Hey Scott, I don't see your post as lashing out at all, and hope mine wasn't perceived that way either. From the testimonials and all, we can surmise it is a great product, and something you should be very proud of!!!

I do have one question about the product though... (well, probably more than just 1) but for now, the only thing that bothers me about the kit is the size of the Interceptor...

Having watched the excellent installation video from your website, I am concerned about the lack of a tight seal between the ECU cover and ECU supporting box structure. The spacers make it work, as shown. During wet/rainy conditions, is there any chance of water being propelled into that area? Or when washing the car (high pressure washing, or for those that use the dreaded carwash) of water getting into the electronics from the hood seam? I prefer a simple water hose for washing my car of course, but I wonder if there is a way to package the Interceptor in a lower height enclosure... something that would allow the ECU cover to reseat as original.

EDIT: I guess it would need to be just a little shorter lengthwise too, so the rear grommet can seal the box... people are going to want to take a high pressure washer to their engine bay to keep it clean from time to time.

Thanks in advance.

Hskr8

 

Originally the plan was to make a new lid for the factory case with a 3/4 in change in height. But in an effort to keep the cost per unit down we opted to go the other route. Funny actually the injection molding co. said "how many do you want" 100 I replied, he said 5 bucks apiece to which I responsed "I'm in". Oh the mold must be machined from aluminum which is going to run between $8-10,000. Checked carbon fiber, $125 each. We have not had any issues but I will make a small faceplate and ship it to the customers that are concerned. If we pull the factory heat baffles/insulators out it would fit but there would be a hot metal box to box situation. Scott

 

funny how they come up with the "Oh Yeah... you gotta etc..." that sucks.. but it would be a concern of mine... if the enclosure can't be modified, any chance of a glove box or alternate location installation?

 

Thought I was chime in on the post and give my 2 cents.

I think anyone who is serious about building a PROPERLY TUNED and DEPENDABLE RX8 (especially F/I RX8) would be the same who consider the Interceptor as the best option on the market right now. Why? Well let's take a look at a few of the other options..

E-Manage
We all know the horrors stories of the EMANAGE. It is a mix of a band aid solutions.
- Using a dongle to fool the water temp sensor to help deal with long term fuel trim (alot of guys are still having problems with LTFT)
- No ignition timing (having fun trying to tune for more boost without getting a kaboom) and if you buy the ignition harness you will burn out your coilpacks
- No Direct control of the injectors


HKS F-CON PRO
I investigated it throughly last summer and had already ordered the unit. While awaiting for my harness, additional sensors, core unit, etc to arrive (which came close to $2000USD when all was side and done)...HKS USA said that the software they had recieved was not working. Granted PTP seems to have figured things out on their own end but that still leaves us with a few problems.
- You can only tune and purchase with a HKS Certified Dealer of which they are only a handful in North America. They are the only ones who have the software to tune it and it is not publically avaliable. You cannot tune it yourself.
- Around $2000 USD (core unit, harness, sensors)
- There is no end consumer with a history of using the product on the RX8 yet

That's about it for options avaliable on ther market.

Anyone who has made the investment in a modified RX8, especially a F/I RX8 (myself included) only wants the best for their vehicle. You don't want to have to worry about not being able to find someone to tune it, problem solving issues in regards to choppiness with the onset of boost, dealing with long term fuel trim and eventually leading to knock and even worse a blown motor. I think if anyone is saying $500 dollars ($1499-$999) is what is holding them back from enjoying their modified car with peace of mind and getting the best solution on the market right now, than maybe this is not the right hobby.


I was originally skeptical when the Interceptor first came onto the market, but the results have been reported. Drifter_D got 293 whp and 250 tq with a stock cat. Adrian ran a 13.1 in the quarter mile. Aren't these currently the biggest HP/TQ and fastest quarter mile Greddy Turbo RX8 repoted? The only difference between them and the hundreds of other Greddy RX8 Turbo owners is the Interceptor. The Interceptor from my understanding is a highly modified Microtech ecu with a custom made plug and play harness. After doing much investigation on the RX7 board, Microtech is herladed by many other rotary enthuasiasts as one of the best ECU options avaliable.

Granted, I've never used the product myself...but I will be taking the plunge soon and hope to post my results up soon. Thank god we have 94 octane here in Toronto!!

 

very well put. i've said before, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.

 

As an owner of an Interceptor I can assure you it is worth it. The price is similar to other standalones, if not cheaper when all is said and done. It is completely plug and play and has top notch construction. It offers complete control of injectors, timing, and some of the ports.

It is a night and day difference between the emanage and the Interceptor. When I had the emanage there were days I regretted getting the turbo kit. Now I honestly would just assume sell my car before I got rid of the turbo. Just because it would be dull and boring to drive.

I remember when I first got the Greddy kit w/ emanage, before I learned how to drive around the rough spots I got my *** handed to me by an accord just because my car drove like **** above 6.5krpms. I had to learn to stay under 6krpms to get the most power. Now my car pulls all the way to 9k inspite of the slight boost reduction at the higher rpms.

Scott stands behind his work, which is what I like most, and I'm sure if you bought it and didn't feel it was worth it he would gladly refund your money. But I haven't heard of anyone returning one yet.

Scott also has some future cool add on features that he has planned for the Interceptor to keep things exciting.

 

until you wash your car...

in all seriousness, that needs to be addressed.

 

all very good points, discussed in an intelligent and non-confrontational manner. THIS is the ultimate goal of any forum.

dd sends...

 

Engine management is the top of the power food-chain ... you can't skimp there and expect to make the power you want, you just can't. And right now there's only one option. $1500 is pretty cheap for this kind of engine management, not sure what people expect. And it has the power to expand with the car, realistically to just about any level of tune.

It's a lot cheaper than an e-Manage induced blown motor

 

what happens when you wash your car ???

 

You will usually find a fast, good looking sports car!

 

looks like someone hiding something

 

scott would you be able to come down to jersey to tune my car ??? if i was to installed a turbo kit ?? oh course i would pay for the plane ticket

 

Sure, there is another customer in Jersey, and one in New York that want me come up, so we could do all of them in one day.

 

Scott
This is Dennis in NJ - I understand the components you were waiting for came in last week. When do you expect to be shipping my unit? Does the difference in $ of what I paid and the sale price pay for my half of the plane ticket? LOL I am so tired of the popping!!

 

If he cant make it to jersey theres a shop i here does good tuning mothers performance in lodi nj just in case.

 

Whats the group buy list up to at the moment?

 

smrx8
The only shop I would trust with my car unfortunately is in PA - KD Rotary - I have been there before - only rotary tuning and major work - good people

 

I wash my car frequently, no issues. Even the couple of times when I was on a business trip and had to use the automatic car wash.

 

I have the F Con Pro and it works fine, so their is now a history for the end consumer.

 

How many KM's do you have on the car right now with the HKS F-CON PRO?

When I'm talking solid end user consumer history.... I'm talking one if not a FEW people who have put a few thousand clicks with the setup

 

Thought I would post the RX-8 club group buy list:
1. Evil_Miata (Turbo)
2. Mantis (N/A)
3. Yellow_Ocho (N/A, boosted in the near future)
4. Hybrid-RX-8 (Turbo)
5. emezmer (N/A, waiting for the release of a supercharger)
6. BigOLundh (Greddy Turbo)
7. MikefromBarrie (Soon to be turbo)
8. Pettit Racing (Supercharged)
9. Daver
10 YZ007
If you are looking for complete engine management this is a great price! Remember complete control of all six injectors, leading and trailing coils and intake event changes means, no injector swapping,splicing or harness mods. Just plug and play simplicity for the factory equipment proven to support ~300rwhp. The system comes with a base map either F/I or N/A that allows the user to drive the car right away, and tech. support is a phone call away. Read the feedback in this vendor forum for real world results.
Thank You, Mazsport Inc. 1-800-538-9989

 

4-5 thousand miles

 

You still must return to your tuner and pay him 60,70,80 dollars an hour if want to adjust anything.

 

Scott,

One question here, If I got the NA version now and purchase a SC down the line(whenever they are available), do I need to send it back to you for modification? Or does it just need to be retuned?

Thanks, Joe