Ford Galaxy Tuning

"Tuning guide to the greatest Ford Galaxy modifications."

Ford Galaxy was actually a collaberative effort between the VAG group and Ford, and works really well. It had lots of internal space, ideally suited as multi person vehicle.

The 2.8 VR6 engine was a dream and made this something special in it’s class. It sold well but was heavily criticised, later versions improved the package and answered many of the criticisms levelled at the original.

The Galaxy is a great tuning project to have. The key to Galaxy tuning is getting your choice of modification right - a lot of money can be wasted if you do it wrong.

See our video which provides a complete introduction to Ford Tuning, it contains some tips on performance and handling modifications.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Handling modifications are the thing most do first for the Galaxy.

Good suspension tweaks that usually enhance handling for the Galaxy include a couple of degrees negative camber and 1-1.5 degrees of toe (set out to improve cornering or in for better stability) on the front wheels.

We would go to a maximum drop of 30mm - 36 mm. on most models. You risk compromising your handling if you go lower than this.

Adding meatier brake discs and better performance pads will make for greatly improved braking.

We should point out that race pads will be noisy and will need a lot of heat before they bit.

On a road car the brakes are only used rarely and won't stop you as well so choose pads which have a low working temperature.

Top end power should be your overall aim on the Galaxy with a nice fat peak torque band.

To be completely frank and honest, on the more modest engine sizes you are wasting your time spending money on modifications, so if this applies to you get yourself an engine swap then apply the following mods.

Power mods.

These mods uprated upgrades are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you want to go before you get started.

First generation
(Mk I & Mk II 1995−2006) V191

• 2.0i DOHC
• 2.3i DOHC
• 2.8i VR6

Diesel engine

• 1.9 TDI 90 bhp (67 kW) or 110 bhp (82 kW)

Second generation (2006−2015) CD340

Petrol: 2.0 L

• Duratec i4 2.0 L
• EcoBoost turbo I4 2.3 L
• Duratec i4 Flexifuel: 2.0 L
• Duratec i4 Diesel: 1.8 L
• Duratorq TDCi I4 2.0 L
• Duratorq TDCi I4 2.2 L
• Duratorq TDCi I4

Third generation (2015−present)CD390

Petrol:

• 1.5 L EcoBoost turbo I4
• 2.0 L EcoBoost turbo I4

Diesel:

• 2.0 L Duratorq TDCi I4
• 2.0 L EcoBlue TDCi I4
• 2.0 L EcoBlue twin-turbo I4

Getting the best tuning upgrade kits for your planned usage of the car is essential. 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 mods for your Galaxy

1. Galaxy Suspension - Replacing worn bushings and shocks greatly enhances your Galaxy road holding and cornering. Adjustable coilovers and better bushings are what is needed here.
2. Forced induction upgrades - Adding a turbocharger is the most significant way to improve intake air supply, allowing you to combust more fuel and make power gains. Typically one of the most challenging mods you'll see massive gains.
3. Tunes - Galaxy engine tuning/remapping offers the most power compared to cost, replacement ECUs, and inline Tuning boxes are all alternatives.
4. Flowing and porting the Head - Head work will get air flowing into the engine while removing turbulence or restrictions.
5. Brake Mods - Enhancing your stopping power ought to be high on your agenda.
6. Fast road cams are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but they must be fitted by someone qualified to set them up properly and you might struggle to find one but we are sure you'l; find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft for you.
7. Flywheel lightening - a reduced weight flywheel will enhance the engines ability to rev freely. Not a great mod for all Galaxy engines.
8. Intake Upgrades and Exhaust - NB: on their own these mods won't ADD TORQUE in most cases, but they can help release power after other mods by removing the restriction.

Galaxy Tuning Stages

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Suspension upgrade (drop 30mm - 36 mm.), Alloy wheels, Lighter flywheel, Engine Tunes/Remapping, Panel air filter, Sports exhaust.

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

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

You should keep as much low end power as you can and aim to get a wide power band across the rev range rather than a narrow top end power spike.

The whole aim of our articles is to give a starting base of customizing upgrades and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your car tuning project, the best performance upgrades and all aspects of modding cars.A fast road cam proves to be one of the best NASP power mods you can do with a single part fitted to your engine.

It improves the intake and exhaust durations and pushes up the power if done right. Ideally you'd add other mods and finish up with a reflashed ECU. We'd also caution you not to go with a motor sports profile cam as this upsets the engines idling and general town driving characteristics.

Don't forget to uprate the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty.

Frequently power losses, flat spots and erratic idling after performance upgrades are done can usually be traced to fuelling or timing issues. Increasing the injectors is another beneficial modification and will deliver sufficient fuel.

A fuel pump will only deliver a finite amount of fuel, so you may need to uprate this if your injectors are demanding more fuel.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Now we move on to the intake and exhaust and ensure proper flow through the engine.  Contrary to popular belief there is usually a small if any power gain got by fitting an induction kit, they only work well and are recommended after you boost the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Induction kits can work well on turbo engines and larger engines (if supplied with a suitable cold air feed or air box), generally though we'd just recommend for Galaxy engines you should go with a sports panel air filter preferably made from cotton.

Sports exhausts can usually air flow from the engine but avoid an exhaust that is too wide or you might just stuff your flow rate and make things worse. So generally speaking, keep to a size of 1.5 to 2.5 inches for best results.

Getting the head gas flowed will further help more air into each cylinder. This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. A good triple plate fast road upgraded clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never cut corners or ask your standard clutch to cope. The best mods in our experience for your Galaxy are remaps, sports camshafts and induction improvements.

NA (naturally aspirated) engines do not achieve big power gains if you tune/remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A tuned/remapped turbo will give large power gains and fully release the potential power of the engine.

We've also seen some tuners toying with twin charging conversions and making some impressively high power gains.

The most significant power gains for NA (naturally aspirated) engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. It is often cheaper to bolt on a supercharger than it is to bolt on a turbo. It is difficult to map fuelling with a turbo as the boost increases exponentially with engine speed.

It is more straightforward to map a supercharger because the boost is directly proportional to engine speed on a linear curve. To cope with forced induction you will usually need to decrease the compression ratio of the engine .

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Alloy wheels can help the brake cooling and are usually less heavy than steel ones. Get a good track legal slick tire to improve your handling and help improve traction on your Galaxy. Large Galaxy alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Due to this we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 18 inches, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no problems.

Wheel & Tire size and speed ratings for the Galaxy.

• 215/60 R16 99V
• 225/50 R17 98W
• 235/55 R17 103W
• 235/50 R18 101W

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss Galaxy options in more detail with our Galaxy owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Ford tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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