Vauxhall Corsa Tuning

"Of Corsa you can!"

The Vauxhall Corsa was introduced as the replacement to the popular Nova back in 1993.

Today it has become a very popular car with young drivers as it is cheap to run and insure.

Sadly many tacky and tasteless modifications have caused many to dismiss the Corsa as a serious track day car.

Some of our members have carried out insane engine swaps from Vectras, Calibra and Cavalier Sri's and created stunning Corsa tuning projects. 

When you have a small car with a power output in excess of 150bhp you have something to be truly proud of that is both practical and fun on the track.

Vauxhall provided a wide range of engine options from a base engine of 1 litre up to a lively 1.8 litre engine in the SR models.

The bigger the engine the better the performance gains you will get from a Corsa tuning project.

The cars were originally designed as a family runaround therefore little attention has been given to the handling and performance characteristics.

Thankfully a huge aftermarket parts supply has sprung up with everything ranging from springs to engine conversion kits.

Sadly there is little that can be done to increase the performance of the 1.4 and smaller engine sizes but a lot can be done to enhance the handling of the car. TorqueCars recommend lowering the car (no more than 40 millimetres) and fitting adjustable springs and dampers.

One minor annoyance with the Corsa is the fact that the steering wheel is slightly offset therefore not in the centre of the pedals. Fitting larger pedals will help to compensate for this a little and enable you to perform heel and toe gear changes.

Engine swaps are always popular with TorqueCars members and Vauxhall engines seem to be very interchangeable. An Engine swap seems to be the most cost effective way of increasing the power, with Corsa tuners looking to the higher powered Astra models for suitable donors. Some have also attempted to insert Vectra and Calibra engines into the Corsa engine bay.

From 2000 the model was revised and the driving qualities were improved along with reliability. The 1.8 SRI model was undoubtedly the hot hatch performer of choice and this would benefit from an induction kits, for sports exhaust, FSE fuel pressure boost valve and fast road cams.

Please join our forum to discuss tuning options and ideas with are other TorqueCars members who have Corsas.You will also find the car tuning articles around the site of interest as these cover car modifications in great detail.