:

I am not into drag racing but autocross, track days and fast road driving. I want to supercharge it but most people feel it's wrong for my interests.

I like to go round corners fast. However it seems most of the boosted coyotes are slower on a track than an N/A.

Should I do an N/A build?

SpectreH

A supercharger is a lot of fun, but the added weight to the front of the car does nothing to help your handling for autocross.

Bert

Agreed -- for tracks with corners you will probably find that you already have more than enough horsepower and torque on tap. Start with some track time with the car as is, you will have a lot of fun and start to learn where the weak points are. (Which most likely will be the driver at first)

Then spend the money on on those weak points; which will be handling and braking improvements. If I was starting over, I would start with wheels and tires; then brakes; then springs/struts/shocks; then probably safety equipment because you'll be going really fast at that point.

5.M0NSTER

I agree with Spectre and Burt. Save your money for other mods and track time.

If you have $6k to spend on the blower, you can build a car which will handle like a dream instead. It took me 2 full seasons of road racing to learn the car and figure out which handling characteristics I want to retain and which I want to change. Love my current setup. I've pulled over 1.2g in some corners

If if you have brembos you just have to worry about good pads and perhaps cooling. You can also add a bit more grunt and revs with intake and tune.

Good tires also make a huge difference in grip and lap times.

dmichaels

Power is the last thing to do. I just tuned this year after significant brake, safety, suspension, wheel/tire, and driver mods. Perfect example is the 650 hp GTR I ran with earlie this year at Limerock. Nearly identical lap times all day and I was 200 hp lower. It's all car confidence and driver skill. I've had miatas I've barely kept pace with and then Lambos that I lap every 3-4 laps... you don't need power and the resulting massive heat