I contemplated for a while whether to write about this or not because I am sure people are going to make some rude comments.

Anyways...I noticed that the car when you go full throttle the torque is amazing but it just feels like that is it. The car takes off great but doesn't seem like it goes anywhere in top end RPM's...am I doing something wrong?

The car is stock

 

That is because the turbo is smaller and gearing ratio is shorter. I dont think you are doing anything wrong, you are just limited by what the car is currently set to in stock form.

 

That's how the stock tune is, the top end isn't the where most of the power curve is. A base flash will fix that pretty quickly if you're inclined to do so. See GST's base flash thread .

 

Yeah, it's pretty amazing how much limited this car from the factory. Like a few others said, with a base tune you won't have that flat spot from about 5000 RPM to redline. Instead with a base tune it will continue to pull and pull hard to redline. A base tune also really smooths out how the Ralliart runs all together. Just my 2 cents.

 

Will the tune void the warranty? Even if the rest of the car is stock.

 

Tune is pretty much invisible.

 

The last thing I want is a brand new car with a voided warranty.

 

I hate to say it but yes it will void the warranty if the dealership finds out. A lot of dealerships just look the other way. You could do what I was going to do and wait for the 3yr/36000 mile powertrain warranty to expire and then tune it but I couldn't wait that long. knows people are going the mess with the Ralliart and Evo. That's why they give such a short powertrain warranty compared to the standard Lancer.

 

When I bought the car there was a special that came with the extended warranty for free so I have 7yr/100,000 mile warranty.

 

tune will void warranty , if you end up having a problem with your engine or transmission down the line and they see you have a tune good luck arguing with them that it wasnt your tunes fault.

alot of people like to just quote the Mag MOss warranty act but in reality if a dealer denies you warranty after you have thoroughly discussed it with them the ONLY way your going to get your warranty back is with a lawyer which will cost you. you cant simply tell the dealer "but but but th e Mag moss warranty act... " they will laugh in your face and say ok heres the proof the tune changed this which cause this and now bam your transmission doesnt work right. this is the case for serious powertrain warranty cases that will cost the dealer and MMNA thousands of dollars.

in the end if you want your warranty protection i suggest sticking to a drop in and maybe an axle back exhaust.

a new document from MMNA states that they are now looking at evos more closely for mods including TUNES / Flashes. I assume if they are doing this for the evos they will do it for the ralliarts if enough begin to have problems.

 

Then it's up to you if you want to tune it or not. Maybe wait a while and then see if you get the itch. It's just a shame that restricted this car so much from the factory.

 

I find it makes the best power in the midrange as well

 

Well, if the dealer really goes into your tuned ROM file and compare the timing and fuel cells to a stock ROM then they can notice it was tampered with. I have yet to hear that there is some kind of counter that records how many times the ECU has been written to.

Keep all your stock parts if your going to mod anything. If you encounter a major problem then you can revert back to stock and take it for warranty. Don't do excessive mods if you feel lazy to return it back to stock.

 

After loading the AMS base flash in my Ralliart, there was a big difference in power at higher rpms. You can tell that the car doesn't start to lay down nearing the shifts anymore.

Tune will void the warranty. Like said above, a lot of dealers won't even bother to check unless there is an engine failure or something else major that would lead to tuning being a cause.

If you choose to go with our base flash and ever need it flashed back to stock for any reason, we will be happy to do so at no charge other than cost of shipping of the ecu if you aren't local.

 

All the power is between 2500-4000rpm. After 5000rpm you are just making a loud noise!

Tuning will mean you lose warranty

Which is a bit of a **** when the transmission costs $9-12k