Alfa Romeo 33 Tuning

"Italian passion personified."

The Alfa Romeo 33's were popular cars and really good all rounders produced between 1983 and 1995. They had the performance, looks although some argue it has dated now and the handling was superb. The flat 4 engines have a distinctive burble that rivals the modern Impreza rumble.

The twin carb 1.5's are still powerful even by todays standards and the post 89 1.7 Flat four engine is the engine of choice.

Turning our attention to the 33s engine we need to get a bit more power out of the top end.

The best power gains come from larger engine sizes. The more you start with the bigger the return on investment so engine swaps are good value mods for small engined cars. The 1.3 and 1.4s best tuning prospects start with an engine swap. 

Alfa Romeo 33 Wheel modifications.

Alloy wheels will help the brakes cool down and are usually lighter than the steel ones. The downside to large alloy wheels on your 33 is that you alter your effective final drive ratio and this will have a detrimental effect on performance. For this reason we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 16/17 inches, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no pronblems.

Alfa Romeo 33 Tuning modifications.

Doing this will help to keep the cars economy at lower speeds. One of the best mechanical mods you can do is to fit a fast road cam. You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to uprate the fuelling.

A fuel pressure boost valve will make the car more responsive and respond better. To get sufficient fuel you may need to uprate the injectors on your engine. Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned 33.

Alfa Romeo 33 Intake and Exhaust.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. For small 33 engine sizes go with a washable panel air filter. On larger engines and turbo vehicles an induction kit will help increase power. Sports exhausts will certainly help air flow through the engine but do not go too large. Stick to 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

When you start tuning your 33 you will find that the standard clutch starts to complain so get an uprated clutch. On NASP engines the benefits are doubtful, but will help unleash the potential if you have done a lot of mods. The largest power gains for NASP engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. It is easier to bolt on a supercharger than it is to get a turbo working. Turbos give boost in exponential proportion to increasing engine speed and this can make mapping difficult. The nice steady boost to rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them easier to map. Alternatively you could add water injection to control knock.

Please join us in our forum to discuss the 33 options in more detail with our 33 owners. It would also be worth reading our Alfa Romeo tuning articles to get a full grasp of the pros and cons of each type of modification.