Any Rennlisters from New Zealand?
11-15-2017, 02:00 PM
Yeah. The brakes were my key concern after the Focus which runs a similar package (but is heavier). The pad choice was limited on the Focus so I only ever had a mildly upgrades street/road pad but would have a to be very careful after about 5 laps.
The Megane brakes with the upgraded pads and fluid were without fault for 17 minute sessions. The car is 160+kg lighter and once your remove the air damns under the bumper they get some ventilation.
To be honest the suspension was not a limitation at this level. Body roll was less than focus, the dampers are well judged. I think its a very capable OEM set up for fast road and occasional track.
However. Add +45bhp and 80+nm and put sticky R comps on and reduce your lap times 3-4s and the game changes. The brakes become hammered harder due to the tyres grip and the lateral Gs increase by 20%. Vmax increases so kinetic energy through brakes at end of straight etc.
My (admittedly limited) track experience suggests when you push the car harder like above you run everything closer to the edge then limitations become more apparent (slippery slope?). I think the brakes may hold up but once you are in the low 46s the suspension may show its weaknesses and the lack of negative camber will show in accelerated front tyre shoulder wear. Then KW Clubsport will become the answer to lower COG and improve handling and camber/wear - but until then the suspension is will pass muster...
The Megane brakes with the upgraded pads and fluid were without fault for 17 minute sessions. The car is 160+kg lighter and once your remove the air damns under the bumper they get some ventilation.
To be honest the suspension was not a limitation at this level. Body roll was less than focus, the dampers are well judged. I think its a very capable OEM set up for fast road and occasional track.
However. Add +45bhp and 80+nm and put sticky R comps on and reduce your lap times 3-4s and the game changes. The brakes become hammered harder due to the tyres grip and the lateral Gs increase by 20%. Vmax increases so kinetic energy through brakes at end of straight etc.
My (admittedly limited) track experience suggests when you push the car harder like above you run everything closer to the edge then limitations become more apparent (slippery slope?). I think the brakes may hold up but once you are in the low 46s the suspension may show its weaknesses and the lack of negative camber will show in accelerated front tyre shoulder wear. Then KW Clubsport will become the answer to lower COG and improve handling and camber/wear - but until then the suspension is will pass muster...
Running brake booster and ABS always cooks the brakes more and gives far less feel than when both are removed. Pushing into faster lap times will definitely unmask brake problems.
Before I went booster/ABS free in my Integra I constantly cooked my fluid leading to soft pedal/no brakes - no fun into the bottom sweeper at Hampton I can tell you😱. Once mastered you get far better feel and can modulate braking force much more accurately and consistently, especially when trail braking. More satisfying too.
If you keep the aids you will need some serious brake work as your times come down.
Last edited by Audidude; 11-15-2017 at 02:02 PM. Reason: Typo
11-15-2017, 03:22 PM
Rennlist Member
I’m hoping we can manage the brakes via upgrades. There is a 355mm floating rotor set up with alloy centre bell that will work with the factory Brembos which looks effective. Apparently works a treat.
The car is remaining a road car so all systems etc will remain as stock. My wife has been using mine for the odd errand and finds it quite fun. I intend to get out and go quite abut if back risd driving in it over the next month. Infact it will be over 3000km and four track days in its first 4 weeks if ownership so it’s working for its living. Certainly not a garage queen.
Cooling is the biggest issue with this car right now. As temps increase over summer to mid late 20s on track it will suffer. You can see it just over the course of the day yesterday - 5kmph vmax drop from beginning to end of day. Maybe it’s just a turbo thing but Thus didn’t happen with the Focus (it had a massive factory IC).
I tried half a session with sport mode ESC on and was loosing 1s a lap. It kept it tidier in corner exit but it was pulling power so the rest of the day was all systems off. This was best as I suspected.
So overall the Megane RS seems a viable project. There are three Cup 250 currently on the market for low 20k which have the same underpinnings and for a total spend of around 30k could be a far quicker track proposition than a lot 911s we run plus much cheaper to maintain.
The car is remaining a road car so all systems etc will remain as stock. My wife has been using mine for the odd errand and finds it quite fun. I intend to get out and go quite abut if back risd driving in it over the next month. Infact it will be over 3000km and four track days in its first 4 weeks if ownership so it’s working for its living. Certainly not a garage queen.
Cooling is the biggest issue with this car right now. As temps increase over summer to mid late 20s on track it will suffer. You can see it just over the course of the day yesterday - 5kmph vmax drop from beginning to end of day. Maybe it’s just a turbo thing but Thus didn’t happen with the Focus (it had a massive factory IC).
I tried half a session with sport mode ESC on and was loosing 1s a lap. It kept it tidier in corner exit but it was pulling power so the rest of the day was all systems off. This was best as I suspected.
So overall the Megane RS seems a viable project. There are three Cup 250 currently on the market for low 20k which have the same underpinnings and for a total spend of around 30k could be a far quicker track proposition than a lot 911s we run plus much cheaper to maintain.
11-18-2017, 02:50 AM
Rennlist Member
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...055b76a1a0.jpg
Well the Megane performed successfully today at Manfield. In total 60 laps excluding in and out laps over 6 sessions with ambient temps lower than Taupo starting the day around 15 and finishing on 19. The day was overcast with wind so track temps didn't get above 35. This helped alot with heat soak and as the sessions were typically 18-20 mins long engine performance was not a particular issue until around lap 10.
Overall the car met my benchmark expectations of 1.22s with best lap 1.22.24 and very strong consistency as you can see - 35% of my laps were in the 22s! I had hoped optimistically to perhaps get a late 1.21 outlier but Im very consistent at this track and after learning the shift changes and how the car handled there was little more I could do. Manfield is a bit of a horsepower track and it was so obvious coming out of T5 how difficult it is to get power to the ground especially once the road compound tyres started squealing in protest. A bump in power and torque would really help times at this track as would more grip. There was no doubt playing with the Porsches that even out of the box the Megane RS is quick on the in field.
By my estimate after the tune with R comp tyres the Renault should be capable of an early 1.19 at Manfield with some consistency. That probably puts it ahead of most the the Porsche road cars on comparable rubber.
Back to Taupo Monday but not expecting and different outcomes from Wednesday. The tyres are now looking rather sorry, lost some chunks from the LHS front tyre today, the rubber just got too hot and tortured, I dont think teh manufacturer expected this type of demand from such a tyre. The treat pattern looks serious business but the compound starts to suffer after repeated abuse although I do like these Yoko tyres as a fast road tyre.
Brakes were phenominal again. Constantly beaten on and totally dependable. Quite pleasantly surprised.
Last time at Manfield I was cutting low 14s in a 991 GT3. Even though the FWD Megane is obviously more pedestrian and cant replace teh high RPM and G force thrills of the GT3 I have to say it was actually alot of fun to drive and very rewarding keeping up and passing much more capable cars. I feel it will be ALOT more fun once we get +45bhp and +90nm boost from next weeks tuning and throw her on some Z221 Hankook R comps. Will be revisiting Taupo on 26 November with the horsepower upgrade but before fitting the Z221 to get further data on what the power upgrade does. I suspect the tyres will be too shagged by then to actually put much of it to the ground other than in a straight line!
Well the Megane performed successfully today at Manfield. In total 60 laps excluding in and out laps over 6 sessions with ambient temps lower than Taupo starting the day around 15 and finishing on 19. The day was overcast with wind so track temps didn't get above 35. This helped alot with heat soak and as the sessions were typically 18-20 mins long engine performance was not a particular issue until around lap 10.
Overall the car met my benchmark expectations of 1.22s with best lap 1.22.24 and very strong consistency as you can see - 35% of my laps were in the 22s! I had hoped optimistically to perhaps get a late 1.21 outlier but Im very consistent at this track and after learning the shift changes and how the car handled there was little more I could do. Manfield is a bit of a horsepower track and it was so obvious coming out of T5 how difficult it is to get power to the ground especially once the road compound tyres started squealing in protest. A bump in power and torque would really help times at this track as would more grip. There was no doubt playing with the Porsches that even out of the box the Megane RS is quick on the in field.
By my estimate after the tune with R comp tyres the Renault should be capable of an early 1.19 at Manfield with some consistency. That probably puts it ahead of most the the Porsche road cars on comparable rubber.
Back to Taupo Monday but not expecting and different outcomes from Wednesday. The tyres are now looking rather sorry, lost some chunks from the LHS front tyre today, the rubber just got too hot and tortured, I dont think teh manufacturer expected this type of demand from such a tyre. The treat pattern looks serious business but the compound starts to suffer after repeated abuse although I do like these Yoko tyres as a fast road tyre.
Brakes were phenominal again. Constantly beaten on and totally dependable. Quite pleasantly surprised.
Last time at Manfield I was cutting low 14s in a 991 GT3. Even though the FWD Megane is obviously more pedestrian and cant replace teh high RPM and G force thrills of the GT3 I have to say it was actually alot of fun to drive and very rewarding keeping up and passing much more capable cars. I feel it will be ALOT more fun once we get +45bhp and +90nm boost from next weeks tuning and throw her on some Z221 Hankook R comps. Will be revisiting Taupo on 26 November with the horsepower upgrade but before fitting the Z221 to get further data on what the power upgrade does. I suspect the tyres will be too shagged by then to actually put much of it to the ground other than in a straight line!
Last edited by Macca; 11-18-2017 at 10:41 PM.
11-19-2017, 09:13 PM
Rennlist Member
Whoa, I thought this thread was dead!
11-20-2017, 06:25 AM
Intermediate
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Hi all, recently back in NZ (top of the south) with a low km 993 manual coupe (Polar over Midnight, ex UK). Enjoying the roads here (except for stone chips) and look forward to meeting up at some stage. Joined a recent PCNZ TOTS event with enough air-cooled to make it interesting. Pleasantly surprised at the number of classics/exotica around TOTS roads given population size.
11-20-2017, 03:12 PM
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Hi all, recently back in NZ (top of the south) with a low km 993 manual coupe (Polar over Midnight, ex UK). Enjoying the roads here (except for stone chips) and look forward to meeting up at some stage. Joined a recent PCNZ TOTS event with enough air-cooled to make it interesting. Pleasantly surprised at the number of classics/exotica around TOTS roads given population size.
11-20-2017, 03:55 PM
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...055b76a1a0.jpg
Well the Megane performed successfully today at Manfield. In total 60 laps excluding in and out laps over 6 sessions with ambient temps lower than Taupo starting the day around 15 and finishing on 19. The day was overcast with wind so track temps didn't get above 35. This helped alot with heat soak and as the sessions were typically 18-20 mins long engine performance was not a particular issue until around lap 10.
Overall the car met my benchmark expectations of 1.22s with best lap 1.22.24 and very strong consistency as you can see - 35% of my laps were in the 22s! I had hoped optimistically to perhaps get a late 1.21 outlier but Im very consistent at this track and after learning the shift changes and how the car handled there was little more I could do. Manfield is a bit of a horsepower track and it was so obvious coming out of T5 how difficult it is to get power to the ground especially once the road compound tyres started squealing in protest. A bump in power and torque would really help times at this track as would more grip. There was no doubt playing with the Porsches that even out of the box the Megane RS is quick on the in field.
By my estimate after the tune with R comp tyres the Renault should be capable of an early 1.19 at Manfield with some consistency. That probably puts it ahead of most the the Porsche road cars on comparable rubber.
Back to Taupo Monday but not expecting and different outcomes from Wednesday. The tyres are now looking rather sorry, lost some chunks from the LHS front tyre today, the rubber just got too hot and tortured, I dont think teh manufacturer expected this type of demand from such a tyre. The treat pattern looks serious business but the compound starts to suffer after repeated abuse although I do like these Yoko tyres as a fast road tyre.
Brakes were phenominal again. Constantly beaten on and totally dependable. Quite pleasantly surprised.
Last time at Manfield I was cutting low 14s in a 991 GT3. Even though the FWD Megane is obviously more pedestrian and cant replace teh high RPM and G force thrills of the GT3 I have to say it was actually alot of fun to drive and very rewarding keeping up and passing much more capable cars. I feel it will be ALOT more fun once we get +45bhp and +90nm boost from next weeks tuning and throw her on some Z221 Hankook R comps. Will be revisiting Taupo on 26 November with the horsepower upgrade but before fitting the Z221 to get further data on what the power upgrade does. I suspect the tyres will be too shagged by then to actually put much of it to the ground other than in a straight line!
Well the Megane performed successfully today at Manfield. In total 60 laps excluding in and out laps over 6 sessions with ambient temps lower than Taupo starting the day around 15 and finishing on 19. The day was overcast with wind so track temps didn't get above 35. This helped alot with heat soak and as the sessions were typically 18-20 mins long engine performance was not a particular issue until around lap 10.
Overall the car met my benchmark expectations of 1.22s with best lap 1.22.24 and very strong consistency as you can see - 35% of my laps were in the 22s! I had hoped optimistically to perhaps get a late 1.21 outlier but Im very consistent at this track and after learning the shift changes and how the car handled there was little more I could do. Manfield is a bit of a horsepower track and it was so obvious coming out of T5 how difficult it is to get power to the ground especially once the road compound tyres started squealing in protest. A bump in power and torque would really help times at this track as would more grip. There was no doubt playing with the Porsches that even out of the box the Megane RS is quick on the in field.
By my estimate after the tune with R comp tyres the Renault should be capable of an early 1.19 at Manfield with some consistency. That probably puts it ahead of most the the Porsche road cars on comparable rubber.
Back to Taupo Monday but not expecting and different outcomes from Wednesday. The tyres are now looking rather sorry, lost some chunks from the LHS front tyre today, the rubber just got too hot and tortured, I dont think teh manufacturer expected this type of demand from such a tyre. The treat pattern looks serious business but the compound starts to suffer after repeated abuse although I do like these Yoko tyres as a fast road tyre.
Brakes were phenominal again. Constantly beaten on and totally dependable. Quite pleasantly surprised.
Last time at Manfield I was cutting low 14s in a 991 GT3. Even though the FWD Megane is obviously more pedestrian and cant replace teh high RPM and G force thrills of the GT3 I have to say it was actually alot of fun to drive and very rewarding keeping up and passing much more capable cars. I feel it will be ALOT more fun once we get +45bhp and +90nm boost from next weeks tuning and throw her on some Z221 Hankook R comps. Will be revisiting Taupo on 26 November with the horsepower upgrade but before fitting the Z221 to get further data on what the power upgrade does. I suspect the tyres will be too shagged by then to actually put much of it to the ground other than in a straight line!
I think your 1:19 for tune plus R compound is conservative.
Allowing for weight difference my Integra (1080kg with driver) on slicks has posted 1:16 at Manfeild, so I would expect the Megane with the extra power and torque on R rubber to go into high 17s-18, and on slicks to get close to 16s.
Cheers
11-20-2017, 06:51 PM
Rennlist Member
Hi all, recently back in NZ (top of the south) with a low km 993 manual coupe (Polar over Midnight, ex UK). Enjoying the roads here (except for stone chips) and look forward to meeting up at some stage. Joined a recent PCNZ TOTS event with enough air-cooled to make it interesting. Pleasantly surprised at the number of classics/exotica around TOTS roads given population size.
Unfortunately its impossible to keep your paintwork and window-screen chip free in NZ these days it would seem. Even with paint protection film the outcome is usually the same. Its worse when you live outside of the main cities and actually drive you car at any speed. I have 2017MY cars now showing signs of stone damage and its bloody depressing. It gets worse as summer comes and the seal gets hot and melts. Then you have tar spots to deal with also. Buy some "Di-sol-vit" works very well....
11-20-2017, 07:02 PM
Rennlist Member
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6d317a4eae.jpg
Hi Greg. Id like to think you are right. However I suspect weight will be the enemy.
Ran my third track day in the Megane yesterday at Taupo. The track was hotter than last week and by now the tyres were showing their weakness. The road compound cant handle the extreme heat especially as the car is very well braked. Ive been rotating the wheels but the rubber is well past its best with the rears now sporting the old fronts with chunks missing. It was very difficult to get power down. Learn alot from a few top flight drivers over three days at the track including a few fundamentals that have helped. I was running lower back pressures than front as per the door card but started running fractionally higher at the rear and this helped me rotate the car more consistently as the rear tyres warmed up. Also started to get into the groove with throttle off oversteer which has really helped. My lap times yesterday were generally slower than previous week (everyone was finding the track 1-2s slow due to heat and lots of marbles etc). However at the very end of the day I managed to get a lap comparable in time to last Wednesday first session (when it was cool). This was hard to achieve as the car was struggling to make good power from 11am on as the temps on the track surface got over 50C and the ambient went over 20C.
Thursday the car is being tuned. Unfortunately the intercooler wont arrive for another few weeks as I only just ordered it and it needs to be made. Next outing is hopefully 26 November Taupo to finish off these roadies and then Im hoping to have the intercooler and some Z221 Hankook fitted in time for 7 December at HD. That will be 5 track days and 4000+km total on the Megane in its first 3-4 weeks of ownership and will re evaluate after that time. The only think I can think would help after that (apart from ditching the rear seat and carpet for a 55kg+ saving) is some KW Clubsport coilovers. However Im thinking some larger front rotors may be in need by then too...
Wow, Macca - you sure are a data freak! I must admit I don't log any data from sessions beyond laptimes on Race Monitor and Speedhive. Impressive! And the only way to develop a car through various stages of modifications.
I think your 1:19 for tune plus R compound is conservative.
Allowing for weight difference my Integra (1080kg with driver) on slicks has posted 1:16 at Manfeild, so I would expect the Megane with the extra power and torque on R rubber to go into high 17s-18, and on slicks to get close to 16s.
Cheers
I think your 1:19 for tune plus R compound is conservative.
Allowing for weight difference my Integra (1080kg with driver) on slicks has posted 1:16 at Manfeild, so I would expect the Megane with the extra power and torque on R rubber to go into high 17s-18, and on slicks to get close to 16s.
Cheers
Ran my third track day in the Megane yesterday at Taupo. The track was hotter than last week and by now the tyres were showing their weakness. The road compound cant handle the extreme heat especially as the car is very well braked. Ive been rotating the wheels but the rubber is well past its best with the rears now sporting the old fronts with chunks missing. It was very difficult to get power down. Learn alot from a few top flight drivers over three days at the track including a few fundamentals that have helped. I was running lower back pressures than front as per the door card but started running fractionally higher at the rear and this helped me rotate the car more consistently as the rear tyres warmed up. Also started to get into the groove with throttle off oversteer which has really helped. My lap times yesterday were generally slower than previous week (everyone was finding the track 1-2s slow due to heat and lots of marbles etc). However at the very end of the day I managed to get a lap comparable in time to last Wednesday first session (when it was cool). This was hard to achieve as the car was struggling to make good power from 11am on as the temps on the track surface got over 50C and the ambient went over 20C.
Thursday the car is being tuned. Unfortunately the intercooler wont arrive for another few weeks as I only just ordered it and it needs to be made. Next outing is hopefully 26 November Taupo to finish off these roadies and then Im hoping to have the intercooler and some Z221 Hankook fitted in time for 7 December at HD. That will be 5 track days and 4000+km total on the Megane in its first 3-4 weeks of ownership and will re evaluate after that time. The only think I can think would help after that (apart from ditching the rear seat and carpet for a 55kg+ saving) is some KW Clubsport coilovers. However Im thinking some larger front rotors may be in need by then too...
Last edited by Macca; 11-20-2017 at 08:36 PM.
11-21-2017, 02:23 AM
Three Wheelin'
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6d317a4eae.jpg
Hi Greg. Id like to think you are right. However I suspect weight will be the enemy.
Ran my third track day in the Megane yesterday at Taupo. The track was hotter than last week and by now the tyres were showing their weakness. The road compound cant handle the extreme heat especially as the car is very well braked. Ive been rotating the wheels but the rubber is well past its best with the rears now sporting the old fronts with chunks missing. It was very difficult to get power down. Learn alot from a few top flight drivers over three days at the track including a few fundamentals that have helped. I was running lower back pressures than front as per the door card but started running fractionally higher at the rear and this helped me rotate the car more consistently as the rear tyres warmed up. Also started to get into the groove with throttle off oversteer which has really helped. My lap times yesterday were generally slower than previous week (everyone was finding the track 1-2s slow due to heat and lots of marbles etc). However at the very end of the day I managed to get a lap comparable in time to last Wednesday first session (when it was cool). This was hard to achieve as the car was struggling to make good power from 11am on as the temps on the track surface got over 50C and the ambient went over 20C.
Thursday the car is being tuned. Unfortunately the intercooler wont arrive for another few weeks as I only just ordered it and it needs to be made. Next outing is hopefully 26 November Taupo to finish off these roadies and then Im hoping to have the intercooler and some Z221 Hankook fitted in time for 7 December at HD. That will be 5 track days and 4000+km total on the Megane in its first 3-4 weeks of ownership and will re evaluate after that time. The only think I can think would help after that (apart from ditching the rear seat and carpet for a 55kg+ saving) is some KW Clubsport coilovers. However Im thinking some larger front rotors may be in need by then too...
Hi Greg. Id like to think you are right. However I suspect weight will be the enemy.
Ran my third track day in the Megane yesterday at Taupo. The track was hotter than last week and by now the tyres were showing their weakness. The road compound cant handle the extreme heat especially as the car is very well braked. Ive been rotating the wheels but the rubber is well past its best with the rears now sporting the old fronts with chunks missing. It was very difficult to get power down. Learn alot from a few top flight drivers over three days at the track including a few fundamentals that have helped. I was running lower back pressures than front as per the door card but started running fractionally higher at the rear and this helped me rotate the car more consistently as the rear tyres warmed up. Also started to get into the groove with throttle off oversteer which has really helped. My lap times yesterday were generally slower than previous week (everyone was finding the track 1-2s slow due to heat and lots of marbles etc). However at the very end of the day I managed to get a lap comparable in time to last Wednesday first session (when it was cool). This was hard to achieve as the car was struggling to make good power from 11am on as the temps on the track surface got over 50C and the ambient went over 20C.
Thursday the car is being tuned. Unfortunately the intercooler wont arrive for another few weeks as I only just ordered it and it needs to be made. Next outing is hopefully 26 November Taupo to finish off these roadies and then Im hoping to have the intercooler and some Z221 Hankook fitted in time for 7 December at HD. That will be 5 track days and 4000+km total on the Megane in its first 3-4 weeks of ownership and will re evaluate after that time. The only think I can think would help after that (apart from ditching the rear seat and carpet for a 55kg+ saving) is some KW Clubsport coilovers. However Im thinking some larger front rotors may be in need by then too...
11-21-2017, 05:04 AM
Rennlist Member
I think the reality is 470nm is as far as they want to go on this car regardless of what is possible with larger charge cooler etc It seems all the offshore tuners wont go beyond that due to the gearbox becoming the weak link. For BHP the rise was never quite so great in any case. Ive not seen over 320 bhp with larger cooler and downpipe/exhaust unless the engine has forged internals, bigger injectors and a hybrid custom turbo. Then 400 bhp is possible, but again most stop at around 470nm due to gearbox/clutch limitations.
There is a small change Pel may get his cooler in the next 24 hours which may be an option till mine arrives, but again not looking too likely. I guess on teh plus side if we tune with the factory unit then install the larger one we are running with some safety margin. The prime reason Im installing a cooler is not to make more power, but to ensure the power is available more of the time under track conditions etc.
11-21-2017, 05:28 AM
Three Wheelin'
Hi Graeme. Thanks for that. Yes its a remap on a dyno. Unfortunately Im stuck timing wise as this Thursday is my only chance to get to Auckland and have it done before Xmas, then away 4 weeks overseas etc. If they know Im going to install a larger intercooler I wonder if they can accommodate for that in their tune?
I think the reality is 470nm is as far as they want to go on this car regardless of what is possible with larger charge cooler etc It seems all the offshore tuners wont go beyond that due to the gearbox becoming the weak link. For BHP the rise was never quite so great in any case. Ive not seen over 320 bhp with larger cooler and downpipe/exhaust unless the engine has forged internals, bigger injectors and a hybrid custom turbo. Then 400 bhp is possible, but again most stop at around 470nm due to gearbox/clutch limitations.
There is a small change Pel may get his cooler in the next 24 hours which may be an option till mine arrives, but again not looking too likely. I guess on teh plus side if we tune with the factory unit then install the larger one we are running with some safety margin. The prime reason Im installing a cooler is not to make more power, but to ensure the power is available more of the time under track conditions etc.
I think the reality is 470nm is as far as they want to go on this car regardless of what is possible with larger charge cooler etc It seems all the offshore tuners wont go beyond that due to the gearbox becoming the weak link. For BHP the rise was never quite so great in any case. Ive not seen over 320 bhp with larger cooler and downpipe/exhaust unless the engine has forged internals, bigger injectors and a hybrid custom turbo. Then 400 bhp is possible, but again most stop at around 470nm due to gearbox/clutch limitations.
There is a small change Pel may get his cooler in the next 24 hours which may be an option till mine arrives, but again not looking too likely. I guess on teh plus side if we tune with the factory unit then install the larger one we are running with some safety margin. The prime reason Im installing a cooler is not to make more power, but to ensure the power is available more of the time under track conditions etc.