[james]

Originally Posted by james

I now feel we MAY have judged Joel too soon on my thread.

I would like to take back my words. I don't know what to believe anymore but I believe my sources. This engine is blown and is not running after a few runs at the drag. The block was seen a few weeks ago being carted outta the garage with badly scored liners/sleeves. Pics were taken of the liners and engine number R18Axxxxx802.

Given my experience with RC, I did think this was too good to be true.
Unfortunately I am not in a position to share any proof or pics publicly.

I am only posting this as I don't want people to think I've had a change of heart with respect to Race Concepts.

At the end of the day, Caveat Emptor.

Some things just don't change. I'm outta here!

Cheers!

[Merc_lover666]

May I please know as to who's car you are talking about here?

[Asta_la_vista]

Originally Posted by jocreative

can I know what are the size on the rims and tyres on this model? What brand are the rims? Looks really cool.

These are 17 inchers from BSA!! Yup you read it right!! its BSA!!

[Merc_lover666]

Originally Posted by james

I would like to take back my words. I don't know what to believe anymore but I believe my sources. This engine is blown and is not running after a few runs at the drag. The block was seen a few weeks ago being carted outta the garage with badly scored liners/sleeves. Pics were taken of the liners and engine number R18Axxxxx802.

Given my experience with RC, I did think this was too good to be true.
Unfortunately I am not in a position to share any proof or pics publicly.

I am only posting this as I don't want people to think I've had a change of heart with respect to Race Concepts.

At the end of the day, Caveat Emptor.

Some things just don't change. I'm outta here!

Cheers!

Dear All,

I am the rightful owner of this vehicle. It is very sad to note that so many uncharitable things have been spoken about Joel and the car. Not once has anybody tried to contact me to find out what the true story is and how exactly is the car doing.

Well I did not intend up until now to get into this mud slinging match that has been going on for a while and the only reason I am doing it now is to put a fair and frank end to this long drawn debate.

Well Joel started this project before a year in the end of August 2015 on my insistence. He had told me back then too that he first wanted to source all the parts but I coaxed him to collect the car first and drove down to Bangalore and dropped the car with him then and there without even waiting for his green light. To be fair to Joel I rushed him into this project out of my own excitement to have a bloody fast Civic and that too asap.

Once the car was with him he started working on which turbo to use etc. Frankly it took him 2-3 months to finalise the set up and then another couple of months to source all the parts, He was also busy with his racing and completing a few other projects that delayed my project but he told me that he needed time and wanted to concentrate fully on my car once he started work on it as he said he wanted to deliver a 300+ hp car with no hiccups whatsoever. Therefore he put it clearly that it may take a little longer and asked me to bear with him. I admit I did loose my patience with him around April end when I read the thread posted by James. There was a massive loss of confidence back then. I thought I was being taken for a ride. As I had no previous experience with Joel and his work. However I had a lot of reassurance coming from guys like Anoop and a few others who are using cars that have been tuned by Joel and they told me to ignore all the stuff being written about Joel and RC and have faith and hold on and to give Joel the time he needed to deliver what he intended to and not rush him unnecessarily. In hindsight I am glad I listened to their advise and trusted Joel.

As it stands today the car is back with me since over 2 months now and I have already clocked in excess of 3000 km with the car without any hiccups whatsoever. The car is very comfortably putting out 350 hp and the fuel efficiency to is very very good in terms of such a heavily modded car. Overall I must say that Joel has delivered to me more than what I had expected and that too at the price he had promised. There has been not much escalation in the budget from what I was quoted at the very beginning and in places I must be honest we have gone for upgrades as compared to what we had decided to use earlier. That too has contributed to the rise in budget.

I would like to sign out by saying that Joel and Race Concepts have fully restored my faith in the tuning scene and now I do believe that a tuned car if tuned well by a person who truly knows his job can be a much better ride than a stock sports car bought at 5 times the price. Cheers to Joel and his team!

I also thank Team BHP wholeheartedly as it is from this platform that I learnt about Joel and Race Concepts. Team Bhp too has a role in my dream coming true and for that I will be ever great full to the team behind Team BHP - More Power To You Guys!!!

[blahman]

Such a classy reply to all that's happening on & off this forum. We've all been there Mihir! I confidently backed him up because I've had my doubts about Joel's capabilities cleared over and over again in the course of 2 years of me owning a car built by him!Your car is the epitome of a r18 build in the country. As envious as I am about that silver beast of yours I'm extremely happy for you Here's to all the safe and overwhelming drives you shall encounter with the car!

PS Can't wait for a detailed thread

[Merc_lover666]

Attached here is a picture of the car as on today and the dyno map which speaks for itself.

[nova9]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

The car is very comfortably putting out 350 hp and the fuel efficiency to is very very good in terms of such a heavily modded car.

So whats the 0 to 100 timing now?

[Merc_lover666]

Dear Nova9,

I have not yet tested the 0-100 times on this car as I do not have the right equipment to do so. I am an enthusiast and not a professional and therefore have no wherewithal to correctly ascertain such values.

However to make myself absolutely clear I have done this project to get myself a car that puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Frankly I am not concerned with the 0-100 timing. Its the pull you get when you are on boost is the truly addictive part of owning a Turbo Charged vehicle. The 0-100 time will not be too great as the power is served up only once the Turbo spools and mine spools full on at 4500. Therefore to expect a blistering 0-100 time will not be fair as we never started out looking for a drag car but a high speed weekend highway cruiser that can give the BMW's and Merc's more than a run for their money. The peak power is achieved at 5500 and the redline is at 8000 rpm. Hope this gives you a fair idea about what the car feels like to drive.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

The peak power is achieved at 5500 and the redline is at 8000 rpm. Hope this gives you a fair idea about what the car feels like to drive.

Based on the dyno graph you have posted,

5500 RPM : 180 BHP

8500 RPM : 392 HP (Peak Power)

[Merc_lover666]

Dear Dr. Naren,

I am sorry I forgot to add that this map was being run at the very beginning in Bangalore. I am no longer running this map as Joel was kind enough to drop into Mumbai and we have a new more efficient and lesser aggressive map.

After running the new and improved map we are getting peak power from 5500 to 8000 rpm. I did not need 380 hp output for my daily drives so we agreed on a more usable map. Will post an image of the same for you very soon.

Thank you for correcting me on my oversight.

Cheers!

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

Dear Dr. Naren,

I am sorry I forgot to add that this map was being run at the very beginning in Bangalore. I am no longer running this map as Joel was kind enough to drop into Mumbai and we have a new more efficient and lesser aggressive map.

After running the new and improved map we are getting peak power from 5500 to 8000 rpm. I did not need 380 hp output for my daily drives so we agreed on a more usable map. Will post an image of the same for you very soon.

Thank you for correcting me on my oversight.

Cheers!

Thanks for the clarification buddy!!

Peak power at 5500 RPM and holding it till 8K RPM looks interesting . I too don't believe in outright numbers. Good power-torque graph and driveability is important.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

Attached here is a picture of the car as on today and the dyno map which speaks for itself.

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

Dear Dr. Naren,

I am sorry I forgot to add that this map was being run at the very beginning in Bangalore. I am no longer running this map as Joel was kind enough to drop into Mumbai and we have a new more efficient and lesser aggressive map.

Was just about to say that the graph doesn't look like the one which comes from KS's dyno

Waiting to see the current dyno graph. What power is the Civic putting out now?

[Merc_lover666]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Was just about to say that the graph doesn't look like the one which comes from KS's dyno

Waiting to see the current dyno graph. What power is the Civic putting out now?

330 hp since you already have access to the graph you could please go ahead and post it on my behalf.

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Was just about to say that the graph doesn't look like the one which comes from KS's dyno

Waiting to see the current dyno graph. What power is the Civic putting out now?

Btw You have an amazing choice of cars Sir!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

330 hp since you already have access to the graph you could please go ahead and post it on my behalf.



Btw You have an amazing choice of cars Sir!

Oh no! I don't have access to the graph. I just remember that the graphs from KSs Dyno look different, and don't have Racedynamics on the bottom

So that's not a very big drop in power. 330 is still great and will feel wild in Mumbai. I hope you are running some really sticky tyres on the front to put the power down!

Thank you for the compliment on the choice of cars

[nova9]

Originally Posted by Merc_lover666

Dear Nova9,

I have not yet tested the 0-100 times on this car as I do not have the right equipment to do so. I am an enthusiast and not a professional and therefore have no wherewithal to correctly ascertain such values.

However to make myself absolutely clear I have done this project to get myself a car that puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Frankly I am not concerned with the 0-100 timing. Its the pull you get when you are on boost is the truly addictive part of owning a Turbo Charged vehicle. The 0-100 time will not be too great as the power is served up only once the Turbo spools and mine spools full on at 4500. Therefore to expect a blistering 0-100 time will not be fair as we never started out looking for a drag car but a high speed weekend highway cruiser that can give the BMW's and Merc's more than a run for their money. The peak power is achieved at 5500 and the redline is at 8000 rpm. Hope this gives you a fair idea about what the car feels like to drive.

Hey Merc_Lover666,

Wasnt looking for an exact timing. I own a Civic 1.8v and a polo GT Tsi. So i know what a turbocharger feels like

The GT beats the stock civic by about a second. So was curious what a Turbocharged Civic could achieve.

If you ever on the freeway, do give try timing your 0 to 100. Wont be exact to the millisecond, but would give a fair idea,no?

Also perhaps you have mentioned this earlier, but if not then may i ask how much the entire job cost?