[stamford]

What I found strange was Ric's torque and power curve, not one I have seen before, very odd with blips all over the range. The torque curve being the one that baffled me. Without a doubt the whole plenum design/mechanism and vis valve build quality makes a huge difference to the final figures and delivery. There is no consistency here which makes it very difficult to set a benchmark.

Ric's plenum was replaced Sunday morning, this was brand new and came complete with brand new power and balance vis units, brand new throttle body, pots and IACV. However it showed a healthy jump in output from 177 but I was surprised that it was low to start with considering it had an ITG, decat and custom rear silencer. I would have expected to see at least 185-190 with the ecu 'learning' these mods as best it can. Mine started with 190 before topping at 200 after mapping.

This only underlines what I said earlier in that there is no consistency in the build quality and it always comes back to the plenum and vis system which dictates the torque figures and eventual power delivery. If the torque dips early and takes time to recover then this will have an effect on the final power figure before it tails off towards the redline area.

If the balance valve operation can be tweaked then I'm sure there is scope for improving the torque curve therefore ramping up the power albeit slightly. For those running standard cams I think we are chasing that last 5bhp and at the mercy of build quality. Those running cams will benefit from the longer duration and another 10-12bhp at slightly higher revs where most people wouldn't probably notice or even take their car.