Peugeot 306 Tuning

"Turning a warm 306 into a hot hatch."

The 306 is Peugeots family sized runabout. First hitting our streets in 1993 it has come along way in a relatively short time.

The notable performance models include the XSi,S16 and range topping GTI-6. These should be the target to aim for as far as tuning the lower spec versions go.

The more you start with the greater your end power gain will be. This means that the 16 valve 2.0 engine is the engine of choice.

A number of popular modifications to the 306 include induction kits, suspension upgrades and sports exhausts.

Tuning tips and articles

Engine tuning Transmission tuning Care care Intake & exhaust mods Improve handling Forums

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Many 306 owners uprate the handling of their cars with tuning suspension upgrades as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car.

We found that most 306 factory suspension setups need tweaking, a few degrees of toe out for cornering or toe in for stability, -around 1.5, and some negative camber will often benefit your cornering and handling.

We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 22mm - 40 mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with uprated suspension.

Our aim in 306 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end.

Spending just a little bit of money on the best engine and handling mods could transform your car into a very credible performer.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

Engine tuning mods.

These are the uprated mods are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you begin.

Getting the best performance mods for your planned usage of the car is a time and money saver. Stage 3 (competition) mods just won't work well on the road hard to control in slow traffic.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best Engine Mods for your car

  1. Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings,  aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
  2. Fast road cams are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but they must be installed by someone who knows what they're doing and they are not always easy to source but you might find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft.
  3. Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
  4. Upgrades to turbochargers and superchargers - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
  5. Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Remap, Alloy wheels, Sports exhaust, Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm), Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel.

Typical stage 2 mods often include: Power/Sport clutch, Ported and polished head, high flow fuel injector, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Typical stage 3 mods often include: Engine balancing, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Sports gearbox, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves).

Recently a large number of cool styling modifications have entered the market place and we are seeing quite a few show car quality 306s being driven on our streets.

The 306 is a popular tuning base due in part to the large selection of performance and styling parts available for it.

When it comes to suspension upgrades TorqueCars would not recommend dropping a hot hatch version of the 306 any more than 35mm.

The standard cars can go a little lower as their standard suspension is set higher in the first place.

If you have anything under a 1.6 you will find that no matter what performance modifications you carry out there will be little actual gain. The only effective mod on these cars is a full sports suspension kit - you may as well enjoy the handling. If you are like many other 1.6 and lower 306 owners then your best option is to do an engine swap.

Many 306 owners criticise the built quality of the 306 citing leaks from hoses as the most frustrating issue. Taking some time to fit good quality silicone hoses and replace the HT wiring with performance leads will offer peace of mind as far as plumbing issues go.

Look to the XSi and S16 and GTi-6 for suitable donor engines. We have seen some very nice v6 conversions carried out. There are also a number of Peugeot speicialists springing up offering turbo conversions which, although expensive are probably one of the best modifications you can do to your 306.

The HDI engines are great to work with especially when you upgrade the turbo. If you want a simple upgrade then look for a hybrid, where the stock internals have been changed out for better ones (typically go for something like K03S or GT2052 internals), this makes it a simple bolt on job.

Then tune/remap to get the best from it. GT20 variants and RHF5's will slot in nicely, with a minimum of work.

The GT1852V from the Megane has been used on this engine if you custom build an adaptor plate to cope with the shape of the compressor outlet.

GT20S are popular turbo upgrdes if you want to go to the max and are happy doing the work.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Contrary to popular belief there is often very little if any power gain to be had by fitting an induction kit, they only help and are recommended after you increase the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Maximum power gains come from a full induction kit with a cold air feed on heavily tuned engines, this can be sited within an air box but a panel filter should suffice for most applications. TorqueCars suggest you use a panel air filter as these are easy to clean and maintain and generally perform better than paper ones.

Sports exhausts generally help improve air flow out of the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too big or you could very well end up with a reduced flow rate. So generally speaking, keep to 1.5 to 2.5 inches as a rule of thumb.

Airflow through the head can be dramatically increased with some professional gas flowing. These should match and be setup to take into account any other engine mods. When you start tuning your 306 you will often find that the standard clutch starts to slip so get an uprated clutch. The best mods we recommend for your 306 are fast road camshaft, remap, induction and exhaust, suspensionTurbo engines are just begging to be Upgraded. You will see large power gains on most modern turbo charged cars including diesels making a tune/remap one of the most cost effective and large modifications for your money.

We've also come across some owners experimenting with twincharged applications and making some impressively high power figures.

The performance models can also donate suspension and braking components for your car. We should also mention the excellent diesel engines. Quite a few TorqueCars members have had their diesels tuned/remapped and boast not only silly power levels but also increased fuel economy. Join us in our forum to meet and chat with our 306 tuning fans and swap ideas with them.

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3 Responses to “Tuning the Peugeot 306”

  1. vijash says:

    hi, i would like to tune my peugeot 308cc. i would really appreciate if you could assist me. thank you

  2. Chrissy says:

    Hi i am just wanting 2 no if it would be ok if i put a front mount intercooler and a hybird turbo in my peugeot 306 hdi or do i need anything eles or will it be ok with the intercooler and turbo.

    Chrissy.

  3. DEAN ARMSDEN says:

    I am just stepping into the gti 6 world as I am buying a 47000 mile car.
    I have owned quite a few 306’s and all but the gti have been diesel.
    I am currently doing a under bonnet restoration on my cherry red 3dr d turbo hdi, which includes the fitting of a 60000 mile engine so need some advice on upgrades to turbo and removal of egr system and a re map.
    The hdi already has a full mongoose stainless exhaust and updated suspension.
    My plan with the gti is subtle changes to boost power without doing any engine work. I will probably fit a rollover kit to it and probably bigger brake calipers and front discs (406 coupe) and a nice set of wheels inc a full mongoose stainless exhaust.
    Like I said I am a newbie to the gti world and would like some advice on getting a bit more out of it at little cost.
    Many thanks.
    Dean.
    2001 d turbo 3dr cherry red
    1997 lx d turbo 65000 mile sedan silver
    2000/6 48000 gti 6. Moonstone blue

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