I'll go ahead and post up exactly what problems I ran into with the Alpine Entry Level, give some advice to those who are leaning on the edge of whether or not to go with Alpine for F/I. Talk about some of the issues people bring up with the Alpine, and give my opinion on how valid they are. Hell, I'll even grade each on a A/B/C/D/F scale.

First thing that comes to mind with Alpine are the horror stories from years ago. Bad quality work, not so good customer service, etc. The Shark Racing of Forced Induction maybe? wink1.gif Here are a few issues that have come up with Alpine and their kits.

Quality of Materials/Packaging: Great now. I received the kit how you would want to receive a multi-thousand dollar investment. So well packaged it took me a hell of a long time just to get it open. Everything was well packed and organized inside the box, very low chance of anything in there getting damaged. The quality of the actual product is great. Turbo was mint, everything on the turbo assembly was pre-assembled correctly to proper spec. The piping was thick and beefy, and all the oil lines/compressor housing/etc. were plugged to keep dust/packaging kernels/other miscellaneous junk out of the pieces. Couldn't ask for better.
Grade: A

Customer Service: Pretty good to me. As long as you call John your good to go. He is an older guy and so is not quite so adept with responding to emails. Email responses were by no means blistering fast but I did get responses eventually from Dave if I did send e-mails. I called and talked to John several times and he was helpful each time. He really does know about his kits and how to make them work properly. However, I'll have to knock down the grade a bit as the emails could be slightly faster and I still haven't been issued a core refund for my oil pan quite yet even though they received it over a week ago (John said the accountant is a bit slow).
Grade: B

Unichip: Ahh. The Unichip, despised by so many. I was quite surprised searching the net on its popularity, however the amount of tuners still remain low and so they can afford to ass rape people on charges. However, its not that hard to become a Unichip tuner. For a dyno shop to become a Unichip tuner, they just need to buy the Unichip tuning software (1200 bucks or so) and go to one of their classes for free (you pay airfare, etc.). Its a wonder why there aren't more Unichip tuners out there. It has 408 points in the powerband to tune at, makes the SAFC look like crap right? Anyway, the Unichip tune that comes with the car is a rough map, and the fifth injector makes it a bit rougher. However, it isn't bad. You can feel some deadspots in the power band. I did get a misfire code on a 3rd gear pull, which went away soon after, but I am still running stock plugs. I'm picking up some colder ones tomorrow when I get the brake light switch, I'll let everyone know how that helps. Overall its not a bad tune.
Grade: C

Fitment/Installation Guides: Best for last. lmao.gif Alpine supposedly triple checks clearances, but I got owned on quite a few things. Main thing that gave me trouble was the cold side intake piping, which did not clear the primary fan motor. And so that big, beefy piping worked against me, however with a little work the air powered cut off wheel took care of a few inches and I've got it to fit. Since I had this issue, however, the piping to go around the corner and put the filter by the foglight is off, so I'm stuck with my filter about a foot and a half from my wheel, which is not where I want it. I'm going to play with it though and custom fit that sucker around the corner. The cold side piping also rests on the radiator hose, as does the hot side piping. Not enough to restrict flow, I haven't overheated and I've driven it highway and let it idle for several minutes, but it is a slight problem. The return line is also quite a bit long. You also need to cut some of the webbing off the fans to get them to clear the turbo. The piping comes with no holes for the Idle bypass nor the IAT sensor. So overall, this is NOT something you can bolt-on with hand tools and a bit of knowledge. I made full use of grinders, cut off wheels, drill presses, etc. There is NO Beta 1 specific guide for this kit. You need to know how to install a turbo in order to do this. The one supplied is several years old, where they still used a FPR, an oil/water cooled turbo, etc. The wiring diagram is right (go by the pin numbers, not the wire colors) that comes with the kit. Overall, this is where I had issues and it really pushed the time up on how long this took me to install. Overall, the kit took me about 18 hours to install, and I still have to clean up the install (mount the Unichip somewhere, fully tape up all the wiring, etc.).
Grade: D+

Overall, its not a bad kit, nowhere near as bad as its been made out to be. It has its issues, which can be worked out. I haven't full throttled it yet, but you can tell the power is there, I'll post some vids once the colder plugs go in. I have no CELs, no issues in that respect. My plan is to bump it up 12psi or so come summertime and fab a FMIC for it, and hop on down to Thomasville to get it tuned. Unichip tuning rates I hear are about $80 an hour on the dyno, so a custom map is probably going to be a few hundred bucks.

Would I buy it again, even knowing the issues I would have? Probably.

 

great post man, this is getting pinned.

 

VERY informative post. This should help clear a lot up about the kit. Doesnt sound to bad at all. Looking forward to some numbers from you sometime as far as hp and torque go

 

I'm wondering if your fitment issues had to do with the fact that you have a 2001. I know when they were beta testing, it was done on Random's Car, which is a 1997. The front is different. True, they have alot of the same spots, but the raditator frame is different on the newer model RDs. Think that has anything to do with it?

Yah thats right, i changed it to RD, cus thats what it is tongue.gif

 

Quite possible.

I've still gotta clean up the install, get some colder plugs, and maybe try to shorten the vacuum line to the Unichip, hopefully will help with the tendency of the car to run lean after shifts. I'll post some pics then.

 

i have a few questions about the alpine kit (delivery).
I ordered my kit a 4,5 weeks ago (i am living in the netherlands) but i still dont have my tracking info, how long did it took for u, that the package arrived, and do u know from which adres it was send and which postoffice/company shipped the package to your place. i wanna know these things so i can look for the trackinfg info by myself. can u help me with that??

i tried to mail them, but like u told above, they dont respond fast on it. and calling isnt possible because of the time diff zones. (and the hudge costs.)


do u have some nice pictures from the kit installed? and how does it drive?? did u buy also a other clutch kit?

 

Do you still have Unichip in your setup? I am asking bacuse I have some problems with it and would like to see some experience from other members and how they solved their problems with it.

 

My kit is arived, this weekend i will put it on my tibby, keep u guys updated!

 

Guys i have a big problem,

A few months ago, i ordered the turbo kit from alpine. they send it 2 months later, and when i finally got it installed, there is one part missing. de unichip turbo comp, are 2 parts, a small and a big one, now is the small part the one for the gaseline, i believe, is missing. so i cant drive.
Do u guys know a solution, because alpine says that they send it a month ago, and after that i couldnt reach them. or have someone of u that part and dont use it anymore. i really dont know what to do, and faking the turbo and engine is not something i would do :$ anyone can help me??