Most power for least money

[obi_waynne]

Which mod gives the best bang per buck then? What are your thoughts on this? I'm sure a fair few newbies would be interested to read the comments on this subject

 

[pgarner]

probably
FI engine = remap
NASP engine = Nitrous, but then theres the cost for refilling the bottle. Or head work but this can be quite dear on some engines

 

[stamford]

Probably would be a remap from experience as most cars today are tuned to a basic set of parameters to cater for drivers who use poor fuels, poor servicing and treat their cars accordingly.

Those of us that look after our cars use premium fuels, regular servicing, use quality replacement parts and therefore can make the most of changing those parameters to make the most of the set-up.

My MG has an ecu that can 'learn' from minimal mods, induction and exhaust, but it still released another 10bhp after a remap. A generic chip would have done nothing as the current ecu did this on its own. It only works from a standard set-up with no mods.

So for a standard car it would be a chip, that price includes everything, nothing else would give you the same figures for less money. If you are running a turbo or diesel then you will be quids in!

In the old days you could swap carbs, rejet them, match heads to manifolds and port/polish etc. Most was labour. The money was for twin carbs and cams.

 

[HDi fun]

Modern turbocharged engines: - ECU remapping is the single cheap performance mod.

 

[Massive]

bolt on supercharger for nasp engine! seen these on a 1.2 and 1.4 clio and the bhp increase is amazing

 

[HDi fun]

bolt on supercharger for nasp engine! seen these on a 1.2 and 1.4 clio and the bhp increase is amazing

Surely there's a lot more to it than just 'bolting on' a supercharger?

 

[steviant]

Strip out weight from interior. Cost = free.

 

[aston]

Weight save, free, Save a little and buy something else more powerfull

 

[Bertrum]

Surely there's a lot more to it than just 'bolting on' a supercharger?

 

[obi_waynne]

Strip out weight from interior. Cost = free.

That has to be one of the best free mods you can do. Or replace parts with lighter ones, this will help all aspects of performance.

Anything turbo related seems to give a good power boost, remaps, hybrid, twin turbo etc...

 

[SLEEPER]

the reason that a remap increases power so much is that the manufacturers dont map for maximum performance in the first place.
Its all abut stats to sell the car they need a decent mpg figure and you dont get that with a performance map.

 

[HDi fun]

Depends how it's driven.

 

[SLEEPER]

of course but it remains a fact that factory cars are not mapped for max performance - If they were a remap wouldnt help .
A few cars (the first 230 kompressor slks for example) had maps that were very close to opimum performance (have one so I know ) This might be because it was supercharged though its far more likely though it was stats again because mereceds thought power numbers were more important than mpg (which wasnt bad anyway being supercharged)

 

[charger69]

weight reduction. u don't need to put no money at all, just make sure stay street legal

 

[HDi fun]

of course but it remains a fact that factory cars are not mapped for max performance - If they were a remap wouldnt help .
A few cars (the first 230 kompressor slks for example) had maps that were very close to opimum performance (have one so I know ) This might be because it was supercharged though its far more likely though it was stats again because mereceds thought power numbers were more important than mpg (which wasnt bad anyway being supercharged)

Mercedes Benz has always had good bhp per litre output figures.

 

[charger69]

Skoda has it too, with the 1.4l , 180 HP Fabia RS.

 

[HDi fun]

There's a swift uptake of forced induction engines across the board it seems. You can even get a 1.0 litre 3 cylinder Mondeo now.

 

[obi_waynne]

Adding a bigger turbo to a strong engine makes lots of power. 700 BHP supra upgrade for example from a map and turbo, that's quite a gain for a few thousand £'s!

 

[HDi fun]

The engine internals are often the limiting factor when it comes to ramping up the engine's power output. VW group has a 180 (ish) bhp 1.4 litre engine but that doesn't mean you can bolt 73 turbochargers onto a 1989 1.4 Fiesta and achieve the same result.

 

[charger69]

Sure, it was build under factory conditions. but those kinda engines don't really give you space for tuning

 

[charger69]

Adding a bigger turbo to a strong engine makes lots of power. 700 BHP supra upgrade for example from a map and turbo, that's quite a gain for a few thousand £'s!

A Supra guy told me the Supra first was ment to be a 600HP supercar, but when it got into production the de-tuned it in 300HP, that's why it's easy to tune it.

 

[charger69]

The engine internals are often the limiting factor when it comes to ramping up the engine's power output. VW group has a 180 (ish) bhp 1.4 litre engine but that doesn't mean you can bolt 73 turbochargers onto a 1989 1.4 Fiesta and achieve the same result.

I always am down for smaller and more powerful engines, not sure if zakspeed or other racing car at the turbo era had a 1.4l engine with 485 HP

 

[SLEEPER]

A Supra guy told me the Supra first was ment to be a 600HP supercar, but when it got into production the de-tuned it in 300HP, that's why it's easy to tune it.

Tell your supras buddy that the bit about the supra being designed as a 600hp car is Im afraid........................... nonsense.
At the time there was "gentlemens agreement" in place at that set a declared bhp ceiling of 280 . This was to avoid the government taking action to make it a law so no 400hp cars were designed let alone 600.
Its true that most of the top of the range japanese sports car could be easily tuned for more power but thats not quite the same thing .
GTRs for example had a plastic "reducer sleeve" in the boost pipe which seemed as though it had been designed to be taken out . Power would then be raised but only to about 320 max.

The supra was the strongest in stock form and the bottom end can certainly take 600 but you need to do a fair bit to the motor to manage that and then an awful lot more to the car itself.

 

[charger69]

Tell your supras buddy that the bit about the supra being designed as a 600hp car is Im afraid........................... nonsense.
At the time there was "gentlemens agreement" in place at that set a declared bhp ceiling of 280 . This was to avoid the government taking action to make it a law so no 400hp cars were designed let alone 600.
Its true that most of the top of the range japanese sports car could be easily tuned for more power but thats not quite the same thing .
GTRs for example had a plastic "reducer sleeve" in the boost pipe which seemed as though it had been designed to be taken out . Power would then be raised but only to about 320 max.

The supra was the strongest in stock form and the bottom end can certainly take 600 but you need to do a fair bit to the motor to manage that and then an awful lot more to the car itself.

he's a huge supra fan

 

[SLEEPER]

im sure he is but its a fact that all japanese cars were designed at that time with a quoted max bhp of 280
I know one cant rely on wiki everytime but
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_domestic_market
or search the net for more confirmation

 

[charger69]

thanks for the info SLEEPER

 

[old-git]

When Ford were looking for an engine to power their proposed Souped up Sierra, they popped into Cosworth and spied their experimental project of fitting a double overhead cam head on a Pinto block. Ford liked it but considered that the 300bhp it was producing too much for their target buyer so it was detuned to 204bhp. Now this engine IS easy to upgrade to over 300bhp with new injectors, a modified ECU and a few other tweaks. It is now difficult to find a standard engine

 

[charger69]

When Ford were looking for an engine to power their proposed Souped up Sierra, they popped into Cosworth and spied their experimental project of fitting a double overhead cam head on a Pinto block. Ford liked it but considered that the 300bhp it was producing too much for their target buyer so it was detuned to 204bhp. Now this engine IS easy to upgrade to over 300bhp with new injectors, a modified ECU and a few other tweaks. It is now difficult to find a standard engine

even ford cosworth's are hard to find

 

[obi_waynne]

That's because someone on here keeps buying them and dismantling them for parts to sell on.

 

[old-git]

But that is a service to the RS community, helping others to keep their cars on the road

 

[herb]

Most power for least money easy!
Buy a car already modified I know this can be a risk but if you buy the right one the previous owner will have spent thousands and you will reap the benefits for a little more cost than a standard car!

 

[old-git]

Buy a car modified by someone else? Only if you have a death wish!

Example 1. I bought a 3 door RS Sierra Cosworth that was being heavily modified but the owner lost interest. He had fitted all the right bits - Aeroquip pipes and fittings, Automotive fuel pump, etc. I was tempted to finish it but, fortunately, decided to strip and sell as was the original plan.

Aeroquiop fuel lines all the way to the fuel tank, where the aeroquip connector was araldited to the tank!

Example 2. I bought a 4 door RS Sierra Sapphire Cosworth. It was fitted with a Quaife ATB which I planned to use in the Elan. I ragged it around for a couple of weeks until the exhaust rattle got too much. When I started to strip the car I discovered that the driveshaft bolts were coming undone (some were undone by 10mm) and I only needed to use a socket on two out of the 24!

If you do decide to buy a modified car, don't pay anywhere near the price of a good condition unmodifed example, unless the mods are exactly what you would have done and you have the car checked by a qualified vehicle examiner, not your mate's mechanic friend.

If you buy a modifed car, assume that the builder was an idiot and check EVERYTHING!

 

[herb]

I did say it could be a risk
But as you say if it's checked over by somebody competent there is a bargain to be had and a fortune to be saved!