FTO AUSTRALIA

What's up folks - yes ol' school Mikey's baaaaack and boy have I got a deal for you...

As some of you may have seen, there have been some recent bling additions to my engine bay with genuine carbonfibre (CFRP) parts - see picture below:


** manufacturer logo has been removed for contractual / legal reasons **

I have recently been able to acquire a deal with a new composite fabrication company that can supply us with an almost endless array of automotive parts in exotic materials such as CFRP, kevlar or carbon-kevlar.

As you know, such materials are very lightweight yet amazingly strong, and contrary to popular belief - they absorb less heat than metal - which makes them very ideal for automotive applications. Like all other manufacturers out there, they employ the same technologies (ie: vacuum wrap-formed / UV heat-baked) and in some cases utilise better materials for higher durability and strength.

However, through successful negotiations I have been able to secure a deal that will offer a vast range of products specifically designed for the FTO at a significantly reduced cost and made entirely from carbonfibre, kevlar or carbon-kevlar (if you've really got money to burn) for a truly professional result.

To get started, we are now ready to mass-manufacture the following items for the FTO (MIVEC & non MIVEC)

1) Radiator heatshield
2) Podfilter airbox/heatshield
* Optional - Intake pipe and CAI hose to suit the airbox (currently in development)

If you wish to discuss further about such applications for your car then please do so here. There will be separate group buy threads posted for each available item shortly once I finalise the pricing with my supplier this week so you can place your order (and make it easier for me to track them).

For those who are seriously interested, there are significant cost savings (not to mention the street-cred and performance benefits ) when compared to similar offerings by other vendors out there so keep an eye out for the group buys.

So, who's up for some carbon fetish??

oh damn mickey your back, jsut when i thought i was getting closer and closer to your post count ! hehe just kidden
anyways glad to see you back, your car is looking great, a few extra shinny things under the bonnet, do you really think it will help you at the lights, when you pull up next to the mighty GR though hehehe
post some more pics up for us to drool over
is there anychance the Intake pipe will be compaitible for us non-mivecs out there ? one with a 3" inny and 3" outy (for our stupid MAS)
What sort of prices can we expect for these products too, i know its early days.

If we can get more information about the specific parts then count me in for sure.

very keen mikey...

airbox / heat shield etc, hopefully they can be made so that a CAI can pass sealed into the box...

does this company have the ability to do materials in metal as well? E.g. like the fan shrouds and fuse box covers and radiator brackets?

i hate to be a stickler but as we're expect all claims to be proven could you please provide proof where claims are made...


also looking at that CAI heat shield it seems to be pretty open to engine heat... have you got some better pictures?


cheers mate

I should make it clear at this point - this is only an airbox, not a full-blown CAI kit.


I assure you, it is shielded from the engine bay heat as you can see from the picture above. It is a 2-piece enclosure made entirely out of CFRP (which consists of a side & top plate) with a small crevice along the corner to allow ambient heat from the chassis (surrounding the filter) to escape when cold air is being blown into the filter (inside the airbox).

We can also arrange to have a fully wrap-formed CFRP airbox in 1 piece (similar to the Mugen style), but that will be a more expensive option due to the degree of fabrication required to make the moulds etc.

I don't understand exactly which claims you are referring to Steve, but for what it's worth, why not pay your workshop a visit to borrow a heat gun, then blow it onto a piece of carbonfibre (ie: that wing on the UAS Zed race-car should suffice) and place your hand on the other side of it. Next try and blow the on a piece of aluminium (in similar thickness) with the same heat gun and place your palms on the other side of the metal at the same time and see how much longer you can stand the heat....

The strength & weight advantages of carbonfibre is widely known as I'm sure most of you will no doubt have known by now. For example, try and knock on a piece of aluminium & CFRP (similar thickness) with a hammer (with an identical amount of force) and see which one distorts first... those here who have already inspected the product physically will vouch for its quality first hand.

I will not go on and brag about how great the product is - i'll just let the results and testimony from others speak for themselves.

I have not made any bogus claims about any increase in horsepower or significant drop in intake temps with this airbox / heatshield simply because it has not been properly tested yet, but I'm sure there will be quite a number of people here who at least would be really keen to spruce up their engine bay for a truly professional look / result (with potentially marginal differences in performance...) I am also confident that once you try the heatgun experiment above, the result itself should substantiate my "claims"....

I can understand fully that there are people out there who may be cautious/sceptic about the products being offered, but hey nobody's forcing anyone into the group buy. For what it's worth I have organised group buys / private sales here in the past with no problems whatsoever so I think I still have some respectable credibility in dealing with business matters... Clearly if the powers that be feel that there is a major conflict of interest then I will have no choice but to withdraw this offer (which means you all will miss out on some great products which are rarely affordable)

Any further issues / concerns please feel free to comment.

Do you have any rough estimates?

cant wait until this gets into production

geeze mikey no need to get all defensive...

For those who are seriously interested, there are significant cost savings (not to mention the street-cred and performance benefits ) when compared to similar offerings by other vendors out there so keep an eye out for the group buys

"performance benefits"


all i have to say.

actually i lie... its not all i have to say... couple more questions for the clubs members, things that should be considered and may not be. If you would be so kind as to answer these with as much detail as possible.


1. will this work with an OEM intake pipe?

2. this was designed to work with a turbo car, what are you plans for proving the design on a NA car?

3. will you have to purchase the new intake piping that is currently under development to make this work?

4. if the buyer hasn't provided enough intake pressure through a snorkle will it suck hot air in through the small crevice that's supposed to allow hot air out. how is the rest of it sealed? is it truely airtight?

4b. why isn't this crevice at the highest point seeing hot air rises?


cheers mate

Maybe my "Engrish" isn't that good but i'm sure some of the questions had already been answer in both of mikey's posts..........

Time to bring out the tape, & get the "Backyard Blitz" measurement happening

Mikey,
Looks good!

If we give you dimensions of pieces we need fabricated and designs can this be done?
My setup is quite cramped and i envisage custom pieces being required.

I have seen Mikeys engine bay recently and i can vouch that these parts aren't any cheap imatation crap.

If this product can withstand treatment from a turbo engine bay i think its safe to say its going to hold its own in a NA engine bay.

Cheers

1. will this work with an OEM intake pipe?

2. this was designed to work with a turbo car, what are you plans for proving the design on a NA car?

3. will you have to purchase the new intake piping that is currently under development to make this work?

All points I'm interested in.

Mainly, is taking this filter box going to be more of a benefit then taking the UAS designed box + piping??

Pardon me, it was not my intent to be overly-defensive - I was only trying to cover my grounds because I had sensed scepticism when asked to prove my 'claims'... let's get past this.

1) Yes, the airbox will be manufactured to adapt the OEM intake pipe. It is strongly recommended that you incorporate an induction snorkel (if you already don't have one) to fully benefit from this setup.

2) Clearly the airbox pictured above was never meant for an NA setup - it was just to illustrate how the product / finish looks like as an example of what applications are available for everyone. The final design for the NA setup will be released shortly - this thread is only an EoI for those who are interested, I am not selling my particular design.

3) There will be 2 types of airbox avaible - one for the OEM intake, and one for our own CAI kit which will be developed shortly (includes the intake piping, induction snorkel, airfilter, airbox and brackets). For those who already have an aftermarket intake system installed, we may need to modify the airbox to accomodate the mounting angles of your filter / intake pipe.

4) It is not designed to be sealed air-tight for ventilation and installation purposes. You do not want warm air to be trapped inside the airbox, which is why we have incorporated a crevice in order for the airbox to 'breathe'. The airbox has been designed to be heat-shielded from the top and side to protect from bonnet heat and engine heat respectively.

As such the filter draws its supply of fresh air from underneath the box (which is not exactly the optimum method for CAI but it will at least look heaps better and keep the heat away from the engine). For those who have retained their OEM induction snorkel, this airbox will complement the setup very nicely because it is also drawing fresh supply of cool air from the front bumper (effectively filling the airbox with plenty of cool air for the filter).

4b. why isn't this crevice at the highest point seeing hot air rises?
In my prototype the crevice was strategically placed closest to the airfilter in order to keep the area surrounding the filter cool (by allowing nearby heat to escape). The volume of cool air drawn from using your OEM / DIY / our own designed induction snorkel should force the warm air (surrounding the filter) through the crevice out from the airbox.

MRFT000 - it would be better if you could show us some pics of your engine bay so we can have a look at the dimensions required. This applies to those who already have an aftermarket induction system installed on their car (due to the varying filter sizes etc).

BuCkEt - that will be your own choice. Until the full CAI kit is developed and properly tested, I will not make any bogus claims about noticeable performance increases without any certifiable dyno charts. Basically what's on offer is purely cosmetic with a real potential to improve performance - nothing more and nothing less. If you are happy with the UAS kit (in terms of its appearance / material & function) then stick with it. Carbonfibre is not for everyone, but if such technology is used by the F1 teams, wouldn't it be nice to have a bit of that technology in your daily driven pride & joy?

Gav - where there is a will, there is a way

Kev - you might need a temperature sensor while you're at it - no kidding man! :lol:

mikey,
thank you for the answers

i hope my questions and your answers have helped members to understand what you are developing and that it is not finished and that the above images are simply as an example.

i look forward to seeing further developments from you

that radiator fan shroud looks like it has the potential to vibrate a bit.... ummm... does it?

if not, im in for one...

cheers

simon

Welcome back Mikey!
Well depending on the price i would be down for the fan cover, are there any guesstimates on very rough pricing for these items?

Mikey,

What are the chances of getting some CF replacement panels, boot, bonnet made?

As i think there would be some interest in this as a bit of weight reduction.

Joel, we don't envisage there will be many owners out there serious enough about shedding significant amounts of weight from their car by using replacement CFRP panels but yes - it is definitely possible (though production runs will be very limited and made to order)

The CFRP bootlid and bonnet are already in the works, and if current indications are anything to go by, the bootlid should weigh in at about 4kgs (give or take) and the bonnet should weigh about 7 kgs... The bonnet will be fully custom-designed (no Evo-mock lookalikes) with functional ventilation and a different contour profile...

Boris, I've spoken to my supplier re the radiator heatshield and they have finalised the pricing for those - stay tuned for my group buy thread shortly.

Chiangstar, I have not encountered any vibration issues to date - however we may need to trim a little bit along the top edge of the radiator shield (near the cam covers) to prevent heat from the radiator from being trapped underneath.

OK, i finally got some details & pricing for the CFRP radiator heatshield panel for the group buy - who wants to post the thread for me...?