MK to be, or not to be but it is a question
Seems I've always been looking for more performance, cheap, there's never been the money to do a top job, never been able to put a vehicle on a dyno and trace what works and what doesn't. I remember in the early to mid sixties trying to get more out of my old FE Holden, a variable main jet, seldom used road, a bit of a turn on the jet, back in and time how long to get to 60. Stop, more fuel, no not as good, back off again.
Totally impractical, but I was trying it my way, the only way I could find/afford at the time. Move forward to the 90's, fitting gas to cars, still no solid way to test them but a little more sophisticated by now. Drive out of town to the hill, it's a 60 zone then to the point marked 80KPH, fourth gear, constant 60 till the 80 sign then flat chat and like the old days, see what speed by the time a certain point was reached. Over to gas and approach the hill again, with the accepted 10% power loss on gas I could check performance very basically, more/less gas till I had the best performance over my test track, sometimes I got better performance on gas than on petrol.
Rough and ready perhaps but when these are the conditions you have to work with you do the best you can. It was a big improvement over my early attempts, still I didn't have a hill then, didn't think of looking for one. I figure now, all else failing, that the hill is still the best I can do, given that it can be approached as required, accelerated on and has distinguishable points that can be referenced.
Now it's 2012, still looking for performance, now it's a Patrol, an old SD33T engined MK Patrol LWB, I've decided that I don't need performance over 2500revs, that is plenty fast enough on the road, it's also the point that I change gears when I'm in a hurry driving around in the city traffic. I'm looking at making up a better inlet manifold, perhaps a slightly smaller turbo, port and polish, larger free flowing exhaust, increased turbo pressure and fuel increased to suit and an intercooler.
I'd like to put gas on but that is cost prohibitive at the moment.
Thoughts through my head, do I improve the exhaust manifold, I believe the further the gas has to flow to the turbo the greater the lag , but headers, short branches before they reach the main pipe, what about a three port branch (1st part of the header) to a small turbo, two sets, small, rapid spool up, low rev power to 2500RPM is what we're looking for. I've read various forums, no-one seems to think like me, maybe I am the really odd one. But I don't know where to go with these thoughts or ideas, sometimes I just feel like screaming.
So, who has done what to their, or someone else’s SD33T. Anybody got realistic good ideas to share? I believe I can do the bulk of the work but I shy away from repeating mistakes that have already been made, “he who fails to learn from history is doomed to repeat it” .
I have lots of dreams for my trol, the minister for finance wont cough up for a later model, this MK is hard to ride in extra, HD suspension fitted, to over come that I'm thinking minimum leaves and air bags, a rear bench seat that wont move, thinking take it out and put in a draw system, false floor right through, just make sure I can still lay my seat back though. Still when the minister for war (same person) finds out what the mods cost she may wish I'd upgraded, wont tell her that the same mods would have had to be done on the new one.
Any'ow, that's enough rambling for now, I'm enjoying the forum and hope I can share as much as I gain, Ta guys.
:devilred:
“he who fails to learn from history is doomed to repeat it”
