BuDunkaDunk!
It's hip-hoppin! Initial start-up was rough like a mad cam until the car warmed up a tad and got used to new cam, but now it idles smoothly and makes more power per throttle application everywhere! Well, MAYBE not under 2krpm, but MAYBE yes even under 2krpm. Timed straight up. It feels better. The 6k rev limiter is definitely not going to be holding me back, the car doesn't STOP pulling per say, but it definitely drops off(after maybe 5-5.2k? gotta try it out some more), just not as bad as the stock cam. We'll see how much more it improves when I chop off the front of the airbox and put on a Turbo exhaust... Should help nicely up there and everywhere else as well. Dyno coming soon I think, but that'll be before the exhaust for sure, and maybe before the further intake mods as well. I'm going to route the preheat hose out to the front spoiler as well as cut the front off of the box. I'd like to do the exhaust and the intake at the same time, just for a bigger seat of the pants difference, but, I think I've spent more than enough on the car for the time being. The exhaust will be January stuff... Probably anyway...
When going 40-50mph, and I'd floor it, dropping into second, it pushes me back in the seat noticeably now. Partially also because I tightened the kickdown cable, which I need to do some more because it shifts way too soon still, but mainly because the car makes that much more mid and upper rpm torque(thus HP). Going up hills in OD should be better on the highway now, which will be nice, because before it just wasn't adequate enough and I'd lose speed unless I downshifted on some hills(OUCH!).
So, installed parts for today list:
-5k old V15 NA cam
-New KYB GR2 front struts
-Used KYB GAJ rear shocks
-Used (red)poly torque rod bushings for new front bump stops
-23/21mm 240Turbo swaybars
-New timing belt, tensioner
-New rear cam cap, front cam seal, front main seal, intermediate shaft seal
Handling? Car seems much more willing to turn, although doesn't seem to have any more oversteer than it did...? So that's cool. The roll stiffness doesn't really FEEL like it's been improved that much, but I know it is... The car also feels like it might ride better over bumps, BUT, I do feel more of everything even though it isn't as harsh feeling over bumps and stuff. Or maybe I'm imagining it/forgetting what it was like before. But I think it does feel like I feel everything in the road, like I have the tires pumped WAY up again. I don't like that though because it makes the car want to rattle more... So it seems to rattle more, but absorbs bumps better. And it definitely controls body movement better, that's for sure. It'll work for now. With the little GT strut reinforcement plates I hope to lose a little oversteer and gain a little ride height in the front. So, maybe I'll have to get those before I get the alignment as well. Argh. So I guess I'll order some of those soon here, and I'll toss them in when I put the strut braces in(maybe I'll get the lower brace at the same time, damnit, I'll call that a christmas present, right?) and the torque rod bushings. THEN I can get it aligned to something along the lines of 1 deg. neg. camber, as much camber as it'll evenly allow at that setting, and zero toe.
Yup.