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As is my usual pattern, when winter comes and I don't bike commute as much and spend more time in the car - plus the annual Black Friday sale spending spree- I start paying attention to the car, and the stuff I'd gotten used to the previous winter starts bugging me again.
So here is my wish list - vendors, feel free to mine this for ideas; no charge (although positive karma can be had by sending me prototypes to test)
1. Man, it is really about time we really got a solid spec sheet on what the air response curve is on the various "MAF" sensors is. Lots of work is being done on the ECU code disassembly and there are exciting things happening there; but there is too much guesswork about how much flow can make it through a MAF and what the Hz-per-CFM response curve looks like. Why guess when you can know? Somebody needs to take, as a minimum, the 3S stock MAF and one of the EVO Karmann MAFs to a flow bench, and using a power supply and an oscilloscope, measure the airflow Hz every 50 CFM or so until the MAF stops reading or goes nonlinear. Any shop that is in Indianapolis or the Carolinas is a candidate to do this, because there are IndyCar and NASCAR shops all over in these locations that have flow benches.
2. Ditto shock dyno curves for the OEM ECS struts, in "soft", "medium", and "hard" - ideally two or three of each to get an idea of part-to-part variability. If I still had access to a shock dyno I'd do this myself... but I don't. Lots of them in Indianapolis and the Carolinas though.
3. Nobody does braided steel lines on real race cars any more. Braided steel is heavy, saws its way through anything it touches (especially wiring) and stabs your fingers when you work with it. Everybody has transitioned to Nomex hose like Aeroquip Startlite - 45% lighter, more flexible, and doesn't chew shit up. I'd love to see fuel line kits, vacuum/pressure lines, coolant lines etc done in Startlite with the crimp fittings. I'd also like to see replacement solenoids for EGR and Evap Purge that used AN fittings, internal wastegate cans that use AN fittings, an aftermarket EGR valve that used AN fittings (and incorporated a "I am open" electrical switch) - basically make it so every single fluid/air line could be an AN fitting instead of a hose bung and zip tie. Positive connection, leak proof, and easy to assemble.
4. Why oh why are we in 2012 still using bolted flanges for exhaust connectors? I'd love to see O2 sensor housings, downpipes, cat converters, and cat-backs that use V-Band connectors instead of 1950s era bolted flanges or slip joints with U-bolts. For extra points, use 321 stainless instead of 304 and drop down a wall thickness gauge to add lightness.
5. Carbon molding is getting to the point where complex shapes with smooth internal passages are not just possible, but cheap. The Chinese in particular are very good at this - most carbon bike frames are made in China. It should be possible to do carbon intercooler pipes, a carbon intake bubble, maybe even a carbon intake manifold. Use Adel Wiggins connectors instead of bungs and hose clamps (the flange could be bonded in or maybe even cast in the carbon. Big initial cost in the mold, but the per-unit price is cheap. A carbon airbox fitted to a big K&N, the EVO MAF, and a carbon bubble unit - all with no hose clamps? Sign me up.
6. How is there not a good LED tail/marker light conversion yet? I'm not talking replacement bulbs for the existing fixtures (although that might work for marker lights) I'm talking about an injection-molded replacement light housing fitted with LEDs. A nice way to update the look of the car and a serious amperage savings for an already stressed electrical system.
That's enough for the moment; I'm sure I'll think of more.
DG
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Originally Posted by DG
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