Striker-7

iTrader: (3)

The most annoying part of the wiring was unpinning the connectors (jeweler's flat-blade screwdriver did the trick), second was unwrapping and retaping the split loom once the rerouting is complete. Otherwise, make sure to label the coil leads, don't get 'rippy' when untangling the wire loom, it's just a bit tedious.

Lesson learned: the base of the zip-tie style cable holders can be reused in place, just thread a new zip-tie through the old clamp. Pic later...

OtherSyde

Thanks for the tips, and pics would be greatly appreciated!

Anyhow, I did a little arts-and-crafts to spiff up the used look of the intake unit, color-matching it to my car with the PETTIT RACING bit staying silver. Also installed the Ryan Rotary pulleys onto the newly-refurbed compressor, and unboxed/cleaned up the Pettit undertray cooling setup. Can't wait to get started on this project!

keck03

iTrader: (2)

I am running both the Torque and separate gauges. I found that the Torque app reads a slightly leaner number under load than my separate wideband plumbed into my midpipe. I would def recommend running a good wideband gauge and not trust the cheapo ebay OBD wireless dongle by itself.

I ran stock injectors and fuel pump for 8psi. I switched to DW200 fuel pump and two ID1000 for my yellow secondaries when I went to 11psi. I kept that fuel setup when I went back to 8psi because it was running fine. I did it that way at the recommendation of a well known rotary shop that I was taking the car to. I remember MM Jeff thought it a little odd that the shop didnt swap the yellows into my other secondaries to have more fuel available but I never had an issue with duty cycle on the tunes/logs to my knowledge

keck03

iTrader: (2)

I actually bought the yellow "paintable" brake caliper paint to paint the SC cover to match my car but I have been too much of a wuss to do it in case I need to sell the supercharger to fund the next motor replacement. lol

Yours looks good!

OtherSyde

Thanks!

I mean you could also buy a can of silver-fleck paint, like the strong heat-resistant stuff that would hold up, and then just repaint the SC with that before you sold it; I'm sure it would not offend a potential buyer of a rare and coveted Pettit kit lol. These things are like gold in the RX8 community now, and I passively looked for one for over two years until I found this one for sale late last year!

Anyhoo, I do have a question on something I just realized... I am apparently missing the silver tube bit where the MAF inserts into, which I see on everyone else' Pettit kits (circled in the attached pic of your engine bay). I can't see it in any of the shots of the kit from the web site I got it from (Bennett Built Performance), so I suspect maybe it just got broken or lost during a previous installation or something. I do have a cold air intake pipe with a MAF insert, perhaps I could cut that down to the correct length and use that pipe segment? Hmmm.

keck03

iTrader: (2)

So when I blew my motor last year, I read through all the pages of this thread. Apparently when the kit was released, they didn’t really have a tuning kit for it. At some point, they released their MAF blow through inlet tube and efiDude logger with OTS tunes. Then you would log and email Pettit and they would fine tune the flashes for your motor.

How are you handling tuning it? If you are doing MM with a Cobb access port the. I would suggest FB messaging him and asking it’s ok to use a CAI kit. It prob should be ok. He will just adjust your tune for your inlet pipe diameter and characteristics

OtherSyde

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I'm using MM and a COBB, so as soon as I get ahold of him and reactivate the remaining 2 months of Live Tuning service I have with him (he put it on hold for me, since I deployed for 7 months), I can download his Supercharger Base Tune for the Pettit kit and go from there after installation.

Just to clarify, what I'm talking about doing is taking the old shitty hot-air-intake that was installed when I bought the car (just a cone filter stuck on the end of a short MAF tube) and cutting that down to the length it needs to be, for the purpose of ccreating a blow-through MAF segment to be able to insert the MAF into - and then I would have the separate, actual CAI from RX8Performance running the rest of the way out the front of the car and to the filter residing underneath the bumper cover. But the way you're talking it sounds almost like you're saying I don't need that MAF-insert segment or something? I see on your setup that you also have at least one of the little black tubes coming out of the side of the MAF segment, which makes me wonder where I would plug that tube into if I did not have that segment? How did people make do without the blow-through MAF insert segment?

keck03

iTrader: (2)

I would just install the CAI from rx8 performance and have MM tune from there. When he tuned mine back in the day, he started with his Turbo tune and tweaked it from there. I do not know if he has a supercharger tune. The first 2 maps were way off but then he got it driveable on the third and almost perfect on the 4th. Does the CAI have the MAF inlet tube? I remember reading the Pettit MAF tube actually has a unique inlet diameter. Pettit sold their inlet tube and tune as a package kit so my understanding was the inlet tube was just to make it common for the package so the tuner didnt have to start from nothing.

The one black tube was for the EGR. That tube now runs into a oil catch can. Do you need me to pop it off and take pics of it? I think they are both just essentially vacuum tubes.

OtherSyde

Thanks, Jeff/MM does indeed have a specific base-tune for the Pettit kit now since he's done so many. And no, the RX8Performance CAI does not have a MAF inlet tube - I currently have no form of MAF inlet tube, save for possibly modifying the aforementioned disused hot air intake to fit (it also has a little connector for the EGR tube so it might be good. I do need to have a place to insert the MAF sensor, right? Or can I just sort of leave it unpluggedt and tune without it..?

keck03

iTrader: (2)

You def need a place to attach the MAF sensor. I did not realize the CAI kit did not come with one. I bought what I thought was an AEM kit from a person on these boards but they shipped me the ebay knockoff one. I could check and see if it has an inlet tube.

I would really ask MM for a suggestion since he would know better how its going to affect your tuning.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

i gave an old k&n typhoon (1st gen) to a member who needed a maf tube, he cut it up for his turbo build. maybe look at an intake nobody wants

obliterx8

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys,

First off, I'm a bit late announcing that I am officially part of the Pettit owners' club! I have one of the "undocumented kits", so now the known number grows. Has only 2000 original miles on it, only with spirited road use, no racing.

I do have a couple questions, in case anyone knows. I've read through every single post and bookmarked a few hundred posts, but need some information faster than I can sift back through it right now.

I'm trying to order gauges and want an IAT gauge. Anyone know what typical maximum post-blower charge temps are? I can get either 0-200 or 0-300 degF gauges. I am not going to run water/meth for now. I have all other 8 gauges (lol) nailed down and just need this info to complete the order.

On another note, I have the RB REVi intake with duct, but it looks like it won't line up with the Pettit kit, so I guess I'm switching to the AEM. Looks like you guys are trying to settle on intakes too, just thought I'd throw in my $.02. I like that the AEM sits farther down into actual fresh air but the Greddy turbo intake seems less obtrusive... Maybe I should go that route? I also don't have the Pettit MAF housing. Maybe Pettit has more? Why can't the OEM one be used? I retained the OEM one with the RB intake.

Also, as far as tuning, I didn't want to use Cobb or MM due to some rocky history here, so I was going to use MazdaEdit. I was thinking on using Ryan Rotary (MadTaz on here I think)? Anyone have experience with him? He seems pretty knowledgeable on these kits, so thought it would be a good option. I don't have anyone remotely local that I'd trust with my car and this kit (NE Ohio).

Thanks guys and glad to be a part of this "new class" of Pettit owners that seem to be bringing this thread back to life! The old-timers would be proud!

OtherSyde

Nice, good to see another new guy haha! And your compressor is blacked out with your intake being chromed, that's a slick combo!

As far as retaining the MAF housing, I did not know you could "retain" the stock MAF tube (housing?) without cutting it off of the air box - it's all one piece isn't it?

Anyhow, I sort of got my MAF stuff figured out for now I think, with a universal MAF tube segment directly linked to a little tube segment with little configurable attachments for the EGR tube (up to 3 tube inserts, I only have the one in right now but have two more available holes - do I need to use these?).

I arranged them in the same order I see keck's arranged in: Incoming air first hits the MAF sensor, then the EGR tube, and then into the throttle body. I put the air straightener in the RX8Performance intake tube right in front of the MAF sensor so that the sensor would get newly-straightened air blowing directly on it - I read on various How-To's online that this is where it is supposed to be located for best effect, but if this is wrong someone please let me know.

Unfortunately I have no idea about the gauge question, but I am also curious since temps are important!

keck03

iTrader: (2)

I am actually still using the Pettit housing and the old hot air intake. I never switched to the CAI because of the issues Old Dragger had when he did the switch. Its on my list to try once I am 100% confident in my setup. I only recently chased down and solved an ignition issue on the resurrection with the ported reman. I'll take some close up pics tonite when I get home of the vacuum tubes to help. I also need to get those air straighteners.

I doubt Pettit has any more of the housings. Last time I spoke with Cam it seemed like they had sold off all of the parts. You should be able to use the OEM one but I would consult with whomever is doing the tuning for their opinion

I have had good experience with Carl at Ryan Rotary on the parts I ordered but did not have tuning from them. I would suggest messaging him through Facebook

No idea on IAT temps post blower. I do have the IAT virtual gauge up on my Torque App but not sure what sensor its pulling from. IIRC those temps were in the 90-130 range for a rough estimate. I could log again when I drive it once it stops snowing here in the northeast for a few days.

keck03

iTrader: (2)

Obliterx8 I was looking at your kit and check out your tensioner pulley. It looks like the bracket has been bending from the stress. Its really an achilles heel of this kit. I am guessing the prior owner was getting slipping so he kept cranking down the tension to fix it. I would look into the 6 rib pulley from RRP

obliterx8

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys, only time for a quick reply here.

OtherSyde - I think I was wrong about the OEM MAF tube and the RB intake... my MAF pipe is silver (not blue anodized), but is still from RB. Was looking at pictures online and thought mine was different so therefore OEM - I guess not.

Keck - the IAT you see is at the MAF sensor I think... I remember reading it uses the air temp at that location to scale/stabilize (?) the voltage output to the computer. Also, I did order the pulley set from Ryan Rotary, but am unsure if that includes a new bracket. Carl there did say the OEM, RB, or AEM MAF pipes would be fine, so I think I'm covered there.

Edit - I should add that I will be scouring the old posts I saved this weekend to find the "normal" post blower air temps and will let you know what I dig up.

keck03

iTrader: (2)

Othersyde. I took pics this morning. The right side vacuum line is running to my oil catch can. The left side vacuum line is running back to the rats nest of lines behind the blower. It’s single digit temps here so the rubber was so stiff I couldn’t trace where it runs to

sonicsdaman

iTrader: (3)

man those coil packs look good

OtherSyde

Keck - thanks for the pics, every little bit of intel I can gather pre-installation helps in regards to understanding where everything goes and how it all goes together. I have two questions for you that I'm still kind of foggy on:

1. In your setup you said your EGR tube goes into an oil catch can. Why is this? I gather that the supercharger is sucking in air aggressively, thus creating a vacuum within the MAF tube area of the intake - hence is the EGR tube actually sucking oil into the MAF tube/intake from the oil catch can? If yes or no, what is the purpose here?

2. You mention that a lot of the SC kits just simply didn't have the MAF tube (the short silver bit of tubing with "PETTIT" engraved on it) - what did these people do with their MAF sensors? Just sort of hang them off to the side, unused? Snip the wires? Re-wire them somehow..? I thought having a MAF sensor somewhere along the intake tubing to gather the metrics of the incoming air was crucial to the engine's/PCM's functioning..? O.o

Thanks for any clarification, I'm just new to this part and I want to understand all the underlying/surrounding concepts as best as I can before I start trying to do an actual install

obliterx8

iTrader: (3)

You HAVE to have a MAF sensor (technically there are other ways to accomplish this - e.g. speed density, but unless you know what you're doing, forget about this).

You'd have to use another MAF tube. One is included in the MS/AEM intake, RB intake, I'm sure there are others. You just couldn't use Pettit's flash then (if the MAF tube is a different internal diameter). But I think everyone abandoned that tuning method anyway.

keck03

iTrader: (2)

I have the original install guide from Pettit for vacuum line diagram

keck03

iTrader: (2)

The notes were handwritten from the prior owner when he installed it. If you read this thread from the beginning, I bought the car from a user named dogpound

If you need any other pages let me know

obliterx8

iTrader: (3)

The Pettit installation manual is available for download somewhere... I can't remember where I found it.

It's too large to upload here. PM me your email and I can send it to you if anyone needs it.

obliterx8

iTrader: (3)

So I can't seem to find the information anywhere...

What is everyone using for spacers for the MazdaSpeed front strut bar? It looks like the bar is just bolted to the front of the stands with a longer bolt, but then everyone has this nice spacer where the bar used to sit between the mounts. Any ideas?

OtherSyde

I am literally going through this right now, since I have the same strut bar. I just goofed up and ordered the M12 (12mm wide) bolts because I mis-measured, but you will need these 10mm bolts, locknuts, and aluminum spacers from McMaster-Carr. They're only like $30 or so for the whole set (you have to order the nuts and bolts in boxes instead of individually like the spacers, so you'll have extras in various mismatched numbers lol).

The 10mm wide, 110mm long, hex-head bolts

The matching 10mm locknuts

The 35mm-long Aluminum Spacers

Keep in mind I haven't actually received the 35mm spacers yet, I have merely measured the space between the two support tongs (where the strut-tower bar end or, in this case, the spacers go) to be exactly 38mm (it might vary a mm or two on yours since metal bends, maybe one of ours has its bolts tightene down a little more, etc.), but they only have 35mm and 40mm spacers, so I erred on the side of caution and went with the slightly-short 35mm spacers knowing that if necessary I could just put a small washer or two in there to fill the 1-2mm gap.

If you want to wait a week or two for my spacers to arrive in the mail to be sure (the nuts and bolts arrive within 1-3 days, but apparently it takes 1 to 2 weeks to make and ship the spacers for some reason), I will post pics verifying their fitment when they arrive - that way if I screwed up again at least two of us didn't waste their money. Hopefully I can save you a few hours worth of research time here though.