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| The ARK Design MFD, RST and ABC are thin and compact. They put a lot of function in a small unobtrusive place. We didn’t want to have ricey cop attracting pillar pods and a bunch of control boxes hanging all around the interior. |
To mount the MFD, we first relocated our radio to the lower position on the center console using Mitsubishi’s factory radio relocation kit. This nice piece includes the brackets and a new radio surround. Moving the radio lower allows the MFD to be installed up high on the dash where it is easy to monitor. We used a Genuine Mitsubishi block off plate to mount the MFD via the use of the provided double stick tape.
We also installed ARK’s RST. The RST or Rev Shift Timer incorporates a Turbo Timer, Shift Light, A/F Ratio and Battery Voltage meter in a slim compact package about the size of a pack of gum. The RST LED indicator shows color changing A/F readings as well as shift point. An easy to use see-saw and roller button control makes switching function on the RST easy. We liked is the RST’s automatic mode, where the unit decides how long the turbo timer should let the engine idle based upon how the car was driven before shutoff.
Although the A/F ratio meter is a cool display, it is not a wide band unit and thus not suitable for tuning. When compared to the output of our Innovate LM-1 we found it was quite a bit off for anything not in closed loop, which is typical of non wide band sensor meters. Treat the display as an open loop indicator and you won’t have any problems.
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| The ARK Design RST or Rev Shift Timer can function as a tach, AFR monitor and turbo timer. The AFR monitor is not a wide band so it is not useful for tuning. The turbo timer is smart and adjusts the idle down time according to how hard you have been driving. The ABC is a boost controller and boost gauge. It is very easy to adjust and use. It is also very compact. |
We also installed an ARK ABC or Advanced Boost Control at this time. The ABC is also very compact and like all ARK products, easy to wire and install. The ABC is very compact, identical in size to the RST and we fit all three units on the Mitsubishi block off plate very nicely. The ABC has an easy to use interface with simple see-saw and roller button controls. The ABC features two preset boost levels with overboost warning alarms and a safety feature that reverts to native wastegate pressure if unusually excessive boost pressure or too quick of a rise in boost pressure is detected, the limits of which are user adjustable. Some people find overly complicated, self learning or fuzzy controlled boost controllers inconsistent and annoying and a trend is for simpler boost control. The ABC fits this bill and is very easy to use and set up.
The ABC improved boost response compared to the stock factory ECU control, however once we tuned the factory boost control with ECU flash software we were able to get nearly identical performance. It is not that easy to effectively tune the boost via ECU since it requires editing two different tables and datalogging. You must reflash the ECU to change the boost level. There is a limit on how many times the factory ECU can be reflashed without causing glitches. If you frequently run race gas or have a desire to change your boost pressure often depending on the situation, the ABC is for you. The ABC will come in handy later when we go to a big turbo and an external wastegate.
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| The WORKS shift knob has a good weight and a nice larger feel. Its anodized finish doesn’t get too hot and burn your hand like other metal shift knobs. |
While in the interior of the car we replaced the stock shift knob with WORKS Grab billet part. The 6061 bead blasted, hard anodized knob is nice because it doesn’t get burning hot like most metal knobs and its extra weight smoothes out shifting. Its large 2” diameter head is easier to grab than the 1.7” stock knob, making the part more functional as well as stylish. The WORKS part also shortens up the shifter by 6mm. Well, we admit that we got it purely for looks and to complement the other WORKS products in our car.
