406 Tuning

"The French car built to take on the Fleet market."

The 406 could be considered to be the French answer to BMW and Mercedes.

It became a very popular fleet car with as much as 87% of all new sales going to fleets.

It is certainly a comfortable car to drive with plenty of gadgets. The later turbo models are a positive gift to the car tuner. There are certainly some bargains around to be had.

Our members (one in particular) really rate the 2.2HDi, once remapped you have around 200bhp of mid range power. Perfect for overtaking and with the same 30-70 acceleration as a Porsche!

We would go for the 2.0 Turbo or the 3.0 V6 which are both excellent engines with much to offer the 406 Tuner. The Coupe version is in a class of its own, looking nothing like the car it was based on, featuring a stunning Ferrari-esque design from Pininifarina!

Many 406 owners uprate the handling of their cars as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car. We would go to a maximum drop of 35mm on most models. You risk rubbing on the arches if you go lower than this.

Turning our attention to the 406s engine we need to get a bit more power out of the top end.

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.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. For small 406 engine sizes go with a washable panel air filter. On larger engines and turbo vehicles an induction kit will help increase power. Do not go with the biggest exhaust you can find - the best for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches.

A good fast road power clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never skimp or expect a standard clutch to cope. Remaps offer significant power gains on all turbo charged cars. On NASP engines the benefits are doubtful, but will help unleash the potential if you have done a lot of mods.

Please join us in our forum to discuss the 406 options in more detail with our 406 owners. It would also be worth reading our 406 tuning articles to get a full grasp of the pros and cons of each type of modification