Can't beat finding a bargain
I'm putting a FMIC on soon, just awaiting the pipework, be interested to hear your thoughts on the difference it's made after a bit more driving?
No worries.
I've done quite a few miles in it already tbh.
Initial most obvious difference is the engine note is deeper at tickover / low revs.
There's a definite improvement in power when you've been running it round town for a while, compared to the standard IC - even with the recent temperature drop we've had, I'd noticed the power dropping off a bit when you'd been sitting in traffic for a while, whereas this seems to have all but eliminated that.
The main test for me, will be when I next take it round the track... and it won't be a fair comparison with before in terms of outright power, as I've had the mapped played with since the last session I had, but... again, in terms of heat soak, this is something I found really affected the car once you'd done a few laps, and I have no doubt this will make all the difference next time in that respect. ;-)
All in all I'm happy with it... not sure I'd got to all the expense for a new one, but for what I paid for this, it's a worthwhile addition.
Next stop: decat and EGR delete, and then a decent session on some rollers to get the map spot on... oh, and some decent alloys.
I've already got TT front brakes, green panel air filter, a strut brace and it's currently running FR suspension until I can afford a decent set of coilovers - when I bought it, it had cheap unadjustable aftermarket suspension, and the ride was too harsh for me on bumpy backroads.
Not sure I want to go down the bigger turbo route due to the expense and hassle, not least because as the car now stands with the mods so far, it's not exactly slow and it should still be quite reliable... although I'm going to start tucking a bit of money away soon in anticipation of it needing a new clutch at some stage in the near future.