accel
Well-Known Member
I wonder what that pinging sounds like.Power Pack 3 experience in California: The good and the bad.
Just wanted to report on my experience with PP3 here in California (=lousy 91 gas). I have a '17 GT with PP3 and no other mods other than a FP oil separator. When I had the PP installed, I was actually a bit upset. I had read that the power curve is smoother ("tamer") so should have known what to expect, based on people's experience here and on the MotoIQ test. But I missed the mid-range surges with the stock manifold/calibration more than I thought...it just wasn't as fun to goose the throttle in the mid-range as before. That was a few thousand miles ago, and since then, I've changed from almost wanting to eat the $2.5K+ and 472 hp and go back to stock or PP2, to really loving the car with PP3. It's still a bit smooth for my taste in the low-mid range but charges hard in the upper rev range...it's super fun to floor it in 2nd and feel the power as the tach swings past 4K, knowing it's just going to get better until it peaks over 3K later! It's crazy fast. Third gear pulls are the best, it gets to bonkers speeds before you know it. So, absolutely no regrets now...not for going with PP3 or with getting a '17 and saving some money rather than an '18 (or the WRX I was considering...the '17s were pretty cheap at the end of last year so were competitive). Since mine's a base GT (with zero options) I have the skinny 235 all-season tires, and with PP3 I can't floor it in first without some wheelspin, even at higher revs. But it does mean it's about 100 lbs lighter than most PP and/or premium models, which is equivalent to an additional 11-12 hp at our hp/curb weight ratio. Would make a killer roll-racer, though it would get beaten badly in a dig race or at the track.
What is very annoying, though, is the pinging. If it's warm out (IAT>120 or so), AC on going uphill or otherwise under load, you'll hear that rattle at <3K or so rpm. I hate it. It settles out afterwards, and when the IAT is cool (~80) I generally don't hear it and never hear it at high rpm during a pull (I always do that with the window open, just to hear the engine). But still, it takes getting used to. FP swears it does no damage, which I believe, actually...I've never heard of anyone experiencing engine damage due to using a FPPP, and since I'm aware of it now, I hear lots of cars pinging under load, especially BMWs. So I guess it's just something we have to live with with cars using aggressive timing curves, and just get used to. If you're on 91 and it's a warm day, roll down your window and listen when you goose it at ~2500 rpm, you'll hear that rattle. But (I hope) it's under knock-sensor control and not going to damage anything. I just hope I can recognize what it sounds like if it IS doing something bad, but I doubt that's ever going to happen....these calibrations are too well tested and OEM engineered.
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