After going through 3 DVs and much debating about going with a relocation kit, bov kit, etc. I finally decided to give the turbosmart plumb back DV a chance. Turbosmart has had a great name for a very long time, and I've used their bovs previously when I owned my Evo X.
The reason: Well, though some will argue with me to no end, the OEM DVs are pieces of s***. The build quality sucks, the springs are weak, the plastic can crack (though to be fair none of mine ever did), most of all my reason is that the electronic factor...I don't want it. Manual imo is always better when you have anything that might be prone to failure. These are my reasons, but I understand plenty have had little to no trouble out of the rev D or revised C.
The build quality: it's fantastic! Solid billet aluminum, tighter spring, it's just top quality. Everything is cut beautifully, it fits the turbo housing perfectly, and there were no hardware issues, nothing missing, etc.
The install: really, the install is a breeze, taking your time is key, as with anything. It took me 30-45 minutes I think to get the old DV out, and all the new DV installed.
Packaging: I felt everything was packaged nicely, the install instructions can be found online in pdf format, but there's also a little cd that I guess has instructions, I didn't even look at it honestly. I have a picture of what's included, which is pretty self explanatory.
I would've taken more pics, but the install pics are all that's needed to see.
The boost tap is nice since it has an extra port for the DV, as well as a boost gauge. I wasn't wild about the way the tap went, as it has a plastic coupler that the metal fits around and then small... very small Allen screws hold it in place. I felt no leaks though and on the drive, everything was good.
The drive: as strange as it sounds, the NEW DV seemed to feel faster, which may just be a placebo effect. It's not much louder than OE, but somewhat. The car pulls like it did before, boost seemed to hold about 1-2 psi more from 25 to about 21, where it was falling to around 19-20 psi. The dv is fast though, make no mistake about that. I noticed certainly no slower reaction as I said, it seemed quicker.
Overall: I'm very happy with how it works, the build quality, and the overall performance. However, I didn't buy this as a performance mod, so much as wanting something with less possible problems. As I said, to me..manual is better.
For 207.00? Yeah, I could buy a few rev Ds, but the point is I don't want them lol, I feel this will last the life of the car plus some, and with 1 vacuum line, and no electronics to go wrong, it's a no brainer IMHO of course.
Hope this helps someone with their choice.
http://www.stratifiedauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=209_214&products_id=536
The reason: Well, though some will argue with me to no end, the OEM DVs are pieces of s***. The build quality sucks, the springs are weak, the plastic can crack (though to be fair none of mine ever did), most of all my reason is that the electronic factor...I don't want it. Manual imo is always better when you have anything that might be prone to failure. These are my reasons, but I understand plenty have had little to no trouble out of the rev D or revised C.
The build quality: it's fantastic! Solid billet aluminum, tighter spring, it's just top quality. Everything is cut beautifully, it fits the turbo housing perfectly, and there were no hardware issues, nothing missing, etc.
The install: really, the install is a breeze, taking your time is key, as with anything. It took me 30-45 minutes I think to get the old DV out, and all the new DV installed.
Packaging: I felt everything was packaged nicely, the install instructions can be found online in pdf format, but there's also a little cd that I guess has instructions, I didn't even look at it honestly. I have a picture of what's included, which is pretty self explanatory.
I would've taken more pics, but the install pics are all that's needed to see.
The boost tap is nice since it has an extra port for the DV, as well as a boost gauge. I wasn't wild about the way the tap went, as it has a plastic coupler that the metal fits around and then small... very small Allen screws hold it in place. I felt no leaks though and on the drive, everything was good.
The drive: as strange as it sounds, the NEW DV seemed to feel faster, which may just be a placebo effect. It's not much louder than OE, but somewhat. The car pulls like it did before, boost seemed to hold about 1-2 psi more from 25 to about 21, where it was falling to around 19-20 psi. The dv is fast though, make no mistake about that. I noticed certainly no slower reaction as I said, it seemed quicker.
Overall: I'm very happy with how it works, the build quality, and the overall performance. However, I didn't buy this as a performance mod, so much as wanting something with less possible problems. As I said, to me..manual is better.
For 207.00? Yeah, I could buy a few rev Ds, but the point is I don't want them lol, I feel this will last the life of the car plus some, and with 1 vacuum line, and no electronics to go wrong, it's a no brainer IMHO of course.
Hope this helps someone with their choice.
http://www.stratifiedauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=209_214&products_id=536
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