Lancer overhaul - Project Phoenix

[planet_rocker]

Razor Singh is lazy - he still didnt update us about the FFE + Triphase with pics and videos.

PS: no offence meant.

[shuvd]

Razor Razor, where art thou? How is the new setup? If you are too busy/lazy, leave Phoenix with me for a few days. I'll post a report.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by shuvd

Razor Razor, where art thou? How is the new setup? If you are too busy/lazy, leave Phoenix with me for a few days. I'll post a report.

Yeah, says the guy who still has to post a complete report on his car! boys, you should send both your cars to Delhi, I'll drive them for 1k kms in a week & post a detailed report!

[shuvd]

O tyre Bhagwan, it'll be MUCH easier if you come here. Party bhi pending hai na!

[razor4077]

I finally got a free flow exhaust fitted. I had switched back to my stock exhaust quite a few months ago, to sort out all the niggling issues in the car in a nearly-stock setup. The head mods in the engine and the throttle body are, of course, two factors that are permanent and cannot be undone. Apart from these, the car was running stock all these days.
Once it was in a relatively stable state, I decided to fit the FFE. Ordered one from Electra Performance in Chennai. For various reasons, the delivery was not prompt, and far beyond the initially promised date, but I will not get into that.
The exhaust has been tuned for street use, and not track use (read: more for low-mid instead of top end). The headers and end can are stainless steel with chrome plating, while the mid-pipe is made of mild steel. The muffler design is based on HKS Silent Hi-power.

Initial Reaction:

Sound:
Even though the muffler is based on HKS' "silent" design, it is not really very silent. The rumble is pretty deep and loud, especially at the lower revs. This is the opposite of some other FFEs I have seen, where the sound comes beyond a certain RPM count. But it's a nice sound, very sporty, very rich. I don't mind it Plus, it will reduce somewhat after some time with the carbon deposits. This has happened in Blackpearl's Baleno too... its FFE used to be louder initially but has toned down somewhat now.

Looks:
The headers look fabulous, of course. The muffler also is very nicely made, though lacks the finesse of a factory-made (and much more expensive) product. But, unless you look very closely, the irregularities are not visible (and I don't forsee too many people staring up my exhaust...lol!). The end can is slightly angled towards the left side of the rear and looks pretty neat. Defintely adds a nice sporty look to Phoenix.

Performance:
The most critical part. I've driven around with the new exhaust for a couple of days. Unlike many others who have reported "huge and immediately noticeable gains" with an FFE install, I unfortunately cannot claim the same. However, there has been a positive impact - the car feels smoother and lighter, there has been a slight improvement in acceleration, but nothing earth-shattering.
I have not yet re-fitted the performance air filter... maybe that will help somewhat, but I don't expect too much.

Disclaimer: There is one major factor that I believe is preventing the mods from displayng their true worth. And that is clogging. I believe the fuel injectors are clogged with fuel deposits. I took the car to HM to get them cleaned, but they do not have such a machine . The hunt is on to find a place that can clean the injectors. I want to get them to be cleaned off the car, beacuse I don't think fuel additives will work in this (possibly severely clogged) case. The car shows all the classic symptoms of clogged injetcors - dodgy performance, flat spots, hesitation while accelerating, slightly rough idle, jerky at low revs and low fuel efficiency.
I will also get the throttle body and intake manifold cleaned while I'm at it. If that doesn't work, then I have no further ideas!

Here are some pics. I don't have any of the exhaust after it was fitted on the car. Will post those later.

Old mid-pipe (with cat-con) & new mid-pipe:


SS headers:


End-can, modelled on HKS Silent Hi-power:

[dhiman]

Razor,

Congrats on the FFE setup.

Last time i went to get my car's fuel injectors cleaned from a garage referred by BlackPearl, they advised that i put fuel additives in the tank and the clogged fuel injectors will get cleaned by themselves - not sure how much that helps. In case you do find a place where its cleaned using some equipment do let me know.

Cheers

[razor4077]

Hi Dhiman,
The fuel additives work to a certain extent, but are not very effective in unclogging injectors that have been severely coated with deposits, which I suspect is the case in my car. In such situations, opening and cleaning the injectors externally is the best option. I will let you know when I locate a place that can do this.
By the way, which workshop are you referring to?

[dhiman]

Razor

Alok Automobiles (Hyundai A.S.S) near Dewar's garage. It is opposite to Ganges Ford

Cheers

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by dhiman

Razor

Alok Automobiles (Hyundai A.S.S) near Dewar's garage. It is opposite to Ganges Ford

Cheers

That's where I get all my work done

[redeye]

razor how much did the ss headers cost you

[planet_rocker]

Abhishek - please upload a video of the exhaust note. the headers look yummy.

any idea whether MS headers can be chromed?

[razor4077]

@redeye: The entire FFE system cost me 17.6k. The HKS-based muffler caused a 1k increase in the price.

@planet: Will upload a clip soon. Not sure about chroming of MS. Why don't you give Sunny a call and ask?

[planet_rocker]

@ razor - any update on Phoenix? did you get the problems sorted? how is she running now?

take care and hope to see you soon.

[razor4077]

Got the TB and injectors cleaned, tappets and timing adjusted, engine mounts tightened. And the regular fluid top-ups.
TB needed a good bit of cleaning, injectors weren't so bad after all.
As a result, the driveability has improved a lot. Car feels nicer to drive, response has improved. Still not very fast, though better than what it was before the servicing. FE has improved a bit too, I think.
Pretty much covered all the bases from my side... cannot do anything more to improve the performance unless I open up the engine, which is not an option right now. There are a few thinigs I have in mind for the future, but haven't finalized anything yet.