brokenparts
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- hillsboro,or
Just like my Driver Motorsport 2+ WMI tune review, I have not been paid, received product or anything else that would influence my opinion.... I was going to wait till I got dyno results but I cant help myself anymore. I had to share.
As many of you know, and especially those that have been following the various Frakenturbo threads, I have been sitting on the sidelines for quite some time before deciding to go BT, k04, or f23t.
I ruled out Big Turbo for a few different reasons.
Number 1, the amount of money that it actually takes to get a BT mkv going. Can you do BT on the cheap?... yes, but why do a BT if you are just going to handicap it right from the beginning? Number 2, the fact that it takes a tremendous amount of time and research to track down all the parts, install the parts, and get them to function together nicely. My last project was like that and I just didnt want to spend the money or deal with the headaches... after all this is my daily driver. Number 3, cost of BT vs the actual value of a mkv. I love my little GTI but let's be honest here... not exactly a high end sports car. Spending $7000 on a $12,000 car, and especially one that is FWD just doesnt make sense.
So the next option is K04... Cheaper and install is fairly straight forward but it just didnt seem to hit the numbers I wanted.
And finally the F23T. Cheap, good numbers, easy install, and works with existing hardware... seemed like a good compromise.
One of my main concerns was the tuning for the Frakenturbo. Everyone and their mother does a tune for stage 1 through stage 2+ but very few venture further than that. I had heard rumors of GIAC and others joining the game but nothing ever really came around. Heck, I even thought about Eurodyne but the fear of screwing something up made me think twice.
I debated on the f23t until Driver Motorsport came online. After exchanging a few emails with DM I was sold. They were awesome to work with, even at the stage 2+ level. Customer service is top notch and addressed each and EVERYONE of my concerns. At no time did I feel talked down to or that I wasnt important... no matter how stupid my questions were.
After I drove my DM 2+ WMI file forr a few weeks my clutch started to slip so it was time to address that and to finally pull the trigger on the f23t. I had planned on doing the install myself but as things worked out with the car being down... it was just easier to do it all at once. Cost of the install at a quality shop was about $500 including fluids.
Delivery and communication with Doug was flawless. When my shop had a question they emailed Doug and he CALLED them within 10 mins of the email... That's damn good service in my book. The install went perfect.
Ok... BLAH BLAH BLAH. How does it drive?
AWESOME. Holy sh*t is it awesome. I've been working with DM for a few weeks dialing in the WMI file and each and every time the tune just gets better. Honestly, even the first file I received wasnt too bad. I'm really really happy we didnt stop there though. Power has been building and building. There is POWER EVERYWHERE. I can't even explain how hard it pulls. I can light up my tires at will... especially with my last revision (not graphed). The boost control is unreal. Revision 4.4 was a real break through. After that point, DM just kept making more and more power. Here some visual aids:
EDIT FOR DYNO SHEET:
The graphs are nothing short of amazing. DM shows that a real knowledge of how not only the turbo works but how the ECU works as well. I'm impressed at how deep their knowledge goes. I've learned a lot just speaking with them.
I will have dyno results soon. My local dyno is a subaru tuning shop (Cobb Tuning) and uses a 4wd Mustang dyno so the results will be a bit low compared to a dynojet but I think they'll serve to at least show some numbers. To be honest though, I dont even care. This turbo/tuning combination is so damn fun to drive. Power is awesome and there has been Zero compromise in drivabilty. If you have been on the sidelines thinking about it... your wait is over. Tell Santa this is what you want for Christmas. You wont be disappointed.
I'm happy to answer any questions and I encourage Bronson and Doug to add to this as well.
Link to Driver Motorsport: http://drivermotorsport.com/
Link to Frakenturbo: http://www.frankenturbo.com/
As many of you know, and especially those that have been following the various Frakenturbo threads, I have been sitting on the sidelines for quite some time before deciding to go BT, k04, or f23t.
I ruled out Big Turbo for a few different reasons.
Number 1, the amount of money that it actually takes to get a BT mkv going. Can you do BT on the cheap?... yes, but why do a BT if you are just going to handicap it right from the beginning? Number 2, the fact that it takes a tremendous amount of time and research to track down all the parts, install the parts, and get them to function together nicely. My last project was like that and I just didnt want to spend the money or deal with the headaches... after all this is my daily driver. Number 3, cost of BT vs the actual value of a mkv. I love my little GTI but let's be honest here... not exactly a high end sports car. Spending $7000 on a $12,000 car, and especially one that is FWD just doesnt make sense.
So the next option is K04... Cheaper and install is fairly straight forward but it just didnt seem to hit the numbers I wanted.
And finally the F23T. Cheap, good numbers, easy install, and works with existing hardware... seemed like a good compromise.
One of my main concerns was the tuning for the Frakenturbo. Everyone and their mother does a tune for stage 1 through stage 2+ but very few venture further than that. I had heard rumors of GIAC and others joining the game but nothing ever really came around. Heck, I even thought about Eurodyne but the fear of screwing something up made me think twice.
I debated on the f23t until Driver Motorsport came online. After exchanging a few emails with DM I was sold. They were awesome to work with, even at the stage 2+ level. Customer service is top notch and addressed each and EVERYONE of my concerns. At no time did I feel talked down to or that I wasnt important... no matter how stupid my questions were.
After I drove my DM 2+ WMI file forr a few weeks my clutch started to slip so it was time to address that and to finally pull the trigger on the f23t. I had planned on doing the install myself but as things worked out with the car being down... it was just easier to do it all at once. Cost of the install at a quality shop was about $500 including fluids.
Delivery and communication with Doug was flawless. When my shop had a question they emailed Doug and he CALLED them within 10 mins of the email... That's damn good service in my book. The install went perfect.
Ok... BLAH BLAH BLAH. How does it drive?
AWESOME. Holy sh*t is it awesome. I've been working with DM for a few weeks dialing in the WMI file and each and every time the tune just gets better. Honestly, even the first file I received wasnt too bad. I'm really really happy we didnt stop there though. Power has been building and building. There is POWER EVERYWHERE. I can't even explain how hard it pulls. I can light up my tires at will... especially with my last revision (not graphed). The boost control is unreal. Revision 4.4 was a real break through. After that point, DM just kept making more and more power. Here some visual aids:
EDIT FOR DYNO SHEET:
The graphs are nothing short of amazing. DM shows that a real knowledge of how not only the turbo works but how the ECU works as well. I'm impressed at how deep their knowledge goes. I've learned a lot just speaking with them.
I will have dyno results soon. My local dyno is a subaru tuning shop (Cobb Tuning) and uses a 4wd Mustang dyno so the results will be a bit low compared to a dynojet but I think they'll serve to at least show some numbers. To be honest though, I dont even care. This turbo/tuning combination is so damn fun to drive. Power is awesome and there has been Zero compromise in drivabilty. If you have been on the sidelines thinking about it... your wait is over. Tell Santa this is what you want for Christmas. You wont be disappointed.
I'm happy to answer any questions and I encourage Bronson and Doug to add to this as well.
Link to Driver Motorsport: http://drivermotorsport.com/
Link to Frakenturbo: http://www.frankenturbo.com/
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