Quite the busy day today! First of all, huge thanks to Scheides and Spaz for giving me a hand with the mod installs this morning, and second thanks to Shane @ DB for sending me home with yet another great tune!
This morning we installed the AFE Stage 2 Dryflow intake kit, DB MBC, Nisei 1-piece UICP, and removed the clutch restrictor pill. Then it was off to DB to get a tune from Shane. Yes, Shane is the main reason Janelle and I drove the X up from TX rather than just flying. I'll post up some charts later, but it made 274 whp at 26 psi peak tapering to 18. This is a bit lower than I was hoping for, but still only 4whp below Scheides who does have a FMIC and the WGA arm tightened over my car. Out on the streets the car feels absolutely fantastic and I couldn't be happier with how it feels. Shane also made me a 91-octane alternate map for use when driving between Minneapolis and Dallas since most the country stations don't have good gas. The alt maps are ultra slick, I just hold down the cruise control button for 3 seconds to flip between the primary and alt maps.
As for the mods I chose, I couldn't be happier. The AFE intake fit perfectly as did the Nisei UICP which seriously looks more stockish than the stock UICP did since it's a single mandrel bent aluminum pipe coated in matte black. The DB MBC was coated by Primo in gloss black and also looks good in the engine bay. Although most guys with the X opt for electronic ECU-controlled boost, I chose to go the simple yet effective route. I've had nothing but great lucking using MBC's for the past 10 years so I figured there is no reason to not go with one; especially since I tried all the ECU methods on my IX and ended up going back to a MBC and being much happier. The stock clutch feels much more direct and responsive with that stupid pill removed too. It actually engages when I want it to and doesn't slip the clutch at all during a hard shift. Hopefully this will help my stock clutch live a long and healthy life.
I'll also add that the X is a fantastic roadtrip car, especially with the cruise control and satellite radio. So far I have ~1,700 miles since last Friday and by the time we get home on Sunday I expect to be nearing the 3k mile mark for the trip.