Caliber SRT vs Spirit R/T

[iTurbo]

I have a pending race coming up sometime this spring with a local friend of mine that bought my old Spirit R/T. Wanted to know what you guys think will happen.. I have driven both cars and tend to think the Caliber will be losing. They are such different animals it is hard to tell though. I rarely lose races in the Caliber on the street. The last one was an '04-ish Corvette Z06 and he just tip-toed away..



Caliber SRT-4 mods:
Mopar Stg I ECU (I see about 16 psi at WOT with stock Mitsu 20g turbo)




Spirit R/T mods:
Block:
Fresh engine rebuilt by myself and current owner (Travis) with stock/standard pistons
Balance shafts removed
2.2L oil pan/pickup

Head:
Rebuilt approximately 40k miles ago
New lifters from FWDP
Ti retainers from FWDP

Trans/Clutch:
Stock low-miles A568 from a wrecked IROC R/T
TurbosUnleashed yellow plate/4-puck ceramic clutch

Manifolds/Turbo:
Stock TIII intake
Ported exhaust manifold from FWDP
50-trim/stgIII Garrett T3/T4 turbo from ATPTurbo with .72 A/R turbine housing

Exhaust/Intake:
3" mandrel bent exhaust from FWDP, no cat, straight-thru Ultraflo muffler
2.75" mandrel bent aluminum intake piping from ATPTurbo with open element filter at battery tray
Front mounted intercooler from FWDP

Electronics/Fuel:
Stg IV TIII SBEC from FWDP
52 lb/hr fuel injectors from FWDP
fuel rail from FWDP
3-bar MAP from NAPA ('89 Trans-Am)
Walbro 255 ltr/hr fuel pump in tank
Aeromotive adjustable FPR
3/8" PolyArmor hard tube and Summit -6AN fuel line throughout for both supply and return

Other:
Battery relocated to trunk
Spirit ES radiator/fan
Grainger valve manual boost controller set to about 20 psi @ WOT
TurboXS RFL BOV
Autometer electronic vac/boost gauge (aux 3-bar MAP)
AEM wideband O2 gauge

[glhs727]

it ought to be a close race...
Based on dyno's we have done,your caliber is probably putting down about 300-310hp, the rt depending on boost is 320-350 whp, and both weigh about the same. I think it is all going to be about the better driver and traction.

[2.216VTurbo]

You've owned and driven(obviously) both cars and you're asking us?? You snowed in up there and going stir crazy:lol:?

[Ondonti]

All the parts on the R/T have to be working together properly. Best case scenario I don't think the race would be close. Worst case scenario you easily win.

[iTurbo]

You've owned and driven(obviously) both cars and you're asking us?? You snowed in up there and going stir crazy:lol:?

Stir crazy...you hit the nail on the head. In the last couple days the high temp has FINALLY gotten about 50'F! That's T-shirt weather here! I'm so sick of all the cold temps day in and day out and not being able to do much with car projects.

The Spirit R/T is running real good. Still have a few details to work out with the PCV system and valve cover vent...and I think it needs some more fuel..

I think Cindy is right though; it may be a close race. It's just so hard to tell even after I've driven both of them because they are such different animals. I will say one thing though....if the Spirit R/T wins it will make me very happy. Like Gatorade shower after the Super Bowl kind of win.

[2.216VTurbo]

Set up the GoPro!

[tman1999]

im a shitty driver so probably you lol

[iTurbo]

im a shitty driver so probably you lol

No worries, we'll get those new shifter cables from push-pull.com installed first and that oughta help a LOT! I got an update from them today and they should be done next week with full heim joints on the both ends. Drive it like you stole it man!

[tman1999]

I can't wait either way it's going to be a blast

[Ondonti]

Stir crazy...you hit the nail on the head. In the last couple days the high temp has FINALLY gotten about 50'F! That's T-shirt weather here! I'm so sick of all the cold temps day in and day out and not being able to do much with car projects.

The Spirit R/T is running real good. Still have a few details to work out with the PCV system and valve cover vent...and I think it needs some more fuel..

I think Cindy is right though; it may be a close race. It's just so hard to tell even after I've driven both of them because they are such different animals. I will say one thing though....if the Spirit R/T wins it will make me very happy. Like Gatorade shower after the Super Bowl kind of win.
This would not be a close race if the R/T was running as good as the parts are capable of at the current boost level. That rarely seems to be the case and that helps a race like this be close.
The parts on the R/T should be able to run a 12 flat with slicks at the current boost level. Almost nobody ever does but that is not the car/parts fault. What exactly is the downpipe setup?

[iTurbo]

I hope you're right Brent. We've done so much work on the Spirit R/T to 'get it up to speed'. Basically we've followed the typical high HP recipe for Spirit R/Ts and have been very pleased thus far with everything. It would be a real bummer to see the CSRT beat the Spirit R/T at this point considering I've done so little to the CSRT.

The downpipe is basically a stock turbo Dodge downpipe which bolts up to the stock TIII O2 housing and .72 A/R 'Cosworth' housing perfectly. It is the same downpipe that I was running with the stock turbo. It is 2.5" stock downpipe for the first 2 inches, and then is welded onto a 3" mandrel-bent downpipe from FWDP. The .72 A/R 'Cosworth' turbine housing from ATP Turbo really is about as close to a bolt on as it gets without major mods. It is not the best, but we are pretty happy with it. It is using an ATP Turbo wastegate actuator and bracket which also worked nicely with the TO4E compressor housing.

[Ondonti]

Well I think the stock TIII wastegate housing has a lot of room for improvement, even if you just do some porting yourself. A housing that worked with an ATP style downpipe would be a great benefit. If you have your AFR somewhere around high 11's then its really up to the timing map being right.

[iTurbo]

Last time I took a ride in the car, it was running well on the lean side. Travis (current owner) doesn't drive the car a whole lot because he knows there is still work to be done. Biggest issues right now with the R/T is the lean issue at WOT and the crappy stock shifter cables. We are making progress on addressing both issues. New shifter cables will be on the way soon from push-pull.com and bigger injectors will be on the way soon. The engine is running lean at WOT with 20 psi boost with the 52 lb/hr injectors despite all the fuel system modifications and 60 psi base pressure. Surprised me for sure. I'm not sure if there is a problem or that the car is making more power than I ever thought it would?!

We will make everything right before racing for sure. I think the car could really use some 72 lb/hr injectors and lower fuel pressure but we'll see.

[Ondonti]

Well I would drop boost a few psi and see if you can get the fueling right. Then pick it back up when you have more fuel capacity.

[Reaper1]

Lean ain't mean if there's a hole in a piston or two. I agree, drop the boost before something bad happens.

[iTurbo]

^Total agreement with the above two posts! I built the engine with some help from Travis and believe me, I want to see it live a long life and I'm sure he does too being the owner of the car now.

He hasn't driven the car much at all lately while we tackle some issues that are holding it back. Specifically, the stock shifter cables suck (new ones on the way from push-pull.com), the crankcase vent/PCV system needs improvement (have most of that ready to go), and the lean issue at WOT w/20 psi. Last I talked to him it sounds like he has something in mind. Maybe 72 lb/hr units or something a bit smaller.

I did tell him to lower the boost psi though. If it were still my car I would lower it back down to 18 psi or so and try again. This car seems thirsty! I don't have much basis for that comment, but I am surprised it wants even more fuel.

[wallace]

Have you upgraded the fuel pump wiring?

[iTurbo]

Have you upgraded the fuel pump wiring?

No, but that is a very good idea. That is the only part of the entire fuel system that hasn't been addressed.

[iTurbo]

Well, no race yet. Sorry for the delay.

But Travis has upgraded the fuel pump wiring and that has helped with the WOT fuel ratio big time. I drove the car again afterwards with 20 psi and high 11s and touching on 12.0 A/F ratio at WOT. I don't mean to spoil it but I think the Caliber is toast.

I did have a bit of a quick race with a Chrysler 300C SRT-8 today. Had no problem holding him off. Man that car sounded incredible!! Don't know if it had aftermarket exhaust or what. I can't really call it a race because it was basically just a 2nd gear punch and that was it.

[iTurbo]

Almost had a good run tonight. We went from a roll (~45 MPH) and the cars seemed pretty evenly matched for a couple seconds before the Caliber went flying by. Turns out the Spirit R/T blew an intercooler hose coupler off the compressor. Will try again in a couple days.