The life and times of RED. things get a bit interesting.

shannons said as long as the modification doesnt directly result in the accident you will be fine?

 

back on the ball now. had a month or two holiday before i started my first proper job. Which means no more student wallet, the project will surely pick up pace from here


Update on the Water Meth Injection setup. Ive done a heap of research and collected most of the parts. Ill split this into two posts.

This post will be a bit of a tech spreading what I know to anyone whos interested. Next post will be what ive got and about my setup.


Basics
Right-o. Water Meth Injection. We should know by now what it is and how it works. Benefits include injecting a fine mist into the intake air. The fluid has a very high latent heat of vaporisation value (both water and methanol). This means when it evaporates, it absorbs a lot of heat. So in the combustion chamber where the mist evaporates it absorbs heaps of heat from the combustion chamber. This greatly reduces cylinder temperatures lowering the chance of detonation in the cylinder. Some examples have claimed being able to advance ignition timing by 10 degrees with a WMI setup.

Usually its injected jsut before the throttle bodies. Reasons for this is because if the mist has to travel through heaps of pipework it will collect on the walls of piping and travel into the cylinders as larger droplets. Fine mist will completely vaporise. Larger droplets wont be as effective.

However, if you inject it before the turbos, the same effect will make the intake charge air more dense. The turbo will push the same VOLUME of air. But if its more dense (cooler), it will be similar to pushing mroe air, i.e. replicate a slightly larger turbo. However this effect is minimal since the temperature difference is not great. The greater benefit of injecting into the stream pre-turbo is that some heat from the turbo will be absorbed. This means if youre running a turbo at higher psi than you should (i.e. stock turbos at 18psi), where their efficiency starts to drop greatly and they become heat pumps, they will run a bit cooler, thus remaining efficient. So if keeping the exiting air temperature fixed, you can normally run 16psi, or have WMI setup at 18psi, with air temps entering the engine being exactly the same. Note that this effect is only of any use if your turbo is being overworked. If you have say GT28Rs on there theres no point, just turn up the boost a point, itll still be in the efficient zone. A negative of this is the fact the droplets will slowly lead to cavitation on the turbo impellor. Unknown to what degree this occurs, but it does regardless. So a pre-turbo setup in my opinion is only beneficial on a retarded setup like mine (stock turbos wanting to push them to say 18psi , and have them last a bit longer than they would normally at 18psi).

Methanol is a 105 octane fuel. If you use a little bit of methanol in the mix, youre fine. But if you use pure methanol or a mix greater than 50, without a tune you could be overfuelling the engine in certain areas of the map. Depending how its setup your peak torque areas might run super rich. So with high methanol blends you will need a tune to reap the benefits. A 50/50 blend is ideal (methanol also cant ignite at this ratio). I will use a bit less, maybe 30% methanol.

WMI Brands
Few companies out there with gear. Here are the main ones: Snow performance, Cooling Mist, AEM, Aquamist, Devilsown, FJO racing, Labonte motorsports.

Control Stages
you have to decide how to control your setup. In general, there is a reservoir, a pump, a controller (could be an electronic unit, or a solenoid), a check valve, the nozzles. Single stage has a relay and switch which opens the solenoid at your defined level (rpm, AFM value, boost etc.) Downsides are single flow-rate occuring across the power range.
Two-stage- same thing but theres two. So one flow level for low boost, one flow level for high boost or rpm or WOT or whatever you use.
Progressive- this is the best way. You hook it up to lets say Boost pressure. You have an actuator of some sort so it opens at say 5psi and ramps up to 20psi. Higher load, higher flow rate.

Method of controlling
This is where things get a bit tricky and it depends what you want/budget etc. You can control it however you want. Many kits have a little electric progressive unit you can hook up to your boost pressure. You set lower threshold (when it starts to spray). Then it ramps till it reaches your set maximum. You can hook it to boost pressure, rpm, throttle position, AFM, whatever you want. I wont argue whats best because I dont know that much yet, but do a search if youre curious. I chose AFM ill explain in the next post.

So youve chosen what the input is. You have a value. From here on ill pretend were using a progressive setup. Now you need your output. How does this input control the flow? If you buy a kit theyll likely provide you with a method.

Pretty much theres two devices that can control the output. Either a pump power or a solenoid valve. Pump control is the easiest by far. Use a controller to alter the power going to the pump. Highest power it will run at say 250psi. Low boost pressure --- low power--- run at say 80psi. Problem with this method is that the pump running at lower pressure means less atomisation. Also the pump and switches etc will not last as long. But the main issue is the lower atomisation. If you however take the other option and use a solenoid valve as the control output this isnt an issue. If you look up the Cooling mist High speed valve (HSV), it opens and closes real quick to affect flow rate. rather than squirting a smaller stream (lower pressure), it pulses open and closed maintaining the same max pressure. This way the pump can run continously, so no lag time (minimal anyway), itll last longer, and best of all constant max pressure thus max atomisation.


Fail-safe mechanism

You want to have a safety mechanism that cuts boost in case of system failure. Snow performance make a nice unit in the $200 range that cuts boost as soon as flow rate drops by opening the wastegate. There are simpler methods for dirt cheap using solenoids etc but i just bought the snow unit.

 

ok heres my setup

Devilsown 250psi pump with internal bypass. Will run continously with an internal cycle allowing pressure to be maintained.

Snowperformance failsafe mechanism that cuts boost when flow stops or slows.

Made my own progressive control unit $25 as opposed to the shitty ones from big brands for ~300 which have less functions. It will be setup to take the AFM input voltage and output a ramped 0-5V signal. Its a modified Jaycar 'electric motor speed controller'. Very simple to make, required a bit of thinking to decide how I could use it in my setup but in the end $25 and it does more than market units. Downside is it has no box :/

Ill be using quad nozzles. Two larger ones just before the throttle bodies, and two tiny ones just before the turbos.

Ill have a high speed valve as the control. This means it will spray vapour at max pressure at all times, rather than lower pressure at lower settings.

Ill be removing the intercoolers and associated pipework completely.
Means ill have to get some custom intake pipes. A proper WMI setup is way better at cooling than the intercooler and renders it useless (apart from the fact if it fails you explode. a failsafe like the snowperformance unit will avoid this).

PICTURES YAY!!

My intake piping so far. Two 90deg silicon pieces. Ones a reducer (2.5 down to 2? or was it down to 2.25? i forget). The alum pipe has an outlet for the BOV hose. Perfect size for it. Ill get a bung to screw into the silicon hose and fit the nozzles. Silicon pieces and pipe about $35 for the three off ebay?



Needed to do a bit of chopping. You see the original pipe and the one with the flange cut off to shorten it. I didnt realised the two intake pipes were so close together. One leg of the silicon hose was also cut and a half circle removed to make it fit even tighter. You can use a simple silicon 180bend but then theres issue of BOV and reducer. Or you can custom fab something for like 100-200.


Heres the 250psi pump, the snowperformance safety unit, and a temp controller for a fish tank i might later incorporate into the system if it works.



My $25 modified jaycar controller. Let me think for a second.... input is 0-5V (wrong in previous post sorry), and output is 0-12V. Normal kit has a simple trimpot you turn to change 0-12V output, but add a few bits and it takes a 0-5V signal which is what the AFM outputs. Just need to put it in a little housing.




So theres the gear so far, and my final plans for the setup. In the next few weeks ill order the final parts, and start hooking everything up. Then ill test to see if it actually does anything near what I want it to. Then i can chuck it in the car

 

Is there any problem leaving intercoolers in place and running WMI with a twin tune.

One tune for standard operation to 20 PSI and then a second tune with WMI to say 30PSI ?

A simple switch could arm/disarm tune and WMI.

 

Leaving intercoolers in place is a good idea regardless. Extra cooling! Its a good practice incase the WMI system fails. But the cooling efficiency of WMI greatly outweighs an intercooler so there is no cooling benefit of keeping both. But yeah a twin tune setup is fine. Its the logical setup for a street car. Im just trying to minimise gear in the engine bay so thought id have a pure WMI setup running all the time.

A twin tune like you mention would be super easy to setup. A switch activating the WMI system. Change your boost controller to high setting (30). And as long as you've set up the WMI controller, and had the 20psi to 30psi range tuned on your ECU itd work great. Below 20psi would just be standard though (bit safer) unless you have some sweet ECU that can swap between tunes with a click.

 

True I think the Apexi AVCR has a scramble boost switch input.

Stock ECU with one of these: http://www.moates.net/2timer.html

A 512 chip stacked with 2 tunes and you are away for under $50 (If you have chips and a burner, which i do ) setup plus tune development cost.

Will jump tunes on the fly as in 100kph on high way just flick a switch for WMI/tune/30PSI all at once.

Something to consider down the track.

I have been complaining the GT600r's might lack a little puff over 160kph, mooooore boost.

EDIT: AVCR only goes to 29 PSI (2 bar).

 

Fascinating! Very impressive Attilla

 

nice. didnt know these existed.

so say i had a setup with an already tuned chip in there. Could I just slot this thing in and laod it with a stock tune. Meaning for $50 i could switch between my existing tune and whatever I load onto this?

If thats how it works, any idea if it would work with a nistune board? So later on if I wanted I could just chuck it in and have a stock tune, and install a simple switch? That sounds like a great setup for a daily driven car. For the time being ill stick to intercooler removal though. Keep it simple for now.


P.S. you have chips and a burning program? Any chance you can write a basic chip for me adjusting injector value and doubling AFM reading? I know its easy to do in nistune, just wondering if its super easy the way you do it too.

 

I have Nistune software and can adjust K value to give something suitable to roll with but it needs to be checked on a dyno for safety.

You only need to have Nistune fitted while tuning, you can then take any 2 tunes you have and load them to a 2timer and away you go.

I have bought headers from Jaycar but not fitted yet that would allow the Nistune board to be unplugged from the ECU without having to desolder the 4 wires.

So I would just anti static bag the Nistune board on the shelf if i had a 2timer fitted.

 

Whats your WMI setup worth ?

 

I love the idea. Have a backup tune incase something goes wrong.

Snow performance module 200, pump 150, nozzles 20 each, intake materials 70. Jaycar module 25, what's left maybe 50. So maybe 500 all up for progressive stage system (1200 or so on the market).

 

Thanks Attila, maybe something for the future for me. Makes me think of not upgrading to GT2530 and sticking with GT600r's with WMI, bugger it do both.

On high boost that would have to be pushing 600rwhp, alas fuel system/injectors would need to be done, and would have serious doubts on auto trans, mmm reverse manualised with a brake and a Bee r. OMG I feel a twinge. :br:

 

Think you'll be scraping the barrel to get 600rwhp - I'f black beast isn't hitting 600 than I sure as hell won't .

WMI is a great idea but if only be using it as a final stage upgrade Unlrss the car is purpose built for track or drag

 

or purpose built for fun

 

its been a while since ive played with the zed. motivation waned, and new job kept me busy. As well as a problematic motorbike I bought and been busy learning how to tinker with bikes (shes all good now runs healthily finally).

But im back in the swing now, continuing the zed project.
Doing ten things at once right now, so ill just put up my progress as I go.



I need to make room to start fitting all the water meth injection stuff.
Ive bought a new reservoir from Mungyz that fits next to the stock battery spot. Heres an image of one fitted:




I have decided I will relocate the battery into the boot so all the water meth injection gear can go in its place (the pump is pretty big).

I have a fat power cable running from front to rear because of the sound system. Thats quite convenient, means I dont have to re-route any cabling So I decided ill make a box for the battery, that will fit into the rear corner and hold it in place. The top lid will be flush with the boot.




While I was busy cutting and screwing and measuring I thought I might as well bin the giant sub box I had taking up the whole boot and make a nice new corner box for that as well It will fit snugly in the left corner of the boot.



Giant 15'' sub is way overkill for my needs but its all I had, and not spending more money than I need here. Also have some fusion 6x9 splits, and some pioneer 6'' rounds to fit somewhere. Ill see how these boxes turn out then figure out where to put them.

A pic of the inside. Its 9mm MDF with reinforcing corner pieces and sikaflex in all the gaps.



Tomorrow morning I will cut out the hole and test fit it all. Then after work ill buy some pleather to wrap the top and side panels in so it matches the rest of the boot.



Next up- cutting a hole in the dashboard





you can see where my current two gauges were. Wasnt a bad spot but I figured this might help tidy things up. I love it, think it looks so much better. None of the hmm throw a gauge here and throw one there look. It now looks like they were meant to be there
Will add a final pic tomorrow.



Unfortunately I have had to lose the front bumper I had a go at customising. It was in terrible nick when I got it cracks everywhere. So I tried to replicate a final konnexion front bumper and learn a bit of fiberglassing at the same time. Turned out crap but the concept looks great IMO. If it was done properly i'd be a fan of the bumper I created
Reason for binning was because I hit too many speed bumps and the fiberglass mounts had torn themselves so I couldnt fit it without repairing 3 mount holes.

Here was the old:



Here is the new. Urethane 2k front bar with fog light ducts. Not fitted properly yet as its getting painted soonish. I figured urethane will be a better option in the long term



The interior is almost done Ill post a pic of that up tomorrow as well. All retrimmed in black leather with red stitching. Binned that terrible white crap you see in my sig.


Performance-wise I havent done much, just been maintaining it for a few months fixing small things. I spent a day with Anti doing a dual fuel feed. Worked well.



Hopefully in the next week or two I will have the sub box and battery box completed with the new trim. Also the battery relocation will be done and I can start fitting the WMI injection stuff ready to hook up

Then I just need to buy a Consult cable so I can change injector k-value etc in Nistune and I can fit my JECS injectors, dual intake, remove intercooler, fit pure WMI and send it off to get tuned. Hope to have all this done by the end of the year at least.

Im also contemplating what to do about the paint. The hood, boot, left rear quarter, front bumper all need a spray. Thats almost the whole car. So im thinking about getting the lot done in a few months. Ive grown fond of the redness now, but hate how dull the burgundy has become. Im looking into having the whole car sprayed a dark dark cherry red

Not school girl burgundy, a real dark red that looks black from a distance.

Ill update more often now that im back working on the zed. More pics too.

 

finished the corner box.
houses a 15inch Orion sub with a seperate compartment for some 6 inch sony splits. Trimmed in black vinyl.

Fits 85% but for the first time ever I have some boot space

Next week ill make the battery box for the other corner, and ill have progress painting my 2k front bumper.

 

Looks good! As if you wouldn't include the battery box in the sub box though?

 

wasnt enough room unless i made it heaps wider, or took out some of the stock interior trim. While the top end looks neat and there looks to be heaps of room, theres actually a big bulge right under it, identical to the bulge that houses the ABS on the other side. theres only room till about 15cm in from the edge of the box. battery is 23cm wide. rear of the 6inch speaker takes up like 5cm/15cm.

I didnt want to make it any wider or remove interior trim. If I put the targas next to this box, theres enough room in the opposite corner for a battery box also housing the other 6inch split.

Also I left the upper area open (box stops where sub ends, top and side face extend past it to be flush). I might mount a smaller amp under there or something.
Box design can accomodate extra features back there.

 

new front bar.
looks a lot fresher than that old banged up one.

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final parts for the alcohol injection setup are at the post office itll be under way soon.

 

Looks alot better dude =D